One of the biggest challenges that we have in this industry is that too many people are told they can get rich very fast.  You know, “If you get in the deal right now you will be rich in no time.”

I see it daily on Facebook and other social networks, “If you don’t get into this opportunity that you will be missing out!”

Novice networkers buy into the belief that they can make $200,000 a year and not do ANYTHING! My response is…yea right!

Well, my friend, hopefully you don’t buy into that garbage.

It is well meaning people like that who give our industry a bad name.  Too much hype is never attractive.

The truth is if you want to become a success in network marketing, online marketing and social media (or for any business really) it takes time and training.

It takes time to learn marketing skills.
It takes time to build relationships.
It takes time to develop as a leader.

What skills do you need to become a success in social media & network marketing?

The number one skill is marketing.

Interestingly, we are in the industry of network marketing but 99% of the distributors have not been trained how to market.  What are they told?  You guessed it.  Go make a list of 100 friends and family members.

What a relief it is when you learn the skill of marketing and copy writing.

Next, having an automated online system for your marketing and sales funnel is critical for success.  Ideally, the system should have pre-tested lead capture pages and prewritten auto-responder messages (these are basically prewritten emails).

Education is vitally important.

This system should train you and your team to become a successful online marketer.  Learning how to market using twitter, facebook, youtube, forums, articles and pay per click.

And lastly, and this is really important, is to have a coach and tribe (a group of peers) who will get down in the trenches with you and help you on your journey to success.

To see an example of what I am talking about checkout  The Online MLM Mastermind

There is an old personal development and business expression.  It goes like this: “You can tell a lot about the character of an individual by the people they hang out with.”

Here are a few of my tribe members that I have partnered with, who help me grow while I help them grow both personally and professionally.

Chris Kilber Content Syndication Expert

Beverly and Dr. Bill Monical Wellness Experts

Michael Feil Social Media and Marketing Champion

Gavin Mountford Social Media Expert

Debbie Wood Internet Marketing Coach

Who are you hanging out with?  Do they help you to improve your game or hold you back?

Constant And Never Ending Improvement

I know for me it wasn’t always easy learning all this new stuff.  In fact, more times than I would like to admit I felt like I was sinking in the education quicksand. It was a new language.  I felt frustrated at times because I spent so much time learning and my business wasn’t growing.

Here’s what I have learned. See if this makes sense to you.

No skills create desperation.

Skills create confidence.

In the end, we must take responsibility for the growth of our business and our income.  We must learn the proper way to promote and market our business and ourselves.  We must learn proper etiquette as we join social networks.  And we must be patient with our growth process.

Developing a six or seven figure does not happen overnight. It can take years.

One of my mentors once told me, ‘Terry, your business and your income will grow as fast as you do.” I didn’t really understand it at the time but now it makes so much sense.

My recommendation to you is simply this…enjoy your journey.  Know that where you are right now is perfect.

Remember, you control where you spend your time.  Will it be the TV or a book?  Will it be a day at the beach or a day at a seminar?  Will it be a new toy for yourself or a new Webinar?

And get this my friend.  Your lifestyle right now, like it or not, is a reflection of the choices you have been making.

If that makes you uncomfortable…good.  Maybe the time has come to makes some shifts in your life.  Perhaps the time has come for you to get comfortable being uncomfortable.  Personal growth and skill set development is not always easy.

When training for a 26.2 mile marathon it’s called hitting the wall. Everything in you says stop. You second-guess yourself and you REALLY want to quit.

You have to learn to push yourself physically and mentally.  It is the only way you will cross the finish line and feel the glory of accomplishing your goal.

You can do this business and become a success.  How do I know that?

It is easy; you are still reading this and you know deep inside that you can.  Sometimes it is just that you are not sure if you want to work that hard because the payout is not guaranteed.

This business wasn’t always easy for me.  All I can tell you is learning all those skills (and I continue to learn new skills) has changed my life more than I could have ever dreamed.  And the same can and will be true for you if you persist and have a vision for success..

I’m 52 years old now.  I started running marathons because someone told me that between ages 50 and 60 is when your body declines the most but, if you are in good or better health during that time that you will actually extend your life by 20 + years.

For me that was a no brainer. I’m willing to do the work and I know my desired outcome.

You must know your desired out come for your business.  If you don’t, please figure that out right away!

Hopefully, this makes sense to you.  I want to hear from you on what some of your biggest challenges have been and what you did when you hit the wall?

I believe in you!

Terry