The Myths and the Truths to Network Marketing

OK...the first step is completed towards your life to financial freedom: you have partnered with a company for your home based business franchise.

Congratulations!! Most people don’t get this far...all they do is dream of having their own home based business franchise, but never take the action needed to go and start creating their home business wealth and the lifestyle of their dreams.

So, you have signed up and now the next question you are asking yourself in a very terrified voice is “What do I do now?” Where do I begin? How do I get started and where is my sponsor who promised me that they would be there for me every step of the way?

I cannot tell you how many people confide in me that they never hear from their sponsor after the first couple of weeks. The typical way it goes is your sponsor will take your money, get you on their down line, maybe have a brief conversation that they might call a business strategy session to let you know how to get started, and they lead you to the company’s back office to learn the marketing and plug into the system yourself. They may or may not check in with you periodically, depending upon how busy they are signing up people just like you; people who may not know the first thing about marketing or becoming an entrepreneur. Does this ring a bell for anyone out there?

It’s interesting...the statistics show that about 97% of the people who enter into the Network Marketing profession fail. It is widely written that one of the reasons for failure is because the blind are leading the blind. People sign up people without really knowing how to be a mentor or a leader. They don’t know how to teach, lead or motivate people into becoming the leaders that they need to become if they are going to succeed in this business. Because they don’t know how...they don’t do it at all and let their down line follow the old way of conducting an MLM business just like they did. The downfall to this completed circle is that typically both of these people lose. Most times they are following the system that is broken and until someone steps up to fix the system…failure will be the ultimate outcome. This group of people after 3-4 months get fed up with not making the 6 figure income that they were told they would be able to make and go on to the next home business franchise opportunity, the next promise of home business wealth and financial freedom only to fail once again. Do you see a pattern?

What is also interesting, but not so widely written about is the sponsor who does start to see some real success. They do possess the leadership qualities that people come to them for, but then because they are so busy marketing and signing new people up, they do not take the time to mentor, teach and be the leader that ultimately made their sale. They mask their private monthly group conference calls as a mentoring method, and while this is a good method of masterminding, and certainly is almost a requirement for success, it is not typically the one on one mentoring and planning that many people are expecting, looking for, and quite frankly need.

Happily I will tell you that there are also leaders out there that take their role as a leader, a mentor and a sponsor seriously and as their business. They know the value of developing their people and they don’t take on so many people to their down line that they cannot give the attention that sometimes is needed especially in the early steps of learning a new business. This group of leaders have a professional online marketing system or a program in place that they personally have created for their down line and that personal system combined with the company’s marketing system is what makes the successes that you hear about.

But let’s face it, the bottom line truly isn’t if you have a terrific sponsor or not. I will say that if you are lucky enough to find a sponsor in the third category, congratulations. I believe that your journey to home business wealth will be quicker, not as costly and certainly not as frustrating, but the ultimate person that you must rely on is You. Ask yourself these hard questions:

• Are you Willing and Able to do what it takes to be successful in this industry? Are you ready to be a true entrepreneur and are you willing to take the necessary action each and every day, to learn what is needed to develop yourself into becoming the leader and mentor that people in turn are looking for?

• Are you willing to make sacrifices of time and yes a bit of money to ultimately get to your goals of having that lifestyle of your dreams? Do you have that vision and is it strong enough to not take failure and no as an answer?

This is why 97% of the people ultimately fail at this Network Marketing business...they don’t have the persistency, the tenacity and the commitment that is strong enough to see them to their ultimate success their ultimate home business wealth.

I know you have read the advertisements out there telling you that you will be a six figure income earner within weeks with no prior experience what-so-ever and little time spent in getting your home based business franchise up and running.

