Episode II.5: The Clone [MLM System] Wars (Sans The Bad Lucas Dialogue)

When I think back on the manic, high stress, too often frustrating days of my first serious foray into the network marketing jungle just a few years ago, believe it or not, I can't help but smile, even though now I have 10 times the success with none of the headaches.  Probably for the same reason wealthy, happy, retirees sitting on a beach in the Turks & Caicos Islands smile when they reflect back on the days of their idiotic, broke 20's. 

Not that I regret anything, because everything I did during my "sheep" days I did in absolute, sink or swim earnesty and conviction, (I did the Damn Thing) but simply in acknowledgement of what I didn't know then.  And how if someone had let me in on what I know now it would have saved me a lot of time, loot, and crushing disappointment.  Not to mention feelings of betrayal. 

It was the third network marketing company that I joined shortly after my last busines venture drove me into bankruptcy that truly got me fired up, hooked, and moved me into real action, and there were two main reasons for this, the first being the two tremendously elequent, charismatic, and filthy successful leaders who explained/pitched the business opportunity and product on the marketing DVD I was given by my eventual sponsor.  What seemed to be an unbeliveable compensation plan didn't hurt either.

But what most captured my imagination and led to many nights in bed so excited that I couldn't sleep was the promise of "The System."  A guaranteed, proven system that I only had to plug into, follow religiously, then teach to my team, and it would deliver me to the Big Boy club alongside my two idols.  The irresistable allure of automatic, paint-by-numbers success.  After all, hadn't they constantly preached over and over that it was sticking to "The System" that got them to where they were and produced what they had?

Yepp, that's what they said.  And I wanted what they had.  Bad. 

I wanted it badly enough to lay it all on the line and spend nearly every waking moment eating, breathing, studying, and working this business building system I'd been taught.  And you know what?  I have to honestly say the effort I put into that system did in fact produce results.  They just weren't the results I was expecting.

           "A system can only produce what it was designed to produce" - Jerry L. Wilson

See after 5 months of working like a Mississippi slave at this thing full time and teaching the people who joined my organization the same system, I was able to build an average monthly income of just over $3,988 and while that might not be a lot to some people, I was ecstatic. It matched my job's monthly paycheck so I bounced the (censored) out, thoroughly enjoying the WTF look on my boss' face.  Trouble was, my goal was to build a $20,000+ per month income, and almost a year later I was not only no closer to it, but my money had began to fall faster than Eddie Murphy's career.  I was on my way back to eating mayonnaise sandwiches like when the nice bankruptcy judge took my house. 

Add to that the fact that almost everyone else in my organization working "The System" was earning NO money.  They were basically working just to lose money, paying the monthly service fee and blaming me behind my back.  What was the deal?  This is "The System" I was taught by the heavy hitters at the very top.  They'd personally assured me I was doing the right thing, following their footsteps, and to just keep on doing it, but these guys hit $40,000+ per month in their first 9 months and I'd been in almost two years.  What was up?

Then one night at exactly 2:19 AM I woke out of my sleep suddenly and as I sat in the dark I could see the answer floating right in front of my eyes.  The words were outlined in flame, the way flashes of revelation always appear to me.  They were the words of my father.  I'd heard them from him many times growing up. 

"A system can only produce what it's designed to produce." 

Yep.  The system I'd been taught was working exactly the way it was supposed to.  The Big Boys with the Ferraris were just using a different one without telling me.

And that brings us right to where we find ourselves today in the network marketing industry.  Trapped like civilians in a war zone with soldiers of competing clone systems attacking us with psychological propoganda from all sides, warning us to enlist in their armies. 

And in evaluating which, if any, of them we should choose we ask the same questions; How does the system work?  Why does it work?  How fast does it work?  How much does it cost? How much money have you made with it?

But those are all the wrong questions to fixate on.  The question we should be asking is what leads us to the magic bullet of network marketing systems; What is the system designed to produce?

Here's a brief story that can help you deal quickly with the inevitable hemming and hawing you're going to get when you ask that question directly of someone trying to sell you a dream (even if it's yourself.) 

