Network marketing is, at its essence, self-leadership.
Successful network marketers must lead themselves first and then create relationships to build people up as teammates or Customers and get things done to be successful in their business.
Network Marketers must effectively be self-starters. In other words, they must lead themselves first.
Character is a leader’s core trait, and a network marketer is a self-leader. Character is the key to success in team building or sales and customer service. Network marketers first lead themselves by choice of clearly defined non-negotiable values that become principles for action, often called one’s character. Character development starts with an intentional choice of values and principles to act on and be guided by consistently as a person and in their business.
A network marketer’s values and principles guide actions that are their character and become their reputation for their team, customers, and the community.
A network marketer’s reputation is a clear, impactful picture of who they are and what they do as others see it. A network marketer’s reputation will be a significant influencer on relationships with all stakeholders. Reputation will significantly affect the retention of current customers, team members, and future potential sales and team-building opportunities.
A choice to act with a clarity of values and principles builds a solid current and future business in customer base and team building. Beyond retention and growth, a network marketer’s reputation is impactful because their reputation creates a perception of the brand’s reputation of the larger company they represent. The character of a network marketer then becomes the reputation of their business and their company’s brand and will affect sustainability and profitability.
If you have doubts about the significant power of a network marketer’s character built on values and principles in action building a reputation for influencing retention, growth, and future growth, consider your network marketing journey.
What factors led you to join your particular company as a network marketer? My bet is it was the appeal of the character and reputation of the person who offered you the opportunity and the brand and company’s reputation.
What factors impacted your business’s growth, sustainability, sales, and team-building profitability? My bet is primarily due to your values in action developing your character, reputation, and perseverance. What leads customers and potential team members to seek you out? My bet is it is your reputation built by your choices of values and principles in your character.
“Mary Kay Cosmetics, Enriching Women’s Lives.”
In all transparency, these responses are not much of a bet; they are based on personal observation of 46 years of watching my wife build an outstanding network marketing business. A significant reason for her success is that she acts with character in her chosen values and principles, creating a reputation of doing her business” “Mary Kay Way” and following the company priorities of the Golden Rule, God, Family, and Business, and “Enriching Women’s Lives”
I see these values clearly displayed at the local level and the Company level annually at Leadership and Seminars.
This November, the company will be 60 years old and one of the world’s most successful and sustainable direct-selling companies. At the recent Leadership conference, values, character, and reputation were discussed and modeled consistently as well as constantly reaffirming support for leaders and celebrating sales success following the values based on the “Mary Kay Way.” Mary Kay can walk the talk because their independent sales consultants and leader display character in action, which displays the company’s reputation.
It should be noted that the most revered award in Mary Kay has nothing to do with sales. Mary Kay consultants and directors nominate go-Give leaders winners, and the company selects monthly and annual “Go-Give” award winners for exceptional leaders serving others.
Character, as noted in a March 13, 2018, article by the Be Nice Project, What Does It Mean To Have Character? That “Character, It’s a complicated concept, one that we believe doesn’t get enough attention.” Adherence to one’s values and principles is based on what you do daily. They become a standard of excellence. Values are then the base of what makes anyone’s character.”
An activity that leads to a periodic review of personal values can help a network marketer clarify whether their values and principles are aligned with the character they want to display to their team, customer, and community that build their reputation. This activity can be beneficial for a network marketer’s team. This activity requires a three-step process to be effective.
1. Choice
The first step is a choice to commit time and time to intentionally and honestly considering your values and how they are seen in action. There are many possible activities to help a network marketer and their team. These activities require listing values, prioritizing them, and reviewing and reflecting on how these values are displayed in your network marketing business to create learning and action on these reflections.
2. List and prioritize
The process of listing and prioritizing values can be completed using an activity created by Valorie Burton of Maxwell leadership. This activity can be clicked on here. It is the VALUES LIST taken from her book Let Go of the Guilt: Stop beating yourself up and take back your joy. This activity gives the network marketer and their team a simple, easy to take and practical method to prioritize values
3. Review, reflect, learn and act on prioritized values
This final step starts with taking time to reflect and review your / your team’s prioritized values, learn how they are displayed, and take any necessary action to create alignment of values, character, and reputation. These four questions will best guide this process.
1, What makes this list of values so crucial to your /our teams’ network marketing business?
2. Do I, as a network marketer and our team, base our actions on these values in our business? Do our actions display our character, who I/We are as network marketers? Consider these five questions as an additional guide to respond to this question.
a. Is my/our word our bond?
b. Do I/we follow through on commitments in all parts of our business
c. Do I/we go the “extra mile “in all parts of our business?
d. Do we support each other and our customers and communities in all parts of our business?
e. How do we respond to errors or crises for our customers and communities?
3. ..
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Dr. Hackett is a redirected high school teacher, counselor and administrator, university administrator, and professor teaching doctoral-level leadership classes.
John is currently C.E.O. of Making Connections, a leadership consulting company.
He is an accomplished and experienced DISC consultant coach, trainer, writer, and leader certified by the Maxwell Leadership and the Direct Selling World Alliance.
John has trained, coached, and consulted with school districts, universities, social service agencies, churches, direct sales organizations, police departments, and law firms.
He is a growing, learning entrepreneur in speaking, coaching, and training, passionate about equipping leaders to develop other leaders to serve.
John is a monthly contributor to the Network Marketing Magazine and has written over 140 weekly leadership articles on LinkedIn @drjohnhackett.
He has been married for 45 years to Becki, a 43-year entrepreneur, and has three daughters and two grandsons.
John is also a long-distance bicyclist, an open water swimmer, and an aqua bike triathlon competitor
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