The theory behind network marketing (MLM) is simple. You recruit a few people and train them to do the same. A former wise, and very successful upline of mine used to say: "Simple but not easy". Those four words explain why so few people succeed in networking, especially when they try to do it completely online.
Few of us are willing to take the traditional approach of talking to family and friends, so Internet Marketing is a very appealing alternative proposition because you can do it from home and in unsocial hours to fit round friends, family and an existing job. Internet Marketing can be used to promote any business, and the system I now use works with both my networking and traditional businesses.
Concentrating for this article on Internet Marketing for MLM, the adverts say "anyone can do it" but you'll quickly find that if you're don't have certain fundamental skills and expertise you'll struggle. I speak as one who found out the hard way. For over twenty years I ran a conventional business in computer programming, so I approached Internet Marketing thinking that with my background it would be "a breeze". I was so wrong!
At first I didn't even realize that I had a challenge. I just thought "things are a bit slow to start with" or "this program is no good" - but then I studied how others were promoting one particular program and making a lot of money while I was only making a little. We had the same business and compensation plan - what they possessed, and I lacked, were Internet Marketing skills.
I enquired right the way up-line for help, but we all had the same problem - lack of knowledge. Finally I recruited a personal contact who did have these skills and it was by observing his success that I realised that it wasn't the program that was at fault, but my inadequate knowledge. He kindly gave me a few tips, but it's not in the interest of the downline to pass their help and skills upline!
With most compensation plans you will not hit the big-time on the back of "one lucky find". To attain the higher positions you usually need to build at least two legs with decent sales. In any case, if you build a business on the success of just one leg, you're always looking over your shoulder worrying what happens if he takes his group elsewhere.
I believe that the company I was trying to promote back then, and that I am still with since 2002, only expected their business to be marketed by word of mouth, in the conventional networking manner, and I think they were a little taken aback by the success and skills of those who joined and "flew" on the Internet. So, at the time, they could do little to help. To their credit, they have since then added some simple Internet training, but even with that there are still four separate groups of affiliate:
* "Talkers" - Those with the gift of talking to people and promoting the business one-to-one
"* IMers" - Those with Internet Marketing skills whose teams just fill, as I have seen myself from a few very talented people in my team
* "Hopefuls" - Those who lack both the above, but just want to make some extra money. Without the skills of the other two groups I have found that these people usually give up quite soon, unless they joined simply for the benefits of the product, rather than the earnings.
* "Dreamers" - Those who join the business, do little or no work, and leave within weeks
I won't even pursue a discussion about the "Dreamers". They are an unfortunate hazard of the home-business scene and while we can try to encourage them, it's important not to be down-hearted when they fail to respond to our offer and move on.
In my experience, "Talkers" just ARE. They're the sort of poised people who could sell ice-cream to an Eskimo. I am not, by nature, a "Talker" so I use my company's local meetings and online training sessions instead. However everyone finds it easier to speak with assurance about their business after having success, so my preference is to concentrate on helping people reduce the steep learning curve of becoming "IMers".
"IMers" may bring their talents from a previous career or business; some have enough money to pay for someone else's expertise; others have spent significant time and effort learning these skills, which means gaining a knowledge of (or circumventing the need to know about) domain registration, web hosting, HTML, FTPs, splash pages, lead capture pages, frame-breakers, ad-tracking and auto-responders - to name just a few of the obstacles you need to surmount.
While the first two groups have an advantage on the face of it, even the "Talkers" and "IMers" need help, because if they recruit "Hopefuls" who cannot duplicate the ability of their sponsor, without a good training resource the new recruit soon leaves and needs replacing.
As a sponsor it is my responsibility to help those who join my team. Originally when new "Hopefuls" looked to me for help with marketing online I hadn't got a clue, so how could I help? What I required (and found) was a method to move "Hopefuls" into one of the profitable groups, as quickly a possible and the minimum expenditure of time and money.
When this can be achieved, so can the often quoted, but seldom achieved, "recruit three people and they do the same".
