WHY you even have a company is more important than the products or services you provide.
“Do you know ‘WHY’ you do what you do? I’m not talking about money. Money is a result of ‘WHAT’ you do, but it’s not ‘WHY’ you do it. What is your purpose, your cause and beliefs that give you and your company a reason to exist?”
-Simon Sinek
If we look around, we see problems that can be solved by creating a product that meets those unfulfilled needs. The same is true of all MLM companies. We might think that we can start a company that has a “new” product that will take off rapidly because “it’s the first to do what no one has done before.” We might think that this idea will bring endless profits, or that we will be the leaders in this new-product segment because we were first. But not knowing the true “WHY” of the product or company will ultimately lead to failure.
Companies that create a product or service that flows from “WHAT” that they do typically fail within in a two years of conception and launch. This is mainly because people aren’t inspired by the “WHAT” of anything. If you hire someone to work for you and “what your company does,” he or she will work in exchange for your money.
However, if you hire someone who works for the “WHY,” the passion that drives your company, he or she might give blood sweat and tears for the cause that they are a part of.
The “WHY” might inspire those within your organization to work harder than they have ever worked. It might inspire them to work long hours, to stay up late at night, long after the business day is over, to continue thinking about how they can help make the company better. “WHY” inspires people to love their company, to feel they are a part of it, and to devote their very best to advance the company’s interests.
FROM THE TOP DOWN
If money is your primary driver, neither your managers, employees, customer service agents nor your distributors, consultants and stakeholders will truly engage. A clear “WHY” is engaging. It inspires. It is the fuel behind each transaction, each decision of an independent distributor to get out of bed and go to work for you, and each “extra mile effort” you wish to receive from all stakeholders (including employees).
FROM THE BOTTOM UP
When distributors interact with staff who are not inspired by your “WHY” the experience will be devoid of the light and energy that otherwise could exist. The clues and cues may not be verbally or consciously recognized, but the difference is palpable. It always will be. A good argument can be made that MLM company retention is rooted in a clear “WHY.”
The true key to success that easily stands the test of time lies within this simple truth: “People don’t work for passionately and buy repeatedly ‘WHAT’ you do; they are buying and working for the passion and vision of ‘why you do it.'”
So, why does your MLM company do what it does?
Terrel Transtrum is the founder and CEO of ServiceQuest, the creator of the system for starting and running successful MLM companies called LaunchSmart. Terrel can be reached at 208-520-3895 and at terrel@servicequest.com.