If you want to achieve success, it’s essential to get and stay motivated. While it is difficult to motivate yourself, it’s a whole other challenge to keep your team motivated. How do you keep the people on your team inspired and motivated to thrive throughout the year, even when distractions are high or they’re feeling frustrated? You know motivation is vital, but what is it exactly and how can you use it to keep your team on track and eager to tackle the challenges they’ll face? 

What is Motivation?

Motivation is your reason for doing something and your desire or willingness to do it. What is your reason for wanting to succeed in network marketing? Take it back further, what is your reason for getting into network marketing in the first place? The reason(s) you cite is your motivation to continue to pursue your goals and succeed in this business. It’s your reason to contact your network and offer them the highest level of service you can. Additionally, it’s your reason for building a great team and serving them so they can thrive as well. 

The key to motivation is to tap into this reason. This is true when motivating yourself, but also when trying to motivate your team. What are their reasons for building a network marketing business and wanting to thrive? 

Know their Why to boost motivation

Does the definition of motivation sound a lot like something else? If you said that it sounded a lot like your Why, you’re correct. Your ultimate motivation is your Why. You have a Why, your reason for doing all you need to in order to succeed in network marketing. What is the Why of everyone on your team? What is the reason they’re striving to succeed? When you check in with them, find out, if you haven’t already. Ask them what the reason is that they are working so hard to build a network marketing business. Be sure to write it down so that you know what will help to motivate them in the future. 

Motivation: 5 Ways to Help Your Team Thrive

Connect consistently

Connection is at the core of every relationship, whether it’s your relationship with your network or your relationship with your team. And at the core of that is trust. To build trust, you have to connect on a consistent basis. Just as your network needs to be able to rely on you to check in and be there to answer any questions, your team needs to know that you’re there as well. They want reassurance that you’re there to provide support, answer any questions they may have, and to offer advice or encouragement when they need it the most. If you’re there to provide an ear and encouragement when they’re feeling discouraged or frustrated, they’ll be less likely to want to quit and more likely to want to keep working through their challenges until they achieve their goals. 

Motivational Tip #1: Make time to check in and follow up

Schedule time in your calendar to check in with your team regularly. Check-in with each individual team member to see how they’re doing and learn what struggles and frustrations they may be facing. Be sure to listen to what they’re telling you. Then, consider scheduling time each month with your team as a group to share successes, concerns, and challenges. This is a good opportunity for the group to share their experiences and learn from one another. 

Similarly, if your team has questions or concerns, be sure to follow up with them with answers or other resources. Follow up with them if they’re having a bad week or even if they’re having a great day. The key is to show you’re there no matter what and to boost their motivation (and keep their motivation high if they’re doing well!)

Look for ways to help and serve

Service is central to your business, especially if you’re building a business from the heart. In addition to looking for ways to serve your network, it’s important to look for ways to serve your team as well. 

Service can take many forms. It’s the act of checking in with your team consistently and regularly. Each time you check in with them and make their day, it shows that you care and you’re invested in their success. Additionally, it’s following up with them with an answer to a question or advice to help them over the next hurdle they’re facing. It’s in offering kind or inspirational words, suggesting a book or podcast to listen to to help them achieve their goals, and just reassuring them that you’re there to help and lend an ear. All of these things show your team that you are concerned about them and value them as people. This helps improve your relationship with them and builds trust. The more trust you build, the stronger your team will be.

Motivational Tip #2: Listen

When you check in with them, listen to more than the words they use. Listen to their tone of voice. Do they sound happy or sad? Excited or frustrated? Also, listen to how they say things. Many people are reluctant to ask for advice so while our words may convey that we’re fine, the way we say them says otherwise. For example, a team member may say they’re doing well, but if they sound frustrated or disappointed, that will often reveal itself in their tone. Once you know what you’re working with, you can deliver the right level of motivation for their needs.

Be a role model in relationship marketing

When people begin their network marketing journey, they’re often not sure where to start. Sure, they know they have to reach out to people and build relationships, but that’s often easier said than done. Most people have to be shown how to do something before they implement it into their own businesses, even if it seems really obvious. For example, it may seem obvious to check in with your network regularly, but what does this look like? What do you say? Do you say the same thing to everyone or do you customize your messaging? What happens if they respond or, more likely if they don’t respond, at least right away? 

Whether they say it or not, your team wants answers to these questions. The best response is to show them how it’s done. Luckily, this occurs each time you reach out to them to check in and make their days. 

Motivational Tip #3: How to model the behavior you wish to see in your team

First, check in regularly and consistently. You can’t expect your team to check in with their networks regularly and consistently if they rarely, or even never, hear from you. Use Teamzy to help you stay on track and consistently reach out to them. 

Next, use the scripts for messaging, whether you’re following up on a question or just want to make their days. This will help them know what to say to their own networks. Also, be sure to follow up when you say you will. Following through builds trust and shows character. 

Share your knowledge and experiences

As humans, we learn through the experiences of others. We not only learn what to do in certain situations but also what not to do. The experiences you’ve had so far as a network marketer can prove valuable to everyone on your team, especially if they’re just starting out. What experiences did you have early on in your network marketing career? Did a mentor or someone in your upline help you get started and figure out what to do?

Sharing experiences and knowledge not only helps your team members avoid the common pitfalls of starting their own businesses, but it can also give them perspective. Often, we see success stories and we only see what’s on the outside. We don’t see the hard work and effort that went into the success. Sharing what you’ve experienced, shows your team that results take time, it takes daily dedication to the business, and you have to be patient. It also helps them to steer clear of the most common obstacles they may face as network marketers, or at least mitigate the effects, if it’s unavoidable. This will give them the motivation they need to thrive, even when it feels challenging.

Motivational Tip #4: Open up to your team and encourage them to do the same

When you meet with your team, be open about the successes and challenges you’ve faced as you’ve built your business. Often, we only want to share the good stuff. However, we learn just as much from the challenges as we do from the successes. Share stories of times when things went wrong and what you would have done differently. Explain what happened and why you made the choice you did at the time. Then, discuss what you’d do next time and even ask your team for their input. They may have encountered the same situation, but handled it differently than you. Encourage them to share their current and past experiences – both good and bad – so that you can learn from one another on your journeys to success. 

Commit to training

Encourage your team to continue to grow and develop their minds so they can grow their businesses. Suggest books, podcasts, articles, and training programs that will help them build their businesses and become experts in their industry. The most successful people know the ins and outs of their industries and businesses because they have a voracious appetite for more information. They want to learn all they can! Share what you’re reading or listening to and encourage them to do the same.

Most importantly, offer suggestions to help them maintain their motivation, whether it’s an inspirational quote, a song, or a book. If they’re looking for a system to help them stay on track so they can build the foundation for a strong network marketing business, share your experience using Teamzy. The key is to set them on the course to continuous improvement.

Motivational Tip #5: Sign up for training programs together

Teamzy offers a variety of training resources you can take alone or with your team. Encourage them to join Teamzy for access to a library of short training videos as well as training programs designed to help them achieve their goals, stay motivated, and build the foundation for a strong network marketing business. Click here to learn more.