Great leaders lead by example, not just talk or orders. Leading by example will garner respect and admiration from the troops as well as compliance. In a network marketing company, recruits join voluntarily so it's up to them whether they will follow you or quit. You can't use force or order them around like a boss does in a traditional job.

The best way to get recruits to do things is to motivate them with their goals dangling in front of them like a carrot by remind them why they joined. Praise a good recruit generously in front of others, with hold praise to others who don’t perform or try. Reward good recruits with plagues, certificates, trophies, awards etc. in front of the entire team. Keep everyone on the same page by making sure everyone knows what the company’s purpose is and why they should work hard to reach their individual goals.

A few years ago I was in this network marketing company and my leader was a fabulous guy with a big heart but he couldn’t lead. What do I mean by that? Well, his famous motto was “Do as I say and not as I do.” It sure says a lot about your leader when he repeats that to his troops doesn’t it?

And I came to find out that he meant exactly that. He would tell me to work hard and come to the office early, preferably at 8 a.m. sharp and he was nowhere to be found. Since it was my first week in the business I didn’t know what to do so I read all the brochures I could find and watched some convention videos. Finally he showed up, at 2pm in the afternoon.

“Where were you?” I asked. “I woke up late,” was his reply. My opinion and confidence in my leader went downhill from there.

On open house and recruiting meetings at night we were supposed to bring guests to see the presentations, his recruits and I each had a few guests. He had none. Since he had been with the company for 3 years, he said he would close the guests on the opportunity and he closed none of them.

He wanted his recruits to sell $3,000 a month in products every month but he sold $1,100 in products personally or less.

Sure it was possible for his recruits to surpass him and do it on their own but most people that come into this business want some sort of guidance and leadership from someone who’s making good money and constantly working on their business. The one or two percent that can do this all on their own without a teacher or a mentor is very rare, and if you’re that type of person you can make it in any network marketing business even with a team leader that does not lead.

I’m using this example to show that you can’t expect others to do things that you won’t do yourself. He’s still in the business but his business has remained the same as it was five years ago. His recruits have dropped out and he has to constantly recruit new people to maintain his business at that same level. What can you learn from this?

If you want your recruits to be great, you have to work on yourself personally first. You can’t teach someone how to do something if you don’t know how to do it. You can only teach people up to the current level you’re at, so if you’re making only $500 a month that’s all that you can teach someone new how to do.

Network marketing businesses can be great opportunities but ask yourself if you can lead by example and not just talk. If there were two leaders side by side in the same company and one of them were doing great stuff and blazing a trail to the top while the other leader is just barely getting by which one would you follow? The answer should be clear, most people follow leaders who take action and know what they’re doing. Make a conscious decision to become a better leader today by educating yourself, and adopting a constant and never ending improvement regimen.

Katherine Ly is author and publisher of http://www.millionaire-opportunities.com a resource for those aspiring millionaires. Let us be your guide and friend on this journey to riches.

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