Christian Business Builder

As we look forward to the coming of a new year, what are you planning for your business?

I have been watching (and commenting) on a forum discussion. The discussion is about who should be recruited and how many at one time.

Unfortunately the majority of the responses are about Network Marketing being a numbers game and that we should recruit as many as possible (as long as they have a pulse) and then let the leaders just rise to the top.

There have been many though that have responded by saying that care should be taken in recruiting the right people at the right time. (My opinion by the way.)

I think that God’s word makes our treatment of others more important than our ability to make money. We are commanded to love those that God loves. When recruiting people we ought to love our prospective team members with the love of God.

Contrary to the popular notion that “anyone can build this business,”  the truth is that only 10-12% will make it 10 years and only 25% will be around in 5 years. What that means is that many will be recruited with virtually no chance to be successful.

Another misrepresentation that is often perpetrated on the potential recruit is that there are no real skills or talents that you need to be successful in this industry. So, we bring people in who think that just because they got in that they are supposed to be making money. The truth is that, like any business owner knows, you have to either have or develop a set of unique skills that are necessary for business success.

I think that there are five basics that you have to know in order to be successful in Network Marketing:

1. You need to understand the basics of money.

2. You need to understand the principles of leadership.

3. You need to understand the basics of marketing.

4. You need to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur.

5. You need to continue to improve in the area of personal growth.

If you do not sense that a prospective team member can learn and grow in these areas, you should not recruit them.

In an upcoming video I am going to deal with the difference between building a team and recruiting a group. In this video I will be talking about the fact that a team mentality results in success for all whereas a group mentality results in success for the leaders.

I believe that as we look to the new year and the success we are praying for, that we remember that we and our teams will be best served if we make money by building people rather than by “playing the numbers game!”

Just my thought ….

What should Christians do about the “wealth” marketing that so often surrounds the Network Marketing industry? Unfortuantely, from where I am sitting, we not only buy into this philosophy, but we sell it to others.

Our ads talk about people making “more money in a moth than we used to make in a year.” Our lead capture sites have pictures of houses bigger than all but the most successful networkers own and cars that cost more than most of our houses.

We talk about “living on the beaches” when most of us plan our vacations at relatives houses because that’s all we can afford.

The real truth of the matter is that the average “successful” network marketer makes 4 figures a month not 5 figures. (And what’s wrong with a strong 4 figure income anyway?!)

We tell people that they can get rich “with no specialized skills” when we know that there is a large learning curve for most people.

Now, we do this because it is what we have been taught to do. The industry has become this way because we have rationalized the truth. We have looked at what is possible and have sold the “possibilities” while overlooking the “what is.”

We are told that $1,000/month would change the lives of most people dramatically and then we sell $10,000/month because that kind of money is possible AND it sounds better in our sales pitch.

Within an industry that is corrupted by its own greed and covetousness, what’s a Christian to do?

If you ever saw the recent animated version of Aladdin, you need to follow the Genie’s advice to Aladdin as he wondered about how to win the Sultan’s daughter. The Genie (Robin Williams) says to Aladdin,

“TELL HER THE TRUTH!”

This is exactly the advice we need to take as we market our business opportunity. The truth will sponsor more people who will stay and build than the sizzle of beaches, houses, and cars.

More people will respond to a 4 figure monthly income based of building a small but consisted retail customer base and developing a commited team of business builders than will commit to sponsoring 5-10 per month and getting caught up in the conference calls and webinars and purchasing leads and ad co-ops and so on and so on!

Let me give you five truths that I believe every Christian networker should tells potential team members:

1. Building a business takes time, energy, and money. Nothing in life that is good and lasting just happens. It takes work to be successful.

2. Building a business requires learning new things. You have to acquire skills that are unique to building a network marketing business. Having a “dream” is not enough if you don’t know how to do what it takes to accomplish your dream.

3. Builidng a business requires consistent action. Even if you new team member only has a couple hours a week to dedicate to building their business, they are going to have to be consistent with those hours. I know from experience that hit and miss doesn’t work.

4. Building a business in network marketing requires a heart for your team. We need to teach people that being successful in this business model doesn’t happen if we don’t focus on the success of your team.

5. Builiding a business requires that we manage our expectations and those of our team. Selling the “sizzle” may get people to jump in, but when they don’t get the “sizzle” they will jump out just as quickly.

Now, let me conclude this thought by saying that many people in this industry do acheive high levels of wealth. And that is great! But, we need to start people with all the facts and then let their dreams determine the level of success they choose to acheive.

