Are you following the “Rules” while recruiting?

I learned a lesson early on in my Network Marketing career, and I suspect that it translates very well to any recruiting business.

When I first got started, I took great caution with how I promoted my business. I remember telling my sponsor that, above all, I DID NOT want to loose any friends through this business. For the most part, I’ve been very successful with that.

After speaking with a few of my close friends and bringing a couple of them on board. I started to think about anyone else I might know who would be good at this. Do you see the problem yet?

I ended up thinking of someone (who I will leave unnamed) that I thought would be a star! I recruited her and got her started. This is when the headaches began. I wasn’t particularly fond of this person, and there were people in my group who disliked her more than I did. This made things painfully difficult because, conscious or not, I was not really setting this person up for success.

I was recently reading some of Michael Clouse’s work and he states it as “The Sponsoring Rule of Five“. As I began reading I immediately related to it. Here are his rules.

1. Only sponsor those people with whom you would like to become friends.
2. Invest your time with those you personally sponsor.
3. Set up a game plan – and follow through.
4. Talk with those you sponsor every week.
5. Become close personal friends inside and outside the business.

I truly believe these rules work. I know that because this is a business of relationships. We have the power and the ability to choose who we do business with. The primary objective, in order to create residual income, is to obtain leverage by elevating leaders. This will take a lot of work and a lot of time. If you don’t enjoy spending time with those you sponsor, you will not be successful in teaching them the necessary skills to become a great leader… and at the same time, you will fail as a leader as well.

It can be difficult when you are running out of people in your warm market to talk to. You might be tempted to look for the “goldmine” in a person that you may not be particularly fond of… but trust me. It is a waste of time. I learned the importance of choosing who I spend my time with, so I now spend more time with people who supported me, and less with those who don’t. You don’t need to burn bridges, but I think it’s important to surround yourself with people you respect and enjoy. In the long run, you will have a more enjoyable business and a FAR more stable one as well.