How To Build A Network Marketing Team | 18 MLM Principles

Today we are going to talk about how to build a network marketing team that can stand the test of time.

One thing that you have to understand however, is that many of the people you recruit will not last. Most of them will quit the business without ever giving it a fair shot.

And it’s important for you to understand this before getting started so that you won’t be excessively disappointed when some of your people start quitting.

You have to know that it’s normal and not necessarily a function of you or your leadership.

Look, network marketing is simply a numbers game…

Most people will quit. Some will do relatively well. And a few will do incredibly well, building their own huge organizations which will contribute to your long term passive income in this business.

One of your main jobs as a network marketing professional is to work through those numbers. Keep recruiting and do everything in your power to give each individual all the tools they need to succeed.

But ultimately, nobody’s success is up to you. Each individual will pave their own path.

There is a line that exists for every person that gets started in network marketing.

On one side of the line, it’s easier to quit than to continue. 

On the other side of the line, it becomes easier to continue than to quit.

And it is your job to help your new distributor get on the other side of that line as quickly as possible so that they become hungry and resourceful enough to move forward on their own.

The goal is to get your new distributors to be self reliant and effective as soon as possible.

But you need to focus on building your own business; your upline can’t do it for you. In the same way, you should not be building your distributors’ business for them.

They must do it themselves. It’s the only way you will ever have a sustainably long term network marketing business.

So today, we are going to discuss 18 principles to follow in your business to drastically increase the odds of building the MLM team of your dreams.

But before we go to the 18 principles, let’s have a quick chat about getting a brand new builder started on the right foot.

Getting A New Builder Started

When talking about how to build a network marketing team, the long term focus needs to be on the numbers… 

A small percentage of folks are going to succeed, so you need to bring a lot of people into your business for an extended period of time.

But it’s also important to focus on each individual that you recruit… at least initially.

You need to make sure that each individual has all the tools they need to be successful immediately so that they can get some quick wins. Getting quick wins for your new builders will result in building momentum and motivation. Which drastically increases the odds of them staying for the long term.

So after bringing someone into the business, the first thing you should do with your new builder is to schedule a “Game Plan” meeting.

In this meeting, there are 5 things that you should discuss.

I. Validation

Your new distributor is going to have doubts about their decision to get started in network marketing. They probably have people in their life that are telling them horror stories about about this business.

So you should validate their decision. Let them know that you’re proud of them for thinking outside the box and being willing to try something new.

II. Set Expectations

Let your new builder know that this business is not necessarily going to be easy. There are going to be good and bad times. Encourage them to mentally prepare themselves for difficult times.

Ask them, “When the hard times inevitably come, do you want me to leave you alone, or do you want me to be persistent and push you to work through the difficulty?”

Let them know that your job is to help the builder become independent as quickly as possible so that they no longer need your help.

Success is gonna be up to your builder, nobody else. Let them know that you’re here for help and support but that ultimately, success is up to the individual. It’s going to take time, patience, and hard work.

Network marketing is certainly not easy, but it is worth it.

III. Getting Started Checklist

Walk your new distributor through a 5 step getting started checklist so that they know exactly what the first steps are.

1. Make sure the distributor is set up with appropriate products that they will personally use and love.
2. Set your distributor up with the proper tools and resources. They need to know where to find the tools that will help get their own prospects through the recruiting process.
3. Make sure the distributor knows how to get connected. Show them how to log into and use the back office. Be sure they know how to get onto leadership calls and training webinars, as well as reach out to other team leaders that are available to help.
4. Make sure they have a basic understanding of the compensation plan. They do not necessarily need to understand all of the intricate details, but they should understand how their income will be affected as they move through the first 4 or 5 levels of the pay structure.
5. Provide the new builder with a good understanding of how to properly invite prospects using the tools and systems provided by your company and upline. They need to have a fundamental understanding of what the products and opportunity have to offer so that they can relay that understanding to their own prospects.

IV. Get Connected

Encourage your new distributor to get connected. Attend the first company event and connect with other like-minded folks in the company as soon as possible. 

V. Give Assignments

Last of all, show your new distributor what simple steps they can take to get easy results quickly and start earning commissions during the first few weeks.

How can they get their first customer?

Or their first distributor?

Show them exactly what steps to take so that they can earn their first tangible commission check. That’s when it becomes real.

Give a few specific assignments with deadlines. Encourage the distributor to reach out to you when the assignments are complete.

