Network Marketing = People
For the nth time, what is network marketing? Some would say it’s about promoting your business, products, services and the opportunity itself. Some would even say it’s about building relationships. Is it really?
Most people in the MLM industry concentrate on the money making aspect and they seem to forget that network means a system made up of people. Networkers are so focused on the comp plan, lead generation and article writing that they forget the human element. Prospects, leads, reps, up line and down line – they’re all made up of people. They write articles to drive traffic to their websites. Shouldn’t they really mean “attract people to their websites”?
It’s not working. Even with the new automated lead generation systems, it’s still the same. Those cutting age systems didn’t change anything – same attrition rate, same retention rate – nothing’s changed except that the newfangled systems made networking more mechanical. They have just successfully taken more of the human element out of network marketing.
It’s even worse with Web 2.0. What should have been the perfect platform for relationship building? What we got is a bunch of MLM business owners sending adverts to each other. What happened to “Hi! How are you doing these days?”
Put yourself in these persons’ shoes. Would you do business with a total stranger just because he writes helpful and informative articles? A con artist can do articles too, and probably even write better. Yours could be the best company or opportunity in the World Wide Web but if people don’t really know you, your business won’t move an inch. Personally I’d rather keep my money in the bank than embark on a business venture with a person I hardly know.
If you take the time to learn about the people you come across with, know their likes and dislikes, their fears and desires and the reasons why they’re looking for an alternative source of income they will see genuine concern. They would trust the person who shows real interest in them as people – not prospects – and who would truly be willing to help them address their needs.
Try it for a change. Focus on the people around you. Talk to them and find out about them and not if they’d buy your product. Write some personal e-mails. Instead of adverts, share photos of your kids and ask about theirs. Build relationships and bring back the people part of network marketing. Slow down and enjoy the interaction. A simple change in pace could be the ticket to ultimate success for your business.
Bill McMahon
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I really like this article! I have to agree that many people are beginning to focus so much on the social networks and automating their blogs etc. that they are forgetting their own potential customers! Twitter especially seems to have gotten very bad, where it seems to be becoming rare that a marketer is doing anything but posting automated affiliate ads every 30 minutes.
-Claudia ^_^
Bill, this is an AWESOME post and soooooooo true! I can’t tell you how many times, that the minute I say hello to someone they are immediately trying to cram their business opportunity down my throat! I much prefer getting to know someone first and building the relationship. Thank you for writing this very informative post. We all need a little reminder once in a while!