If you’re running a home business that relies on replication, there are a few key things you should not overlook.  Whether you’re working with a network marketing downline, training new sales people, or managing an affiliate program – these keys can help produce not only a successful team, but could help you become financially and professionally rich.

NEVER do anything you wouldn’t want your team to do.

This is practical in almost every situation. If you don’t want your team wasting hours on designing business cards, building new marketing systems, or watching television – you shouldn’t be doing those things either.

Assuming you’ve got yourself into a business that has usable marketing systems, think hard before you try and create “your own thing.” Could your downline or team do this? Could they also then teach it to others? The chances are likely that using the systems in place – whether you think you can build a better one or not – is the best method. This not only creates replication, but it creates focus and limits distraction.

The build-in system may not work work better than a system you would customize, but replication creates more success than you could ever produce by yourself.

For real replication, keep it simple.

For each step you add to the process, you severely decrease your teams chance of replicating success. Whether or not there are 20 possible things to do, you need to focus on the core THREE. This, again, creates focus.

If someone above you hasn’t already done this, break the business down into 3 major parts. Practice, teach and preach these 3 parts with everything you have. You can always add more complex branches to this later, but limiting yourself and your team to 3 or 4 primary tasks every day creates habits and core success. Three tasks a day for your group is the recipe for replication soup. ;)

Create what you want replicated.

Similar to the first item, if you want something to be replicated – you need to DO it! If you want your team to support their team via phone calls and emails, make sure you are doing the same. Does your team have your cell phone number? Do you call them every once and a while to check their progress? This not only creates a supportive atmosphere, but accountability. This support is then passed down to their team, and so on. THAT is replication.

Replication is action that creates action. This new action can never be sparked by inactivity. It’s rare to find someone starting their own home business who has COMPLETE self-motivation that creates action. If you want your team to succeed, you’ll be the catalyst they need. Replication, then, will follow.

What are the best ways you’ve found to create replication in your business? Let us know in the comments.

Being able to recruit online has really opened the door for those in direct sales to build large sales teams. Since communicating through the world wide web is a lot different then communicating face to face, there are some things you should be doing as well as some things you should not be doing while recruiting for your direct sales business opportunity.

First of all be honest with your potential recruits. Don’t try and make it sound like the direct sales company that you represent is the only company out there that is profitable. Just let them know the honest facts about the income potential that they can have with your company and by all means share how excited you are about what you are selling.

Make sure to make yourself available to your online recruits whether it is through email, chat rooms, instant messages or phone. Nothing would be worse then to have wonderful conversations through email with a potential sponsor and then never hear from them again once you’ve signed up. If you cannot offer a certain level of supportiveness to online recruits, you are not likely to be successful building a team in this manner.

Another thing to remember while recruiting online is not to knock other companies. You want to present yourself in a professional manner and that is not going to happen if you’re making statements like “You won’t make any money at all with Company X” or “Company B has such lousy products and the commissions are horrible.”

Don’t be pushy. For instance, if someone is looking for a company that offers bath and body products, don’t push them into uncomfortable discussions about joining your children’s toy company. You also can run the risk of getting in trouble for spamming if you post recruiting ads without keeping in mind the rules and regulations of any and all online communities you join.

These are just a few things to keep in mind while you are trying to build your sales team online. Have a solid plan in place before you begin searching online for your future sales team and you are sure to be successful.