Last week we went over how to generate more leads and become a Power Hour Boss. Daily lead generation is essential to building the foundation for a successful business. When you focus your business on your relationships, lead generation takes the form of staying in touch with your customers, prospects, and distributors. If you want to grow your business, checking in with your network and following up are the most important things you can do. But, how much do you want to grow? Whether your network marketing business is a side hustle or your main gig, you likely have an idea of how much you’d like to grow your business. 

Once you have a number in mind, the next step is to set a goal. However, this is where many network marketers begin to limit themselves. While some will set ambitious goals to grow exponentially, others will set modest goals. They may feel that they don’t want to aim too high in case they aren’t able to hit the goal. Or, they may not feel they have the skills or experience to set higher goals. Now, we’re not saying to set a goal that’s totally out of your reach – although it is important to have Big Hairy Audacious Goals. However, there is a balance between setting goals you know you can hit and set goals that challenge you to grow a bit more. 

Growing out of your comfort zone

In business, and in life, we all reach a point where we feel like we got it all handled. Everything is smooth sailing. In the comfort zone, we’ve got things handled. It’s a safe and reassuring place to be. We know we’ll reach our numbers this month and the next. We know we’ll get a certain number of introductions from our most reliable advocates. And, we know that we’ll reach our goals by the end of the year – after all, we made sure to set them just high enough to still be a slam dunk. Although the comfort zone lives up to its name, it’s not a place for growth. And if you’re not growing, neither is your business. 

Chances are you weren’t always in the comfort zone. At one point, the place you’re at was a challenge to get to. In the process, you learned a lot, improved your skills, and learned what works and what doesn’t in your network marketing business. While it’s tempting to sit on your laurels and just keep plugging away as usual, if you want to build a successful business, you’ve got to move to the next level.

In order to grow, you have to push past the comfort zone

To grow, you have to get uncomfortable. Growth lies in the challenges you face. Think of it as exercising the muscles of your business. 

Put yourself in the shoes of a new runner. Let’s say they just started running and want to run a 5K. They train nearly every day, running longer and longer distances. First, they run a block or two, but then they’re running a few miles until they’re ready for the big race. By that time, running a few miles is easy. At this point, they could continue to run 5Ks for the rest of their lives, or at least for as long as they like to and are able to run. Maybe after a while, they may begin to place or win the races. Or, they could push past that comfort zone and keep adding distance to their daily runs. They may set a goal to tackle a 10K race next or maybe even a half marathon.

Through it all, they’re training and building their muscles and endurance so that it’s easier to run the full distance of the race. Now, the runner may not have initially set out to run long distances; if they hadn’t been a runner before, they may have thought a 10K or half marathon was totally outside of their abilities. However, by working hard and improving their running skills, they were able to achieve their first goal of running a 5K. Then, they set a new goal – beyond what they originally thought they were capable of – and worked toward that as well. By growing they were able to move past their limits and out of their comfort zones.

Keeping up with evolving needs

Growth is a part of life and part of business, especially as the needs of our customers change and evolve. Change occurs as our relationships with our network strengthens and evolves. Although it’s possible to continue along your business journey and never add more customers, prospects, and distributors to your network, your business may not last. If another network marketer in your area offers what you do, but is always seeking new customers and prospects and is focused on getting in touch and following up, your network may be lured away. If you want to keep your network happy and engaged, it’s important to grow to keep your skills sharp and meet their changing needs.

Why are you afraid to grow your business?

Growth is uncomfortable. Many people are afraid to grow because they fear the discomfort it brings. The easy road takes less thought and less work. But that’s not all. 

Fear of failure and/or success

Did you know that as much as people fear failure, they fear success as well? 

Many network marketers have a fear of failure. Failure is such a personal feeling. They pour their heart and soul into their businesses and are afraid of the pain and disappointment that failure would bring. They also don’t want to ding their pride if they fail. After all, if they aim too high and miss, they fear that friends, loved ones, and/or team will laugh or say “I told you so.” Even if they don’t broadcast their goals and aspirations to others, they don’t want to feel disappointed or let down if they miss the goals this time around.

Instead of adjusting the goal to meet where they are now, they go back to the status quo. For example, if they set a goal to increase their sales by 5% but only increase them 2%, they may not set as high a goal in the future. Instead of starting smaller and increasing sales by 3%, then 4%, until they get to 5%, they may forgo setting goals completely, and keep hitting that 2%. 

However, as any successful business leader knows, failure is part of business. It’s what can occur on the journey to creating thriving and strong businesses. The stories of the most successful entrepreneurs are full of chapters involving failure. This didn’t work, but it gave them the opportunity to streamline their efforts so that it worked eventually. 

On the flip side, fear of success is real as well. They’re afraid of what will happen to their businesses and lives if they do succeed. What new challenges will success bring? Are they ready for them? Will they turn into monsters once they achieve success? Are they ready to lead a bigger, more successful business? Many network marketers mull over these worries before they even occur. As a result, they become too paralyzed with anxiety about future events (that may not even occur) to grow.   

How to grow your business

Develop a growth mindset

Growth begins with your mindset. To grow your business, you have to start with yourself first. This is where personal development comes in. You’ve got to improve your skills if you want to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of your network. Personal development includes books, podcasts, articles, training courses, etc. intended to help you sharpen your skills and meet your network’s evolving needs. It includes learning all you can about your industry and using your knowledge and experience to help and serve your network and team. 

Get help

Despite the myth of the uber successful business leader, no one makes it on their own. The most successful people are that way because they had the help of a coach or mentor (often both) along the way. 

A coach can give you the fresh perspective you need to see the bigger picture. Since they have no skin in the game, they can be forthright with you and hold you accountable. They can also see things that you may not notice and offer insight and advice to help you take your business forward. They’ll help you create a plan to reach your goals. And, when you’re clinging to the comfort zone, they’ll pry your hands away and give you the swift kick you didn’t realize you needed. 

A mentor has been where you are and can share their experiences with you. They’ll tell you all about their successes, failures, and what they’ve learned along the way. Additionally, they’ll share what they wish they knew and had done to avoid the setbacks and challenges they faced so that you can avoid the same issues. 

Create a plan and stick to it

Although goals are a good start, it’s important to also create a plan to help you get there. A coach can help you create a plan that works for your business and your overall objectives and goals. Once your plan is in place, commit to it, even when it feels challenging or uncomfortable. Remember, all growth feels uncomfortable at first. You have to work through the growing pains in order to achieve success.

Teamzy can help you grow your business

Teamzy is more than a CRM – it’s a tool to help you achieve your goals and grow a successful network marketing business. Organize your network, reach out to and follow up with your top advocates, and get the skills and tools you need to create the foundation for a thriving business. Click here to learn more.