As soon as your new distributor starts generating their own commissions, they’ll be off to the races. And that much closer to being completely independent from you and building their own organization.

Do this for every person that you recruit.

Again and again.

So let’s talk about some general principles that should guide your actions and attitude as you’re adding more people to your network marketing team.

18 MLM Team Building Principles

When talking about how to build a network marketing team, there are many principles that you should learn to follow.

But don’t get overwhelmed by it.

You’re not going to get everything right initially, and that’s OK.

Be willing to move forward in spite of a lack of knowledge or experience. Take imperfect action. Be willing to make mistakes…

And be willing to learn from those mistakes.

All of the most successful people in all professions became successful by being willing to make more mistakes than anyone else.

Nobody is perfect, and you should not expect to be the one exception.

So let’s talk about 18 principles to embrace when growing your network marketing team.

1. Encourage The Use Of Products

It’s very important for your distributors to be using the products they sell. If they don’t develop a real love for the products they’re selling, it will be very difficult for them to make a compelling case to potential customers.

It’s also important to understand that revenue in network marketing is not derived from recruiting business builders. Revenue is derived from product sales. Period.

The whole point of building a team of distributors is to create a network of people that will produce revenue… AKA selling products.

Besides, why wouldn’t you buy products from your own store? 

I mean, you wouldn’t start an auto repair business and then take your own personal car to a competitor to get the oil changed, would you?

It’s the same principle in network marketing.

2. Plug Into The System

The real key to building a deep, long lasting organization in network marketing is to create duplication in your team.

In order for duplication to occur, you need a simple system that you can plug your builders into… and your builders can plug their own builders into.

Every network marketing organization will have a system for you to use that has been specifically designed to achieve a balance of simplicity and effectiveness.

And more importantly, duplication.

Don’t try to get too creative by introducing complexities into the system. It will only confuse people and cause them to give up on their business.

When your team sees you simply following the system that’s laid for you, they’ll be inspired to do the same, as well as encourage their own teams to do so, too.

3. Set Expectations

Sometimes, network marketing is pitched as some get-rich-quick deal. Many folks come into the business with the expectation that they are going to earn a lot of money with very little effort.

This is not the case.

Network marketing is not easy. It takes time. And likely a thick skin.

So it’s important for you to set realistic expectations for the individuals in your team. Make sure they understand the effort that this will take, and that it will certainly not be easy.

Look, succeeding in network marketing is quite simple.

But do not confuse simple for easy.

4. Focus

When you’re working on your business, you need to be focused. 

Stay off of YouTube and Twitter. Stop checking the news. 

In order for you to be an effective leader in network marketing, you should eliminate distractions when you’re performing your business duties.

Schedule “business building” time into your calendar. 

It might go without saying, but the most important things in life are scheduled in. Your job. Doctors appointments. Date nights.

And your business should be no different. 

You should decide ahead of time what daily time slot you are going to devote to your business. And during that scheduled time slot, eliminate all distractions and simply focus on the task at hand.

There’s nothing wrong with YouTube or Twitter. And to a certain degree, we need to be aware of what’s going on in the world… 

But those things can wait.

When it’s time to work, you should be devoting all of your mental capacity to what’s important in the moment.

5. Don’t Be Pushy

When you’re talking to folks about your business, you have to avoid the temptation of being too pushy.

In fact, you shouldn’t be doing any convincing at all. 

Let the tools do the convincing for you. Your company will have marketing tools available for you to use in order to educate your prospect. 

As Randy Gage has said:

If your lips are moving, you should be directing someone towards a tool.

If you simply plug into the system and take your prospects through the process laid out in your system, you will have the highest chance of success. 

You will not be able to convince anyone in a way that’s going to duplicate. 

So instead, allow your prospects to convince themselves. Your best bet is to simply guide them through the recruiting process using the tools available to you.

Most importantly, don’t ever allow yourself to get into a debate or argument with a prospect. If you do, you’ve likely lost them as a business partner or customer forever.

6. Be Transparent

Whether you realize it or not, people can sense dishonesty. Nobody ever gets away with lying forever.

So whether you’re talking to a prospect or a member of your organization, you should always be radically transparent.

If you haven’t yet made any money from your business, do not pretend that you did. 

Don’t make unrealistic claims about your products or business opportunity. 

Always be honest. Radical transparency will foster trust.

