You don’t build a Diamond, you build Elites

The question I hear most after a rank change: "So what now? How do I get to the next rank?" Usually with eyes on the big name at the top of the ladder. My answer this month is simple, and it goes for everyone reading this, whether you're just starting or already Gold: you don't build a Diamond. You build Elites. And once you know how that works and how to guide it, you also know how to guide every new builder in your team.

Elite is the building block

Every level in the plan is a number of Elites at a certain depth. Silver is three Elites you enrolled yourself, each in its own leg. Platinum is three Silvers, and each Silver carries three Elites. As a Diamond you have four Silvers, and each of them has three Elites. The higher the rank, the deeper the Elites that count sit.

Almost everyone starts with Power of 3: three legs, each with its own pod. That structure pays from your second month already, runs with you until you have all three Power of 3 levels, and grows with every rank of your organisation. So an active Premier ideally has three legs already (for Power of 3), supports two of them towards Executive first, and keeps building towards three Elites. And in every leg, as early as you can, the same spread: two or three leaders under your Elite, rather than leaving all your new customers on the frontline. So it matters that you have Wellness Advocates under you early on, not only Wholesale Customers, so you can build deeper beneath you. Your first level pays no unilevel, and a full Power of 3 needs three levels of depth anyway.

That changes the question. Not "how do I reach my next rank", but "who becomes my next Elite, and how deep do I need to look for that?" Whoever wants Premier looks at the people they enrolled themselves. Whoever wants Gold looks two levels deep and works through their leaders. The question is the same everywhere; only the spot on your focus map moves.

But Tanja, I'm not Elite yet myself?

• Week one: your list ("Who do I know who would like the products, or like to share them?"), your own order and wellness plan (LRP on), and a fixed weekly moment with your mentor.
• The first month: your first workshop and your first enrolment.
• Days 31 to 60: follow up within 48 hours, every customer on a monthly order of their own, and your first Power of 3 level.

And as soon as one of them wants to share, that's your first builder; in the trainings that usually lands around day 90, and earlier is always fine.

Who becomes your next Elite?

At the Imagine Convention one of the speakers said something I can't shake: most of us look for the loudest voice, the most confident one, or the person who looks like us. But the real builders are often the people who simply work on their own, from their own motivation, and don't need applause. So you don't recognise a candidate by what someone says, but by what comes back. Who shows up week after week. Who does the homework and can talk about it. Who invites and brings people themselves, and hosts a workshop or a 1-on-1 themselves. Who has a why of their own, not just a rank goal.

The test: give a small assignment and see what comes back

That's why this month's assignment isn't for you alone. No downline yet? Then you're the candidate this month: take the start path from the strategy session below and do this week's five things. Everyone else does this too, and passes it on. Pick one or two candidates on your focus map and give each of them a small assignment this week that they can do on their own:

• Read the chapter that fits your rank and tell me one thing from it you'll apply this week.
• Reply under five other people's posts with a real, honest answer.
• Get in touch with three people from your list, no offer, just to get (back) in touch.
• Set two workshop dates for this month and organise them yourself.

Next week you ask about it. Whoever did it is coachable, and that's who you build with. Whoever left it has told you something too.

If you build deeper than your frontline, you do this together with the team leader between you and the candidate, and you ask that leader three things: what can you already pass on yourself, where do you still need me, and which chapter do we agree on as homework?

In the book, The ranks belongs here, with Premier and Silver. All the ranks and numbers stay up to date in the online appendix, and every abbreviation is explained in the glossary.

Missed the earlier editions? Catch up in the newsletter archive.