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Network Marketing – Plant the Seeds, Enjoy the Harvest

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There is no question that network marketing and MLM are powerful home business models. Many people have earned substantial residual incomes with this business. However, statistics say that many people starting a network marketing home business will quit within their first 90 days. Why is this?

How do you know what to look for? Consider this story about a gardener and a network marketer who both get off to a good start but give up too quickly. I know this may sound silly, but bear with me.

Our gardener starts with a small plot of land right next to his neighbor’s garden. He plants his garden to provide food for his family. He has never raised a garden before, but has ideas about what it will take and does some reading on the subject. He tills the soil, plants his seeds, and makes sure everything is watered in. He takes care to check his garden daily for weeds and insect pests.

At the same time, our network marketer plants his own seeds by advertising his business in several different places. He has not been involved with network marketing before, but is learning how to get started from his upline.

After one week, our gardener finds a few seedlings sprouting from the soil. He is delighted, and continues checking his garden daily and watering regularly. Our network marketer receives a few inquiries about his business and is diligently following up. Both are pleased and feel they are going in the right direction.

After two weeks, a lot more seeds are sprouting in our garden, and some weeds too. Our gardener diligenty pulls the weeds and keeps everything going. At this point his work is increasing, but he is more than happy to keep at it. Our network marketing business builder receives a few more inquiries, and places some more ads.

After three weeks, our garden is really growing. The seeds that sprouted the first week are now big plants, but so far have not yielded a harvest. Our networker is feeling okay about his prospects, but still hasn’t sponsored his first associate.

After six weeks, our gardener finds that the seeds he planted so long ago have become pretty big plants, and many are nearing the stage where they will begin to produce a crop. Our network marketing guy has sponsored one new associate from all his efforts.

At this point our gardener has second thoughts. He has put in a lot of work for six weeks, but has no vegetables to show for it. Frustrated and tired, he quits tending his garden. He is saying to himself, “This just didn’t work. Look at the time and effort I put into this, money too, and I have nothing. Gardening doesn’t work!”

Just two weeks later, his neighbor gathers 15 pounds of potatoes, a dozen nice tomatoes, and a bushel of beans. This is only the initial harvest – there is much more to come. He is puzzled. It just doesn’t make sense that the gardener quit so close to the harvest he had worked so hard to enjoy.

At the same time, I’m afraid our network marketer has second thoughts too. He says “I have put in all this time and effort, spent $500 on advertising, and all I have to show for it is one new associate. Network marketing doesn’t work!”

When our networker quit, guess what happened? He lost everything he had worked toward. His upline will now benefit from all the work he has done.

I’m afraid that many people quit at a similar point in the growth of their business. It isn’t unusual to start out, and two months later only have one or two new distributors in your group. You were likely expecting many more new associates by now, but is this really the time to give up? Not at all!

Growing a business, just like growing a garden, takes time, effort, and money. Don’t let yourself get discouraged just at the point when things are primed to start happening. Make a one year minimum commitment to your business and do the right things. You will be rewarded!