Does Network Marketing Work? This question is obviously an
important question to answer before deciding whether or not
to get involved with a network marketing business. The
answer of course is not as easy as just yes or no. If we
rephrased the question as "CAN network marketing work?" I
could easily answer "Absolutely!" and this article would be
finished. In order to answer the original question, we
will look at how and why network marketing does work and
why it does not work for many.
Old Way of Network Marketing
Part of the reason that network marketing has such a bad
reputation is because of the way it used to be done.
Before the internet completely changed the entire process,
people would go to big meetings and sit for 2 hours while
being sold on what a great product and business this was.
Then some of them would join the business and attempt to
recruit others by nagging their friends and family until
they finally agreed to attend one of the meetings. Then
the network marketer would bring his potential recruits to
the meeting and sit for 2 more hours watching the same
presentation. Often after the presentation, the friends
and family members weren't as excited as they were supposed
to be and they ended up not joining right away. They tried
to say no politely by saying "I'll have to give it some
thought". Then the member who originally joined would have
to constantly follow-up with all their prospects by phone
or in person and see if they were interested "yet". The
work was hard and uncomfortable and the payoff generally
wasn't good enough or fast enough to keep people working or
motivated long enough to succeed.
Network Marketing Now
The internet has made it possible to pretty much maintain
the same payment structure as the older network marketing
programs, but has changed the entire way recruiting is
handled. Now, many network marketing companies offer
websites that you send your prospective traffic to and
after taking a tour of the website, the company uses
automated emails to follow up on your behalf.
Getting people that are actually interested in your
business is now easier than ever. There are now hundreds
of ways to advertise your business without bugging your
friends or family and without even ever calling or
personally visiting anyone. For example - there are
websites that offer to advertise your network marketing
program for you and you pay them about $3 for getting a
visitor to come to your website and take your tour. Can
you imagine if 20 years ago network marketers could have
paid $3 to get people to come and listen to the
presentations? Do you think they could have had better
success? While the old systems relied heavily on your
ability to get your friends and family to participate in
the business, now many don't even tell their friends and
family about the business until they notice their nice new
cars and finally ask how they can afford it.
Why Network Marketing?
One of the main reasons I believe network marketing is such
a great option for starting a business is because it has
just as much profit potential as many other traditional
businesses, but requires only a minimal financial
investment and only requires as much time as you want to
give it. Can you think of any other business that you
could start, that would have the financial and time
benefits that network marketing offers?
Another reason I believe that network marketing is a great
business option is because when it's managed correctly you
can leverage your time with the time of others. What other
business can you start for such a minimal investment and
have the ability to franchise your business to others get a
profit from all the work they and anybody they recruit do?
If you get enough people working in your downline, there
becomes a time when you only have to do basic maintenance.
Then Why Do So Many People Fail?
Unfortunately many people do fail with their new network
marketing business and when they fail, they generally do it
pretty quickly. It is often said that about 95% of people
who start a network marketing business fail. I believe the
main reason people fail is because they had to high
expectations and didn't understand what they were getting
into. Unfortunately to many network marketing companies
advertise as get rich quick companies which just is not the
case. Network marketing is a REAL business and just like
any other business, it takes time and commitment to
succeed. I can generally tell very quickly during phone or
email conversations if I'm dealing with someone that is
likely to fail (AKA quit). When I get asked "I've been a
member for 7 days...how long until I start getting checks
in the mail?" I automatically know that this person has the
wrong idea and isn't likely to make it. I of course try to
explain that making money depends on their advertising
effort and I try to teach them different ways to advertise.
This is often met by dead silence for a while and then
they may say something like "about how long do you think it
will take until I start making money?" I am always still
committed and willing to help, but after that I know their
chances aren't very good.
When I get asked: "what would you recommend I start doing
to better understand the business so I can advertise and
promote it to others?" I know that this person understands
that this is a real business. This is the attitude of
someone much more likely to succeed.
Many people believe that on average 95% of the people who
start a network marketing business fail. But that is only
if you accept that the word fail and quit can be used
interchangeably. I don't accept that. Many more people
actually quit network marketing after only giving it a half
effort than those who actually fail. I would be willing to
bet that if we separated the quitters from the people that
actually gave it a real effort and failed, the failure
number would be much much lower.
So after all that, I guess I should just answer the
question. Hopefully after reading the above the answer
will make more sense.
Does network marketing work? - It certainly can and it does
work very well for many.
----------------------------------------------------
Casey Dunham is a successful online business owner and
marketer. Casey prides himself on helping others find the
perfect way to achieve the financial and time freedom that
owning an online business offers.
Would you like to use the power of the internet to earn a
full time or part time residual income from home? visit
http://www.GreatOnlineBusinesses.com
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