Many people who join a network marketing organization come in excited. Maybe he or she has attended a meeting, listened on a conference call or sat down and talked to someone about the business opportunity. He or she is pumped up and read to go, has completed his or her paper work, has his or her distributor's number, and has even put up a website. Then nothing, the sponsor does not hear from the new recruit , and this person has done nothing or very little at all. You know your new team member is excited about the business. What happen? The answer is fear. Maybe your excited new member spoke to friends or relatives. You have never sold a thing in you life, they told her. You can't do that. Then the fear set in. Rod Nichols (1995) has cited nine characteristics of top network marketing achievers in his book Successful Network Marketing for the 21st Century. The first characteristic of a top network marketing achiever is: be courageous.

To be a courageous network marketer one must do what one fears. If one fears talking to people, one must talk to people. If one fears writing an ezine article, one must write the ezine article. Being courageous does not mean always feeling brave. Being courageous means committing acts of bravery. Being courageous is saying, I am afraid but I will do it anyway. To get what one wants, one must move forward as if fear does not exist. This is what top network marketing achievers do until they succeed. They push through the fear and doubt. They find the courage to do the things and tasks they fear.

In network marketing a major obstacle to being courageous is the fear of failure. If one fails, then what? Top network marketers do fail. Yes, they do. But they find the courage to pull themselves together and courageously go forward. Remember being courageous is the act of committing acts of bravery. Top achievers do the things they need to do no matter what anyone thinks or says. They go forward no matter what happens. They go forward when no one has opted into their online newsletter for days. They go forward when no one has commented to their blog for weeks. They go forward when the person who sponsored them quits the business! They even go forward when their friends and families do not understand. How do they do it? They continuously commit small act of bravery. What do they know that those who give up do not know? And those of us who are just barely in business want to know. They know this:

?Failure will never over take them if their determination to succeed is strong enough.? (Mandino, 1985)

How can one become courageous?

1. Befriend the courageous

2. Stay away for anything or any one that is negative

3. Read inspirational books about courageous people

4. Do the courageous thing for your network marketing business

As you are reading the article fear may be saying, you have made a little money, but you can not be a top achiever. You maybe thinking I am afraid. Well, I am too. But we can do it anyway. We can be courageous. We can go forward committing small acts of bravery for our businesses.

References:

Mandino, O. (1985). The greatest salesman in the world.(Bantam Trade Edition). Bantam Books: New York.

Nichols, R. (1995). Successful network marketing for the 21st century. Grants Pass, Oregon: The Oasis press.