The Power Of Duplication In Network Marketing

Duplication in network marketing is what will make you rich.

It’s not making a ton of sales…

Or recruiting new reps every single week.

In fact, the very top earners in network marketing don’t actually recruit that many people over a long period of time.

What you need to understand about network marketing is that this is not a sales business. Nor is it a recruiting business.

At least not primarily.

Ultimately, network marketing is a teaching business.

Remember back when you were first told about the MLM business model?

You were told that you would need to recruit three people, who would each recruit three, would would recruit three…

And on and on.

You were told that the business would provide passive income. That you could make money in your sleep. That your income would continue to grow, even while you’re on vacation sipping on a cold one at the beach.

But the reality is, few people ever experience this in network marketing regardless of which MLM company you’re with..

Because as soon as you get started in network marketing, you become hyper focused on telling as many people as possible about your business.

And when you get turned down again and again, you start to get desperate. 

You start to feel as though you need to become a recruiting machine in order to make it in network marketing.

And you completely forget about the most important concept that you have to understand in MLM:

Duplication.

What Is Duplication In Network Marketing?

If you’re reading this, then you understand the fundamental business model of network marketing. 

But let’s go over the basics…

Network marketing bypasses traditional marketing and distribution methods. 

Instead of paying millions of dollars to retail giants and advertising agencies, network marketing allows regular class folks like you and me to take a chunk of the pie.

It’s not that different from a traditional business.

Goods and services are sold into the economy in exchange for money. A basic value for value exchange.

So if you are a distributor for a network marketing business, you can earn commissions for every single sale you make. But the reality is, the commissions are not actually that big. It’s very unlikely that you will make life changing money just by selling products.

The real leverage comes in building your own sales force.

Not only can you earn commissions made by folks you recruit into your team, but your team members also have the opportunity to each build their own teams. 

And you can earn commissions from all of the sub-teams that grow within your own organization.

For a full explanation, analysis, and reasons why network marketing is a good idea for the times we live in, check out my full MLM analysis here.

But even if you become successful in network marketing, your income will initially be quite small. Because recruiting is not easy, and most people will not be interested in joining your business.

But some will. And it’s your job to find the small number of people who are actually interested in this business model.

It’s just a numbers game, and you need to work through those numbers.

You will probably not recruit that many people during your network marketing career. And if you do, most of them won’t stay.

This is where duplication comes in.

Let’s say that you are only able to recruit 6 serious builders per year (1 every two months) during a 5 year period in this business. 

That’s really not a lot, right?

But if you’re able to successfully create duplication in your team, then your builders should theoretically be duplicating what you’ve personally done.

So each of your 6 might recruit 6 serious builders per year. And each of those 6 might recruit 6.

The table below is an example of how this theoretical scenario would grow your team over the course of 5 years.

You’ve probably heard about the size of teams that some top earners have built in their network marketing careers.

Some people, such as Randy Gage, Eric Worre, or Ray Higdon have reportedly built teams of hundreds of thousands of people.

Do you really think that they personally recruited the majority of those people?

Not even close!

How To Create Duplication In Network Marketing

Top earners in MLM create duplication within their organization so that each individual person is able to follow a simple system that will allow them to recruit a reasonable number of serious builders.

Each individual in your organization will earn you a small commission…

But if you have a team of tens of thousands of people, all those small commissions add up to a life changing income.

In the beginning, you will need to work hard, especially if you want to experience fast growth right out of the gate.

Just knowing these concepts is not enough. Don’t confuse knowledge for experience. Sometimes, all the training webinars, podcasts and books you consume can make you feel more competent than you really are. You have to put in the the work in order to really get it.

But if you understand duplication, you will not need to work hard long term.

You just need to develop a personalized MLM business plan and follow it no matter what. No excuses.

So let’s talk about 6 key concepts for you to focus on in order to create massive duplication in your network marketing business.

I. Focus On What Duplicates, Not What Works

As a new network marketer, you may be tempted to learn recruiting techniques such as high pressure sales or complex internet marketing strategies.

This may be a good idea in traditional sales…

But not in network marketing.

Listen, a lot of things work… if your goal is to make sales or recruit people.

But it doesn’t matter what works.

What matters is what duplicates.

If you become skilled at high pressure selling and you start bringing in a ton of new team members, your team will not grow long term.

Think about it…

The people you bring into your team will be looking to you for leadership. They will be trying to duplicate what you’ve done to create success.

The problem is, most people are not able to succeed with high pressure selling tactics. They will try to follow your lead but when they inevitably fail, they will quit the business.

And you will be forced to constantly replenish your team.

You must build your business in such a way that can easily be replicated by new folks joining your business.

Because your success in MLM will be capped by how duplicable your system is.

Check out our article on principles for MLM leadership.

II. Forcing Growth Will Not Duplicate

You might be tempted to “force” growth in your network marketing team by using hype or strategically placing your own recruits in your sponsorship line.

While this may work in the very short term, it is certainly not a long term solution.

Let’s be very clear: Hype and rah-rah will not duplicate.

Short term thinking will not work in MLM. 

Keep in mind, network marketing is not some type of get rich quick shortcut. It’s a serious business. And just like any other serious business, you will need to play the long game. 

Long term success in network marketing is built with people and process. Focus on growing your people. Focus on teaching them the simple process that you use to grow your own team.

For every single action you take in your business, don’t ask yourself how this will affect your recruited distributor, or your recruit’s recruit…

Instead, ask yourself how this will affect the 6th or 7th generation of sponsorship.

III. Adhere To The Formula

Empower a large group of people to perform a few simple actions on an ongoing basis – Randy Gage

If there is only one thing that you remember from this article, it’s the above quote.