A few months ago when I hooked up to design and develop the marketing system I currently use with 5 other (very) successful leaders in the networking industry I did a lot of listening because while I'm definitely not looking at prices on most things these days, some of these guys were earning more than 84 stacks a month ($84,000.00 for the slang challenged) before we got together.  Yeah, I make maybe the least of all of them but that's how you make more money. Work with people that make more than you.  Anyway, the system we designed conformed to the following rules: 

 1.  The system had to be simple and specific enough that a serious new businessperson could learn it and go to work in it on day one. (To enable speed and most importantly momentum.)

2.  The system had to generate a commission for a serious businessperson working it within 7 days (To foster belief and confidence.)

3.  The training had to be "How To", automated and On-Demand. (To create duplication and efficiency.)

4.  The system had to put a serious businessperson working it into profit within 30 days. (To eliminate pressure, cement belief, and foster longevity which leads to long term income growth.)

We all agreed that, based on how we'd achieved our various levels of success, those were the 4 key elements our system could not be without in order to give a qualified person accepted onto our team a realistic chance to create serious, long term success, which to us meant a minimum of $100,000.00 per year of income.  But what amazed me was despite our different histories and paths, we all agreed the one, most critical, make or break element was what the system had to produce: 

                          5.  The Magic Bullet:  The System Had To Produce Leaders.

That's it peeps.  That's the single, most important thing any network marketing business building system has to produce to give a serious, commited business owner a realistic chance of building a six figure income.  How can I make such a bold statement?  Because leaders in your organization generate the most sales and attract and help produce more leaders, and... well, you get the picture right?  Can you imagine if everyday a new leader was popping up on your team instead of the newest loser fleeing into the witness protection program?

So how can a network marketing system be designed to do that?  Well the best, most effective, way based on my experience is simple:  You have to integrate a personal development program not only into the culture of your team, but into your business system itself. 

Look, people aren't taught leadership, they become leaders.  And they become leaders by consistently absorbing the thoughts of powerful leaders and achievers as well as empowering ideas into their minds on a daily basis.  Without this occuring they will never reach the top income levels.  Period.  You can feel free to test this if you'd like, but I wouldn't do it with your rent money.  

Any effective system should have some type of component that automates personal development, such as a "quote of the day" audio, video, email, or text message, a book of the month discussion, regular audio recordings of influential business leaders posted for team members, etc. It should at the very least direct each team member to read a minimum of 10 pages a day in a chosen self-development book and have a forum where team members can engage in follow-up discussions and form mastermind groups.  

10 pages a day adds up to 3,650 pages in a year.  With most books being no more than 250 pages long, that's at least 14.5 self-improving books in a year read by every committed player on your team.  Can you see the impact of that many people in your organization getting better and then making each other better all at the same time?  My accountant can help describe it if you can't. 

Right now we're seeing exponential success throughout our organization because of the compounding of both our marketing system's laser efficiency and the personal growth of each of our team members who are consistently working the system. So can you and anyone else who commits to building or choosing their network marketing system based on these 5 rules.  Everybody can win big, not just the "heavy hitters" at the top, which is the only configuration my principles allow me to accept. 

So as a leader, when you sit down to design or tweak the business building/marketing system for your team or even to analyze a system being used by an organization or company you're considering joining, I'd highly recommend making sure these components are present.  Most importantly, if the system doesn't include The Magic Bullet, either adapt it so it does, or run the other direction. 

Unless of course, you like mayonnaise sandwiches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Founder/CEO of The Six Figure Group, Harkon "The Bad Boy Genius" Ajala is an author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, trainer, and an InfoAge Business consultant. He was given his nickname because of his confrontational, mischevious, and often controversial speaking style and his rumored 170+ I.Q. (which he credits with helping him to go bankrupt, have 3 homes foreclosed on, and end up managing at McDonalds by age 27 before getting dumb and wealthy).  You can watch the free videos explaining Harkon's cutting edge new "Hands Off" online marketing system at www.QuantumWealthVooDoo.com  Read free articles, get free training, and see if you can handle "The BadBoy Experience" at his website/blog www.WhoTheHellisHarkonAjala.com 

Live Luxe Or Die!