Network Marketing: Tips and Training for Network Marketing Success Today!

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So what is network marketing?

Network marketing is a business model in which products or services are distributed to consumers through a group of independent sales associates for the company.

These associates are not employees for the company, but rather they are independent business owners that make a living by selling the products or services that the parent network marketing company offers.

These sales associates also have the ability to recruit other sales associates into the company and are rewarded in the form of income from the sales made by these associates.

Is it a Scam?

Many people confuse network marketing with a scam or generalize all network marketing companies by saying they are all scams.

Network marketing is actually a legitimate business model.

The major difference between network marketing and some of the scams that it is confused with is scams consist of the transaction of money between people with no exchange of a product or service with real world value outside of the opportunity.

With network marketing, sales associates market products with real world value that can be used and enjoyed by end consumers who are not involved with the business opportunity of the parent company.

What's MLM or Multi-Level Marketing?

Network marketing is usually used interchangeably for another term known as MLM or multi-level marketing. Both terms refer to the same business model, simply to different aspects of the business model.

Network marketing refers to the strategy or method that the business is typically built, by tapping into the networks or people where as multi-level marketing refers to the compensation plan that distributors in the industry enjoy, being paid on multiple levels of distributorship's efforts.

Internet Network Marketing vs. Old School MLM

There are two prevailing strategies that most network marketers choose to build their businesses.

The first strategy is referred to as old school network marketing. These are the strategies and techniques that are taught by the majority of network marketing companies. Some of these techniques include making a list of friends, family and neighbors as well as meeting new people to prospect for your business using the three foot rule.

The second strategy is referred to as internet attraction network marketing. This is a strategy that is based on attracting prospects to you using internet marketing strategies and techniques.

Building an online network marketing business can be very rewarding.

Choose the Right Upline...

When getting involved in network marketing one of the most important decisions that you will make is selecting the right upline. You want to find someone who is going to be willing to help you to build the business, but also not someone who is going to handhold you the entire time.

A good upline should be too busy building his or her own business to constantly hold your hand all of the time. Ideally, you also want to have at least one other contact besides your personal sponsor that you can contact and work with as well.

Finally, when considering compensation plans, there are three things you want to make a note of:

1. You want to understand how much you get paid when you do something.
2. You want to understand how much you get paid when someone on your team does something and where do they have to be in your structure to get paid.
3. You also want to understand if you get paid one time or if you continue to get paid as long as that customer continues to buy products & services from the company.

The Best Network Marketing Company & Opportunity for You..

When choosing which network marketing company you are going to get involved with, the most important thing to note is what gets you passionate and what motivates and excites you.

Regardless of how good the compensation plan is, you will handicap your chances of success if you get involved with a company that has a product or service you have no passion for. You also want to get involved with a company that is in front of a trend and not behind a trend.

There is a huge difference between building your MLM business using what is considered old school techniques and building your MLM business using an internet attraction network marketing model.

Previously when you got involved in MLM, there was really a certain way that you had to build the business.

If you tried to build the business any other way, it typically resulted in failure and frustration.

However, with the advent of the internet as well as additional marketing strategies that have developed online, there is a new way that you can build your MLM business.

The major difference is that in online or internet network marketing... you have these additional advantages:

1. Attract Your Prospects to You

2. Generate additional cash flow with affiliate marketing strategies.

3. More efficient and effective forms of leverage because you're using current technology to build more relationships and market to larger groups

The personal relationships are still important however--as they always will be in network marketing (because you are team building and creating loyalty when you build an MLM organization).

There are many strategies that we commonly associate with network marketing and MLM that are still used by the majority of the distributors in the industry to this day.

We refer to these as old-school techniques.

While these will never disappear completely and the word-of-mouth aspects of direct sales marketing will always remain, they are mainly going out of style in the more savvy circles of MLM.

Old-School MLM...

One of the most common methods is referred to as warm market marketing or friends and family marketing.

Make a List of 'Friends and Family'...

This is when the distributor is encouraged to make a list of everyone that he or she knows and expose the products, services and business opportunity to them.

