Network Marketing – Networking on Steroids – Morals and Ethics in The Network Marketing Industry

Networking on steroids is a term occasionally used in the Network Marketing industry to describe the passion and full on approach someone uses when they are building their business. In this Article I will explore the term using a different meaning.

An athlete stands in the gold medal winning position after winning their event, silver and bronze stand proudly to the right and left. Each athlete has worked hard to reach their positions on the Dias. If one of those athletes had been taking steroids they would morally and ethically not deserve their place on the Dias. Athletes have in the past, lost their medals for failing Post Race Steroid tests.

In other words, they have won the race but the way in which it was won is unethical.

The same philosophy can apply to other, in fact most other areas in life. Winning ‘regardless of the cost’ is an attitude some people feel is the most important regardless of the way in which it is reached or achieved.

In Network Marketing, this attitude results in a poor industry standard and negativity about the Network Marketing concept. This is evident by much of the negative opinion of the industry.

There are many areas where Poor Morals and ethics have caused problems in the Network Marketing Industry, some of the key issues include:

  • Lying about income projections would have to be at the top of the list. Network Marketing is a Business with no real guaranteed income projections. There is a LOT of money to be made in Network Marketing but the only guarantee is the one we make with ourselves based on the amount of work we are prepared to do.
  • “I’ve got something to show you but I can’t say what it is”. We’ve probably all heard that line at one time or another. If the idea is so good why would they not want to tell you what it is? When I hear that line my first thought is usually, Scam!
  • Falsely identifying oneself as being at a higher level within their business than they actually are brings false and negative training to those they sponsor and support.
  • No need to retail the products. It’s true that the long term income will be derived from Business members as volume grows, but retailing is still an important aspect especially in the initial stages of the business.

Being honest ethical with your marketing efforts will transfer to your downline as respect builds for you and the morally correct way you build and operate your business.

July 18, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  One Comment

Network Marketing – You Can Not Make Excuses Forever

Like it or not, we all do it. We know something needs to be done but there always seems to be a well thought out reason why it is more beneficial (or perhaps less painful), then actually doing it.

“I’ll get to that one day…”, I could never do that…”, “I am too old for that now…”, “I know I should have done it but…”.

Excuses are something we make for the avoidance of doing something we would rather not do or would “prefer to defer” until circumstances present themselves in a more favourable light – which unfortunately may never occur.

Network Marketing is perhaps the industry with the most reasons for not getting something done. There always seems to be a positive reason for holding off on making a start. This is where the idea of the dream or the goal comes into play. We are encouraged to dream big, big enough so that we have a powerful reason not to make excuses.

In life we tend to get the things we focus on the most so goal setting is a powerful way to prevent procrastination. When we really want to achieve something in life we work hard to attain it. Our actions and belief show our passion for it.

5 Key steps to stop making excuses today:

  1. Take responsibility – When we begin being responsible for our own actions we stop making excuses for why we didn’t get something done.
  2. Believe in yourself – Move a little beyond your limits. We often make the “I can’t” excuse without first attempting to do what we assumed we couldn’t do in the first place. By saying we can’t do something we are admitting failure by way of making excuses.
  3. Develop new friendships – Often in Network Marketing we find ourselves at the bottom of our list without having reached our desired goals. In many cases we make excuses for not contacting people by saying our list is empty or we have no one else to contact. With the Internet and today’s communication options, especially Social Networking sites, we can easily make new friends and continually add to a never ending list. International options for list building are also greatly increased.
  4. Learn from Failure – Failure is common in Network Marketing but that is no reason to use the “give up” excuse. When things go wrong, explore what went wrong, learn from it and move on. Winners learn from their mistakes, losers make excuses.
  5. Develop determination – Be determined to win. When your goals are big enough and your determination strong enough, excuses don’t have a chance to be part of the picture. We just continue doing and moving forward towards our goals.

July 16, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing – Accepting Negative Blows Like A Stone Cutter Bashing At A Rock

The story was once told of a Stone cutter who was constantly bashing at a rock trying to get it split in two. Hour after hour he kept bashing as he counted his blows, 97, 98, 99… until finally on the one-hundredth blow the rock split in half. The stone cutter knows that it was not the 100th blow that cracked it but the many before it.

