What to Look for in a Network Marketing Training Program

When considering joining a network marketing company, you should carefully evaluate that company’s network marketing training program. A training system should be designed to help you succeed with your company over the long-term, not just earn a few good checks in the first few months. A training system should help you develop knowledge and skills, and also to become competent and confident.

This is what creates success.

An effective and comprehensive network marketing training system should be able to be: 1) learned by anyone with drive and commitment; 2) initially applied through practice and then action (business growth), and finally, 3) duplicated within your growing organization.

A good training system creates success because it ensures:

• Simplicity–Simple to follow, simple to learn, and simple to do.
• Clarity–Everyone knows what they are doing.
• Duplication–Everyone is doing the same thing.

An effective and comprehensive training system will also assist you to learn step-by-step how to start building your customer base, how to sponsor associates, and how to support your customers and associates.

A comprehensive training system may typically include:

• Developing your business plan/marketing plan based on action steps.
• How to answer questions and handle objections.
• Goal setting, motivation and accountability.
• Product and company story training.
• Building a team and leadership training.
• Pay/compensation plan training–presenting it to others.
• Business presentation and product/service presentation skills.
• Marketing basics and using your company’s marketing tools and resources.
• Running your business as a business (include basic tips on running a network marketing home-based business, insurances and taxation issues, etc.).
• Role playing and training scripts.

As a new associate without experience, it is very hard to understand what you need to do to build a network marketing business, especially if you do not have any previous experience in this particular type of marketing business. What you need most of all is clarity. This system gives you a clear road map showing you exactly what you need to do, how to do it, and in what order.

First, you will need to develop skills. You should look for a network marketing training system that provides a skills development program. Second, you will need to apply those skills to increase your competence and confidence this can be done through the practice of role-plays with experienced leaders and other team members. Third, you need to look to get results and this is achieved through applying the skills, knowledge, and practice learned in your training program.

“Training is such a vital part of preparation for a game; you really do train to play.”

This stage of taking action to build your business should correspond with the business and marketing plan that you have developed with your sponsor/upline business coach. Along the way, you should make sure to work closely with your sponsor/coach to ensure you are making progress toward your evolving goals, which are the underlying reason for being in business.

The objective of any system is to facilitate your development to become a leader within your organization. By then, you are achieving consistent results and helping your team to duplicate the system effectively. This is one of the key aspects that I consider when looking at network marketing training systems. Is the training simple, clear, and is it able to be duplicated by anyone with drive and commitment?

Naturally, your success with any training program will depend on how willing you are to follow and apply the system. A training system should embody a culture that is based on people helping people, providing first class care and service to customers, and high quality coaching and support to all team members. This way, everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy great results and the success they want.

A simple checklist to look for in a good training system:

• Must be able to duplicated and involve mentoring or training by a successful upline leader.
• Should include an initial and ongoing training program from the network marketing company. An organization or team-based approach to training is a bonus.
• Before you go out into the field, a training program should have helped you to develop skills in handling objections, developing a customer base, basic knowledge of your company’s products/services. (Remember, soldiers are trained on a firing range for hours on end before they are sent to the frontline).
• Training should be easily able to be duplicated within your growing organization.

As with franchising, the more comprehensive and practical the training program is, the more successful the business operator. Your network marketing training is the foundation on which your success in building a large organization (and long-term residual income) is built. So, invest time and effort wisely in evaluating what materials will be used to build this foundation.