While friends and family can work, especially for those who have huge social networks or impressive credibility with their contacts, there comes a time for most network marketing distributors where they run out of people to talk to.

In addition, some people may have friends and family that are extremely negative. To deal with this, the two main strategies that are used with old school MLM is cold calling and 3-foot rule marketing.

Cold Calling Leads...

Cold calling is the act of calling people on the phone and prospecting them for your network marketing company.

A warmer form of cold calling is done by purchasing business opportunity leads.

However, depending on the quality of the leads, the reaction of the prospects called can be just as cold as cold calling people from other sources.

Genealogy Leads...

Another commonly taught method of cold calling s to purchase genealogy leads.

These are leads of distributors who were a part of a network marketing company that has failed. The idea is that these people might be open to a new opportunity since their company has gone out of business.

The 3-Foot Rule...

3 foot rule marketing is a very common method of prospecting in MLM. The idea of this method of marketing comes from a philosophy of some of the more outgoing and aggressive network marketers.

The reason why it is called 3 foot rule marketing is because the philosophy behind it is "anyone that comes within 3 feet of me is a prospect for my business."

This form of marketing revolves around getting into conversations with people that you meet in your daily course of activity and prospecting these people for your products, services and business opportunity.

While there are many people in network marketing that are using these methods successfully, the bottom line is that there are also many more people in network marketing that are struggling and having huge difficulty building their business with these methods.

In many cases in the past there were really not a lot of options for distributors who are having difficulty using these methods.

However, with the advent of the internet, there are new strategies available for network marketing prospecting.

Internet Attraction Network Marketing is a new strategy that gives options to distributors who are looking for a new way to prospect.

Instead of going out and chasing business, with attraction marketing you can have prospects chasing you.

The philosophy behind attraction marketing is to set up marketing systems in place to attract prospects who are actively looking for your products, services and business opportunity as oppose to trying to drum up interest in your business.

The focus of the internet attraction network marketing model is to teach you how to market to prospects who are looking for what you offer instead of trying to create business from people who may or may not have an interest.

You can use internet marketing strategies such as pay per click marketing, email marketing, web sites, videos and special reports.

There are many no cost Internet attraction marketing methods available--the list of options are limitless and increasing daily.

There are some great books and training tools about Internet attraction (and affiliate) network marketing.

Two of the most famous are The Renegade Network Marketer by Ann Sieg, and Magnetic Sponsoring by Mike Dillard.

They represent thousands of resources that have been created recently to teach and train different aspects of Internet online network marketing.

Being a Consultant VS. Just a Sales Person

In the book "The Renegade Network Marketer" by Ann Seig, the author brings up a great point. She says who gets more respect... a consultant or a sales rep?

Obviously a consultant gets more respect.

However, what is the difference between a consultant and a sales rep?

The difference is that the consultant is usually sought out by someone looking to buy where a sales rep is seeking out people and is looking to sell to them.

However, the philosophy behind this strategy is that you are selling you and your marketing system, not your product or your specific network marketing opportunity.

You start by attracting people to you by providing something (that you create or that's already available)... and from there you can market your products or opportunity after the relationship has been established.

That makes it much more efficient and effective than looking for prospects to 'share' or sell to.

Becoming Attractive in Business

In Magnetic Sponsoring by Mike Dillard, there is an entire chapter that is dedicated to talking about how you can become a more attractive person in business.

This chapter refers to the "Alpha" leader, which is an attractive leader that people are drawn to.

By spending time working on yourself and creating value in yourself, this will make you more attractive to the marketplace and you will find yourself sponsoring more people who are interested in working with you as opposed to trying to find people to convince in getting involved in your opportunity.

Both The Renegade Network Marketer and Dillard's Magnetic Sponsoring discuss the significance of using affiliate marketing while you attract your prospects--so as you build your network marketing business you're also generating much needed cash-flow.

In traditional business this is called monetization. Mike Dillard also refers to it as the funded sponsoring proposal because you're able to use affiliate marketing to fund your business and sponsor more and better people.

