Q:”How Long Does It Take To Be A World-Class Network Marketer?”
Wowzers, there’s so much content out there it gets a little overwhelming some days.
Maybe you’re like me. I tend to “bookmark” everything in my web browser to read at a later date. Sometimes “later” never seems to happen at all. But this morning I came across a quote in my “bookmarks” I really thought you would like.
If you let it, this quote will forever change the way you look at success in our industry, or any industry for that matter.
It might very well inspire you to greatness you can’t even imagine today.
It’s also a great answer to a tricky question:
“How long does it take to be a world-class Network Marketer?”
Because the answer is basically: “Ummm… about ten thousand hours.”
Here’s The Quote:
“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, this number comes up again and again.
Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.“ – Daniel Levitin from Malcom Gladwell’s book “Outliers”
Now, if you’re a member of the Association Of Better Networkers then you’ve probably listened to this month’s premium training call with Dan McCormick where he actually talks a little bit about this principle.
In case you missed out…
Dan McCormick mentions an article that should be required reading in Network Marketing. Here it is: What It Takes To Be Great
It’s definitely worth reading today. 
To your success,
-Jason The “Better Networker”
-The Jason Better Blog
P.S. Here’s another gem of a quote:
“Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.” — Jim Rohn
P.P.S. Please “Retweet”.
34 Comments
Josh Garcia on March 9th, 2010
Hey Jason,
You are so correct on regarding so much content available.
Thank you for continually finding these gems in Better Networker. Membership does have it’s privileges.
Chat with you later…
Josh
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
No prob,
And that article is from CNN.
Totally worth reading three times.
[Reply]
chris owen on March 9th, 2010
Hey Jason,
I think this is a great thing to think about. You know, you are the third person today to post something cool that made me think. Dwayne Huggins and Josh Garcia are the other two.
I am big on continued effort and continued education. It never stops, and you never truly master anything unless you are willing to keep up.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 8:43 am
I’ve been sharing both of their posts recently.
Those two are really rocking it.
I’m definitely with you on the self-education thing.
It never really ends… and in some cases the journey is
where the fun is… so you wouldn’t necessarily want it to
end either.
[Reply]
Wayne Vassell on March 9th, 2010
Hey J,
Thanks for those links, I will be checking them out in just a sec.
… and yeah, the content overload can be too much some days, but the good stuff usually finds its way to the top.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
[Reply]
Richard Walsh on March 9th, 2010
I knew I wasn’t just spinning my wheels! The biggest problem is most people dont have the three things required…hard work, patience and persistence. If you have those 3 You’ll get there it’s just a matter of hours.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Richard,
You hit the nail on the head.
I think sometimes… it’s just easier to make
excuses… and give up.
Work is often the secret of success.
[Reply]
Diane Hochman on March 9th, 2010
Hey J…
So glad you mentioned The Outliers.
Talk about a book that will open your eyes and change your thought process…
This one is MAJOR and it explained SO MANY things to me…
Heck..it explained ME to me.
I was the girl who was NOT supposed to make it in MLM.
Fat, broke, shy.
I possessed NONE of the skills required to make it in this industry.
But I did have one thing going for me
PATIENCE
And a willingness to study and practice over and over again.
I didn’t need a buck…
I needed a BUSINESS.
So I decided to become a PROFESSIONAL and I knew that would take TIME.
When I read Mr. Gladwell’s book I freaked out and added up “my hours” of rehearsal and lo and behold—it was right around TEN THOUSAND HOURS.
Most networkers have a few weeks of experience repeated over and over again because they keep jumping around and NEVER progress in their training because they think the answer lies in something OUTSIDE OF THEM.
Each time they start over in a “hot new deal” that is “really gonna work” they sabotage their progress and each tine they walk away from a very experienced teacher because they don’t “get paid” fast enough they begin at square one and the clock starts over.
TEN THOUSAND HOURS
That’s all you need…no special skills to start…
No special gifts…
Anybody can do this.
I SERIOUSLY believe that.
All they need is patience–work—study and
TEN THOUSAND HOURS
Read the book gang.
It will FLIP you out!
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Hey Diane,
Thanks for dropping in.
I really hope “the gang” takes your advice
to heart.
Like Jim Rohn once said:
(And I’m paraphrasing)
“The book you need is the book your didn’t read.”
Your comment is practically and article in itself.
Thanks Diane.
[Reply]
Twila Jacobs on March 9th, 2010
Thank you so much for writing this and I hope it gets shared enough to make people realize that success does not come overnight, and if they are buying into that hype they are going to be very disappointed!
Make it a Great Day!
Twila
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Hey thanks Twila,
I think it would make a world of difference if
everybody would practice Network Marketing instead
of play it like a lottery ticket.
[Reply]
Jerome Ratliff on March 9th, 2010
Afternoon J -
When I first read that, “10,000 hours” I was like WOWSER.
After putting that into context with the 20 hour work weeks, yeah, I can definitely see why they say this.
BTW – I just listened to that interview with Dan McCormick and it was really good. I was very pleased and I too encourage others to listen to it if they haven’t yet.
Take care and have a rockin’ Tuesday.
Jerome Ratliff
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Adds up fast when you think about it.
But one day at a time. There’s something
to be said for consistency too.
