In this Fearless Networker Spotlight, we're featuring Reagan Dean a successful Network Marketer with a thriving organization who never intended on becoming a professional. Here she shares how she “accidentally” turned her passion into profit.
The Fearless Networker: Reagan, welcome! Tell us, how long have you been involved in the Network Marketing profession?
Reagan Dean: I have been in Network Marketing professionally for 14 years. It was hit and miss before that with seven other companies.
The Fearless Networker: How did you first get introduced to the Network Marketing profession and what was that experience like?
Reagan Dean: I was first introduced to Network Marketing in high school by my Spanish teacher. She enrolled me into a skin care company and honestly, I just wanted to play with the make-up.
I had seven other Network Marketing experiences, most of which I was just a raving wholesale customer. I did work a few of them, but I don’t think I was in love with the products that were offered.
The Fearless Networker: What were you doing before you got involved in Network Marketing?
Reagan Dean: At the time, I didn’t need the income, already lived in my dream home, drove the car I wanted to and really wasn’t looking for something else to do. My husband and I owned a very successful home building company in Denver and I was busy raising our two kids. When I was introduced to my current company, I was adamant that I was NEVER going to join a Network Marketing company again and it took the person who shared it with me a year before I finally said I’d look at it.
Honestly, I was skeptical. I was invited to a get together and only went to get the person that was asking me off my back (although he had only asked me twice). When I got there, the room was filled with representatives and I ended up being the only prospect who showed up. I was a bit combative as I thought I knew a lot about nutrition and was expecting a sales pitch. Because the presenter handled my questions so professionally, I started to listen and decided to sign up for the product. On the way out the door, I paused and asked how much it would be to sign up as a distributor and found out that I would save $10 for the year for each of my orders over the enrollment fee. Based on my previous experiences in the companies before, I was sure I’d never hear from any of them again and thought that IF I liked the products, I’d share them anyway.
The Fearless Networker: So, you had no intention of becoming a professional Network Marketer. Then how long did it take for you to go from using the products, to sharing the products, to going full-time?
Reagan Dean: For the first year, I did not put much effort into it because I was intending NOT to do the business. Problem was…I fell in love with the products and started sharing them with my friends while I was doing life. My cyclist friends started noticing my performance, recovering from a significant knee surgery amazingly well, and they started asking me how they could get the products. I would take their orders on the back of my tailgate when we loaded the bikes.
About a year later I panicked because suddenly “everyone” I knew was taking the products and I had forgotten all the reasons that I had originally enrolled. I decided to go to the company’s national conference to check it out, to ensure that it was “legit”. It was at that conference that I knew I had an obligation to share the benefits with everyone I knew. And, I thought that there was possibly a great business opportunity. I went to the top of the marketing plan exactly two years later.
The Fearless Networker: How many people have you personally sponsored into your company?
Reagan Dean: I don’t have the exact number, but I've probably sponsored right around 100.
The Fearless Networker: What is the current size of your organization?
Reagan Dean: We currently have around 1600 + active reps. There are many more that don’t necessary hit my report as we have a lot of casual team members that only show up on our reports when they have something billed out.
The Fearless Networker: What, if anything, was your biggest struggle or roadblock on your way to achieving success in this profession, and how did you overcome it?
Reagan Dean: My biggest struggle and road block was division in my team leadership. My vision has always been to work together with our team leaders, but sometimes personalities and desires of others don’t always share the same vision. This has also been my biggest blessing, as it has helped me focus on what I really want. I partner with team members who align and appreciate one another and help to create a team atmosphere that encourages one another. It also allowed me to let go and allow other leadership styles to flourish.
The Fearless Networker: What was your biggest fear as you started your Network Marketing career?
Reagan Dean: My biggest fear was that my friends would see me coming to the pool with my kids and would say to each other, “Run! Here comes that pushy sales lady.”
I never wanted to be a pushy salesperson and I struggled with wanting to be sure everyone had the opportunity to hear about it and not wanting them to feel like that is all I had to talk about.
The Fearless Networker: When it comes to team building, what have been some of the most effective actions you’ve taken to help your team grow?
Reagan Dean: My philosophy is that everyone is welcome and we appreciate wherever anyone is at in their business. I’ve found that timing, circumstances, skills and desire are different for everyone. We want to allow people to have their own great experience with our company and products.
We host a weekly team Zoom video call, communicate regularly and celebrate each other’s accomplishments as often as possible. We also have a very active Facebook group and lively Voxer chat that keeps the communication flowing within our team. We focus on working with those that want to move forward and love on everyone, no matter what.
The Fearless Networker: What does your typical day look like in terms of what you do in your business?
Reagan Dean: I run my business by appointment, so everything I do with my business is scheduled. I have standing “touch base” calls with some of the leaders who are pushing to move forward and I schedule everything else around those times. I try to get face-to-face whether it be in person or via Zoom with as many people as possible so that I can build a great relationship and offer product or opportunity solutions. And, we always have upcoming live events that we are building for and I schedule the time to build and invite for those as well.
The Fearless Networker: What have you found to be the most effective means of recruiting new distributors into your business, and how do you go about doing it?
Reagan Dean: I have found that the most effective means of recruiting new distributors is to get out of my house, foster new relationships, find sharp motivated people, and ASK them to” take a peek” at what we’re up to. I am not attached to the outcome of whether they have any interest or not because they can always default into a customer and referral agent for me.