And if you want to be an effective leader in network marketing (or anything really) you need people to trust you.

7. Create Culture Of Accountability

You probably know that if you want to do anything worthwhile in life, you’re much more likely to succeed if you’re held accountable by somebody.

You go to your job and do what you’re paid to do because if you don’t, your boss will notice.

And there will be consequences.

It’s very difficult to succeed in network marketing if you feel like you’re doing it alone. It’s much easier to stay motivated if you have accountability partners in the business. 

You’ll hold each other accountable. If you say you’re going to do something, you’ll have to answer for it when you don’t do what you said you would do.

It adds a level of competition and puts a bit of pressure on you to take the necessary actions… even on those days when you just don’t feel like it.

So I would encourage you to build a culture of accountability in your team.

Your builders won’t hold each other accountable because you make them. That won’t work. They hold each other accountable because that’s just the culture in the organization.

8. Encourage Feedback From Your Team

Be open to criticism.

Your team needs to feel as though they can constructively criticize you, the system, or the way the team operates.

Make sure everyone knows they can do so without fear of some type of retribution.

Not only will this serve as a corrective mechanism for you, but it will also increase trust within the organization and ensure that everyone can speak freely and openly.

It will also keep grievances from building up because you can address them before they turn into a bigger problem that creates drama within your organization.

9. No Shortcuts

Folks may be tempted to go online to learn shortcuts or marketing gimmicks to make money faster.

Here’s what you need to know:

Network marketing IS the shortcut.

Don’t try to find a shortcut to the shortcut!

You will find many clever marketers online selling you courses that will claim to make network marketing easy.

Be very careful of this.

If you start introducing complexities into your system, it will kill duplication. And duplication is the real secret of network marketing!

If you are able to become a recruiting machine by learning complex closing strategies, you have to realize that most people will not be willing or able to learn the strategy you’re using.

They might try…

But when they inevitably fail, they’ll quit the business. Forcing you to constantly replenish your team.

And you’ll never achieve duplication and reap the powerful benefits of the network marketing business model.

10. Commit To Lifelong Education

One of the things that all great leaders have in common is that they have a real passion for learning.

As the old saying goes, leaders are readers.

Even if you don’t like reading books, you should still try to embrace a passion for lifelong education.

Look, you have all the information in the world available on a device that you carry around in your pocket.

You can listen to an unlimited number of books, podcasts, lectures, and many other forms of education from your smartphone.

Learn to love it.

When you become hungry enough, you will enjoy learning valuable skills and gaining useful knowledge much more than watching mind numbing videos on TikTok.

11. Get People To Attend Company Events

Attending company events is a must for everybody in your team.

When you recruit a new builder, you need to get them to a company event as soon as possible.

Network marketing can be a lonely business at times because most of your loved ones will not understand what you’re doing. Some might even judge or ridicule you.

That’s why it’s so important to get to company events on a regular basis. You’ll be surrounded by folks who think the same way you do and understand your ambitions in a very deep way. It will build confidence via positive peer pressure. 

You will also be able to see what’s possible when you meet top earners and leaders in your company

Getting inspiration from other leaders in the profession is crucial, especially for somebody that’s brand new to network marketing.

12. Take Imperfect Action

Don’t think that you need to know everything. Understand that making mistakes is part of the process.

Nobody ever became successful without making mistakes. 

In fact, the most successful people in the world simply made more mistakes than anyone else.

So you have to be willing to move forward and take action despite your lack of experience or knowledge.

Make mistakes, but learn from them.

It’s just a part of the process. No mistake is failure. The only way to fail is to quit. Full stop.

13. Do It Again And Again

The most successful people in the world figure out what works, and simply do it again and again.

In fact, the most successful people in all professions tend to have a mundane, repetitive schedule.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel every 6 months… once you’ve learned the process, you just have to repeat it again and again.

And over time, your results will start to compound.

14. Lead By Example

As we talked about earlier, duplication is the most important part of building a sustainable network marketing team.

In order to create duplication, you need to have your team members follow what you’re doing and become successful by doing so. This will cause their own team members to follow the same system, allowing the team to grow exponentially deeper.

And whether you like it or not, you are going to be perceived as a leader when you start recruiting builders into your team. The folks that you recruit are going to be watching you very closely, and they will attempt to duplicate what you’re doing.

