In order to grow your business, it’s essential to add more customers and distributors to your network. However, one of the biggest challenges network marketers face is finding new prospects, especially if they feel they’ve totally tapped out their potential networks. This is especially true if they live in small towns or have small networks to begin with. They may feel like they’ve already prospected every single person they know, who else is left?

Let me tell you one thing – it’s impossible to exhaust your network. Now you may be saying, “I’ve literally been through everyone in my network. It is exhausted.” To that, we say Think Bigger. In fact, we’ll go a step further and say if you want to grow your network, you must tap into your existing network.

That’s right, in order to expand your network, it’s essential to expand your mindset and think beyond your immediate contacts. How? The people in your network have their own networks of people they know, right? And in many cases, these networks expand beyond the confines of your town. Tap into it! Here’s how.

Craft your vision

We encourage you to have a vision when creating your business goals. The same is true when growing your business. It’s important to adjust your mindset so that you think beyond your first degree of contacts. Who does your network know that could benefit from your services or products?

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to cold contact everyone on your network’s friends lists on social media. In fact, that’s a surefire way to damage the trust you’ve built with your relationships and even burn bridges, in the worst-case scenario. That’s not a way to grow your business. Before you do anything, start with a vision.

What does the next stage in your business’s growth look like?

Although you may eventually want your network to be exponentially larger than it is now, it’s more sustainable (and easier) to take smaller steps to get there.

Envision what you want your business to look like in 5 years: How many customers and distributors do you see in your network? Now, you can either repeat the process again, using one year as a marker or you can do the math and figure out how many prospects you’d need to add to your network in order to reach that goal.

Next, envision how you’ll achieve this goal. How will you reach the networks of your existing contacts? One of the best ways to do so is to ask your connections to recommend you to the people they know who could benefit from your business.

If you feel a bit uncomfortable asking your network to recommend you, you’re not alone. For many business owners, this is an uncomfortable topic because it makes them feel as if they’re acting like traditional salespeople. They fear that they’ll come off sounding salesy and damage their relationships with their favorite people.

Here’s a secret: your network will be stoked to recommend you to their favorite people; all you need to do is ask.

Many network marketers think that their customers will recommend them without any prompting – they’ll do it automatically. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. It’s not malicious; they just may not realize that they should recommend you. That’s why you need to ask them to.

Of course, the other part of this is to deliver such excellent service that they’re eager to recommend you to their networks. How? Continue to consistently keep in touch with them and listen for a need to fill. The more trust you build, the more likely they are to recommend you when you ask.

While you’re envisioning how much you’d like to grow your business, also consider jotting down a few ideas to help you make it possible.

Stay motivated

A vision is critical, but it won’t always keep you motivated. At first, you’ll be overflowing with motivation. However, over time, this will wane and you may find yourself making excuses to put off doing all the activities you need to do to grow your network. You may even find yourself giving in to self-doubt and thinking, “I can’t do this” and “Who am I to think I can grow my business by so much?”

1. Write it down. When you have your vision in place, write it down. It doesn’t need to be long; a phrase on a sticky note with your target number may work just as well. Then, post it where you can see it daily, whether it’s on your computer or calendar or on the screen of your phone. Seeing it will trigger a cue in your subconscious that’ll motivate you to act. In short, it reconnects you to your ultimate goal and even your Why.
2. Build the habit. The more you do something, the more likely it’ll become a habit. It’s tough to break habits. Think about habits you have now like brushing your teeth – how weird would it be to not brush your teeth for a day. You’d feel totally off, wouldn’t you? The same is true for your business habits. Once you create and commit to them, they become part of your day. As a result, you’ll be compelled to do them, even on days when you’re tempted to skip.
3. Reconnect to your Why. What is your Why? That is, what is your reason or purpose for running your business? Capture that thought in your mind for a moment. It could be your family or the aspiration of becoming a successful businessperson. If you have a photo of your Why, make sure it’s posted where you can see it daily, too. This will give you a surge of motivation (not to mention confidence) and remind you Why you need to build your business.

Get support

One of the best ways to grow your business is to lean into the support of others. Why go it alone when you have someone on your side who can help you along the way? We have this myth of the self-made millionaire – the businessperson who managed to build their business on their own with absolutely no help from anyone else. “That sounds impossible,” you may say. You’re right; it is.

The truth is, just as there’s no such thing as an overnight success, there’s also no such thing as a self-made millionaire. Somewhere along the way, they got help from someone else, whether it was a mentor, a coach or a peer group. And, that’s exactly who you need in your corner as well.

A mentor is someone who has traveled a similar path to you and can offer their insight and experience to learn from as you grow your business. They’ll provide advice when you need it and can make suggestions to help you when you’re facing a challenge.

A coach is similar to a mentor, but they may or may not have had the same experiences as you. Instead, they’ll provide both encouragement and unbiased accountability when you need it the most. They can be your biggest cheerleader, but also the person that holds your feet to the fire to ensure you stay on the right path to achieve your goals.

An accountability group is comprised of several of your peers who are at about the same level as you are in your business. In addition to cheering each other on, you’ll also share your struggles and challenges. In the process, you can offer one another new tips and techniques as well as share your own experiences of what you did in similar circumstances.

All of these folks provide the support you’ll need to achieve your goals for business growth. It’s up to you to seek it out.

If you’re ready to grow your business and take it to the next level, register for Elite Business Bootcamp. This 12-week course was designed to help new and experienced network marketers alike master relationship marketing and grow their businesses exponentially. But, that’s not all you get when you sign up. You also get access to the vast expertise of Teamzy founder, Eric Johnson (that’s me, ha!), as well as access to a whole network of like-minded network marketers who are all on success journeys, just like you. Together you can share information, provide encouragement, and keep one another motivated. Click here to learn more.