When we first start in Network Marketing we know to expect more failures than successes. In the process we are encouraged to keep moving through the processes until we build a successful network. This process is not unlike the stone cutter bashing at his rock.

When the stone cutter was working on the rock he was doing so with his end goal in mind. He knew what he was aiming for and kept bashing away until he achieved it.

I strongly recommend Network Marketing as a Business for anyone. Not only because I am a Network Marketer but also because it is a logical business model. I welcome new members into my Network on a regular basis but also like to help and support other Network Marketer’s through my articles.

Keeping negativity out of your Business is not a good idea, as much as we try to instill a positive attitude. Regardless of how you look at it people are going to say no more than they say yes in this industry.

As Network Marketer’s we can learn a lot from the story of the stone cutter. The stone cutter continues working not knowing if it will be the first, tenth or one-hundredth blow that will crack the rock. He doesn’t let the failed blows distract him from the end goal.

When building your Network Marketing business you need to do so with the mindset of the Stone cutter.

  • You need to start not knowing which person you talk to will say yes. The same as the Stonecutter bashes at his rock not knowing which blow will crack it.
  • You need to continue asking people even though you may have received many negative responses. The stone cutter’s arms get tired, but he keeps bashing at the rock knowing the desired blow is just around the corner.
  • When your networking efforts are rewarded with a successful representative sign-up you need to begin looking for your next representative while assisting your new recruit to begin to develop their business. When the Stonecutter finally splits the rock, he looks for another angle or a new rock to start cutting.

When we accept negativity as a necessary part of Network Marketing we can move through the steps without being stunned or put out by rejection.

July 5, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing –Your circle of influence and 5 ways you can expand it

The term 6 degrees of separation has been used a lot over the past few years. It is a term used as an extension of the phrase “Circle of Influence”. Circle of influence refers to the group of people we know directly through our general daily routine.

Our Circle of Influence is anyone from our family and close friends to the postman, family doctor, butcher, pharmacist and corner storeowner. It is estimated we all have a circle of influence averaging around 200 people.

6 degrees of separation gives an extension to this through the theory that we could pick anyone in the general community – living or dead, famous or infamous and we would have some sort of connection with that person within our own circle of influence or within “6 degrees of separation”.

The old saying, “…a stranger, is just a friend we haven’t met yet”, seems to hold a lot of truth.

In Network Marketing, Increasing our Circle of Influence is what we do when we approach new prospects or undertake Marketing to increase the size of our list. In effect, Our circle of influence is the people on our list.

Network Marketer’s who are passionately and actively building their businesses could have increased their circle of influence by thousands.

Keen Network Marketer’s focus on building their list through various methods and use the list as their tool for building their business. Increasing your list (or your circle of influence) requires nothing more than an ability to make a connection with people (not necessarily through communication) and using that connection to make formal contact.

  1. A Business card to a network marketer is his or her most important tool. On its own it is not a way of expanding your list, but it is the main tool for doing it, as such it makes the list at Number 1.
  2. Put yourself in an arena where you can observe conversation. This might be as simple as waiting in line at the checkout or at a formal gathering of people. If you sell widgets and you hear people talking about needing a widget, be sure to have your business card ready. There are obvious places where it would not be suitable to conduct business – weddings and funerals are the 2 obvious. Doing so at events like these will do the opposite of what you intended.
  3. Advertising still has a lot of potential. Don’t underestimate the power of a small advertisement in a country Newspaper. If you research correctly, you may find areas where your widgets will be much appreciated.
  4. Promote yourself and people will hover to you like a magnet. Do it right and you will be adding people to your list constantly.
  5. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Be active in the community without expecting anything in return. When people realise you are genuine, they will accept your ideas more readily.

June 19, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing – 5 ways of Winning The Game With The Cards You Are Dealt

With anything we do in life we should make the most of what we have. We have to play the game with the cards we have been dealt. Network Marketing does not require us to be of any specific nature or to have any ability. Anyone with a dream and a desire to succeed can use it as an opportunity to start a business from where they are.