Affiliate Network Marketing

Another important aspect of internet attraction network marketing is the importance of selling information.

One of the biggest reasons why people procrastinate in getting involved in a network marketing opportunity is because they aren't sure what is going to be required of them to be successful in the opportunity.

By pre-selling your prospects with information, you eliminate this objection because now the prospect knows exactly what is going to be required of him or her before getting involved in the opportunity.

However, the BIGGEST benefit to offering information is because it addresses two of the biggest challenges that distributors in MLM deal with.

The first challenge is that they have to constantly deal with prospects who simply aren't interested in getting involved in a business opportunity at this point in time.

The second challenge is that they have to constantly deal with prospects who have some interest but simply don't have enough money to invest in a business opportunity.

So how does offering information deal with these big challenges in MLM?

By offering an information product related to the system you are offering, you now have a system to pre-qualify your prospects.

If a prospect is willing to invest in an information product, that is $27 or $37, that prospect is dramatically more likely to invest in a business opportunity that requires an investment of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

However, if a prospect isn't willing to make this type of investment, the prospect certainly isn't going to be willing to invest in a business opportunity that is dramatically higher in price.

To recap some of the advantages of Internet attraction (affiliate) network marketing, which are covered in some of the topics throughout this lens:

1. You can attract your prospects instead of chase them

2. You can generate cash-flow as you do it with affiliate network marketing

3. You are more attractive as a marketer because you have a business plan that is tangible for generating leads and cash-flow

4. You're leveraging technology to build more relationships.

Internet Attraction Network Marketing, while relatively new is creating a number of success stories in the network marketing industry.

If you are currently struggling with building your business using old school methods, you should seriously consider building your business using internet attraction network marketing strategies.

It could literally be the difference between success and failure for you in the industry.

Selecting the right network marketing business opportunity comes down to three steps:

1. Select the best upline.
2. Select the best company.
3. Select the right compensation plan.

If you master these three steps, you will select the right network marketing opportunity for you and you will maximize your chances of success in network marketing.

One of the main reasons why people fail in the network marketing industry isn't because the industry doesn't work. It's actually because they simply haven't found the best network marketing business opportunity for them.

Is this perhaps you?

If so, you aren't alone! There are many distributors that struggled in the industry for years, frustrated beyond belief as to why they weren't having success.

However, once they were able to match themselves up with the right network marketing business opportunity for them, they were able to become successful. The good news is, this can be you as well!

The key is for you to know how to find the best network marketing business opportunity for you.

How?

Know what you're looking for... Here are some tips:

1. You should be focused on finding the best opportunity that matches you personally--that being your upline, company and product should be aligned with your own values.

2. Get in front of a product-service "business trend" (not behind one) to ensure long term growth

3. Find an Internet online network marketing 'friendly' opportunity--the Internet offers the best opportunities of network marketers but not every upline and company is on board. Choose one that is.

Click for more on finding the best network marketing business opportunity and company

When selecting the best network marketing opportunity, one of the first things that you want to look for is the right upline.

I'm sure you're probably thinking to yourself right now, "Man if I could only be sponsored by Mr. M.L.M, the multi-million dollar producer in my current company, I'd have it made!"

Interestingly enough, this may not be true.

Just because a distributor is making a lot of money that doesn't mean they would be the best upline for you.

In many cases many of these distributors would not make a good match for you because they are either too busy or they are no longer actively selling and recruiting because of the huge incomes they have built up.

The most important trait to look for when selecting a sponsor for a network marketing business opportunity is to select someone who is going to work with you as well as someone who is flexible in their approach to building the business.

You don't want someone who only knows old school prospecting techniques and you also don't want someone who only knows internet techniques. The ideal sponsor is someone who knows both, or can at least point you to someone upline who knows the areas that they don't know.

Many upline support teams are completely against anything internet so if you want to build your business on the internet, that is probably not the right team for you.

Selecting the best company can make or break you. One of the main reasons why people fail is because they are in the wrong company.

If you are passionate about health and nutrition, why in the world would you go and sell life insurance or mutual funds?