Well, I guess it can happen that way, but I must say that from my experience that is not the norm. If it were truly that easy, everyone would be creating their own home based business franchise and creating their home business wealth within weeks. I was talking to a guy the other evening and he asked me what was required to be a success in this industry. We talked about what his definition of success was, he shared with me some of his goals for the New Year and then we started to talk about some of the action steps that he would need to take in order to accomplish the lofty goals that he had set for himself. At the end of the conversation, he said thank you and said he didn’t think that he had the extra 10-15 hours per week needed to become a six figure income earner. What he was really saying was that he didn’t want to have to work that hard. Who out there earns six figures a year and works less than a couple of hours a week? Even people who have been successful in this industry for years work more than 2 hours a day. Let’s be honest with one another….

This industry, just like any other industry requires work. But for the same amount of trading your time for your dollars and making $40,000-$60,000 in other industries, in this industry you can earn up to ten times that amount. The top earners make more...with no extra effort, and they get to do it from the comfort of their own home which, for many of us, is the real benefit. Just think of it; no frustrating commute, no crazy bosses and your schedule and time is your own.

So, what makes people successful in the profession of direct marketing? Let’s first talk about what is not going to make you successful.

Treating everyone as your potential prospect will not make you successful. That is old school thinking. The three foot rule, talking to your warm and even luke warm market and when in doubt blurt it out methods have caused incredible damage to this profession of network marketing. People, who try to be everything to everybody, end up being nothing special to anyone.

Let’s face it…not everyone is looking to have their own home based business franchise. There are actually a lot of people out there satisfied with trading their time for their dollars and have no desire to change...and if they do desire a change, they are smart enough to realize that they don’t want to have to work differently than they are currently working. Guess what...this is OK.

When I first started in this industry, I immediately thought of a lot of people that I thought would be a terrific fit for my company. I could see my down line grow even before it began!! The products were terrific, you could make a lot of money, etc., etc. The bottom line was only one friend joined my team. No one else was remotely interested in having their own home based business franchise and after a while didn’t even ask me how business was going for fear of me “pitching” them the opportunity yet again. Well, I have learned my lesson the hard way and it is one lesson that I don’t care to repeat.

What I have found is that no one is worth Your Time Until They Have Shown An Interest In What You Are Offering And Have Asked You For More Information. As a business owner, which is exactly what you are, your job is not to make a convert out of anyone. Your job is to get the maximum return for your time. What that means is you talk with people who, for the most part, are on the same page as you are. They want to have their own home based business franchise, they want to be involved in online marketing and a bit of sales, and they want to build a different life and destiny for themselves.

One of the reasons why marketing to friends, family, total strangers, the people that we work with etc., was and still is one of the methods of advertising is because it is free. Everyone likes free, right? I know I do and luckily for me, (and you!!) we are now in the age of the Internet and leverage. I can do all of the marketing and advertising I want for free (and I do!!). Although there are many types of free advertising that you can take advantage of on the Internet, I am going to talk briefly about Social Media for just a minute because it brings around the point that No One Is Worth Your Time Until They’ve Shown An Interest In What You’re Offering And Have Asked You For More Information.

I saw this great video the other day showing what really works in the Network Marketing Industry these days and it is not prospecting the waitress at Applebee’s, talking with total strangers at the mall, accosting your postman with your information and leaving flyers on the windshields of cars. Again this particular mode of advertising is called social media, although there are many ways of advertising on the Internet as you will shortly learn.

The video that I saw described social media marketing methods as being at a party. Your party is at sites like Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, FaceBook…the list of social networking areas are endless. On these sites you talk about common interests, current events, your kids, you tell them funny stories, you post various pictures of you and your family, you talk about YOU. You get to know people and they get to know you. The video went on to say that as people get to know you, you invite them to your “home”. Your home is your blog, maybe Hub Pages, Squidoo, Wordpress..Here you give them free things like content, information, things that position you as an expert and leader in your field and eventually they will ask what you do for a living. It is at this point you can start to provide them with your information about what you do, your opportunity and your company. They may be interested, they may not...and that is OK because if they still like you, they will come back to your sites and they may bring other people to your sites...who might like what you have to offer.