It sums up exactly what your whole philosophy in network marketing should be. Don’t over complicate this. 

It’s really a very simple business. And if you manage to keep it simple, you should be able to create duplication. And by extension, a life changing career in network marketing.

Here’s the formula:

1. You Need A Large Enough Group

If your team consists of yourself and one or two other people, you will probably not be able to gain enough traction to create duplication.

In the beginning, you will need to grind. Work hard; talk to as many people as you can. You need to build your team to a sufficient critical mass to start the duplication process.

2. Perform A Few Simple Actions

You will likely receive training from the leadership within your team. Follow the training as closely as you can.

Dial it down to its most basic elements and do not over complicate it.

Every increase in complexity will create a corresponding decrease in duplication. 

This obviously has negative long term implications. 

3. Stay Consistent

You should not emit a huge blast of energy and then quit working hard immediately afterwards. You need to be aware that your team will be watching you carefully.

Remember, it only takes a few simple actions to succeed in this business. But you must continue these actions on an ongoing basis.

IV. Actions To Focus On

We talked about the 3 part formula to succeed and create long term duplication in network marketing. 

Part 2 was: Perform a few simple actions.

So what exactly are the actions to focus on?

Study

Network marketing will be a lifelong practice of learning and personal growth. 

This is something that you will need to embrace early on and understand that learning is not just something you will do in the beginning.

It’s a lifelong commitment.

Do

This is the tough one. 

Most people find it relatively easy to study success… it’s a whole new level of commitment to actually get out there and put into practice what you’ve learned.

Many people get “stuck” in the learning phase. They feel as though they need to learn everything before truly getting started.

Do not fall into this trap.

You need to study and do… simultaneously.

Teach

Remember, the aim is duplication. So not only do you need to learn and take action, but you need to teach your people what you’re learning and doing.

And you need to do all three of these simultaneously.

V. Use Third Party Tools

Here’s another Randy Gage quote:

If you are in front of a candidate and your lips are moving, you need to be pointing to a third party tool.

Your network marketing company will provide you with various marketing tools to refer to as you’re speaking to potential customers or builders.

So you don’t need to know all the answers… You simply need to know where to find the answers.

Eventually, you will actually know the answers, but you should still continue to use the third party tools. 

Why?

Because it models duplicable behavior.

The person you’re speaking to will see that they don’t even need to know any of the answers in order to do this business. And they will be more likely to believe that they could do this business too.

VI. No High Pressure Closing

We’ve briefly discussed this already, but trying to master “NLP closing” or “high pressure sales tactics” is one of the worst things you could possibly do in network marketing.

You can not manipulate someone into network marketing.

They will quickly experience buyers remorse and simply quit the business. 

Instead, simply present your opportunity in the most honest and compelling way. Tell them about the benefits of your opportunity and what you love about it.

Then allow them to make their own decision based on how they feel about what you’ve shared.

If that means they’re not interested in joining your business, that’s completely fine.

Thank them for their time and simply move on.

Remember, you’re not trying to force anyone into your business. You are looking for the few who are interested and will actually make a great addition to your team.

If you treat everyone with class and respect, they will be OK with you approaching them a second time a year or two into the future.

Define Your System

When I was in high school, I had several friends who worked as managers at McDonalds.

Think about that…

McDonalds has teenage students successfully managing a business that produces tens of millions in sales every single year.

Let that sink in.

How is that possible?

It’s because McDonalds and other similar franchises have figured out how to systematize their business models so efficiently as to allow acne-prone teenagers to manage these household name-brand businesses.

Some of these kids can’t even legally drive a car, and yet they are able to manage a high traffic business successfully.

Like McDonalds for example…

Every single action is defined within the system that these kids need to follow.

• 1-3 piece orders go in a certain sized bag
• 4-6 piece orders go in the next bigger bag
• Here’s the napkins you use and where to get them from
• This is when you order supplies
• This is when supplies are delivered

And so on and so forth.

Every action that the kid needs to take is specifically defined within the McDonalds system.

Remember this: 

Business systems exist to facilitate growth in a scalable way.

One of the reasons that McDonalds has been able to become one of the biggest and best known brands in the world is because they were able to scale efficiently.

They were able to hire people that didn’t need to have any expertise in running a business.

They just needed to be able to follow a simple system.

And everyone can do that.

Simple Systems Duplicate In Network Marketing

As a network marketer who strives to create massive duplication, you will need to remove yourself from the system whenever you can.

Automate activities as much as you possibly can.

You want your team members to be able to execute their business without you having to get involved.

Again, simplicity is key.

Do not try to add steps to your system in order to create duplication. Instead, try to remove steps. Remember, every increase in complexity creates a corresponding decrease in duplication.

You might even consider setting up an online training platform that you can send your team members to in order to learn the process and concepts required to succeed in this business.

This will allow you and your team to focus on bringing people into the business while the training platform does most of the teaching.

Everybody in the team will be exposed to the same ideas and training.

And you’ll all be on the same page.

If you are successful in creating duplication in your network marketing business, you will be able to grow a team so deep and large that it will blow your mind.

It’s gonna take some time.

And discipline.

You may find yourself being tempted to get too involved in the small things… 

But that doesn’t scale, right?

Always remember that you need to allow the system to do the work for you so that you can build that massive team that seems so elusive in the beginning.

You don’t grow your team. You grow your people. And your people will grow your team for you. – Randy Gage

The above quote is paraphrased, but you get the point.

The ideas in this article came directly from Randy Gage’s latest book called Direct Selling Success. If you’re serious about building your business into a long term sustainable enterprise, I highly recommend giving it a read.

You may also want to check out my article on network marketing success guide here.

If you have any more questions regarding duplication in network marketing, feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

You might also find some answers in our MLM FAQ page.