Dear Uncle Russ, I'm just starting my network marketing business. Aside from a positive mental attitude, what is the proper mindset that will ensure my success? ___ Jon Aaron - Baltimore, MD

Dear Jon, This answer is of course subjective, Jon, but based on more than four decades of seeing people both win and struggle with network marketing, I have determined that there are at least four indispensable qualities that one must possess if they expect to reach their goals.

The first three, not coincidentally, are what I look for as "must-haves" in a prospect.

The first is an open mind.

If one is not open to training, new interpretations, or possibilities they are not only likely NOT to succeed, they will suffer.

The second is having a genuine interest in people.

This is not as easy as it sounds. People are magnificent, talented, warm, and often fascinating. They are also stubborn, prejudiced, opinionated, and irresponsible. It takes patience and listening to discern which qualities outweigh the other or make for a good business partner.

Some people would prefer not to put up with people's humanity. If this is so, I say multi-level marketing is a poor business choice.

The third is courage.

It takes guts to get through tough situations, start a business with little more than a great product, a little money, and a powerful vision; But there are thousands who do it every, single day somewhere in the world. God bless em!

The last is PERSISTENCE.

Some will wither if "Tacky Tom" says "pyramid;" crumble when a guest doesn't show up on a call or to a meeting or quit when their first check is less than a hundred and fifty bucks.

As Robert Kiyosaki has been known to say: "Losers quit when they fail. Winners fail until they succeed." By the way, Jon, I believe it is safe to say that ALL of these can be the result of a "positive mental attitude."

Dear Uncle Russ, How much money should I be willing to invest in a network marketing program? ____Tim Milliken - La Costa, California

Dear Tim,

Zero. The word "invest" doesn't belong anywhere NEAR a network marketing opportunity.When you invest money in the stock market, commodities, an IPO, cryptocurrency, the forex, you are entrusting it to someone else. You cross your fingers and close your eyes and hope mama and papa dollar have a family. Dividends, returns, etc. are considered passive income because they have nothing to do with you.

MLM is a business where you capitalize your own company, often for a pittance, and leverage the efforts of others doing the same, while you promote, enroll, and consume the products you have the marketing rights to. Done correctly, this can produce a growing residual income, where you are paid for work you've already done, again and again.

You don't "invest money" in a product, you relocate it. You can get your money back anytime...just retail or wholesale the product you've purchased. The only way to truly lose is to do nothing.

Dear Uncle Russ, How much time will it take before I see the results that will make a network marketing venture worthwhile? ____ Bill Ray - Round Rock, TX

Strangely, Bill, in a business filled with goal-setting seminars, vision boards, and time management classes, in my experience very few people asked this question. When I ask people what they are building, I am seeking to know what the intended result of their work will be.

"I want to make a lot of money" is fine in theory, but I don't believe providence moves for what we want, but rather what we are committed to.

People also assume (quite often) that to earn exceptional amounts of money, it must take lots of time that they "don't think they have." What if I told you that productivity is not necessarily a function of time but rather a function of action? In order for a goal to work it must be measurable, else how would you know when it is achieved?

Next, achieving a goal must provide something (reward) that someone is committed to.

I believe we are all driven to action by concerns and commitments. For example, let's say your goal is to sponsor two new leaders by the end of the month. What are your conditions of satisfaction (measurements)? ie: What does a "leader" look/sound like? (qualities?)

What does "sponsor" mean?  By when will you have a list of candidates? Clarity saves time! What will you do, ONCE a day, five days a week for no more than 30 minutes a day that if you only did that, you would hit your goal? Instead of staring at your address book for two hours a night, you might try having two conversations a day

(I didn't say sales or prospecting conversations) where you listen...really LISTEN to who you're talking to. Listen for what? Concerns and commitments. Twice a day X 5 days a week X 4 weeks = 40 conversations for possibilities a month. That's ten hours a MONTH to enroll someone in your business that could be worth $20k a year to your income.

It's not time...it is actions and intended results that move the ball.

Love, Uncle Russ