This is why it’s important for you to not get too fancy. Don’t go out and learn high pressure closing tactics or complicated internet marketing techniques.

If you do, you might be able to personally recruit a lot of people… but they won’t stick around. You’ll be forced to constantly recruit members.

Forever. 

So you’re basically working a low paying sales job.

It’s not about what works. A lot of things work. What matters is what duplicates.

If you are able to keep things simple, your odds of having your team duplicate are much higher, and you’ll be able to enjoy that passive income that network marketing can offer.

15. Discourage People From Going Rogue

We live in the information age. Everybody has unlimited access to information.

This is both good and bad…

The good part is that you can learn anything you want to learn without having to pay anything at all.

The bad part is that too much information can steal your focus.

As your team members start finding that network marketing is not as easy as they originally thought, they will be tempted to go online to find “shortcuts” and strategies that have the perception of being “easy”.

If this happens, they will veer away from the system that your organization uses. This kills duplication.

Look, there is a right way to use internet marketing or social media to build an MLM team. But unless you’ve mastered the system that your upline has taught you, just stick with what you’re being taught.

Encourage your team to simply plug into and follow the system because it will serve them well in the long term.

And even though the internet is incredibly valuable from the standpoint of education, you should also be vary of it.

16. Create A Centralized Training Area

The internet has made team building way more efficient than it used to be.

You can now host training webinars and calls with multiple people at once. Even hundreds or thousands of people.

You no longer need to personally call and train each individual person in your team one-on-one.

Instead, you can create a centralized training area on the internet where you can host live training calls. You can even archive all the recordings so that if somebody can’t make the meeting due to personal scheduling, they can always watch it later.

You could build a training website or simply use a platform like a Facebook group or a Discord server.

This will make training a rapidly growing team way more efficient than was possible even a short decade ago.

17. Duplication, Duplication, Duplication

I know, I know… we’ve touched on thai several times already. But it’s worth mentioning again because it’s soooo very important for your long term success in this business.

If you don’t create duplication within your organization, you will never be able to earn off of the efforts of a huge network of other people… and that’s the whole promise of network marketing.

So just keep things simple and encourage your team to follow the system as it’s laid out.

It may be tempting to add more steps into your system because you think it might make it easier or more effective…

But if you haven’t yet built a big network marketing team, don’t think that you will be able to reinvent the wheel.

Remember, the system you’ve been taught has been specifically designed to create an optimal balance between effectiveness, simplicity, and duplication.

Your team leaders are not going to steer you wrong because they are financially incentivized to help you succeed.

The more money you make, the more money they make also.

Be sure to check out this article on how to create duplication in network marketing.

18. Have Fun

Don’t take yourself too seriously. 

Learn to love the process. Appreciate the people you work with. Appreciate the business opportunity you have in front of you. Use and learn to love the products you’re selling.

The truth is, you need to enjoy what you’re doing if you want to make it in the business.

If you hate what you’re doing, you’re going to lose motivation.

And how do you expect to be effective in selling and recruiting if you’re miserable doing it?

It’s not going to work.

So just have fun, love yourself, love others, take care of your health, and stay hungry.

Final Thoughts On How To Build A Network Marketing Team…

Keep a long term view in mind.

Your long term success in network marketing is not necessarily dependent on how many people you can recruit.

Rather, it is dependent on how much sales volume your personal network can produce.

So the bigger your network grows, the larger your sales volume will get. And the more money you will make.

The promise of network marketing is that you can earn from the efforts of others. You need to build your organization in such a way that it will begin to grow itself, without you putting in any more effort.

As we have talked about multiple times, it’s all about duplication.

You will be tempted to add fancy complexities into your system, thinking that this will make things easier for people.

That’s wrong.

When you’re thinking about improving your system, you need to think about what steps can be removed in order to make it easier.

Don’t think about what you can add to make it easier.

That’s a logical fallacy.

Your system will be complete when there is nothing else that can be removed.

Just follow the system. This makes it much more likely that your own builders will do the same, because they are looking to you for leadership and guidance.

Remember, your upline will not steer you wrong. Incentives in MLM are perfectly aligned. If you make more money, so does your upline. Everyone is financially incentivized to help you succeed. And you are financially incentivized to help your team grow without your assistance.

As new distributors come to you for advice or support, keep encouraging them. Remind them to stick to the system. 

The system works, and it has worked for many people who came before you. 

It’s specifically designed for duplication.