What Is Network Marketing Like Today?

Old-School Network Marketing

     The army of yelling, screaming, and whistle-blowing advertisers has besieged our society tiring and stressing us out with their hype. Businesses of all sizes and types compete for a place in our mind by distracting us from buying from their competition.

     Old-school network marketers do not behave any differently. Even though it’s been a decade in the 21^st century now, some folks continue using the same marketing techniques their grandmas and grandpas used when they were young. Those techniques stopped working back in the 20^th century.

     Are you among noisy advertisers? Do you think you deserve people’s attention just because you scream the loudest? No? Good!

     Unfortunately, over the decades, network marketers have been committing the same sin as the major network marketing industry – the sin of distracting their target audience. We were taught to invade into people’s minds trying to convince them that our business opportunity is the best, our company’s compensation plan is the most generous, and our company’s products are the most natural and the most… (Fill in the blank). We were taught to chase down everything that moves and breaths in order to offer them our “opportunity”. What opportunity? An opportunity to become wild predators. An opportunity of network marketing failure. When I look back at those years, I feel ashamed.

Network Marketing Based on Attraction Marketing Principles

     Now is the time to stop and repent of that sin, because today’s network marketing business is different; because the time is different. Network marketing is transforming from being a distraction marketing business into an attraction marketing one.

     Nobody cares about sales pitches nowadays. Nobody cares about hype. People want to get information about the product or service that they can benefit from, not some fluffy sales pitches. It’s getting harder and harder to convince people to buy from you, because it’s getting easier and easier to bump into all sorts of crooks and fraudsters. That’s why, prior to offering people your network marketing business opportunity, you have to build long-lasting relationships with your prospects in order to gain their trust.

     Who would you rather buy from – a person you know and trust or a stranger who trumpets about his product or opportunity on every corner? Who would you rather buy from – a person with an established flawless reputation or a suspicious solicitor? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? We do buy from those whom we trust or from those we were referred to by people we trust. So why treat people in the way you yourself wouldn’t like to be treated? It’s time to learn the art of attraction. It has nothing to do with your product or opportunity and it has everything to do with building long-lasting relationships with your prospects.

      Now, attraction marketing allows you to promote your product and/or service without chasing anyone down, without begging them to buy from you, or without having the pain to convince them that they really need what you have to offer while they don’t. Attraction marketing allows you to have only customers you want, always ready, able, and willing to buy from you. 

Network Marketing Is an Internet-Based Marketing System

      Network Marketing today is a system that is not based on presentations in a narrow circle. It is not a windshield type of marketing. Network marketers today have harnessed the power of the Internet to reach millions of prospects throughout the world.

     Network marketing success does not depend on how hard you work. It depends on what techniques you use in order to reach a larger audience who wants to buy what you have to offer. How can you reach a larger audience? By going to the larger audience, right? And where do you think the largest audience hangs around? You’re absolutely right: on the Internet. Of course, not all of them need what you have. But even if you filter out those who don’t, your potential remains huge. That’s why in the Information Age we live in, you can’t afford passing on the opportunity to harness the power of the world-wide web. 

Network Marketing Is a Relationship Building Business

     Network marketing today is not such a business, in which you consider a sale or successful recruiting of a distributor a completed transaction. Network marketing today is a relationship-building business. You have to establish your reputation as a trustworthy, reliable, and knowledgeable business owner whose focus is on the interests of his/her customers and downline. Building your credibility is a must, unless you’re planning to make a quick buck and disappear.

     Relationships are not built overnight. People have to see the reasons why they can trust you. Trust is built on kept promises, on met expectations, on abiding by eternal moral principles, on professionalism, and higher knowledge. Higher knowledge is not a mystical term. I simply mean that you should know more than your target audience so that they could see a leader in you and follow you when you call them.

     Strong, friendly relationship with your customers is the key to success. Building a business is like starting a new friendship. You have to prove your reliability by supporting your words with concrete actions. In business, people don’t come to you because of your eye color. They expect you to be able to provide solutions to their problems. People will appreciate your serving them if you care more about maintaining and strengthening your relationship than their wallet. Their money will not migrate into your pocket if you don’t show them the reason for that. 

Network Marketing Is about Building Networks

     Network marketing today assumes not only building a downline network. It’s about building multiple networks, all designed to provide value to your customers and to put money in your pocket. As a network marketer your focus should be on building four types of networks: a network of content, a network of products, a network of customers, and a downline network. One network is not build without the other. They are all interrelated and dependent upon each other.

     For instance, before you build a customer network, people should get to know you. You can present and position yourself as a professional by building a content network (online and off). In order to build a successful downline network, you should educate them through your content. For prospects to become your customers, you should have a product network. Here, I don’t mean only your company’s products. I also mean your own information products, affiliate products, etc. This way you will hit two birds with one rock – sell your products and make money. 

Network Marketing Is about Building Multiple Streams of Income

     Network Marketing has always been a business with at least two sources of income coming from product retail sales and residual commissions. Today, it is not very smart not to use other sources of income available in network marketing. You can’t simply wait till your company sends you a check. You have to fund your marketing campaigns and cover other business expenses, right? So why not earn additional income while the iron is hot?!

     In the paragraph on building networks, I mentioned that you make money as an affiliate, that is, you sell other people’s products. You create your own information products and make money. During your marketing campaign you can even earn residual income selling other people’s services, such as auto-responder services, membership services, etc. You basically make money while making money. You make money without owning a product or service. So, why limit yourself?

Summary

     As you have seen, network marketing today is not what it used to be. The world is changing; people demand products and services of better quality. They don’t care about hype. Why did we come up with an idea of a do-not-call list? The answer is: we got tired from hype. If you want to make money as a network marketer, you should become a problem solver, a business consultant. You should stop being a cold-blooded sales person and start being a warm-hearted friend for your prospects and customers. You have to care about self-education. Our industry doesn’t tolerate mediocre quick-buck pursuers. If you want to make money in network marketing long-term, you should learn the art of building multiple networks and multiple streams of income. Increase your personal value and the world will appreciate it.