If you’ve attended network marketing training seminars, you probably know that downline management and motivation is a key component that is discussed and is critical to building a successful team.

Whether you have one person in your downline or 50, your job as an upline sponsor is to educate, support and motivate your team. Setup the people below you for success and they in turn will help grow your business. It’s as simple as that.

Unfortunately, many people still struggle with implementing what they learn in seminars and weekend meetings at resorts. And, if you’re new to network marketing, the concept of inspiring your downline may seem overwhelming.

But, with the right organizational tips, strategies, and tools, you can build an atmosphere that will allow your team to reach their full potential and take your network marketing business to the next level.

Let’s dive into these tips and strategies for managing your downline.

1. Define an Onboarding Plan for New Team Members

If there is one time you can be sure a team member is motivated, it’s right when they decide to join your team. It’s a new opportunity and they are excited to get started.

As an upline sponsor, you need to take this opportunity to engage with your new recruit through a well defined onboarding plan. Think back to when you first joined your network — think about how excited you were to start building your business.

Create a checklist of items to review and complete with your new team member. This could include things like:

• Setting up a series of onboarding meetings
• Answering any questions they may have
• Giving them access to tools and resources used by you and your team
• Introducing them to other team members
• Helping them define their goals
• Setting expectations
• Educating them on your products

2. Help Your Downline Members Set Realistic Goals

If you want to keep your downline motivated, you need to make sure that they are setting realistic goals for themselves. If they are setting the bar too high at the start, they will be quickly disappointed and lose interest in the opportunity.

Introduce the concept of SMART Goals and help them get started in defining their first goal. Have them start small, both in terms of timeline and what they are trying to achieve. Doing this allows your new team member to get a quick win and further fuels their motivation to keep going.

3. Keep Your Team Active with a Good Communication Plan

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as an upline sponsor is to trick yourself into believing that all you need to do is onboard a team member at the start of their journey. Yes, onboarding plays a critical role in setting up your downline member for success, but ending your communication trail at this point in the process will likely lead to failure and slowly fizzle out your team member’s motivation.

Keeping your team informed and motivated is an ongoing process that takes time and persistence. Take the time to create a solid communication plan that ensures you are checking in with your downline regularly on both a team and individual basis.

Once you have a plan in place, be sure to review it with your team members to set expectations.

4. Equip Your Team with the Resources they Need to Succeed

Take a minute to think about the tools and materials you use on a daily basis to manage your network marketing business. Think about all the strategies and mistakes you’ve learned along the way and how it has impacted your business. Think about what you wish you would have known when you started your business.

Got it? Now take that information and use it to set your downline up for success. Equip your team members with the knowledge you have gained. Give them access to resources you have used or developed along the way. Doing this gives them a head start and allows them to skip some of the pitfalls you hit along the way.

5. Practice Being Proactive Instead of Reactive

If you sense that a team member is struggling or losing motivation, take the time to discuss the issue and be prepared to give them suggestions on what they can try differently to reach their goals. Remind them that success is a formula and sometimes it takes a little tweaking to find the right combination.

Identifying small problems and addressing them before they become big problems will help keep your team together. Taking the extra step to proactively communicate with your team is part of what makes you a true leader.

6. Track Important Details About Your Downline Members

A good way to keep your team motivated is by logging key dates and info about each team member that you can use as an opportunity to celebrate.

Whether it’s their birthday, their anniversary date or another important date in their journey, your downline will appreciate your attention to detail. This personal touch allows you and your team to build a strong relationship that will help fuel your success.