Do you remember the old mimeograph machines?

I mean those ink filled drums that teachers used to create “copies” back in the day.
…and you’d turn the crank and turn the crank, and after a while, the purple copies were so faint, you’d have to create a new master to make more copies.

That’s the problem with duplication in your direct sales business.

When a leader establishes a successful method of training, new verbiage for closing a sale, etc., instinctively, everyone on the team wants to duplicate that leader’s success.

Trouble is, not every method will work for every person.

It’s not your fault. You may have a different personality, a different kind of clientele, or a different attitude about the method being presented.

But when a downline leader takes that successful training and “tweaks it”, they’ve essentially created a new “master”.

And we’re not duplicating the original anymore.

Are you feeling the sticky purple ink on your hands yet?

Duplication only works when you can effectively duplicate a successful SYSTEM.

Styles, approaches, and even verbiage won’t always be effectively duplicated because everyone is unique – just like everyone else.

So stop trying to copy the inflection of your upline – and their posture, or their hairstyle (I’m not joking!). That’s not what determines your success.

Duplicate the systems they’re using – only if they’re successful. Examine the processes they use – and determine how successful they are.

Next time, we’ll talk about the darker side of duplication. OoooOooOOOOooooh. Just in time for Halloween.