Who cares if the life insurance company pays more! You're never going to be able to experience that pay anyway because you lack the passion necessary to lead a prospect to becoming a customer and/or joining your organization.

You want to select a company that has a product or service that you can get passionate about. You also want to select a company that is in front of a trend and not behind a trend. This means if the company is selling VHS cassettes, that's not a company you want to get involved in.

In addition, some companies don't even allow you to do anything on the internet, so if you're interested in building your business on the internet, that's something you are going to want to know and avoid before making a decision to get involved in that company.

When evaluating different network marketing opportunities you don't need to know every single aspect of the compensation plan.

Some of the top distributors in the industry couldn't even tell you every single aspect of the compensation plan.

But you should know enough to make an educated choice and be able to recognize the most common MLM compensation structures out there.

Keep it simple:

On a basic level, you need to know how much money you get paid when you sell something, how much money you get paid when your team sells something and whether you continue to get paid when customers you refer to the company continue to buy products and services from the company.

Some differences to look for:

Some companies are heavy in the commissions for your personal efforts and light on the commissions from your organizations' efforts.

Other companies don't even pay on additional business generated from customers you refer so if residual income is important to you, those are not the network marketing business opportunities you want to get involved in.

See below for more about Compensation Plans.

What's a binary?

Is your stairstep breaking away?

Are you lost in a land of a uni-level or caught up in a matrix?

At a glance, trying to understand MLM network marketing compensation plans can be like trying to understand an ancient language written on the walls of a pyramid (no pun intended).

But once you get a handle on the basics, you will find that understanding the compensation plan doesn't have to be as difficult as many people make it out to be.

Regardless of what type of compensation plan you are a part of... most network marketing companies pay you anywhere from one to three ways.

1. They pay you when you do something.

2. They pay you when someone else does something.

3. They pay you for something you or someone else did in the past that is still resulting in profits for the company.

The key to understanding an MLM network marketing compensation plan is to understand what events trigger you getting paid.

Each network marketing company has a unique compensation plan.

However, all network marketing companies have traces of the following five compensation plans:

1) Stairstep Breakaway
2) Binary
3) Matrix
4) Unilevel
5) 1Up or 2Up

The first way you get paid is when you do something...

That "something" usually consists of you making a successful sale of your company's products and services. But it can also mean getting paid for reaching a certain production goal or getting promoted to a certain level in your company's compensation plan.

When evaluating a compensation plan what you want to find out is "how much do I get paid for doing what?" In fact that's a great question to ask (several times to different people if necessary) until you're clear on the answer.

You also want to know what do you have to do to hit the production goals or promotion requirements in your company's compensation plan. (Another good question to ask when trying to figure out how you'll be paid).

Do you have to sell $1000 worth of product?

Do you need to sign up 10 customers?

These are the things you need to know when analyzing the compensation plan.

The second way you get paid is when somebody else does something...

This is typically where the five compensation plans can pay differently. Here those are again:

1) Stairstep Breakaway
2) Binary
3) Matrix
4) Unilevel
5) 1Up or 2Up

With a stairstep breakway compensation plan, you typically receive the difference between what you make at your level and what the person in your organization makes at their level.

As long as the person in your organization is at a lower level than you, you get paid when they sell something.

With a binary plan you have two organizations (often called 'legs'), which are created when you personally sponsor someone or when someone is placed below you as if you had sponsored them. Sometimes uplines do that to help you out.

You get paid a certain amount based on your organization reaching certain sales volume. However, both organizations have to reach that volume in order for you to get paid. That's the trick to a binary plan and some people don't like it because if one side is producing a lot of volume and the other isn't, you lose a lot of money because you don't get paid on the extra volume on one side.

With a Matrix compensation plan you get paid a certain percentage based upon what level the person who made the sale is in your organization.

However you are forced to fill up a certain number of spots (i.e. in a 3X5 matrix you have 3 spots in your first level and everyone under you gets 3 spots in their first level up to 5 levels deep).

So if someone on level 3 makes the sale, you might get paid say 5% for that.

