Want to make your network marketing business more successful this spring? You have to prepare your business to succeed. 

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

– Benjamin Franklin

The above quote from Ben Franklin may sound savage, but it’s true. The most successful people, regardless of their field of business, take the time to plan for their success. This includes more than setting goals to aim for. It also includes everything from planning your activities for the week to planning for taking time off. 

Since many of us plan vacations and time off for the spring and summer months. Whether we’re going away for a long weekend or for a week or two vacation somewhere tropical (or to visit family), as business leaders, we have to prepare for that time off. Although the business may pause while we’re gone, the more we prepare our business for this time off, the less stress we’ll encounter when we return. 

How to prepare your business this spring

The key to preparing your business is to shore it up; that is, put in the work now so that it will continue to work hard for you while you’re gone. 

Review your numbers and goals

Are you close to achieving your milestones for this time of the year? Having an idea of how close you are to reaching the milestones of your larger goals provides insight into how much work you’ll need to put in before you take time off. Your numbers shed insight into how many introductions you’ll need to have in order to grow your business and how many sales you’ll need to make in order to get ahead of your goals. This information is powerful and allows you to create a plan that will help you get ahead of your milestones so that when you return to your business, you won’t have to work as hard.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

– Abraham Lincoln

Look for areas of improvement

Once you’ve reviewed your numbers and your goals, take a few moments to assess your progress. There is always room for improvement on the journey to success. Look for holes in your skillset – areas where you would like to improve in order to serve your clients better. Teamzy offers training videos and short courses that are designed to help you become better at network marketing. Take some time during your Power Hour to keep these skills sharp and you can be sure that you’ll provide your network with the highest level of service you can offer. 

Also, look at which numbers should be improved. Again, are you on track to reaching your goals? If you’ll need to connect with more of your network or have them introduce you to more people, the time to know and plan for that is now. The sooner you can prepare, the better equipped you’ll be to turn your wishes into action. 

Improvement can also mean improving your relationship with your team. How often are you checking in with them? Do they need help or support from you in order to stay motivated and on track to reach their goals. Set up time to meet with them so that you can check in with them and offer support when they need it. 

Create a plan

A plan gives you a blueprint to follow, especially when faced with any unexpected challenges. Now that you know where you need to make improvements, create a plan to make those improvements. 

If you want to get ahead of the curve before you go on vacation, ramp up communication between now and when you plan to take time off. Connecting with your network is the most important aspect of your network marketing business. Any time you spend away from your business will create gaps in this communication. By ramping up communication with your network ahead of time you can make up for the time off and plant the seeds you needed to sow a bit earlier. This includes increasing connection with your top advocates; you’ll want them thinking about who they can introduce you to while you’re gone so that when you follow up with them when you’re back, they have some names to get started. 

If you’re planning to improve your skills so that you can provide better service to your network, plan to spend time taking online courses, reading books, listening to business podcasts, etc. in the coming weeks. Keep a notebook nearby to write down any tips you’d like to incorporate into your business. Professional development helps you prepare your business to succeed as you’ll have the skills necessary to help overcome any challenges you may face. 

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”

– Peter F. Drucker

Recommit to your Power Hour

A daily, or near-daily, Power Hour is one of the best ways to prepare your business for success. In addition to creating the habit of connecting with your network – and your biggest advocates – on a regular, consistent basis, your Power Hour is your time to work on your business. All it takes is an hour to work on your business and connect with the people who help drive it.

If a full hour is out of the question, break it into smaller blocks. If it takes you 20 minutes to work through your list, then spend 20 minutes connecting with your network and set aside more time later in the day to work on other aspects of your business, including personal development. Or break it into 30-minute segments in the morning and in the afternoon. Whatever works for you. The point is to make sure you’re doing it. 

Since you won’t be doing Power Hours during time off, it may help to add another Power Hour to the weeks ahead of your vacation, especially if you’re not doing a daily Power Hour. This additional hour working on your business will help ensure a seamless transition back to your business when you return.

Get ready to bloom this spring and summer

Do all of these things and you’ll shore up your business to thrive whether you’re taking time off or not. These activities build strong habits that help prepare your business to thrive no matter what. That way, if you take a few days or a few weeks off, you can get back to business like you’d never left. 

When you get back, you can pick up where you left off with your customers, prospects, and distributors. You can follow up with them and mention that you were on vacation. It gives you a conversation point so you can ask if they have vacation plans and if they’ve already taken a vacation, how it was. You won’t have to apologize for being out of contact for a bit, as you’ve already put in the work before you left. 

Be sure to keep asking for introductions, both in the weeks before you leave and when you get back. Introductions are the lifeblood of your business. If you ask your advocates for introductions before you leave, they have plenty of time to think of people who will benefit from your business and services you provide. 

Prepare your business for success with Teamzy

We created Teamzy to make it easier for network marketers to build thriving businesses. More than a CRM, we’ve created a system that gives you the tools and build a business based on your relationships. Teamzy gives you all the tools you need to prepare your business for success and the challenges you may face along the way. Click here to learn more.