I watched a You Tube video a few weeks ago with a man speaking to a class full of students. On the surface this doesn’t like a big deal, but when you hear that this person was born with no arms and no legs, yet he managed to get through life with the circumstances he had. Hearing that, it becomes a bit of a big deal.

It also reminds me of a poster in the office of the prosthetics department at the local Hospital. It’s a common photo, but it depicts a man climbing up the side of a cliff with a prosthetic metal leg. His leg had been amputated from above the knee joint yet he still managed to pursue his interests within the boundaries of the cards he had been dealt.

You can win the game with the cards you have been dealt by:

1. Looking at your circumstances and use them as your reason for doing what you do. The things you think are preventing you from moving forward may well be the things that will repel you forward.

2. Looking at other people’s circumstances and compare them to where you are. Look for people in circumstances worse than yours are (and there will be many). Find out how they became successful and use that as a forward motion motivator.

3. Looking at your current circumstances and how they have given you a circle of influence of friends, associates, work mates and peers. They are the cards you have been dealt. And a great bunch of people they are.

4. Being changeable. We all have to be willing to change, and accept change as it happens – internally and externally.

5. Being true to yourself. You have to believe in your abilities and follow through with them. Don’t let your circumstances become barriers.

I realised something several years ago. If I let my circumstances control what I wanted, then I didn’t really want it bad enough to begin with. When we REALLY want something, passionately enough, we find a way to MAKE it happen. Since realising that the only things I deal with in life are priorities. Everything else is just “stuff”, as a good friend once said “… Don’t sweat the small stuff…”.

June 17, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing – Leading with the Business – Choose the right market

Traditional Network Marketing insists in an almost strict fashion that we should always lead with the Business. If people decide the business is not for them, you can introduce them to the products as a customer. Many people still use this as their main marketing tactic. I personally choose to focus on two markets – customer and business because both have their own unique wants and needs.

There is however a lot of merit to building a business focused on Business Builders – providing it is not at the detriment of those who would be customers if not pressured to be business only members.

Your downline will copy the things you do. That’s how duplication works. If you focus on only bringing in Networking Business Builders, your downline will expect to be doing the same thing. There needs to be some focus on the products or the business will appear as if it is only about sponsoring others on a monthly subscription to thin air – otherwise known as a scam. That is how Legitimate Network Marketing systems develop bad reputations.

Business builders belong to a separate niche market. They are people who are committed to building a business based on the flow of products through their group. This flow of products will be through business builders and their personal and preferred customers.

Leading with the Business in Network Marketing

  • Look in areas where business people will want to go, “…you can’t play baseball in the middle of the Ocean and you can’t go fishing in the middle of a desert…”. You will need to find situations where you can put your business in front of people interested in Business.
  • When marketing online, you will find Advertising opportunities like Google Adwords is suitable for Business building because people are looking for specific keyword terms. They are looking for information on building a home based or network marketing business.
  • Offline Marketing will revolve around Business opportunity sections in Newspapers and more specifically industry based magazines. Promotion like this should be focused on you as a person and how you can be of benefit to the prospective representative. By doing this you give yourself leverage over those promoting only the opportunity. The old saying that people will join YOU before they join the business is as true today as it ever was.
  • Business based forums and online social networking sites are all good ways of developing a leads base or contacts list when you are leading with the Business.

The idea is to hang out where Business minded people are compared to when you are leading with the products where you would hang out where people are looking for information on products similar to those you promote.

June 15, 2010  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing – Leading with the Products – Choose the right market

Network Marketing is a business based around building structure and marketing products. There are many lifestyle advantages to Network Marketing. Products need to move through a business to generate income. In modern day Network Marketing Customers buy directly from the Manufacturer or Supply Company and Business members seek new customers who also buy from the Supply Company. The process repeats and structure builds. Business members also become their own customers and buy products for themselves.

That’s the basic run down of modern day network marketing. As a Business builder we must decide whether to look for customers, Business associates or a combination of both.

Old fashioned Network marketing techniques would insist you look for Business Builders only. If you have no luck there, turn them into a customer, but times have changed from using this method. Modern marketing methods enable us to focus on both customers and business builders as 2 separate market segments. These segments can naturally move from one side to the other.

