Do you ever wonder what the heavy hitters in network marketing have that the rest of us don't? How can two people with similar backgrounds experience such dramatic differences in their marketing efforts? In my own experience, I've found that the most successful network marketers all possess three important qualities: Motivation, education, and focus.



As humans, pain and pleasure motivate us more than anything. All changes we make in our lives stem back to one of these two motivators. This always reminds me of the time I worked as a full-time massage therapist.

Business was bad, savings were low. I cut all my expenses down to the bone. Sure, I could have gotten a job, but the pain of working 9 to 5 greatly exceeded the pain of being poor. It wasn't until I faced homelessness that I finally conceded. The pain of being homeless outweighed that of getting a job.

Staying motivated then means either focusing on the pain and dissatisfaction of the present, or on the pleasure of obtaining our goals. If one or both of these lacks sufficient strength, then change becomes difficult, if not impossible.

How to stay motivated? Reading and listening to tapes is probably the best way I've found. During down time, when ordinarily listening to radio or TV commercials, pop in a cd or cassette of one of your favorite motivational speakers. Driving is an excellent time to do this.

Surrounding yourself with positive people also helps you stay motivated. I've found this works online as well. Finding a forum or chat room of like-minded people with positive attitudes (there are tons of them) can keep you focused even when the people who surround you physically might be less than inspiring or supportive.

To keep myself motivated, I usually just remind myself that I can always choose to do nothing. This choice guarantees that I'll get whatever comes my way. Or, I can choose to do something, even if it's not the right course of action. At least, I'll be more in control.

While being motivated is essential, unless you have some direction it's pretty useless. I mean, what's the point in being motivated if you're just running in circles? Education plays a key role here. No, I'm not talking about going back to school and getting a masters in network marketing.

There are literally tons of information out there, however, from people who have been there, to help you become successful. From forums to articles, to companies that specialize in training network marketers, it's all out there. There really are no secrets to network marketing success anymore.

These days, information has become a much sought-after product itself, and people are willing to pay for it, with good reason.

I joined a company that specialized in training. I initially thought fifty bucks a month was pretty high. The knowledge I gained, however, was worth many times what I've paid. In fact, it's probably the best investment I've made toward my future.

There are those who still believe the school of hard knocks is the best way to go, but I personally don't see the point of continually inventing the wheel. The way has been mapped. Several ways have been mapped, in fact, and it seems foolish to experiment on your own without educating yourself about the business.

The third quality, focus, pulls it all together. Armed with knowledge and a continuous stream of energy to assert that knowledge, you must know where to apply pressure. Not only that, but you must also have strength to keep that pressure applied until goals are met.

This sounds simple in theory, but in practice it's a little tricky, especially at first. Sure, it would be great if life followed a straight and predictable path, but we all know that's rarely the case.

When I first started establishing my routine, I failed to take these things into consideration. For example, I'd planned to get off work at 5pm, get a bite to eat, and hit the business all evening. I didn't plan on things like having to work overtime at my day job, or my girlfriend resenting me spending all my free time on the phone or on the computer. I had to learn how to adjust, while staying focused on what's really important.

I've also found that taking time off can also cause you to lose your focus. I visited my parents for a week and, when I came back, it felt like I was starting my business all over. I found it more than a little scary.

First, you have to decide that the pain of your present situation is unacceptable. Once you do this, you then have to make an effort to learn how to effectively market your network marketing business. If you do these two things, then once you begin to focus your energy and knowledge, your business takes on a life of its own.