It’s just like any doctor, lawyer, real estate person…you don’t automatically go up to people and say hey, when was your last check up? Your teeth are looking a little green...come and see me. No, they go to parties, they socialize, they get to know people. You, liking this person, eventually learn what their profession is and when you are ready for their products or services you go to them without them having to ask you. Make sense??

It’s all about your marketing and your selling of yourself as the expert and leader in your field. Through your marketing you are positioning yourself as an expert, which makes all of the difference in the world. There are millions and I mean millions of people who are looking for you as an expert and what you might be able to provide for them.

I just mentioned what I call that nastiest of all five letter words: sales. I know that it is common knowledge that most people hate sales, but the fact of the matter is when you are in Network Marketing...you are in sales to some extent. There are companies out there that do have call centers to help you close your sales for you and this is all well and good, but the bottom line is that these people are partnering with YOU. At one point you will have to have a conversation with them, and this to me is sales.

Now, I tend to view sales in a different light than most people, which is why most people do not hate me… and I do a lot of videos on sales, how the profession of professional sales actually works, various steps in the sales process, things people rarely do anymore and I do all of the time which make huge differences in sales, and how to overcome the fear of sales. I’m not going to get into an education on how I view sales right now, but my bottom line is that sales is simply a conversation between two people. Questions and answers back and forth. As the questions and answers progress both parties learn about each other and the “sale” should be seamless...if it is a win/win solution for each party.

Part of this conversation type of selling is having confidence in yourself and you gain confidence in yourself when you know your marketing opportunity and your products inside and out. What I find is that people are afraid of questions that they will not be able to answer. The solution to that fear is to become educated. Take the time to know everything about your company, your opportunity and your products. At that point there will be very little that you won’t have a solid answer to.

BUT and this is a big BUT so listen closely, while knowing your specific company inside and out is important...it’s not the most important aspect to you making your sale. When it comes to selling, Far Too Much Attention Is Paid To Telling About The Product And Far Too Little Attention Is Paid To The Person Doing The Buying. I cannot stress to you how important this is.

You might be saying to yourself, "well to gain confidence you said to know everything there is to know about my products, my company, etc." That is true…to gain your confidence. You now know what you have in your hands, you have the confidence that, when asked a question, your reply is not going to be “ughhh” and that is a great feeling. However, your prospect really doesn’t care at the time of your initial conversation what all of your products are. All your prospect wants to know is how is this opportunity, product or service going to take his pain away. All your prospect cares about is what is going to be in it for them.

The successful sales person is the one who can best make the connection between their prospect’s true desires and how their product/service will fulfill those desires. This is where your conversation comes in. All you are doing is asking a bunch of questions to find out about them, about what they want, what they are looking for in a home based franchise opportunity, and what their goals are.

Kind of like being at a party, right? You don’t talk just about yourself…the most engaging conversations are when you are asking the questions…and getting the answers.

As you are asking questions and your prospect is giving you their answers, you want to write down those answers so you can make reference to them later. That is when you can really start to tie in your opportunity, product or service to what they want and what they need. It is after you gather information that you can start to talk about your products and/or services.

I can hear you now, "but I don’t know what questions to ask and when talking with someone I get so nervous I always forget the questions that I want to ask.” The beauty of most Internet Marketing opportunities is that you talk with most of your prospects on the telephone. Have your questions written down in front of you before you talk with a prospect. And remember, your prospect requested more information. This is not a cold call and they will love that you are asking them questions about their wants and their dreams because so few people do it!!

Which brings me to my next point of discussion…and something that is rarely talked about by your sponsor when you are considering partnering with them.

Every single person is on a different timeline and there are multiple aspects that come into play that determine how quickly and how easily you will make a sale and therefore make money. Not everyone has the same skill sets, the same amount of time, the same amount of interest and desire, and the same amount of money for marketing. It is the combination of these four parameters that determine how quickly you will rise to the top.

