The 3 Characteristics of Successful Network Marketers

By Bob Kaelin

It takes three things to become a successful network marketer:

1. First, you must be a great recruiter.
2. Second, you must be a great trainer.
3. Last but definitely not least, you must be a great leader.

Each one of these roles has unique functions vital for the operation, yet dependent on the others for the overall success of a team.

The Recruiter

Great recruiters are people-oriented, self-driven, and radiate dogged determination.

Recruiters are the action people who resist anything other than talking to new people. They detest details that feel like distractions to them, such as customer service or training.

Great recruiters are the vanguard of any company, the “public face.” Therefore they must be personable and professional.

The Trainer

The gift of trainers is to teach new recruits how to be successful.

While recruiters get people through the door, trainers make sure people know what to do once they’re in the door.

Trainers retain and cultivate new recruits, while recruiters with no training skills have high turnover ratios.

Trainers are educators. They customize their teaching styles for different personalities, learning styles, and cultures.

Without great trainers, a company or team could collapse from the inside out.

The Leader

Leaders recognize which of their team members are recruiters and which are trainers, and they connect and synchronize them.

Like symphony maestros, they pull the workers together harmoniously. They know what needs to be done, they’re great at delegating duties, and they have a keen eye for potential problems.

A dynamic leader must have vision. He or she must see the bigger picture while managing daily operations, yet be detailed enough to catch ineffective efforts.

Why Leadership is Essential

Recruiters can make a lot of money, but they have to keep recruiting to do so. They’re like hamsters on a wheel.

Trainers cannot a lot of money through training alone; they’re too busy helping other people.

However, when a leader comes along and puts the two of them together, magic can happen.

A leader gets the right people together, trains them according to their natural talents and abilities, and gives them a job to do that fulfills the goal.

Caveat: When you’re just starting out building your team, you have to be all three.

You don’t have the luxury of choosing the one you’re naturally good at. You can’t focus on one until you’ve built a team large enough to delegate duties.

And that is the most important leadership principle: You have to earn your way to leadership by working in the trenches.

So if you want to become a great leader, you must:

• Put time in the trenches and handle both recruiting and training, even if your strengths are in one or the others.
• Always be willing to learn.
• Learn to quickly recognize the abilities of others.
• Learn to coordinate the efforts of multiple people.
• Cultivate vision and follow through with firm determination.

And ultimately, you must develop others to do the same.