There are 2 main principles that go into learning how to build a downline in network marketing. Recruiting new distributors and team building (duplication).
When boiled right down to the basics those two things are really all there is to building a successful downline. Bringing in new team members on a regular basis and getting them to do the same.
We tend to over complicate what is involved. We look at the leaders in our companies and think they must have some magical gift that we don’t. The fact is anyone with desire and commitment can create a very large and profitable network marketing business if they master these two things. 
In this post I am going to show the exact steps to start taking so that you can start building your own powerful and profitable downline today.
Before I dive into these 2 principles it is important that your mind set is right. It is important that you really truly understand what you have available to you with your network marketing business.
I always have this exact conversation with any new rep I bring into the business…
Get Your Head Right
The first step to building a successful downline is to get your head right. Understand this is not going to happen overnight, it will take work and dedication BUT that it is also very possible for you.
And if you go to work it will surprise you how your life can change in the next 12 – 18 months. It is not get rich quick but it sure is get wealthy a lot faster than any other option available to everyday normal people.
But like anything worthwhile in life it is not just going to be given to you on a silver plate. You have to learn new skill sets, there are going to be ups and downs, you will have frustrations and want to quit; however if you keep on learning, working and improving it will happen for you.
In the end building a large downline only involves learning two skills. Recruiting new distributors and Team Building. That’s it. Pretty cool when you think about it. You can have the lifestyle of your dreams if you simply learn 2 new skill sets.
And think about how many things you have learned over the course of your life? It’s almost impossible to count. And now you only have to learn 2 more things. 2 things that anyone can learn. And when you do you write your own ticket! Are you getting this? Are you really grasping it?
So get your head right, be in this for the long haul, do not say you are just “trying it”, be all or nothing. There is no stopping until you make it. (And then why would you?)
Alright let’s look at the 2 skills sets you need to develop.
Build a Downline Video Overview
Team Building AKA Duplication
If you have been around this industry for any period of time you have most likely heard of the term Duplication. There is no question that it is an important concept to understand when it comes to building a large downline.
The secret to your success in network marketing is by being able to get a large group of people to perform a few consistent activities over a long period of time.
Believe it or not this is not a sales business. You cannot sell your way to the top of your compensation plan. You in fact cannot get to the top of your compensation plan by yourself. It requires a team to get you there.
The old saying: “if it is to be it is up to me” does not apply in this industry. There are business models out there like Affiliate Marketing that your success comes down to your ability to sell but not network marketing.
The core basic activities that you train to your downline must be simple enough that the person on the team with the least amount of skill is capable of doing them, but also effective enough that they actually work.
This is why the majority of the successful teams in network marketing “Start” new team members out by having them approaching their warm market. The people they know.
Why? Because an 8 year old has the skill set to ask their friends and family if they are open to taking a look at an opportunity and then giving them a website to check out. Which means everyone on your team can do it.
Now I am not an old school warm market only dinosaur who only recommends prospecting to your warm market. Not even close. I am all for implementing cold market recruiting techniques into your business and especially if they are internet and social media focused. In fact I mostly train on those methods.
However the duplication piece is something you need to understand. It is important when looking at any new prospecting method you are thinking about introducing to your downline that you ask yourself not whether the method will work but will it duplicate.
Will my downline be able to build using this method? If they can’t then don’t use it.
There are a ton of great strategies on the internet and especially social media and Facebook in particular that are indeed very duplicatable.
Start Warm Than Move to Cold
My advice is to definitely have your team start out going to their warm market as it only makes sense to do so. I cover why it is important and how to effectively target them in this post:
How to Succeed with Network Marketing Fast
And then once they have gone through their warm market move them over to Facebook prospecting. I train extensively on this method on this blog; it is powerful, highly duplicatable and works extremely well.
Now I will say that as you are building your team you will see that the cream rises to the top. The 20%’ers who will build 80% of your downlines volume will start to emerge. They will make themselves known.
When they do I personally believe it is OK to share with them more advanced strategies. Strategies such as Attraction Marketing. If they have proven they are willing to do what it takes and put the time in to building a large team than activities like Attraction Marketing will duplicate with them.
You can learn about Attraction Marketing here.
