Spring is a time for growth. Whether you’re growing flowers outside or in your business one thing is clear: you want whatever you plant to grow. Growing your business has a lot in common with growing a garden. In business, your relationships are your seeds. The more you tend to and nurture them, the more likely they will grow and the stronger they will grow. While you nurture flowers with water and fertilizer, and of course good soil, you nurture your relationships with time, attention, and consistency. Your soil includes the good habits which you have cultivated and developed over time. However, it also includes your commitment to personal growth and development.

Every time you take the time to improve your knowledge or skills, you make the soil of your business that much healthier. And healthy soil is essential to growing a strong network marketing business. In the spring while you’re growing your garden don’t forget to apply the same principles to grow your business.

Why growth is important 

Growth is essential, whether you’re improving your life or improving your business. They say if you’re not growing you’re dying. It’s true that if you don’t grow your business, it will die so to speak, and that it will stagnate and eventually cease to exist. This is what happens to many network marketing businesses. The Network marketer does not commit to growth and Improvement so their business slowly goes away. They may quit the business altogether or take a break from it; however, often they do not return. If you want to build a foundation for a strong network marketing company, one that lasts and can survive the challenges you may face, then you must commit to constant growth. There are three areas of growth. Growing yourself, growing your network, and growing your overall business. We will help you in each area.

Grow yourself 

As the leader, you are the most important part of your business. If you want your business to continue to grow and thrive, it’s important to focus on growing yourself. This means committing to personal growth and development. Personal growth and development can take many forms; it can be as formal as taking a class or online training or it could be informal like reading the biography of a business leader who you find inspirational. Many busy leaders rely on audiobooks or podcasts that they listen to while they’re on the go to help them continue to grow while they’re on the go.

For most people, it’s best to do a combination of things: take a course, read books by and about influential business leaders whose style you’d like to emulate, and listen to audiobooks and podcasts that you find interesting that can help you grow yourself and improve your knowledge of your industry. If you’d like to commit to personal development but aren’t sure where to start, the best place to look is with your mentor or the other successful network marketers that you look up to.

See what they’re listening to and reading. Find out if they’re taking any development courses to help them improve their skills. They can provide a great resource to you on your journey to success. Ask around your network, especially your team, to see if there are any recommendations. Someone may have read a book that inspired them or listened to a podcast that changed their perspective.

Then, encourage your team to continue to grow by sharing what you’ve learned. Share the books you’re reading, the podcast you’re listening to, and the courses you’ve taken. This will help them on their journeys to success.

Grow your network

A popular misconception is that only network marketers wish to grow their networks or those who want to build huge networks. If you think this, you may say oh I only want to keep my network this big because if it gets any larger I’m not going to have the time or energy to connect with everyone within it. Although we may all hope that the people in our network will continue to be in our network a year from now or even 5 years down the road, there’s a good chance they may not be. They may move or they may no longer be interested in your products. It happens to all of us at one time or another.

The truth is, even if you want your network to stay the same size it’s important to continue adding people to it. After all, you don’t know if the person you’re adding to your network today will become your biggest advocate tomorrow.

So how do you grow your business? You do it by talking about your business to anyone who will listen. Especially the people introduced to you by your network. These are the people who have heard all about your business from people that they know. You’ve been talked up so much that they’re eager to be introduced to you. It’s important to reach out to these people and of course, follow up with them afterward. Since we all like to do business and buy from people that we know, expanding your network through your network is an easy way to grow your network. Remember, your network provides a reliable source of leads. It’s your responsibility to follow up with them to see if you can help or answer any of their questions.

By following up you show that you not only appreciate the introduction but you also are eager to establish a relationship with the other person. Every time you connect with them you add another block to the foundation of your business. Sounds easy, right? However, many Network marketers don’t follow up as much as they should. Additionally, they may not ask for introductions because they feel silly or like they’re bothering the other person. These are two of the biggest mistakes any Network marketer or business person can make. You are the biggest advocate for your business.

One of the best ways to encourage people to advocate for your business is by talking about your business. Whenever you talk about your business, invite the other person to share in your success by introducing you to someone they know. This will help you build strong advocates. In turn, it will help you grow your business.

Grow your business 

Finally, you want to grow your business. Growth involves a variety of things. It involves building and maintaining a thriving network. Also, it involves improving your Knowledge and Skills so that you can provide your network with the highest level of service. It also entails committing to your business and making it a priority. This is where many network marketers fall short. Although for many network marketers, this may feel like a hobby, it’s part of your livelihood. You are a small business. Part of leading a small business is making it a priority in your life. Now, it doesn’t have to take up all of your life. However, you should plan to spend time on your business each day.

This is why we developed the power hour. Your Power Hour is an hour that you set aside each day to connect with your network. The good news is, unless your network is huge, your Power Hour will often take less than the full hour. Many network marketers can connect with everyone on their list in 30 minutes or less. The most successful network marketers take the remaining time and do something to improve their minds and skills.

Although Power Hour only takes an hour or so a day, many Network marketers do not do one. Or they only do a Power Hour a couple of times a week. The best way to grow your business is to commit to doing a power hour three to four times a week. It’s smart to add another Power Hour each week during the busiest times of the year. This ensures that you are staying in touch with the most important people in your network: your top advocates. How do you make time for your power hour? When you create your to-do list each day be sure to Circle your power hour as your top priority.

Better yet, block out an hour or several blocks that add up to an hour and commit to your power hour each day. During this time you’ll focus on nothing but your business. Although this may sound hard at first, especially if you’re busy, over time you’ll see dramatic effects on your business. You may find that it’s easier to grow your network and that you are getting introductions to more people. The more you work on your business, the easier it will be to grow your business.

Teamzy can help!

Teamzy was created to help Network marketers build the foundation for strong businesses that they love. We can help you grow your business with a variety of online training courses that fit your schedule. We also make it easier and more fun to run your business every day. Click here to learn more.