A lot has been written on the subject of network marketing and the products commonly sold through network marketing. Unfortunately, most people joining a network marketing program for the first time don't read the books first. Even if they did, they would get a message that is really hard to grasp for someone used to the standard sales techniques of the modern world. If you are new to network marketing, a great book to read is "Masters Of Networking" by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and Don Morgan, M.A. While it does contain instructions on how and where to network, I believe that part of its value lies in what it doesn't always say out loud, but hints at in the subtitle: Building Relationships For Your Pocketbook And Soul. So what does that have to do with selecting the product that you will attempt to "sell" through network marketing? The book I just mentioned gets a lot of its message across through the stories of people who have passed through the stages of learning to network. In keeping with that, I am going to talk about my favorite subject...myself. In 1996 I was introduced to my first network marketing venture. Never mind what it was, but I will say that it was a valuable product and I felt good being associated with it. I honestly felt that it was a service that many people could use and that by purchasing this service they could get better service in certain health related areas and they could possibly save large sums of money. In other words, I BELIEVED! I also believed that I could make a lot of money. After all, I saw other people doing it, and being a product of 20th century marketing practices, I began doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I placed ads, I handed out flyers, left business cards laying around, and mailed out a lot of brochures. After a few months, I was making some money, but it sure seemed a hard way to make a living! In the meantime, people I knew were making larger and larger sums from the same product, and with a fraction of the time, effort, and money. So I did the next logical thing...I dropped out and spent a couple of years licking my wounds, nursing a grudge, and generally being a chump. The one thing I didn't do was ask for help or study the subject of network marketing. However, I DID keep signing up for program after program, with the same predictable results. Finally, I broke down and did the unthinkable...I did some research! What did I learn? I learned that some of the best "sales" people and some of the best network marketers had the same thing to say. Their opinion was to quit concentrating on sales and concentrate on building a network of people who respected you. They did not necessarily mean "respected" in the sense of someone who was an expert or who stood head and shoulders above the rest. What they meant was that you should be someone who is willing to listen, to help, to guide, to support...to be a genuine friend and someone who could be counted on. I started thinking about the people I had known who were successful. Not a one was a "sales" person. They were housewives, retirees, ex-teachers, bus drivers, fast food workers, garbage collectors...but most had three things in common. They believed in the product and the company, they knew the important points of the product and the opportunity, and they were genuinely interested in and involved with those they sold to or recruited. As it happened, at about the time I was doing this research, I actually had a JOB teaching newcomers to an industry how to become successful in that field. It felt great. I got to take people and help bring them to a point where they were going to be in a position to have a new career and make lots of money. I didn't have to "sell" them anything. I provided solid information, guidance, advice based on experience, and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. I noticed one interesting thing. They hung on my every word. If I said a certain item was important to have, within 48 hours at least half of my students would have that item if they didn't have it already. By the way, one common benefit of the job I am speaking of and a network marketer is the gratitude of the people that have come into the business and been successful thanks at least in part to the interest and support you have shown them. I saw this happen again and again, and not just with me, but with others who were providing this instruction as well. Okay, I'm slow, but not fatally so. I realized that if I could place myself in a similar position in a network marketing endeavor, I might have similar results. I then began to apply my newfound knowledge to network marketing, and, after a couple of false starts and the occasional retraining session, I found out that the technique works! Start with a good strong product from a reliable company. Make sure you understand what the heck you are talking about, arm yourself with order pads and pencils, and then get out there and start being NICE! I know it's going to be difficult, but you will have to buckle down and be a benefit to society and let people like you. I guess you've figured out that in the network marketing world, YOU are the best product to sell. |