[Reply]
Ilka Flood on March 9th, 2010
Hey Jason,
I need to run over to BetterNetworker and find that training call with Dan McCormick.
TEN THOUSAND HOURS!
Wowsers! That’s a lot! But, there are no ‘Overnight Successes.’
TEN THOUSAND HOURS! PATIENCE! and FOCUS!
Thanks for an incredible post, again!
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Hey Ilka,
But when you think about it… it’s not that
incredible. It’s just one day at a time.
Sure, it would take a pile of years for some people,
but three hours a day… is part time too.
And some people have other skills that help with their
business too. So it’s kinda hard to say where those
hours come from. Everything adds up.
[Reply]
Rhonda Miller on March 9th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Let me tell you; I LOVE this post.
One of my pet peeves is leading someone to believe that they can be “Successful” in 30-90 days. I believe you can have some success, but you are not going to be full of success without time and hard work. I think you should let people know this up front.
If you lead someone into believing they are going to be “Successful” in 30-90 days, then when the time comes and they haven’t put enough time and effort in to start seeing results, they’re going to be frustrated, disappointed and “quit”.
Even the average brick & mortar business does not see a profit for 3-5 years.
I’m definitely going to share this article.
Thanks,
Rhonda
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Totally,
And lets add up those hours….
Brick and Mortar business open every day
Hmmm… well over 10,000 in four years… way
over…
So I think I’ll stick with Network Marketing.
[Reply]
Pat Parsons on March 9th, 2010
Purfect timing for this artical. We git hit daily from the groups that offer an instant sucess system. Many are dooped into thinking their hard work was in vain. Rewards come to those who put in the efforts and spend the time.
Sort of like a firecracker with a short fuse. It burns, It explodes, and there isn’t anything left but the noise and the smell.
Our hard work and time spent will product the results, As it is said ” Time will Tell”
[Reply]
Susanna on March 10th, 2010
Great article!
It’s so true. When I think of the years I spent in network marketing, and the time I put in (or should I say DIDN’T put in).
Fast forward to today, and the time I put in NOW… huge time difference, and understandably, huge difference in results too!
I pretty much live, breath, and eat network marketing now! haha
Thanks for sharing the video too! Dan McCormick is awesome.
Susanna
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 8:38 am
I think the cool part of our industry is
that a lot of the skills you pick up in life do
apply too.
So part of that ten thousand is already in
place… it all depends on the individual.
Love that Dan McCormick interview too.
[Reply]
Michael Cole on March 10th, 2010
Hi Jason,
10,000 hours, huh? After some 2,000 hours I thought I was just slow and thickheaded.
What I like most about your blog is that when I start feeling like my work is going nowhere you write a post that shows me I’m still on track for where I want to be.
It’s just a matter of time.
Thanks,
Michael
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Hey Michael,
Reminds me of the guy with the world’s largest
bicep for some reason…
I think it’s the whole time thing.
Anyway, every day he would go out into his yard and lift
a bucket of sand. Every single day… for most of his life.
That’s a little bizarre, but it’s not far from the truth when it comes
down to what it really takes to be “the best” at something.
[Reply]
Marcus Baker on March 10th, 2010
Jason I love this line from the Geoffrey Colvin article,
“In virtually every field of endeavor, most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly and then stop developing completely. Yet a few do improve for years and even decades, and go on to greatness.”
It’s a line that could have been written especially for this industry!
Cheers,
Marcus
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Totally,
I love reading this type of stuff. It’s like
a jolt of inspiration on those tough days and
a jolt of caffeine on those slow days.
[Reply]
Derek Alvarez on March 10th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Great post! I’ve listened to several of Dan McCormick’s calls over the last couple of years and it’s really cool to see him over at BN.
The “Outliers” was quite a fascinating read — I especially liked the story of how The Beatles got their 10,000 hours in…
Playing at pubs in (Germany, I think?)
Anyway, I definitely agree that you pull those 10,000 hours from everything you’ve done.
I know the many sales jobs I’ve had have helped me communicate with people better…
I know all the essays I had to write in college have helped me get my point across in blog posts…
Heck, I even learned a lot about business from working with my Dad in construction…
It all adds up!
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Hey Derek,
Thanks man.
It all adds up. It’s hard to say what skills will
help the most in business… because everybody has their
own take.
Some people have put their ten thousand hours into SEO…
Others into face-to-face selling… or even cold calling… gosh.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Cold calling, Jason?! I never did like it, that’s why Magnetic Sponsoring was such a godsend for me.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I don’t really know anybody who does
like it. I would rather pull out my own teeth.
Matt Cassity on June 1st, 2010
Wow 10,000. Well I have many hours still to go. Ill just have to keep going.
Thanks Jason
[Reply]
Hey J
Great Minds.
I was going to write a similar post to this today. But I opted for a different post which could lead into this topic / question.
Thanks for the references I will go check them out later.
Ten thousand hours huh, I estimate I am nearly half way!
Finding a balance
Dwayne
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Hey Dwayne,
I guess so.
I thought it would make for an interesting post.
I’m willing to bet that some people hit their stride way
before ten thousand hours, but when you see somebody who
is truly “world class” they just blow you away.
[Reply]