Income Producing Activities for Network Marketers

When you run a small business, there are literally so many ‘jobs’ that you could be doing, that you could spend every minute of every day working if you wanted to. But what I have found over the last 3+ years is that some of these jobs (while important) are just supporting tasks, while there are others that are directly connected to producing income. And what you want to make sure of is that you are doing enough of the income producing activities, to truly make your business successful and to propel you forward. Because without income, you do not have a business.

In Direct Sales, this can look very different from other small businesses, so for the sake of this post, I am going to focus on the Network Marketing model for income producing activities. I am even going to use direct examples using my own business. So if there are any Stella girls checking out this post, hold tight, information coming your way!

Income Producing Activities:

• 1-on-1 Consultations. For me this could be 1 of 2 things. It could be meeting with someone over a cup of coffee to chat about the Stylist/Business Opportunity, or it could mean meeting in their home or mine and styling outfits that they have, and sharing pieces from our line. Bonus if they invite a couple of friends!
• In-Home Parties. These are the number one income producing activity for the majority of direct sales businesses. With these types of events (we call them Style Sessions) you have a captive audience, all there to check out your products, and likely a motivated Hostess hoping to earn rewards. All of which lead to sales.
• Vendor Events & Trade Shows. These are local Events that every community hosts. Whether it is a Mom-to-Mom Sale or a Craft Fair, or Wedding Show, all of them can be an incredible way to expose your business to new clients.
• Online Parties & Information Sessions. Never having to leave your house can be a definite perk of hosting online. Whether you are looking for sales, educating new recruits on the Business Opportunity, or working to build your funnel, you can have a wide reach with online hosting.
• Call to Action Posts on Social Media. Knowing that you are only going to be doing approximately 2 sales related posts, for every 8 engagement posts through Social Media, you want to make them count. Whether you are sharing the Business Opportunity or trying to warm up a sale, make sure that you provide enough information to grab your target markets attention. And I highly recommend adding your own personality in them, so that you are connecting with your audience.
• Attend a Networking Event. These have been one of the most effective ways that I have built my business. By networking, I am expanding my warm market and bringing new people into my inner circle. I have also met some incredible people, and dare I say, life-long friends.

Note: at the time that I wrote this, I was building a mostly in person business - if you have an online business model - these change, but only slightly. Consultations might be via Zoom, parties/events will be online and I would recommend doing collabs with other businesses to build your market.

Supporting Activities:

Supporting activities are vital to any growing and thriving business as well, because they are often the means to move you closer to income producing activities. But it is important to remember that these activities are not your core business, and they are not what is making you money. So do not get so caught up in them, that you are not finding time for the actual activities that put cash in your pocket.

• Warming Up Hostesses. In order to maximize the above hosting opportunities, you are going to need to be working closely with your Hostesses to ensure that they are working for you as well.
• Reach Outs. Regardless of where you are at with your business, you should be aiming to do at least 1 reach out per day, and ideally at least 10 new points of contact each week. This will build your funnel.
• Follow-Ups. The cornerstone of this business is the art of following up. The majority of your customers/contacts, are going to take at least 3 points of contact before they commit. Make sure to keep an organized list, so that you do not leave anyone stranded.
• Posting on Social Media. Consistency is key with social media. Whether you are using Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. you want to make sure that you are doing at least 1-2 posts per day. And the majority of them should not be sales-y. Focus on building relationships through these channels.

Making sure that you are focusing your attention in the right areas will ensure that your business is growing and thriving. If you are looking to maintain a consistent business, you will need to do less of the income producing activities than if you are working on growing your business. It is entirely up to you. But I recommend setting yourself goals each month and charting out your plan of attack.

ps. want to learn the ins and outs of building a Network Marketing business (and dig into the 'how to' of income producing activities?) Join us inside the Level Up Academy!