There’s more to leading a business than just leading a business. You have to take charge of that business. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been running your network marketing business for two years or two weeks, now is the time to take charge of your business. But more than taking charge of your business, you’re taking charge of other things, such as your time, your relationships, and every aspect of your business. How do you do this? Here’s how.

Take charge of time

You are what you spend time doing. You may feel that you are leading your business, but if you don’t spend time on your business, it’s impossible to take charge of that business. In order for your business to grow and thrive, you have to spend time on it. This includes doing daily Power Hours, connecting with your network, and doing the activities that grow your business. This also includes working on your own development. That is, participating in training programs that can help you keep your skills sharp and keep you up to date on the current trends that your customers are into.

I don’t have time

One of the biggest complaints network marketers make is that they don’t have the time to work on their business. Even though they know they have to do their activities every day, these activities sometimes move to the back burner because something else demands their attention. Whether this thing that demands their attention is important or not is another question. In most cases, the things that demand our attention the loudest are not the things that can help drive our business forward. At the time, something may seem more important than anything else. However, in reality, it ends up not being that important.

Often, the first thing that we push aside to make time for other things is our business. We say that we will get back to it, or that we will spend extra time doing it tomorrow. What ends up happening is that we don’t do it at all. And when we fail to do something for several days in a row then we get out of the habit of doing it. Which is a shame; we spend so much time building good habits only to have them dashed by something that is not a priority. When we say that we don’t have time, often what we’re really saying is that we don’t have time for that priority activity right now. 

Prioritizing your day to take charge of your time

The key is to set your priorities each day so that the important tasks of the day do not take a back burner to the less important tasks. So what are the most important tasks of your day? These are the tasks that help you drive your business. These tasks include your daily Power Hour.

The good news is that your power hour can be broken into smaller segments of time, meaning if you only have time and 15-minute blocks and you can break your Power Hour into 15-minute blocks. However, this is only one priority for your business. There are other tasks in your business so you also have to prioritize as well. One of these is making time to improve your skills. By improving your skills, you can keep them sharp, learn new ones that can help you grow your business, and become more effective as a network marketer.

As you create your to-do list every day, it is important to pinpoint those top priorities you need to get done that day. Of course, your business will be a top priority, but also circle or put a star next to the task. There are also priorities that you need to get done that day or else. As you complete the tasks on your list, review what is left and choose the next highest priority item. By prioritizing your list, you can ensure that you’re spending time on the most important things in your day. It will also help you become less overwhelmed as the list grows.

Build and leverage relationships

Your relationships help drive your business. This is especially true in network marketing where your relationships become the center of your business. The more you connect with your network, particularly your advocates, the more likely you are to grow your business. The core of taking charge of this aspect of your business is connecting with the people in your business, as well as the people they are connected to who could become top advocates for your business. So how do you do this?

A challenge that many network marketers face is connecting with their networks. Many are familiar with traditional network marketing tactics in which the marketer uses traditional sales methods to force others to buy from them or join their networks. Well, this may get a sale in the short term, and unfortunately sacrifices the relationship in the long term. What makes network marketers who use relationship marketing different is that they value their relationships and instead of always looking to make the sale, they want to find solutions to help the other person overcome a challenge they may be facing. This is serving from the heart.

When you serve from the heart, you are looking out for the other person’s best interest. Sure, it’s great to make a sale; however, you wouldn’t sacrifice the relationship in order to make a sale. That’s because those who use relationship marketing understand that their current relationships are the source of their success. That is, it’s impossible to grow The Business Without growing your relationships with those who make up your network.

How to build your relationships 

Taking charge of your relationships begins with consistent communication. It is important to check in with the people in your network, based on your relationship with them. This means that you will connect with the people you have stronger relationships with more often than those with whom you are trying to build a relationship. You’ll connect with your top advocates, the people who drive most of your business, more often than you will connect with someone who you just met.

This is because your top advocates are the ones who will bring the most business to you, whether it’s through sales or through introductions to people in their networks. This is why it’s so important to check in with them regularly and see if there is a need that you can fill. Your top advocates are eager to help you grow your business, so don’t be shy about asking them for introductions to other great people like themselves. They are likely more than willing to introduce you but just aren’t sure how. Once you show them, they will be able to introduce you to others in their networks.

You can ask anybody for an introduction. You can even ask people you just met for an introduction. If they seem interested but they’re just not sure right now, you can ask them to address you to other people who might be able to benefit from the opportunities that you are providing. This is the simplest way to grow your business. Once you’re comfortable asking for introductions, you will be unstoppable in growing your business.

Take charge of building your business

Making time for your business and asking for your introductions are ways you can take charge and build a strong network marketing business. Both require consistency. You have to be consistent in making time to work on your business each day, or nearly every day. Depending on how ambitious your goals are, you may only need to work on your business two or three days a week.

The more ambitious your goals, the more often you need to work on your business. Also, there are certain times of the year when you may want to work on your business more often. These times would be your industry’s busy times or the standard busy times, such as the holiday season. The key is to be consistent in your activities. That means to do a Power Hour daily, or whenever you plan to work on your business. This also means carving out time to work on yourself and become a better business leader.

It’s also important to be consistent in reaching out to your network. In order to build trust, your network needs to know that they can rely on you to connect with them when you say you will. For example, if you say you’re going to follow up on a question, then be sure to follow up. You can follow up when you have an answer to that question or if you’re still working on the solution then follow up and let them know that you’re still working on the answer. This shows that you respect the other person and their time. To you they are more than just a sale; they are an essential member of your network.

It’s important to be consistent in communicating with your top advocates as well as the people that you have just met. Even though someone may not have a strong relationship with you yet, there’s always room for them to become advocates as well. Often, they become top advocates when you have gone above and beyond what their expectations. Connecting with them consistently is one way to exceed those expectations.

Teamzy can help you take charge of your business

Teamzy was built to make it easier to build and grow your business. From helping you prioritize your day to helping you stay in touch with your network on a consistent basis, it is a necessary tool to help you become a successful and thriving network marketer. Click here to learn more.