Preface

Usually, my Online and Printed newsletters (for a given month) are different from one another. However, the October LONE is so important that I am publishing it both ways (with some edits to suit the electronic medium). October's Chippy News went out by mail and is not available Online.

The Theory

For years I have taught that an EcoQuest career is built around three activities:

 

1. Selling

2. Recruiting

3. Leadership

 

People rarely grasp how these skills fit together. We all know what selling is—and this elicits complaints from people who say they aren’t salesmen. To answer that concern I explain that selling is only a small part of what we do. Not everyone has to be good at selling.

 

Mr. Devil’s Advocate then responds as if the Titanic is going down and I’m uninformed. “Someone’s got to sell the stuff,” he says. “If everyone’s recruiting and leading, there’s no business.”

 

That’s like arguing that if everyone is thinking like Bill Gates, no work will be done at Microsoft. In the real world, Microsoft‘s newest geek at may be smarter than the company’s Chairman. That would be Gates’ recruiting goal, don’t you think? But Mr. Newbie has tasks to perform while he’s working his way up the ladder. He has to prove himself at some medium level before he can expect to move up to the Boardroom. So the work gets done at Microsoft.

 

One day the confused EcoQuester suddenly proclaims, “I get it. I’ll get people under me to do the selling. How could I have been so dense?” He has taken a positive step but he still has farther to go. Hundreds of good recruiters don’t have solid businesses. It’s not just about recruiting anymore than it’s just about selling.

 

Thousands of smart computer guys never move to the top of Microsoft. In a given case it could be said that John has plenty of computer savvy but he lacks an interactive grasp of the bigger picture? An EcoQuester starts to figure things out when he realizes that salespeople and recruiters fall prey to all the petty problems of life if a leader is not present to hold them together. Leaders are absolutely crucial.

 

Other than in situations of extreme good or bad luck, a good leader will outperform a “plain old recruiter” every time. He will retain more of his people and get more from them. His productivity goes even higher when he recruits and develops sub-leaders (not just salesmen and recruiters). And he is most productive when he realizes he can build “power leaders” just as easily as ordinary leaders.

 

Structuring

 

To teach these lessons better I recently added a fourth element to my list of basic EcoQuest skills. The list now reads:

 

1. Structuring

2. Recruiting

3. Selling

4. Leadership

 

This does not reflect a change of philosophy. It’s just a new way of teaching something I’ve always believed in. I also changed the order of the listed skills. I didn't make this change to deemphasize selling. I just want to help my readers understand how a network is built.

 

Your First Thought

 

Begin working on Structuring by defining two things: Your Belief Level and The Extent Of Your Commitment. Then work on Your Goals, which should include:

 

1. How many 1st, 2nd, and lower level Leaders does your plan call for?

 

Draw a 4-level Manager Plan. Estimate how much PV each Manager will do. Multiply by the percentage at each level. Compute the value of each Leg (they will vary) and of the system as a whole. An example is given in this LONE.

 

2. What Leader qualities will you look for and what commitments will you ask for?

 

3. How will you find Leaders and where will they be geographically?

 

No Misquotes!

 

Work on your Structure from Day 1…

 

But don’t misquote me. I’m not saying you shouldn’t sell. I’m not advising you to run from non-Leaders. I’m not saying you can’t work a trade show if you want to. I’m stressing that your FOCUS (work focus, thinking focus, recruiting focus) must be on identifying Leaders who can build the network you have mapped out. You can do this!

 

One of my initial goals (in 1995) was to identify one new Leader per week. But that wasn't my only activity. I made one sales attempt almost every day; sometimes I made two or three. I recruited non-Leaders, too. One early recruit owned an apartment complex and had no interest in MLM. He wanted to use the products in his own complex and sell a few to other apartment owners. I appreciated him, but my focus was squarely on identifying and pursuing candidates that would be my Big Time Leaders (my Master Managers). Big Time Leaders were in my mind, on my Leg Chart (multiple levels down), in my Spiral Notebook, on my Six Most Wanted List, and in my Chinese Water Torture file.

 

Are you getting this? Can you pass this along without misquoting me? I didn’t skip selling. I made an effort to balance my efforts between selling, recruiting, leadership, and structuring. Avoid saying: “Bob does not believe in selling.” Also avoid: “Giddens focused on recruiting.” The difference may seem subtle but it’s huge. Here’s the truth...

 

“Bob Giddens focused on Structure. Finding his Leaders was important—mass recruiting was not. Consistent recruiting was crucial (3 to 6 new recruits each month…new blood is needed) but recruiting en masse was never a goal. [Note: Bob won some group recruiting awards but never by focusing on recruiting!] Selling Success Packs was secondary to identifying leaders who would make a solid commitment. Fast Start was nice but not stressed.”

 

The Perfect Start

 

A focus on Structure is THE PERFECT WAY TO START if six things are true:

 

1. IS THIS TRUE? You are determined to build a strong, lasting business. From the very beginning your goal is to be a Key or higher. Your income goal is $150,000 or higher.

 

2. IS THIS TRUE? You are strongly sold on indoor air purification. You have tested the technology and bought into the idea that we are on a world-changing mission. I hope you are also sold on nutritional supplements and on Infinity2 products.

 

3. IS THIS TRUE? You’ve committed to the work (including the parts that are outside your comfort zone). It is not easy to build a $150K income and you accept that. Nothing that pays big money is easy. You can take that sentence to the bank.