Building a team that continues to grow without you should be your goal. Try to take yourself out of the picture as much as possible. Keep the activities duplicatable and use 3rd party tools to train your team.
I go into more of the intricacies and exact details of how to build a team in these posts: (LINKS)
MLM Team Building – 5 Secrets to Build a Huge Downline
Your MLM Business Plan – Follow this to Succeed
Alright last but certainly not least is in my opinion the top skill you want to master….
Become a Prospecting and Recruiting Machine
There is no doubt that the number 1 skill set to creating serious wealth in network marketing is mastering the skill of bringing in new distributors.
If you only ever got good at this one skill you would see great success.
Yes you should master the skill set of team building and duplication in order to grow an even larger and stronger business. But I can assure you that if you get good to great at recruiting new reps and learn to bring in 5 – 10 each month you are going to have a successful business. It will happen.
Even if you disappeared and never helped your team but continued to recruit; the go getters you recruit will step up and will figure it out on their own and build you a large downline.
Now CLEARLY I am not advocating for that and I think it is a foolish thing to do. But it makes my point.
Prospecting and Recruiting Pays Big Dollars
And here is the good news. Becoming good at recruiting is not hard. It is a learned behavior. Nobody is born with this skill. It is something any one can learn.
And now a days with Social Media and especially Facebook getting good at this and being able to sponsor consistently has never been easier.
Of course there is a right way and a wrong way to prospect on Facebook. And surprise surprise most people are doing it all wrong.
Most people lose their minds when they get on Facebook and for some reason turn into a walking talking billboard for their network marketing business or product.
They go to town and have a serious Spam Feast!
Do not do this! This turns people away and prospects will avoid you like the plague and there is a great chance you will end up in Facebook Jail.
What you want to do is use a strategy of creating Influence!
This is a game changer.
When you have Influence it means that people know, like and trust you! And when you accomplish this with a prospect they become very open at looking at your business opportunity.
It is definitely the strategy you and your team members want to implement on Facebook. You can learn more about it here:
How to Prospect for Network Marketing
The 4 Best Places to Prospect for Network Marketing
And there you have it my friend exactly how to build a downline in network marketing.
Get your head right and then focus on learning how to build a team and becoming a good to great recruiter and you will write your own ticket in this industry.
Let me know in the comments if you have any question on any of this and I will be sure to help you out.
Cheers to YOUR Success
Robb Corbett
P.S. If you want to become a top notch recruiter and learn how to easily recruit 5 – 10 new reps into your business per month be sure to sign up for my newsletter on the side of the blog.
Hi. Thanks for your post. I agree that mindset is the beginning of any successful undertaking, whether it’s public speaking, getting along with others, or building your own business. Learning how to build a a downline in network marketing has been a challenge for me, as I find it hard to convince people to do anything. However this post has helped show me the right way to do it. It was interesting to read.
Hey! No question that mindset is where you have to start. And yes building a downline can be challenging for people as most are not trained or shown the right way to do so. Glad you found it interesting.
This is great information and so very true. Nothing in life worth having comes easy. Network marketing does take a lot of time and dedication. My daughter and I have just teamed up and started promoting a product and I’ve realized how time-consuming it can be.
But once you start earning a profit, it’s easier to keep pushing forward.
I’m going to take at your other articles as well. I would love to learn more about networking and marketing.
Thanks for sharing!
Best Wishes,
Devara
Good luck with your new business. Anything worthwhile takes up a fair amount of time. Hang in there! 🙂
Hey Robb, I’ve been an affiliate marketer for years and mostly promote high-ticket products these days. Network marketing and recruiting always seemed like too much hard work and I’m not much of a people person anyway.
But I’ve come across a couple of MLM opportunities in recent months that sell real, quality products that I’ve been looking at promoting. In the past, I found that most of the programs I looked at relied heavily on members recruiting other members to pay for commissions – the typical Ponzi/Pyramid scheme. And so I avoided network marketing because of the shady marketing practices.
Now that I’ve found some quality program worth promoting, I came across your post while researching recruiting strategies. It was a breath of fresh air in terms of mindset. I’ve just started on your training episodes. Thanks for those resources; I’m sure they took a lot of time to put together.
Happy to help Gary! Good luck with your venture.