With a Unilevel compensation plan you get paid a certain percentage based on what level the sale is made. You can have an unlimited number of distributors directly under you and there are opportunities to get paid on unlimited levels if you meet certain qualifications (although as leaders develop under you it's not likely you will get paid on 'unlimited' levels).

Finally, with a 1Up or 2Up the distributors one or two levels below you have to pass up a certain amount of their sales to you until they have made a minimum number of sales.

The third way you get paid... is when something you did or something that someone else did in the past is still resulting in income for the company.

For example, if the company is still making sales of new or additional products (for consumable product), the company may pay you a percentage of those sales since you or someone in your organization is responsible for bringing that customer aboard. If your company has a service and the customer continues to subscribe to the service, you may get pay a percentage of that revenue every month.

So the bottom line to understanding all compensation plans is to ask yourself three questions.

1) How much do I get paid and for doing what?

2) How much do I get paid when someone else does something and where do they have to be in my organization for me to get paid?

3) Do I get paid if customers that my team or I bring in continue to buy or subscribe to what the company is offering?

While it's not critical you understand every detail, it's smart to get clear on the major points of your plan.

When you look around the internet these days, everyone seems to have a plan to help you do network marketing the simple, easy way.

The problem with this is that too many people think that simple easy network marketing means "something for nothing." It's amazing, we check out an opportunity, ask "is this a pyramid scheme?" and then we get mad when we aren't making $10,000 a month in 90 days.

One of the main reasons why there is such a high failure rate in network marketing is because by the nature of the business model we attract a large number of people who want something for nothing. Think about it. If you're anything like me, one of the things that got you most excited about the opportunity is when they showed you the compensation plan and how you can get paid even if you aren't doing anything.

Imagine you are on the beach in Cancun, Mexico. You pull out your cell phone and call into your company's home office to check the statistics. You hear that $3500 was wired into your bank account today. You get excited, head off to do some shopping and spend all the money! The next day you call in again and find out that $5000 was wired into your bank account. You just made $8500 while on vacation!

While this is certainly great and wonderful and there are many people in network marketing experiencing this right now, what you need to understand is that this doesn't happen overnight. This only happens when you are willing to put in something to make this happen. Too many people get involved in this industry and think that just because they sign the distributor agreement, all they have to do is sit back and get rich the simple and easy way. It doesn't work that way.

Now don't get me wrong, there is definitely a way to make network marketing as simple and as easy as possible and you are going to learn how to do that here. However, you must understand that there is no such thing as something for nothing and if you want something out of your network marketing business, it is going to cost you. It may cost you time, it may cost you energy. It may cost you money. It may cost you all three. However, if you are willing to pay the price, you will get the promise.

Always remember at the counter of success you must pay full retail. If you want to receive value, you must first give value.

1. You're using the Internet to Attract Your Prospects to You - If you are chasing after people who aren't interested in your product, services or business opportunity, you are wasting time and energy.

This makes network marketing hard.

2. If instead you spend some time learning how to attract interested prospects to you, this makes network marketing easier.

3. You're in the Best Network Marketing Opportunity for you - There's no such thing as "the perfect opportunity."

There is only a perfect opportunity for you.

4. You want to make sure you select an upline that can support you and train you on how to do this business properly.

5. You want to align yourself with a company that matches your passion and interests.

6. You want to work with a company that pays out compensation that makes it worth your time and effort.

7. You're Not Ignorant - You need to become a student of network marketing and how it works.

Too many people spend very little time educating themselves about how the industry works in general and then wonder why they aren't having success.

Take some time to learn how compensation plans work.

You can even read this article here .

8. The hardest way to do this business is to believe that you will get something for nothing.

That's the quickest way to waste the most amount of money without getting anything back in return.

9. In short, if you want to make network marketing simple and easy, you need to put forth the investment of time, energy and money to make it simple and easy.

10. You want to align yourself with individuals and companies that are willing to show you how to simplify the process.

If you are willing to do these things, you will then have more days on the beach like I described above and less days frustrated beyond belief as to why this isn't working out for you.