Remember …. TELL THEM THE TRUTH!

It is the only way we can demonstrate the realistic potential of this industry and to do it in a way that our testimony is not damaged.

Just my thought ……

Proverbs 6:6-11

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Have you ever wondered what this ant thought of the sluggard as he looked at him from the anthill?

He must have thought about the waste of potential that the sluggard was born with.

Maybe he worried about the sluggard’s family with winter fast approaching.

He could have been considering all that he could teach the sluggard if he would just take time to listen.

Mostly though, I think the ant was sad. You see, it is sad to think that anyone created by the Author of all that was, is and ever will be would settle in life for what can come to him by just existing. God placed within the ant a desire to do the best he could within the wisdom, power, and resources made available to her.

So, for her to peer out of her anthill and see someone with much greater potential than hers just sitting on the sidelines of life with no amtitions to be all that God made them to be must have indeed been a sad thing.

You might be wondering what such a story as this has to do with Network Marketing as a Christian business builder? Well, in this story, three things come to my mind:

1. If I believe God wants me in this industry, am I serving him to the best of my ability?
2. Am I learning all that I can so that I can be the best coach and mentor that my team can have?
3. Am I inspiring others to take up the cause so that we can multiply our efforts and change our world?

The ant in this story was just doing what came naturally. She was preparing for the winter which would surely come. Are we, who believe that God has given us the desire to build strong and successful network marketing groups, following in the footsteps of the ant or are we just waiting for whatever happens our way?

Just a thought!

In Proverbs 22:4 the Bible states, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.” This passage allows us to understand a basic truth about us, our lives, and our businesses.

The basic truth is that if we, as believers, want to enjoy these three most basic elements of life, we can only find them in a life of humlity and fear of the Lord.

Humility is an interesting concept and one not often associated with the hard charging world of Network Marketing. Yet, God clearly teaches here that, for the Christian, it is the way to riches, honour, and life. So, how do we engage in an industry like network marketing and at the same time live a life of humility before God and man?

1. We realize that our business is a calling from God and not just a money making venture.
2. We accept God’s leadership in our business and build it at his pace and according to his will.
3. We take on the role of Servant Leader. Realizing that this kind of leadership takes more time, energy and often times more resources than the traditional upline might be willing to invest.
4. We recognize that our business is relational and that as such our testimony for Christ is more important than our company “pin level.”
5. We desire to retain everyone we personally bring into our business model. If they depart, we want them to know we have done all we could to help them succeed. (No more, “some will, some won’t, so what, NEXT!)

The  fear of the Lord is the other key to riches, honour, and life. This fear refers to a reverence for the Lord. This reverence should be seen in all the aspects of your business model.

No “half-truths”, no bending the rules, no looking the other way. When we reverence the Lord all that we do is done to his honour and his glory. As we humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, he will exhalt us in due time.

So … how are you growing your business? Is it growing with humility and the fear of the Lord or are we just building like everyone else? If you really want to distinguish yourself from the pack, build God’s way and he will bless!

When we consider the whole concept business ownership and prosperity, the Bible must be our principle guide. The biggest problem I see among God’s people is that we like the passages that deal with having lots of money and prestiege, but we are not so sure about the passages that deal with how we are to get and/or handle the success and prosperity.

I cannot find anywhere in Scripture where God is opposed to either success or prosperity. However, there are warnings upon warnings about success and prosperity becoming the gods of our lives. If we are going to build a successful business based on the truths of God’s word, we must understand what God says regarding these things.

Psalm 1 is a single passage that deals with all the aspects necessary to produce both success and prosperity. In this short Psalm we see several things:

• Be careful who you take your advice from.  Psa 1:1  “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” There are lots of “gurus” in the Network Marketing arena, but because they built a big business does not in and of itself make them the people you should listen to about building a Christian business.
• Realize that your wisdom and knowledge needs to come from your understanding of the word of God. Psa 1:2  “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” No one knows more about how God wants you to build your business. No one will give you better advice than him. He may use people to help you learn the tactics, but the basics all come from his word!

• Know that if you let God be the your primary teacher and mentor, that he promises you success and prosperity. Psa 1:3  “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” God can confidently make this promise because if you are meditating in his word and making it your primary source of business wisdom, you will always build your business in a way that is pleasing to him. You will also see success and prosperity through God’s eyes not those in the world.

God does not give anyone who is a Christian carte blanc, but he does tell us that we can be successful when we understand his word and follow him in all things. So … will you let God have that place in your business?