The 2010 Borgata Poker Open and Your Network Marketing Business

I was watching a replay of the 2010 Borgata Poker Open the other day. I’m a huge poker fan, I’m not very good(yet), but the competitiveness and strategy involved in the game reminds me a lot of sports. As the tournament started to come to an end, it was down to the final two players, Dwyte Pilgrim, and the guy who finished in second place. As with anything, no one really remembers who finished in 2nd, do they?

Anyway, there was one particular hand that absolutely stood out to me. Now in this hand, Dwyte’s opponent was the first person to act, and he made a bet, designed to get Dwyte to fold his hand. After taking a few moments to think about his move, instead of folding, Dwyte made a much larger bet for ALL of his poker chips.

His opponent, completely confused by this move, took a few minutes to really consider his next move. He had more chips than Dwyte, so even if he called the bet and lost, he would still be in the tournament, though at a distinct disadvantage.

Also, he had a pair of queens in his hands, which is the third best starting hand in Texas Hold ‘Em. Only a pair of Aces or a pair of Kings would be a better starting hand, and with only 2 players left at the table, the chances of Dwyte having EITHER of those hands at this moment were super slim.

After some time, Dwyte’s opponent folded his hand. Being in the TV audience, we already knew what Dwyte knew, and his opponent clearly did not. Dwyte was holding a pair of Twos in his hand, which means that not only did his opponent have the better hand, but he had the better hand by a LOT.

Dwyte had just made a monumental bluff, that propelled him forward to win the tournament, and his opponent had just made a MONUMENTAL error. What really stood out to me the most about this hand was the analysis of one of the announcers afterwards.

He said that the difference between an amateur and a professional poker player is that not only do the pros plan for their next move, but typically, they have their next 3 or 4 moves already mapped out as well. In this instance, the amateur player knew what he was going to do UP TO THE POINT where he laid his bet.

But he was totally unprepared for what he would do if Dwyte chose to make the move that he did. And that lack of planning cost him Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars, and caused me not to even remember his name!

Now, what does this have to do with your network marketing business? EVERYTHING.

In most companies, and mine is no exception, you have what’s known as a ranking system. For some companies, they use gems and precious metals, and for others, they use military rankings and symbols, but you know what I’m talking about.

Silver, Emerald, Crown Ambassador, Royal Matrix Master, whatever-the point is that these ranks are stopping points along the way in building your business. I’ll say it again, most of these ranks are STOPPING POINTS along the way in building your business.

Where I’ve seen many reps, and where I’ve even stumbled in my own business building is when you set a particular rank as your destination, and not as a stopping point along the way.

In my current opportunity, the rank that a lot of reps talk about reaching is Diamond, everyone wants to be a Diamond. So they set out to achieve Diamond, and after some work and commitment, they get to the Diamond level. CONGRATULATIONS!

But now what? If you built your business only to reach the Diamond level, you most likely don’t have enough of a foundation to move forward towards any of the 15 ranks above the level of Diamond in our company. So what happens then?

People who build this way typically don’t stay Diamond very long. They flow up and down between Diamond and the previous rank, and are generally miserable because they have NO CONTROL over how much money they make in their business. It’s like building a one story house with a foundation for a one story house, but you REALLY wanted a three story house.

What happens if you try to add 2 more stories? You lose EVERYTHING. And that’s what happens, reps begin to get impatient with the people they have on their team, because they aren’t growing fast enough, but in all actuality, the problem is YOU.

Some people you sponsor aren’t ready to grow right now. Quite honestly, some of them might NEVER be ready to grow. You have zero control over that. The ONLY thing you can control is your action and your attitude.

So instead of being your downline’s boss, here’s what I suggest. You sponsor enough people to figure out which people need your physical time, and which people need you to be their friend. Some of the people you sponsor aren’t READY to build a business, they just need someone in their corner who believes in them.

The people who are ready to build right now, you help them build right now. You physically get in there with them, show them by example what they need to do to build a big organization, and make it happen.

This will do two things-First, it will keep you from being frustrated by your people who aren’t growing yet. Two, it will create success stories on your team to show your other reps that listening to what you’re teaching them to do is a good idea.

In network marketing, indirect pressure works so much better than direct pressure. Don’t ride your reps who don’t perform. YOU go perform, and then just show them what the rewards of performance are.

Go on qualifier trips WITHOUT THEM. Go retire your husband or wife from their job, while they have to keep farming theirs out for a paycheck. Go live the dream that we show people is possible in network marketing, but ALWAYS remember to let them know that THEY CAN HAVE IT TOO.

Leave me a comment, and let me know what’s holding you back from being the top earner in your company.

Jamie

Come connect with me on Facebook at Jamie’s Fan Page

Related posts:

1. 9th Grade Algebra and Your Network Marketing Business
2. MLM Success Secrets Decoded Part 5-What Does Amy Winehouse Have to Do With Network Marketing?
3. Does The Way You’re Marketing Your Business Make Sense?

Filed under: MLM Generic Training

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