You’ve probably heard the saying “the more things change the more they stay the same”. I entered the game (network marketing) just as the internet was ramping up, about the same time you didn’t need to be a bodybuilder to hold a cell phone to your ear (remember the bricks of past years?). We were essentially told to write that proverbial names list (you’ve heard it – by 21 you know 2000 people… ) and start calling – did that ever work?
Not knowing much about the industry we simply used the products we purchased monthly and attended every training we could. We were lucky, we benefited from the products our company of choice produced so personal consumption was never an issue.
Like so many people we got no’s pretty well everywhere we turned but with sheer persistence eventually found and trained some great people and our business took off.
Fast forward 10 years it’s time to bring our MLM business online – why you may ask. Simple, while the essence of network marketing is the same, marketing methods evolve and change over time. One of the hallmarks of the 21st century is “You Inc”, or personal branding.
Thanks to the internet I’ve developed what I call a hybrid model, using the best offline MLM business strategies with online strategies. This means real approaches where I can send people to a web based presentation or do a one on one presentation if local, and attraction marketing through social media and content marketing to extend my reach.
Online is definitely a learned skill which for me at least has and is taking time but is absolutely worth it. “Brand you” will get you so far offline, and we have built teams in numerous countries just to prove the point, but online you’re only limited by your belief in yourself and the effort you put in.
Key lessons from my journey so far:
- Pick the right guru (s) to follow
- Throw some money at quality training, it speeds up the learning curve enormously
- Invest in personal growth on a daily basis. Network marketing / internet marketing is often called a personal growth course wrapped in a compensation plan – your income grows as you grow
- Have an advertising budget
- Find your voice – don’t give your voice to someone else. Sure you can outsource your content (assuming content marketing is part of your strategy) to oDesk and the like, but rolling up your sleeves and creating your own content gives you authenticity
- Be patient – it takes time but it does take
- Have a daily plan of action – social marketing can drain your time. Never forget it’s only part of the answer, you still need to daily prospect
- Find a company to align yourself with that supports online marketing as part of the mix
- Don’t be afraid to look outside your company for the training you need
- Persistence – stick with it. Seriously, if there is one skill that trumps all others this has to be it