 

4. IS THIS TRUE? You will clearly ask your top candidates to join and make a $150K commitment. You must put the Big Picture on the table early in your contact with each prospect. No beating around the bush! State these conditions unambiguously. It must be clear that you are committed.

 

5. IS THIS TRUE? You will be cautious about asking persons with limited abilities or bad circumstances to be $150K leaders. This can be a tough call. Be aware that ducks rarely turn into eagles.

 

6. IS THIS TRUE? You will use Chinese Water Torture on the good candidates who play hard to get. Chinese Water Torture is done through the Postal Service, not via the Internet. Email comes across as pushy, envelopes do not.

 

Move Fast

 

It is hard to build a Structure slowly because of item 4: It must be evident that you are committed.

 

While impressing your prospects, an urgent agenda also keeps you on your toes. The leader who goes for a week without giving at least 3 or 4 presentations gets very rusty.

 

And those that are on Chinese Water Torture need to see that you are making progress.

 

Can You Adopt A “Structuring Mentality”?

 

Yes, but you must be fully in the game. Go through the “Perfect Start List” and see if you qualify.

 

Screen your existing group to see if you can find some folks who want to turn over a new leaf. But don’t violate #5. Talk to your ducks but don’t believe their half-hearted quacks. You must be committed. They must be committed. You can’t waste time on people who are not. In all likelihood, you are going to need some new people. Make your lists and get with it.

 

Get yourself in the groove by using proven techniques:

 

[1] The Spiral Notebook Plan;   [2] Six Most Wanted List;   [3] Chinese Water Torture;   [4] Giddens Leg Charting;   [5] McEachin Leg Charting;   [6] Goal Writing;   [7] Geographical Listing;   [8] Advocate Chippy News;   [9] Use and Advocate www.chippynews.com;   [10] Advocate Meetings;   [11] Draw A Structure Plan;   [12] Emphasize Warm Market;   [13] Sell The Baker’s Dozen;   [14] Set Up A Mini-Office

 

Be Honest With Yourself

How Many Of The Above Techniques

Do You Use Regularly?

 

The Pressure To Sell Is Lessened

 

Most people do not see themselves as good sellers. For the most part, they are right. Nor can they be taught. No one has ever built a large network by teaching salesmanship.

 

As it happens, many people with great leadership instincts are lacking in confidence when it comes to selling. This often causes them to say no to the opportunity we offer.

 

The Structuring Concept gives these people an alternative. It helps them see that selling is not the key. It becomes clear that a little selling is needed—for credibility purposes—but a major sales effort is simply not needed. They can stomach this. It allows them to see that mass sponsoring is not needed either.

 

The Perfect Imprint

 

A dealer whose first impression of EcoQuest is created by a leader who is using Structuring is more apt to see The Big Picture and follow through in a like manner.

 

A “Structured Group”—one with Leaders in place down many levels—has the potential to grow into a strong Manager-ship very quickly (with solid growth at all levels).

 

A “Structured Group” will not start as fast as every randomly recruited group. In certain cases—for a short time—enthusiasm can prevail. But the impact of leadership (or an absence of it) eventually comes into play. A group running on raw zeal will inevitably come up against information gaps. Problems will go unattended, bad imprints will be created, errors will be made, opportunities will be lost. The process often grinds to a halt.

 

Consequently, many Legs die out.

 

Structuring Is Leadership

 

For years I have explained the three basic skills of multilevel marketing: selling, recruiting, and leadership. Structuring was not on my list because Structuring was already covered by the category called Leadership. My change of semantics is being introduced to make the process clearer!

 

A Structured Group

 

 

  T T T T T T

 TT  TT   T  T

 TTT  TT

 TT T  T

 

The “x” boxes represent the committed leaders

your Success Structure will require.

 

This example shows YOU plus 21 sub-leaders. Your sub-leaders should not think of themselves as sellers or recruiters. They’ll do both, but initially they should be thinking about structuring their career, not about the step-by-step tasks they will be learning.

 

Structuring will be their main initial focus. The sample you see above will grow (healthy MLM structures are always growing). But for now, let’s insert some numbers.

 

If you become a car qualified Manager and do 20,000 PV, the earnings from your Managership will be $5,800 per month. As the sub-Leaders reach Manager with 10,000 PV each, the earnings are $4,800 from your 1st levels (the 8% Managers), $2,400 from your 2nd levels, $1,000 from your 3rd levels, and $400 from your 4th levels. This amounts to $14,400 per month.

 

I reached this approximate level of Structure within three months of starting my group in 1995. Although I was still $300,000 in debt, still not quite a Manager, and still living with my mother, I knew at that time that success with EcoQuest was a certainty for Bob Giddens. What a powerful feeling that was! Not all of my recruits fulfilled their promise to work as committed leaders. No problem; I replaced them.

 

Bob’s Rules

 

1—Build the Structure, starting with your personal commitments.

 

2—The rest will happen in due course.

 

3—There will be problems and there will be losses.

 

4—Deal with the problems but keep your belief strong as you do. Problems are frustrating but they are a part of success.

 

5—Deal with the losses and keep your belief strong as you do. Losses are a fact of life: the strong survive and the weak fail.

 

6—Learn to go beyond just doing these things. You must also learn to teach these concepts and this process.

 

7—Coach your sub-leaders through the hard spots. You are a leader of leaders.

 

This month I printed the LONE and Chippy News as an 8-page set. These pages actually are two distinct newsletters. Only two of the printed pages are included in this Online article.