Success / Failure Part II

Over the last 60 years, literally millions of people have participated in Network Marketing, MLMs, and Affiliate Marketing businesses. Why do some people go to the top while others seem to struggle endlessly hardly make a dime? Well, there are no simple, easy answers to that question. However, through many years of trial and error, and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on figuring out what works and what doesn't, SFI has a very clear picture of what leads to success.

SFI's president, Mr. Gery Carson, has distilled all of this into what he calls the  "SFI Rules Of Success". And so it's very simple: If you want to SUCCEED, you must follow these rules. If you want to risk FAILURE, ignore them. These rules can be applied to any business.

Here are a couple more rules of success! (more to follow)

Rule #4

Work with the Workers

Way too many people focus on QUANTITY. They sponsor dozens, even hundreds of affiliates–which is great–but it is ultimately QUALITY that is the real key. Once you've found or developed 3-5 topnotch affiliates, you're going to see a lot of great things happen with your commission check.

How do you develop quality affiliates? It's real simple: WORK WITH THE WORKERS! 

When you see people who are working SFI in your group, work with them! Tip: You can easily locate these people by checking your "My Movers" list on your SFI homepage daily. Support them closely, and train them to do the things you do so that you are creating duplication and maximum leverage.

It's of course more natural for us to let the workers in our group just do their own thing. After all, they got active without you even telling them to, they're already sponsoring new affiliates, referring TC members, etc. They don't need your help or support–or so you think.

Meanwhile, you're spending all your time trying to get the people who obviously don't "get it" to do something. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink—yet you continue to try.

You need to know that this is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing to build a successful business. I'm not saying you shouldn't follow up with those who don't immediately get active with SFI. You should. But don't spend ALL or even the majority of your time with this. And DEFINITELY DO NOT IGNORE your workers!

Indeed, the way you create those 3-5 "top-gun" affiliates that you need is by treating them LIKE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON THEM!

If you're not in touch with your best, hardest-working affiliates at least every week (email, phone calls, chatroom, or whatever), I'm sorry, but you're trying to win a race with a car that only has one wheel!

How many affiliates will you have to go through to find your top guns? That's of course difficult to say. What I can tell you though is that they're out there (or are ALREADY in your group), and you'll develop them so long as you deny your natural instincts and apply the proper focus (work with the workers!).

Just like in a deck of playing cards, you KNOW there are four aces. If you start working your way through the deck, the first ace may not come up for a while, but eventually it will so long as you keep going through the deck. And if you don't quit, you'll eventually locate FOUR aces. It's the very same principle with SFI; the aces are there.

Keep sponsoring affiliates, work with your workers, and success will happen.

Tip: Don't waste time on skeptics or pessimists. They will NOT succeed in SFI or any other similar endeavor. They do not possess the qualities of a winner (this includes "rocking-chair advisors" who talk and talk, seem to know all the answers, but never act).

"Eagles don't flock–you have to find them one at a time." -H. Ross Perot

Rule #7

YOU make it happen, no one else

Not only is this a key rule in SFI, but I consider this to be amongst THE most important lessons in life. NO ONE ELSE can make you successful. It's all up to you. YOU are the "master of your destiny" and responsible for your own success. Period.

Conversely, there's not anyone or anything that will make you a failure. It does no good to blame the economy, your education, or whatever bad breaks you've had in your life. Doing so means taking on a victim's mentality. DON'T EVER DO THIS. I can guarantee you that many thousands of people have succeeded despite having it much worse, so don't make excuses and don't convince yourself that you're somehow a victim.

And the grass isn't any greener on the other side either. You have now (or can acquire) everything you need to be successful. Just remember that it's up to you and nobody else. Then go out and do it.

Now, for those who might be thinking, "well, that's easy for you to say, Gery!"…the fact is, I've achieved what most people would say is extraordinary success, but it was not handed to me, not by any stretch. I come from a very small Nebraska town and very humble beginnings. When I started in business I had no business education, no experience, and no money to invest. And it took four long years (the first two moonlighting into the wee hours of the night while holding down a full-time job), before I ever saw a profit. I had no mentors, no great upline leaders or sponsors to guide me, nor any wealthy relatives to come to my aid. But I decided I was going to become successful and I did. And I've put in the work every day for nearly 25 years now to stay successful.

So...it's not your sponsor. It's not your upline. It's not the economy. It's not the government. It's not the compensation plan. It's not any of these things or any other obstacles perceived to be in your way. If you want to become successful, you can go around the obstacles, go over, go under, or go right through them. Success is yours if you want it, but ONLY YOU control this. Always remember: "If it's to be, it's up to me."

"I used to say, 'things cost too much.' Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying, 'The problem isn't that things cost too much. The problems is that you can't afford it.' That's when I finally understood that the problem wasn't it-–the problem was me!" -Jim Rohn