Modern day Network Marketing models will have structure that enables you to keep your Business Members (BM) and Preferred Customers (PC) separate. This gives you the option of leading with the business or leading with the products. Sponsoring from a product perspective is a good way of introducing the products to your list. It is ideal to run marketing campaigns that lead with both at the same time each to its own market.

The old fashioned form of leading with the Business ONLY, leads to an aggressive business only market. The key to Marketing should always be to find what people want and give it to them.

Ways you can lead with the products

  • Choose the right market “…If you want to go fishing, look for a body of water. If you want to go climbing look for a mountain…” Look for opportunities to put your products in front of people likely to want to buy them. You can cast your line on dry land as often as you like but you will not catch any fish.
  • Ask the question, “…are you looking to improve your health or do you want to increase your wealth…?”.
  • If your promotion is mainly online and you promote Health products you will be looking to promote on Website’s focused on health related issues.
  • Study your products well, get to know the ingredients and how and why the products work. You can then present yourself on forums and in discussions as an expert (or at least an apprentice) in the field and develop a respect from other forum or social networking site members.
  • Car boot sales and weekend markets are an excellent way to lead with the products. You get the chance to talk to people personally about your experience with the products and build a leads list for customers and potential business representatives.

Leading with the products does not mean they automatically become a customer. It means you use the products to introduce the business concept and the benefits associated with it. There are more advantages to being a Business member compared to being a customer. Large discounts by buying at wholesale, the ability to build a business – now or in the future, representative only discounts etc.

If they are interested in the products and not the benefits of being a representative, they have not felt bullied or pressured to become a Business member and are more likely to become a customer.

Network marketing is about giving others what they want, not taking what we want. As Business members, our bonuses and income will happen by default when we help others get what they want.

June 15, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Network Marketing – Building your local customers and representative base

The Internet has taken Network Marketing to whole new levels in the past 10 years. Much focus is placed on using online promotion methods as well as building systems that use only online efforts to build your Network.

I have not been approached personally about a business opportunity for 5 years or more, but in the last 6 months I have been asked by no less than 100 people about a business of some sort online. The Internet has left local marketing almost untouched.

Every company has its own set of terms, conditions and rules relating to how you can promote. Some companies allow blind promotion where you advertise, but do not mention the company. Other companies allow approved advertising where you can advertise and use the company name but the company must approve the ad. Some companies do not permit any form of marketing other than word of mouth.

Suffice to say any recommendations or suggestions made in this article should be referenced back to your upline or should be used in conjunction with your companies’ rules of conduct.

Car Boot Sales and Local Markets
Car boot sales and markets are an excellent tool for building brand awareness, making direct sales and building a list of potential business prospects. Car boot sales or markets are often conducted by a local church, school or community group. You pay a fee to set up a stall and make it attractive to passers by. You could give out free information packs and samples in exchange for completing a survey, which would include contact details for you to follow up.

Advertising in Local Papers and Magazines
When it comes to advertising Bigger is NOT always best. When you are seeking business representatives to build a business you will want to keep it all simple and duplicable. In other words you want people to do what you did to grow their own business. If you put flash expensive ads in the paper, people will look at the ad and think, “…I could never afford to advertise like that” and will likely pass up on the idea. A simple 3 or 4 lined ad is more duplicable and much less expensive than larger flashy ads. Co-ops with other team members can work with larger ads but you should include a note that the ad is part of a Co-op of a certain number of people sharing the cost of the ad and the leads generated.

Handing out Business Cards
A friend in the Networking industry would print business cards with “Write your name and number here” written along the top on the back of the card. He would hand people a card and ask them to write their name and number on the back. They would hand him back the card and he would have their contact details. His reasons were a little unethical because he didn’t want his prospects to cancel their meeting time. If they didn’t have his number, they couldn’t cancel. He at least had the chance to show them the business and they had a chance to say yes or no.

It worked for him but my morals are a little higher. I couldn’t use his methods but I do hand business cards out. And I do get calls from people who say they have my card or they got if from a friend. Business cards continue working beyond the initial handout.

The Internet is an important part of building your business but don’t let your local market slip away while you focus on the Internet based market.

