Hello,
I'd like to throw in my 2 cents here.
The No. 1 step for me is credibility. Once you do research the executives,
location of company, etc., there is one and only one other bottom line factor
and that is ACHIEVABLE comp plan.
If you don't have an achievable comp plan- Step 2, no sense in Step-3; researching the product. Because no matter how much you love the product, your business will not take off, for the average networker, if your comp plan does not support everyone in the company.
If members are allowed to build WIDE as they want, there's no spillover,
so eventually those that don't have the money, time or connections will quit. I have tried them all, traditional MLM pay plans, binaries, 1-up, 2-up,etc.
The ONLY pay plan that has worked for me is the 2-WIDE Forced Pay Plan. This means nobody in the company can go more than 2 wide on their first level and 4-wide on their second level. So eventually, spillover will occur, if not company wide at first, TEAM spillover should occur.
Now the second key part to this 2-wide forced plan is the monthly payment. An affordable monthly payment needs to be implemented,
something in the $15- $25 monthly range. The monthly subscription keeps revenues coming into the company, without the added pressure of recruiting OR lose your income OR wait forever to "cycle". I have not experienced any success in "one-time cost" Forced Matrixes personally.
So Step 2- achievable comp plan is critical. I suggest a 2-wide forced plan with an affordable monthly subscription. A three wide forced is doable if there is tremendous corporate and team support. I don't recommend a 4 or 5 wide because I have had no success in those personally.