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Finding a Good Mentor

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When beginning your MLM career it’s important to find a good sponsor, but for long term success finding a good “mentor” is imperative. Think carefully when selecting the people you want to emulate. A good mentor can make a world of difference in how we succeed and progress in our careers.

Let me clarify this statement a little. Your sponsor will not make or break your success in MLM, because you can always track upline or sideline to find someone who will work with you. And your upline, of course, has a vested interest in your success because there is a monetary gain that they can expect from your success.

A good mentor, on the other hand, can mean the difference between success and the frustration of failure when working your home based business. What do I mean by this? Well, a mentor can teach you the ropes so that you do not experience the same mistakes and fall backs that they themselves experienced, thus shortening your learning curve and reducing great frustrations.

To find a good mentor you should determine where you would like to be in one to three years in your home based business. Would you like to be making $5,000 a month? Then find a mentor that has been working the business full time and is currently earning a consistent recurring income of $5,000 to $10,000 per month. These elements are crucial in matching you up with someone whom you can respect, trust, and accept quality coaching.

I would also recommend that you find someone who has created their success with just one company versus moving from company to company. Consistency is imperative for you to learn and persist in the business. Classically you want someone who will lead you by saying do as I do and do as I say. You must be willing to trust and accept this coaching.

Needless to say you need to feel comfortable with each other as this will likely turn into a life-long friendship as an added benefit. Successful people are always willing to help those people who put forth the effort, listen to what they have to offer, and produce the positive action necessary to show results. Action on your part is the primary key element to this relationship and MLM training to be successful.

Finding a mentor takes a little research on your part but should not be too difficult. A good place to start might be to visit MLM and network marketing specific forums and read what people have to say, how they position themselves, how much respect they command, and get the gist of what other people think of them as professionals. These forums will give you great insight into the personality, professionalism, and experience of a person you may be selecting as your mentor.

Be polite and professional when approaching a potential mentor. Have your research completed before talking to them. Their time is valuable, so prepare ahead and know exactly what questions to ask them and know what kind of help you are looking for. For example, do you want to learn how to give a killer elevator presentation, or do you want to know where to go to find the best leads and how to contact and follow up effectively?

Also learn and know all you can about them professionally and as a person. This will go a long way in establishing yourself as being very serious in your quest. They will be impressed that you did your homework! And be comfortable and able to express your “why” for wanting them to spend time with you and also focus on what this relationship will do for them. Everyone always asks themselves when broached with this type of proposition, “what’s in it for me?” Remember that.

Things to consider when choosing a mentor

Do you know yourself? Think about where you are, and where you would like to be. What type of personality do you have, and which personality types complement your style? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Once you know those things, you can more easily define how a mentor might guide you through your growth.

What are your needs and what would you like your mentor to do for you? It’s important to consider the types of services that you want your prospective mentor to provide. You may only want your mentor to be a neutral sounding board to bounce ideas off of. Or your mentor may be able to help you with networking and making connections with others in the industry who might be able to help you.

Know what you want to achieve from the relationship. A clear understanding of your purpose and desired result will ensure that you find a suitable mentor, and that you and your mentor find value in the relationship. This clarity also eliminates any future confusion regarding roles and expectations.

Prepare a list of possible mentors. Consider all possibilities when it comes to mentors. A person you may not have thought of originally may turn out to be the mentor of your dreams. Keep an open mind in matching your needs to a prospective mentor. He or she may be able to help you in ways you hadn’t planned for or didn’t expect.

Be proactive. In some cases, mentoring relationships form naturally. But don’t count on it happening that way. Develop a specific course of action to find your mentor.

Ask for referrals and contacts. As with any search process, tap into your friends and colleagues networks to expand your reach. When requesting referrals, be clear about what you’re looking for and why. It will save your time, your friend’s energy, and the contact’s efforts.

Decide how you will approach a prospective mentor(s). Think about how you want to approach and ask people to mentor you. Learning about the people you want to ask first can help prepare you to ask for guidance and assistance.

Depending upon your comfort level and the relationship that you may already have with a potential mentor, you can either make your request via telephone or email. Another approach might involve setting up a meeting where the two of you can sit down and discuss your wants and needs. An informal drop-in meeting may work, too.

Ask the person to be your mentor. When the time comes to actually ask someone to mentor you, it’s a good idea to explain why you selected the person as a potential mentor and how you would like the person to help you, as well as. From there, ask the person to mentor you or to help you find another mentor.

Through the entire process of searching and asking, always be prepared for your prospect to turn you down. If this happens, don’t take it personally. These successful types have many irons in the fire and may not be able to help you mainly due to time constraints. Just remember to thank them anyway and don’t give up in your search.

Just Be patient. Finding a mentor takes some work and even involves some risk as does anything worthwhile. A good mentor will be well worth the effort you put into your search!

 

Above all, exercise professionalism and manners when going about this search and dealing with potential mentors. Yes, there is specific etiquette expected by and from a professional in this industry. Doing the above will place you in an outstanding position to find a good compatible mentor who may be able to help you achieve your dreams and become a lifelong friend and associate.

Excerpts taken from-Jamie Walters ,Inc.com:Tips on Finding a Mentor

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