June 14, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments

Home Based Business – Why Network Marketing is so Popular

Developing a home based business is a dream of many people around the world today. The personal and financial freedom of being your own boss is something we all reach for. There are many benefits associated with working from or at home. Personal freedom and Time freedom are just a couple.

There are many small enterprises designed to be run from a home base. Franchise operations are more popular now than ever before, they have proven to be a good choice for people with minimal or no business experience to tap into a working system and build a business based around someone else’s idea.

There are many types of businesses that can be operated from home or with a home base. Lawn mowing and gardening operations, accounting and book keeping, mobile mechanics and dog washing services are all common businesses that can be presented in a franchise based home enterprise mode.

Home based business in Australia is expanding rapidly. According to the Business Victoria Website (as at June 2010), home based businesses represent 62% of small businesses in Victoria and this is growing at a rate of 3% per year since 2001.

The down side to starting a home based enterprise and likely the number one reason why people decide not to, would be the, often huge, expense involved. This is where Network Marketing’s popularity comes into play.  Network Marketing gives anyone the opportunity to develop a home based business without the typical costs usually associated with establishing a business from home.

A typical Network Marketing Business can be started for less than $500, sometimes as low as $100. With products, marketing materials and business start up expenses you could easily be in Business for less than $1000.

A typical Franchise Business model run from home would cost around $30,000 and you would have ongoing compulsory input costs to the Franchisor.

Compared to a Network Marketing Option Franchise based businesses seem financially out of reach to the average family trying to get ahead. Network marketing delivers a system similar to franchise businesses at a reduced cost.

Starting a Network marketing venture gives you the opportunity to build a business part time will still working your main income source or day job. This option is not usually available when buying a traditional business, as you have to hit the road hard to produce immediate income to support the high start up costs.

Network Marketing Businesses are also more family friendly allowing a couple and their kids to work together if and when they want to.

In summary, Network Marketing is a popular home based business option because:

  • The start-up costs are very low and easily at the reach of most families.
  • You can build the business part time while still maintaining your regular day job.
  • Families are able to work together towards a common, individual or shared goal.

June 14, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Home Business  No Comments

Network Marketing – The seed, the pod and the plate full of beans

There are many similarities between Network Marketing and other things in life that can be used as examples to explain the system and how it can benefit many people in building their own business. Here’s an example.

Jack’s mum was not very impressed when Jack came home with three bean seeds in exchange for a cow. They were struggling for money and needed extra cash. Jacks mum was so unimpressed that she took the seeds and threw them out the window in disgust.

So where did it all go wrong, Who made the biggest mistake – Jack or his mum?

A bean seed is an amazing thing. When planted it can grow into a plant that produces 25 to 50 pods, each of which can contain 5 or more bean seeds. 125 to 250 or more beans (seeds) can be produced from the planting of 1 single bean seed. Plant 2 Bean seeds and you could have 500 or more seeds.

If Jacks mum had of planted the 3 seeds (assuming they were NOT magical :o ), and expected the same average results mentioned above, They could have expected 375 to 750 bean seeds. If they held off eating them for the first year and planted the 750 seeds the following season they could have expected 150,000 bean seeds or more to plant in the third year.

Plants have an amazing way of duplicating themselves to ensure their survival.

It was obviously, wrong of Jack to trade a cow for a measly 3 bean seeds but having done so, it was possible to look at the situation and try to duplicate those Bean seeds into a profitable Bean venture within 3 to 5 years.

The obvious similarities to the Network Marketing Model should not be underestimated. Not just in the duplication example but the whole process.

Like Jacks family, when people join a Network Marketing Business they are often struggling financially and use a small portion of whatever savings they may have to purchase a business. A business that “may” work (like trading the cow for the beans) only to find out they don’t WANT to do it a week later and throw the business kit out the window (as with the seeds).

If only they had planted a few seeds (sponsored some representatives) fed them with support, training and encouragement And assisted them in duplicating the same way you did. Within a few years they would have seen the duplication of their efforts begin to kick in.

If you are currently building a Network Marketing Business and are considering your future options, try using this example and sticking with your business a little longer. Perhaps you could use this article to assist you showing your Opportunity to your prospects to see how easy duplication really is.

June 14, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Network Marketing  No Comments