I help people build a BUSINESS. I do not help individuals get a job. There is a big difference in that. Even if you can build your Network Marketing business quite quickly, most people cannot live from their business in the first weeks. That’s why the best way to start your Network Marketing business is when you already have a regular job with a consistent income, work hours and benefits. With a few consistent hours in your spare time you are then able to start your home-based business without any risks.

People ask me “how long will it take to build a business?” Some even ask me “how long it will take to change my life?” Honestly, I cannot answer that. First of all, I need to find out how BIG you want to build it and how much do you want to earn. How many hours can you invest through the week, and are you coachable and do you take action? What does the individual mean by “build a business” and what do they mean by “change their life”? To set relevant and realistic objectives, and help you achieve them, we first have to start with your WHY. Why do you want to build a business at all? When you have found your big and clear WHY you are ready to start to work and I can help you set a realistic goal.

Goals are part of every aspect of business if you want to have success – also in Network Marketing. I see that some struggle with setting goals, some even think it is unnecessary. But by setting goals you are providing yourself with a target to aim for. I also meet people who feel like they are working day and night but not getting anywhere – it often turns out their goals are not set up to be attainable. In terms of setting relevant and realistic objectives I always stick to SMART goals. This is how I have built my entire business.

SMART is an acronym used to describe the process of setting goals and stands for “Specific”, “Measurable,” “Achievable,” “Relevant” and “Time-bound”. The SMART method provides a way to measure your progress and evaluate what you are working to achieve, by including what actions to take to reach your goal.

Measurable goals are the surest way to track your progress, so that you stay on task and remain motivated. When you track your progress, you maintain focus and meet deadlines. You also get to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving progress.

If a goal has no way of being measured, it is impossible to know when or if you have arrived at your success. For example, if your goal is to “become a successful Network Marketer”, what metric do you use to define what it means to be a successful Network Marketer?

When you use the SMART goal framework, you rid yourself of confusion and gain clarity. Setting a SMART goal will help you understand exactly what you need to do (and when you need to do it) to achieve your desired outcome. You can use this framework for anything in life. Zig Ziglar once said “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” History shows that goals that aren’t SMART are often more like “wishes and resolutions” — they feel good to make, but they’re virtually impossible to implement and achieve. For example, you might set a goal to “build a big team”. However, if you evaluate this goal using the SMART method, you see that your goal is quite vague. By restating your goal in measurable terms, as “personally help enrol at least 2 business partners a week from today, and for the next year” you have a SMART goal that can be obtained.

How to set SMART goals

• Specific: The goal should be very precise with no room for misunderstanding
• Measurable: The goal should be quantifiable, and progress should be easy to track
• Achievable: The goal should be attainable — not outlandish or unrealistic
• Relevant: The goal should contribute to your broader, overarching goals
• Time-bound: The goal should have a defined start and end date

The more specific you can be with your goalsetting, the greater the chance of it being accomplished. To make a goal specific, here are five “W” questions to be considered:

1. Who is involved in this goal?
2. What do I want to accomplish?
3. Where is this goal to be achieved?
4. When do I want to achieve this goal?
5. Why do I want to achieve this goal?

The first step in creating an attainable goal is to get specific with how you describe it.
Example goal before “specific” criteria: “I want to build a big team of business partners.” Example goal after “specific” criteria: “I will personally help 2 new business partners on board every week.”

This example does not state how many people you must contact, how many you will speak with, how many meetings you will hold or how many video information clips you have to send. Yet, it is very specific – YOU are personally going to help at least 2 new business partners on board every week.

A SMART goal must have criteria for measuring progress in order to determine if you are on track to reach your goal. To make a goal measurable, ask yourself:

1. How many/much?
2. How do I know if I have reached my goal?
3. What is my indicator of progress?

The example above is simple to measure, and you can immediately see if you have succeeded or not.

A SMART goal should also be achievable and attainable. I always recommend that the achievability of the goal is stretched to make the individual feel challenged, but defined well-enough so they can actually achieve it.

Ask yourself:

1. Do I have the resources and capabilities to achieve the goal? If not, what am I missing?
2. Have others done it successfully before me?

After setting a specific goal and evaluating how you will measure it, consider if your objective is achievable. How much time will it take, and how much time do you have? Do you get some help doing this, can someone assist you? Do you have to learn new skills, if so, how long will it take? Has anyone done what you are going to do before you, and can you learn from them? The more realistic and achievable the goal is, the more likely you will keep working toward it.

This part of the SMART strategy also relates to your goal being measurable. With a specific measurable goal, it is more likely that you will achieve it and it allows you to see exactly where it stops if you experience challenges.

A SMART goal must be realistic, and you have to believe that it can be accomplished. Ask yourself:

1. Is the goal realistic and within reach?
2. Is the goal reachable, given the time and resources?
3. Are you able to commit to achieve the goal?

A SMART goal must be time-bound in that it has a start and finish date. If the goal is not time-framed, there will be no sense of urgency and, therefore, less motivation to achieve the goal. Ask yourself:

1. Does my goal have a deadline?
2. By when do you want to achieve your goal?

For example, if your dream is to build a sustainable Network Marketing business that affords you the financial freedom to work when and where you want, you need to break that dream into manageable and achievable goals that are designed to get you there. Your “elephant” has to be cut in smaller pieces and eaten piece by piece.

Here is an example of a recent request from a new team member: “I want to generate a minimum of $2,000 in gross revenue from the month of October 2022. Can you help me do that”?

We started with looking at the SMART goal framework. This goal is very specific, it’s not only measurable, but it’s also timebound so all these boxes are checked. The question is: Is it achievable and is it realistic?

Achievability: The person is very coachable and willing to learn. We counted the weeks and found it was a 19 week time-frame. The person is highly motivated and could work with a laser focus, on an average of 3 hours a day for this period (summer months included). The person knows a lot of people who deserve to hear about our technology and the business opportunity. We looked at the average numbers from the statistics from our company. We saw that  people have done this work in an average of 15 weeks. We concluded with it being achievable and attainable!

The last thing we needed to look in to was the realistic part in this. Did they really trust they would be able to set aside 3 hours in average, also through the summer? Would they manage to stay focused? Would they be able to do the work even if I go on vacation for a few weeks and will not be able to assist in the normal way during that period? My business partner committed to themself and confirmed that this box also was checked!

Through my years I have met quite a few individuals who set themselves up for failure by setting general and unrealistic goals such as “I want to quit my normal job and live from my business within the next 6 months.” This goal is vague, with no sense of direction. These people usually end up doing little or nothing.

When we go through the SMART goal method it helps them get a clearer picture of what it takes and it pushes them further, gives them a sense of direction, and helps them get organized reach their goals.

Our job is in many ways the same as a professional recruiter. Each week, recruiters set targets on how many calls to make… candidates to register… CVs to find… Why shouldn’t we?

I live in Norway, where we have 4 seasons. I am always amazed with how big a difference 6 months in nature can make. Do not under-estimate what you can do part-time in business during the next 6 months of your life.