Top earners in network marketing represent only 3% of people in the business. They are the cream of the crop and they all possess the necessary ingredients to create their own recipe for success.

It starts with persistence. Not the kind that makes cold calls at odd hours in a desperate attempt to close a sale. It's the kind or persistence that pushes top earners to do what needs to be done to effectively generate a constant stream of leads from their blogs, videos, and articles. It's what drives them to learn the necessary skills for a Web 2.0 world and push long and hard enough to realize massive residual income.

Add equal portions of motivation and creativity. Motivation is what adds flavor to everything you do. Whether it's a desire to quit your 9-5 job so you can spend more time at home with your family or a desire to be a top earner who can retire all that much sooner than most people, you simply have to feel a compelling reason to do extremely well in network marketing. It's not a hobby. It's a way of life.

Creativity, on the other hand, allows you to reach as many people as possible. Traditional networking marketing and MLM used to rely almost exclusively on word-of-mouth and close family and friends to get going. That's a limiting approach that won't bring in the numbers you can and should get from using the Internet. Get creative and tap into online social networks on MySpace and Facebook. Be part of online communities that share videos on YouTube or have common interests and aspirations on Twitter. Create interesting content for your blog that attract the kind of prospects that matter. The network marketers who can tap those online marketing tools will be miles ahead of their competition.

Next, add heaping tablespoons of leadership into the mix. Be generous with your leadership. Leadership isn't about showing people who the boss is, but giving them someone they can look to for direction, inspiration, motivation and advice. Be THAT kind of leader and your network will not only be huge, it will also be loyal - solving the problem of high attrition that usually spells the downfall of most network marketing efforts.

Finally, throw yourself into the pot to create the ultimate secret sauce for success. "You" are the only thing that differentiates your product or service from a lot of other people marketing the same things and following the same recipe. You are the ingredient that cannot easily be copied. Without a healthy dose of you in the mix, your marketing message will sound generic, like apple pie from the supermarket when people are expecting home made. It's no sacrifice to put yourself whole heartedly into your work. There will be considerable benefits for those willing to take the plunge and become a top earner.

Invest in yourself. Have the persistence to work on personal development daily. Find the motivation that will inspire greater creativity in your work and you'll soon be recognized for the leader you truly are. The end results are amazing. Can you taste it?