Do you have the right mindset to survive in network marketing (or MLM?)

We’ve recently done a podcast with a network marketing supremo, Abiodun Oluokun, who has spent a number of years finding the best opportunity for her needs, and has become an Avon lady.

Many mums want to experience running their own network marketing business, but give up when they hit the first hurdle. But, the truth is, to survive in any business your mindset is just as important as the quality of products you are trying to sell.

If you’re easily disappointed, and if you know that you give up easily, then you need to change your attitude towards business because you are going to need broad shoulders to survive in the world of network marketing.
But some people have been badly burnt when trying to find the right network marketing business opportunity. Have you been unsuccessful with network marketing yet, and want to give it a last try? Are you are thinking of joining such a business opportunity for the first time but don’t know what to expect? Here are five tips to developing a positive mental attitude that will help you to build your online network marketing business.

1. Commitment

Once you have your desire to achieve your goals, it is essential to commit to achieving them. When something is new and exciting it is easy to do, but within a few months (or even weeks) of starting it is easy to abandon it, especially when you are constantly met with people saying “no”.

Affirm your commitment to achieving whatever target you have set yourself, and remember to reward yourself every step of the way. Taking baby steps – one achievement at a time, build up to become one large achievement and that is the best way to achieve any goal.

Setting yourself a goal to make £300 in your first month and then not celebrating your first £20 sale can cause frustration. Remember, it is the small parts that come together to make the whole! 15 sales at £20 means you hit your £300 target.

2. Accepting challenges

Being your own boss can be a little daunting at first – especially when you realise that if you don’t put the work in at first, nothing happens. You may decide to start building your business while still in full-time employment and that in itself will cause challenges when you are trying to juggle a young family.

Not managing your time properly can easily become one of the biggest challenges you will have to deal with. It will be very easy to sit at your computer and feel as if you have done very little when your working day finishes if you are not managing your time effectively.

3. You are in control.

With no real boss to tell you what to do at every stage (although most good network marketing businesses do give you support when you need it), you’ll have to learn to keep your mind focused on important things. Set goals and priorities for what you want to do and accomplish. Develop a strategy for dealing with potential problems and when those problems surface, feel confident in your ability to handle them.

What is the worst that can happen, anyway? Not making any sales one day? What about the next day? And failure is not the end of the world – what matters is what you can learn from it.

“I can do it” are probably the four most important words you can continually say to yourself every day.

4. Practice makes perfect

And stop worrying about getting everything right the first time. The only thing that separates you from a millionaire is mindset (assuming you are not a millionaire already, of course!).

Learn, learn and learn some more. The most successful people in network marketing invest in theirmselves so they can increase their knowledge and be even more successful.

Paying for courses and seminars is an investment in yourself and in your business. If you value yourself then you must have this positive attitude towards improving yourself.

You can learn the hard way by doing things and seeing what works or what doesn’t. Or you can go to a seminar, do courses and workshops, listen to what works, adapt it to add your own flair to it, and make it work even better!

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

When you run an online network marketing business you want to work for yourself not by yourself. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Don’t think you’re incompetent just because you can’t do it all.

Get to know your local rep – their input and experience in the business is essential in your early weeks and months. Send them an email, introduce yourself, let them know what support you need and what you are hoping to achieve. Don’t just sit back and wait for them to get in touch with you – they may have other people to mentor, and if you don’t shout you won’t be heard.

Don’t forget that the Mothers Who Work Club membership offers online training to help you get the best out of your network marketing business, and when you’re up and running, you can add your business details to the Mumpreneur Directory.