To get started in this industry, most people have their day to day J.O.B…but time is needed to build your home business as well. Typically you will need at least 8-10 hours a week to dedicate to developing your business and that is on the light side. I suggest to people that they really want to dedicate about 15 hours a week on their business.

What is misunderstood is that most people think that 15 hours is a total of 15 hours. You need 15 hours of revenue producing activities and then the support time is extra. People make the mistake of being busy all of the time, but was that busy work or work that was revenue producing? Revenue producing activities include marketing and talking with your leads. If you don’t have any leads yet, then you need to be marketing.

Everyone comes into their home based business franchise with guns loaded. They have the interest and they have the desire, but as they put in their 2-3 hours a day at the end of what is typically an already long day only to start their marketing and talking to their prospects, their interest and desire start to wan a bit. After a long day of dealing with your boss, commute, internal politics, it takes discipline to do more work. You were beat up at work...and here you need to do some more work?? Your head is screaming at you by now. I know the deal, I was there, but I asked the question early on to myself, ”Is my desire to change my life strong enough?”

Ask the question to yourself, ”Is Your Desire To Change Your Life Strong Enough???”

If it is, then you will make the extra hours in the day work for you so eventually you will not have to go to your J.O.B. and you will be creating the lifestyle you desire on your own terms. That is what this is all about, isn’t it?

I know that you hear about the top producers making all of this money, and the top producers are always the top producers. You might see the testimonials that they made $20,000 their third month in business, etc. What they do not tell you is that they have been in the industry for 3 or more years, were at one point up to their eye balls in debt and finally have found a professional online marketing system and a company that works for them.

What they do not tell you is that they brought a huge down line with them creating incredible residuals from day one, and what they do not tell you is the amount of money that they put into their marketing campaigns to be the top producer. I know people who make a lot of money….over $100,000K each and every month...but they also put $30,000K per month into their marketing campaigns.

Trust me; if you are willing and able to do exactly what the top producers did in the beginning of their Network Marketing career, then you will be at the top too! Just don’t be fooled that they were over night successes. Sure...they were overnight successes that took at least 2-3 years to achieve! And remember…it doesn’t mean that you are not going to see your successes fairly quickly. You probably will...it’s just not going to be to the tune of $20,000K to $30,000K per month right off the bat. But, for most people, even $5,000K to $ 6,000K a month is a very nice start to achieving their dreams and their goals…

The bottom line to your success is the marketing that you do. You can have the most ground breaking product in the world, but if you are not consistently marketing, no one will know about you and your product and no one will care. Effective marketing and sales is the most importantfunction of a business. Yes, the product, the compensation plan, your sponsor, the management are all important elements to the success of any business, but guess what...none of them are the income producing activities that you need to make your home based business franchise a success.

That takes marketing and the sales that come from your marketing efforts. It’s the revenue brought in from your sales that makes your success possible. Remember this: you can make a ton of money with the best internet marketing system and a mediocre product. You will never come close to making as much money with an incredible product and a mediocre marketing system and plan because in a mediocre marketing plan, people don’t hear about what you have to offer…

Never before has owning your own home based business franchise had such widespread appeal. Jobless rates are at all time highs and will continue to soar.

Learn about marketing and yes about sales, even if you do partner with a company that does some of the selling for you. Partner with the best internet marketing system you can find and if you can, find a good mentor to help you along the way. A mentor who will fill in the holes and the bumps that inevitably will be there with any home based business franchise that you start.

Finally, take action and MARKET, MARKET, MARKET. Use the Internet to leverage your message to the millions. When done properly and consistently, leads and then sales will be coming through your funnel just like the big boys on top.

Sound like the Best Home Based Business Franchise opportunity of a life time?? Terrific!! Let’s get started. Click below and you will be automatically introduced to my partner and friend, Jay Kubassek the Co-Founder and CEO of the #1 Professional Online Marketing System available on the Internet today. Jay will then guide you through the incredible marketing system at Carbon Copy Pro.