The Fearless Networker: Are their any specific strategies you’ve implemented into growing your business that you’ve found to be exceptionally productive?
Reagan Dean: I’ve found that live events are the most productive use of my time. Social media is a great door opener, but to be in person with others, where we can truly connect and build rapport is the ticket.
In our company, I see some of our team having success getting product orders via social media, but I don’t see them able to build a close and connected team. It’s too impersonal and people want to be a part of something bigger than just themselves and the person who introduced them to the opportunity.
The Fearless Networker: What’s one solid piece of advice that you’d give someone entering this profession for the very first time?
Reagan Dean: Run your business by appointment. Get control of your calendar and have a calendar that is on you all the time. So many of the people who I see struggle do so purely because they can’t honor their own time because they don’t have an effective and professional system for setting up a time to follow up on the spot.
There is a huge difference between an open ended, “I’ll call you tomorrow” and a definite “I’ve got some time to chat at 10 or 11, which is better?”
When you schedule an appointment, it eliminates any unease that may exist. Your prospect knows you’re calling and why. You don’t have to beat around the bush and can get right down to the purpose of the call.
The Fearless Networker: How has being involved in Network Marketing changed your life?
Reagan Dean: Oh my goodness, in so many ways! My sense of self-worth is so much higher because I feel like I am doing something that matters. Having been able to create financial security has been a huge blessing for our family. Living from a place of contribution vs. need gives me pure joy! Helping others succeed and create an amazing life is my life purpose.
The time freedom that comes from working hard is incredible! We travel a lot and live an amazing life investing our time into people that we love vs. spending our lives building someone else’s empire. Not many people can do that and when it comes down to it, time is the most valuable commodity because once we spend it, we don’t get it back.
The Fearless Networker: What is your favorite business book or books of all time, and WHY?
Reagan Dean: I have SO many favorite books as I am constantly reading something new on self-improvement. I think that one book every person on the planet should read is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I read this once a year as a reminder to keep my heart and head in the right space in life. The four agreements are the following: Be impeccable in your word. Don’t take anything personally. Don’t make assumptions. And, always do your best. These agreements are found in every religion on earth. They're a great guide in how to deal with different personalities and run a successful business as well.
I am also a Tony Robbins fanatic and not only read, but listen to him almost daily because it helps me to approach my life from an authentic place and be in tune with how I want to show up. If I am true to myself and have that foundation, confidence comes easily for me.
As for the basics of Network Marketing, I have three favorite books, including Your First Year in Network Marketing by Mark Yarnell. I wish I had read this the first day I started in this profession because I think I would have gotten to the top in half the time. It’s filled with great advice for success and explains the difference between how Network Marketing companies are structured.
Secondly, Go Pro by Eric Worre is really today’s handbook for what to do and how to do it. Eric’s 90-day game plan is genius and if someone will get to work and really put the effort in for those 90 days, they will easily get to the top of their marketing plan.
And, Todd Falcone’s Little Black Book of Scripts is another genius must-have because most people don’t know what to say and this makes it so easy! If you don’t know what to say, you won’t say anything. I kept this book on my desk next to my phone for a year until I could get it into my own vocabulary. When I was nervous to make a call, I’d open the book, read out loud, and then dial. It really helped me!
“I’ve found that live events are the most productive use of my time. Social media is a great door opener, but to be in person with others, where we can truly connect and build rapport is the ticket.” Reagan Dean
The Fearless Networker: Do you have any suggestions for people to ensure that they make Network Marketing a lasting and successful business to pursue for a lifetime?
Reagan Dean: It’s interesting to me that people join this business and then put it LAST on their priority list. This business will pay you back 10-fold in your efforts, IF you do the work. To achieve a high income, you’ll need to invest your time CONSISTENTLY and work hard. The work we do isn’t that hard, but we do have to put in effort.
This is a people business, and that means you need to get in front of as many people as possible and give them the chance to tell you yes or no. If you don’t ask, it’s already a no. Find a reason that it WILL work vs. focusing on why it won’t. You must train your brain to look for possibilities vs. problems.
Sometimes I hear that one of our team member’s spouses is not supportive, but I can almost guarantee that if you get a comma in your paycheck, your spouse will be able to share your vision and be much more excited about this as a viable income solution. I am grateful that my husband, Richard has always been very supportive, even joined me in the business and is a National Marketing Director today. If I had not put in the effort and he only saw me frustrated and putting time in without any yield, I don’t think he would have been very excited to rally with me.
The Fearless Networker: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received that’s served you well in business?
Reagan Dean: Touch your business every day. If you do that, it will grow.
The Fearless Networker: If you could share anything that would massively impact the people reading this, what would you say?
Reagan Dean: I'll answer that with two questions: “What’s the worst that can happen?” and “What if they say YES?”
I had those two questions on post-it notes on my computer screen my first few years in the business. We worry WAY too much about what others think of us. And the funny thing is, people aren’t thinking about us…they’re thinking about themselves. This is a phenomenal industry, your company and its products are amazing, and you can be a resource for so many people that may never get a chance to live life to its fullest otherwise. Step up and believe in yourself because you are incredible!
The Fearless Networker: Couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks Reagan.
