“Well,” you think, “I might as well cash it and go shopping!” On your way to
the bank you notice about 50 cars, bumper to bumper, in a parade proces-
sion. Suddenly the lead car accelerates to over 100 miles per hour. Your sense
of adventure kicks in and you decide to follow the procession leader setting
the pace. You rush past 15 other cars just to keep up with the speeding car,
which then makes a U-turn, followed by a right turn and then a sharp left
turn. Luckily you happen to be Mario Andretti’s second cousin, so you’re able
to stay on the leader’s tail. However, 20 of the other cars can’t keep up and
drop out. The lead car speeds up for a mile, zips down an alley, runs a traffic
light, and disappears into heavy traffic. Even you can’t keep up. So, you de-
cide to quit trying.
How many of the 50 cars do you think are still following the lead
vehicle?
Probably none. That’s why a successful procession leader follows a set
path, at a steady pace. This way everyone following the procession can reach
the ultimate destination together.
As a leader, you are like a procession leader for your team. The question
is, “Are you following a proven path or are you zigzagging around, hoping
everyone will keep up with you?”
If you don’t have single and simple method of operation, here’s what
might be happening on your team. Your sponsor shares her method of build-
ing the business. You agree to use it and share it with your new distributors.
Three weeks later, you attend a regional rally and the guest speaker shares a
different way of building the business. You and some of your distributors de-
cide to try his way while other distributors decide not to. A few weeks later,
you read an article on the Internet about another great way of building your
business. You decide to give it a shot. You forward the article to your leaders.
Some of them decide to try this new way. Others on your team won’t. Six
months later, you’re wondering why your group grows only a few levels deep
and then fizzles out. And why many of your leaders are inactive and why your
bonus check is getting smaller.
Here’s the bottom line. It’s hard to build momentum on your team if
you change systems every few weeks, or even every few months. Pick one way
and stick with it. Looking for that one secret magical way to build your busi-
ness every couple of months could end up costing your team a great deal of
time and money. A fragmented organization cannot compete with one that
has a set path, a set method of operation.
A method of operation can be as simple as:
- Getting a handful of customers.
- Getting a handful of customer getters.
- Repeating the process.
158 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO NETWORK MARKETING