Reverse Mentoring starts to take hold in network marketing

Tapping into the knowledge of Internet savvy networkers is just what seasoned pros need to excel

More and more of my students feel like they know more than the leadership and top sales producers in their companies.  The truth is, they do.

There is a growing group of ambitious entrepreneurs in the Direct Sales Industry that know more than their leadership or the owners of their companies when it comes to effectively using the Internet.  They know how to Instant Message with their eyes closed and use it to connect with everyone they work with.  They know how to search Internet browsers to find timely information on any subject.  They can access Member Directories to find, prospect and recruit new clients and customers into their business with the click of their mouse.

More and more successful network marketing veterans are beginning to look to this new and growing group of Internet savvy distributors to help them understand the workings of the world wide web.

The process called "Reverse Mentoring" isn't the exclusive domain of the corporate world any longer.  It is starting to be embraced by old time veterans of the Direct Sales Industry.

The concept was originally introduced by Jack Welsh former CEO of General Electric.  He ordered his top 600 managers to meet regularly with young workers and learn how to use emerging technology. He wanted them to reach down into their ranks for Internet junkies and become their students.  It’s a situation where the ‘old fogies’ in an organization realize that by the time they're in their forties and fifties, they're not in touch with the future the same way the young twenty-something’s are.  They come with fresh eyes, open minds, and instant links to the technology of our future.

Reverse mentoring is the informal discussion between the old school veteran and the Internet savvy up and comer where ideas are shared and information about Instant Messaging is exchanged.  Many forty, fifty and sixty year old network marketing super stars are using reverse mentoring to glean new skills or advice from their Internet savvy colleagues. It's about bouncing around ideas and being in touch. It is about learning how a different generation does things.

In my Internet Prospecting Mastery Course, I encourage my students, many of whom are Baby Boomers that have mastered all the uses of Instant Messaging to seek out the most successful people in their company and offer to mentor them in the use of Instant Messaging.  Most of the company veterans they're approaching admit to having limited Internet knowledge or none at all.  While many are resistant to hearing about Instant Messaging or anything else that involves the Internet, progressive veterans appreciative that mentoring can work both ways. 

The benefits in reverse mentoring flow to both parties -- the 58-year-old six figure income earner passes on historical knowledge, leadership techniques and sales tips to the rising recruiting star that shows them how to set up a buddy list.  While Reverse Mentoring relationships are developed to gain technical expertise and a different perspective, they aren't always a younger to older person thing.  Many times it's more a peer-to-peer relationship where both people have a lot to teach and lot to learn.  The Gen Xer or an Internet savvy Baby Boomer can help his veteran Boomer counterpart discover how Instant Messaging will rejuvenate a stagnant organization, reduce attrition and increase the enthusiasm and productivity of a sales team.

''Reverse Mentoring is about staying fresh and current on all trends relevant to your work,'' says Tom Kelley, author of The Art of Innovation.

Kelley asked two of his younger employees for the chance to chat with them regularly. From one, he learned how to use Instant Messaging. From the other, he learned why many young people don't wear wristwatches (they use their cell phones).

Kelley says he realizes he must go outside his circle if he is going to keep up with technology and stay innovative.

``If I just talk to my pals in their suburban homes, I might think everyone still watches TV. They don't. Now I know I'd better figure out a way to make a product live in cyberspace somewhere.''

With skilled-labor shortages looming, many corporate employers are keeping their older employees up-to-date and on the job with reverse mentoring programs. Proctor & Gamble, Deloitte & Touche and the Seattle Public School System have made formal reverse mentoring a success. These employers found role reversal can reduce training costs, too. It also keeps a small business competitive.

The biggest obstacle to reverse mentoring is pride.

Status sometimes gets in the way.  When you're in a powerful position it takes courage to say you need to know something or you don't know anything about a particular subject.  To get past that, leaders should think of it as extracting information from whomever has the most knowledge.  People often get caught up in hierarchy and years of experience instead of who has insights to offer. 

What makes each Generation tick:

• Veterans -- 61 and up: work comes first, highly dedicated, follow the rules, very resistant to change

• Baby Boomers -- 42 to 60; optimistic, political at work, value teamwork, slow to accept change

• Generation X -- 24 to 42; self-reliant, work is just a job, seek immediate feedback, open to change

• Generation Y -- 6 to 23: highly multi-tasking, multiple careers, globally oriented, eager for the next change

In the corporate world, older workers are often forced to look to someone younger when they get assigned additional responsibilities and must learn how to get the new job done.

Learning about Instant Messaging doesn't mean the old school veteran has to master it's use.  Once familiar with the new tool, the progressive leader or company head spreads their new found Instant Messaging knowledge around the rest of the organization making it available to everyone anxious to improve and the entire organization or company benefits.

Ambitious and progressive networking veterans are eager to find an Instant Messaging mentor.  They're aware that the younger generation is using Instant Messaging to look for potential clients and customers.  They've watched their children use it for daily communication with their friends.

It's important to be specific about what you want to learn from your mentor. For some, going outside your organization may be more appealing than asking someone close. You may want to check with a professional in the field or you may want to tap into the bevy of bright Generation X or Y'ers that surround you.  Even your children can be an invaluable source of information about Instant Messaging.

More and more networking veterans are learning that tapping into the knowledge of their Instant Messaging savvy downlines is just what they need to excel.

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