How Are You Measuring Success?

By Bob Kaelin

If you’re feeling burned out with your Max business, it may be because you don’t know how to “keep score.” You haven’t defined the parameters of success clearly enough.

Charles Coonradt’s great book, The Game of Work: How to Enjoy Work as Much as Play, has the solution to this problem.

He observes:

“On a hot summer day when the air conditioning goes off, employees start tugging at their collars and complaining that it’s too hot to work. But after work in the parking lot, where it is twenty degrees hotter, they will look at each other say, ‘Well, what do you think, golf or tennis?’

“Why will people, in recreation, pay for the privilege of working harder than they will work when they are paid?”

Contrary to what you may be thinking, the answer isn’t because play is intrinsically more enjoyable than work.

Think about it: Playing sports is often more strenuous than our daily jobs.

Here is Coonradt’s answer:

“In sports, a player has constant feedback on how he or she is doing ­the score is known and the effort necessary to win is established.

“In work, feedback is unreliable, inconsistent, and often nonexistent. At work you seldom know the score or what it takes to win.”

Many people in networking only look at the obvious “points” of new recruits and new product users. The truth is that there are many more points that must be scored, both before and after these.

Remember: It’s now how many points you score that counts, but what the scoreboard says at the end of the game.

Here are the points you should be scoring in your Max business:

• Clearly identifying your “Why.” This is the first and foremost step to success in network marketing. Without a clear and compelling “why,” you won’t develop the emotional stamina needed to win long term. You need to have a clear vision of why you want to succeed, and this vision must be written down and referred to daily.
• Contacts. Make it a goal to contact a specific number of people per day, for a total of ___ (fill in the blank) per week. Hold yourself accountable to this.
• Appointments. Record how many weekly appointments you set.
• Presentations. Record how many weekly presentations you do. Make it a goal to do at least ___ (fill in the number).
• Follow-up appointments. Once you’ve presented and people don’t buy on the spot, continue following up with them.
• Recruits. The number of people you recruit depends on how many you contact and meet with. If you’re discouraged with low recruiting numbers, focus on more contacts and presentations.
• Product users on auto-ship. Auto-ship is gold for the sustainability of your business and income.
• Contacts and appointments with your recruits’ warm market. It’s not enough for you to recruit; you also need to help your downline. Spend quality time with them. Help them make contacts and teach them how to do it effectively. Help them make a specific number of contacts weekly.
• Downline recruits and auto-ships. Depth leads to income and sustainability.
• Income. Dollars are the fun points to measure — but they come after effort.
• Personal development. Success isn’t just about how much you earn; it’s also about who you become. Record how many books you read. Monitor your relationships closely. Count kind words and service performed on your personal scoreboard.
• Impact. Lasting success is also about more than you — it’s about who and how you serve and the legacy you leave. Measure quality time spent with your family, dollars contributed to your favorite charities, critical connections made, foundations formed, and other personal goals.
• Achieving your “Why.” Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about. If your “why” is big enough, it will encompass impact, personal development, and income. It will give you the strength to endure the emotional roller-coaster of networking. It will be your guiding star no matter what you have to wade through. And it’s the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Yes, working the business can be difficult. But playing sports can also be difficult.

If you know how to keep score and you’re constantly giving yourself feedback, you’ll be much more inclined to stay in the game and actually enjoy it.