The real power of network marketing

I run across people all the time, many of them involved in this business, who simply do not understand where the real power of network marketing lies.

The power of network marketing is in the potential for exponential growth. People think they can be real successful by running a lot of ads, personally generating a lot of leads, personally sponsoring a lot of people. And there's nothing wrong with any of that. But it is simply not enough. The power of network marketing comes from the fact that you can create a self-duplicating business, a network of distributors that, combined, can reach infinitely more people than you ever could personally. The key to tapping into that power is not necessarily in personally sponsoring a lot of warm bodies. The key to success is in making sure that those you do sponsor are quickly successful, and that they understand how to train others to be just as successful.

Many of the rules of traditional business do not apply in network marketing. It is a different sort of environment. You don't mass market your business, you personal-market it, one on one. You develop strong bonds with your customers and distributors, to an extent which would be completely unpractical in a traditional business.

So how do tap into the power of network marketing, the power of unlimited exponential growth? Here are several good suggestions, gathered from various sources.

Value your customers and distributors at whatever level they wish to be. If they want to be retail customers, appreciate them and serve them as such. If they want to be "preferred customers" (distributors who sign up primarily to get the discount), then value and appreciate them at that level. Personally, I feel that in the long run, "preferred customers" are perhaps the best kind of distributors. It may take a while, but eventually they will start recommending the products, doing a little retailing, then sponsoring, and before long they find themselves as business builders, even though they never had the intention to do the business. I've seen it happen time after time. And the business builders that come up through this route are going to be the most solid distributors you have. They have a strong commitment to the product(s), they have no false expectations. They simply use and recommend the products, which is precisely what network marketing is all about -- a lot of people, each doing their little bit, consistently and with commitment.

And value your business builders at whatever level they wish to be. If you find someone who wants to turn over their whole life to your opportunity, to work the business day and night, evenings and weekends, to contact everyone they know, to run ads, ask for referrals, and really hit the ground running, then you need to drop everything and work with that person to ensure his/her success. If you have a distributor who tells you she'll be at the meeting, and then never shows up, or one who keeps saying he wants to do the business but then never does anything, then you need to value that person as well. Don't push them to go to meetings. Don't pester them to call their friends. Simply let them do their own thing. Let them know you are available if they need anything. If you push them they'll leave. But if you value them and appreciate them at the level they choose, then at least you'll have a satisfied "preferred customer" who will, eventually, bring in more business.

And value the retailer. The distributor who doesn't want to sponsor a lot of people but who just wants to sell products to family and friends. These distributors are an excellent source of referrals and testimonials.

Be friends with your distributors. Develop personal relationships with them. Develop a rapport and a bonding. Do this without any expectations. Take a sincere interest in them as people.

Develop and use a marketing system that can be easily learned and duplicated. Don't try to make the business too complex. Don't promote your business in ways that require specialized skills or expertise. You may be able to recruit a lot of people this way, but those people, by and large, will not possess the specialized skills necessary to duplicate your success. And in this business, the downline copies whatever the upline does. So remember that whatever you do will be repeated by your downline. That goes for the bad as well as the good.

Work for your distributors' success. Work to make them successful, and you will be successful. The more people you help to be successful, the more successful you will be. This almost goes without saying. And work deep within your organization to lock in your downline. Make sure those people down on the lower levels are enjoying success. If you are in a breakaway system, it pays you to work with people who are so far below you that they don't even show up on your printout. Why? Because those people do show up on the printouts of the people who show up on your printout, and if you can work to assure the success of those on your printout they will remain on your printout, month after month, year after year.