What is a Network Marketer's greatest asset ?

Confidence, honesty, patience, integrity are great qualities for a Network Marketer. Time-management and Leadership are great skills to have. And it's essential to have the trust and respect, not just of your team, but of others in your company, and the industry - and, of course, your prospects.

All these add up to one thing ... your REPUTATION - which I firmly believe is a Network Marketer's greatest asset.

The Druids shared all their wisdoms as triads - three line sayings -

This is a man...

What he is ..
How he sees himself
How others see him ..

Your reputation is how others see you. It doesn't matter who you really are, or how you see yourself. The same is true for an individual or an organization. Which is why, especially in these days of mass communication, so much emphasis is placed on creating a good image, on brand awareness, on reputation, on having a good name. A great example is the recent "horsemeat" scandal, watching how the Marketing and PR departments of the big supermarkets swung into action to protect their brand.

They know that it can take months, sometimes even years to build a reputation, but that it can be destroyed in seconds. And the irony is that once destroyed, it may never be possible to rebuild. And they also know that their reputation does not depend on facts, but on the perception of their shareholders, customers and staff. In other words, it's all in the mind :-)

So, how does this apply to Network Marketing. Part of our role is to build and protect the image, the brand, the reputation of the company we are partnered with, and it's products. But it's also vital that we build and protect our own reputation. We are each building our own business. But we depend on the trust and respect , not just of our own team, not just of the other leaders in our company, but of other leaders in the industry.

Nine years ago I read a book by a guy called Michael Dlouhy called "Success In Ten Steps". One of a number of books that changed my perspective on Network Marketing.

Michael quoted an exercise used by Tom "Big Al" Schreiter, which I'll share here ....

Rate these items yourself, from 1 - 10 , 1 being most important, 10 being least important. Take a few minutes to think about them, and most importantly think like a PROSPECT.

What would a prospect consider most important in deciding on which opportunity to join. ?

* Company literature shown
* Marketing plan and potential earnings
* Training provided
* Who gave the presentation
* Product line
* Company management experience
* Up line support
* Company image
* Sales kit provided
* Being first in your area

Take a few minutes to think about them, and most importantly think like a PROSPECT.

If you've already read the book, and done the exercise, you're already ahead of the game.

If you haven't I believe you may be surprised by the results of the survey, and understand my answer to the question "As a Network Marketer what would you say is your greatest personal asset ... "

You can read the answers to the survey in the next article "A Networker's Greatest Asset"