My friend Cindy just called and told me she was quitting Network Marketing. "It's just so hard," she says. "Nobody told me it was going to be like this." She sounded exhausted and beaten down. What's worse, this was the fifth MLM company she'd quit in four years.



To be fair, Cindy was right in one sense. Network Marketing can be hard work, especially if you've got kids, pets, a significant other, and a full-time job to consider.

Network Marketing is also deceptively simple, once you learn the basics. To be successful, however, there are three qualities you must possess or develop.

Discipline--You must commit to taking a certain amount of action every day. Discipline is difficult for most of us because we're used to relying on others for discipline. Parents, teachers, and bosses always filled that role in the past. Not so when you run your own business.

Even though we may have resented them, without those authority figures directing us, how much would we accomplish? I know from experience, and you probably do, too, that employees work harder when the boss is close by.

Not to sound too cliche, but now you ARE the boss, and the boss is always close by. If the boss is not disciplined, however, your business will suffer. If the boss doesn't see to it that things get done, who will?

In my Network Marketing experience, I've seen many people who were short on discipline. As a result, they never got past the dream stage. Most of these people today still work their jobs, believing it takes some kind of magic to be successful in Network Marketing.

The good news is that discipline can be learned. Granted, it's usually comes easier to those who were raised with a decent amount, but anyone can learn it. It requires focus and commitment, however. How bad do you want it? How important are your dreams? Only you can answer that.

I learned discipline in the US Army. Before my Army experience, I was a lazy slob. Unfortunately, my parents didn't instill the discipline I needed to succeed. I wasn't forced to clean my room, I didn't do any chores around the house, and they still gave me an allowance.

Even though I didn't really enjoy being a soldier, I learned that being a success took a certain degree of sacrifice. My thoughts, feelings, and emotions, took a back seat to doing what had to be done.

Many times, I didn't feel like getting up at 4AM and running six miles before breakfast. Another three hours in bed appealed to me much more. Drill Sergeants, however, took that option away. Minus the Drill Sergeants, I'm forced to limit my own options, which is still a battle from time to time.

Education--There's so much to know about Network Marketing. Your upline might be able to help some, but don't rely solely on them. There are literally tons of websites and books that can give you the information you need.

So, what kind of information am I talking about? Well, since most Network Marketers are current or former employees, we don't really know about running our own businesses. Our companies are little help when they make such claims as, "Anybody can do this business!" What a crock.

You need information on goal-setting. Without goals, you're just floating blindly. There are right and wrong ways to set goals, and you need to learn the difference. Goals are not dreams, and, even though both are essential for success, it's important not to confuse the two.

You need information about email marketing, phone prospecting, and setting up your website and blog. You need to know about PPC's, and how they can help generate leads. You need to learn how to stay motivated. Reading books by Kiosaki and Trump help me in this area.

Commitment--Without commitment, you'll find yourself procrastinating. I know, because I've been there. I thought I was committed, but I was focused on the dream, and not my goals. The dream soon fades with the prospect of having to make calls for two hours every evening.

I found myself making excuses. I'll just play 30 minutes of video games, and then I'll get to work. I'll study some more. I'm not feeling too well tonight. It's too late in the week to begin prospecting. I'll start Monday. I've said all these things to myself.

Commitment means taking your eyes off the big picture, and resolving to get the little things done. Little things, I might add that, if done diligently over a long enough period of time will bring your big picture to fruition.

My biggest piece of advice is this: Don't give up. EVER. Statistics have shown that of people who have been in Network Marketing 10 years or more, over 95% are wealthy today. Think about that the next time you want to quit.