Network marketing has been introduced to its soul mate and it will NEVER be the same again.
What is it that has changed network marketing forever? Let's first look at what network marketing WAS in the past. Basically, it has been (and will always be) a three phase process.
Phase 1: Prospecting
We prospected our friends and families. We prospected every new and old acquaintance. We prospected at the restaurant while eating and at the store while shopping. We even prospected at our children's schools! We prospected by sending sales letters. We prospected by cold calling on the telephone and by placing ads in the newspaper.
Where ever we were. It was all about prospecting. It was a numbers game and we COULDN'T afford to miss a possible recruit!
Phase 2: Presenting
We showed The Plan in our house and we showed The Plan in their house. We showed The Plan in meeting halls. We showed The Plan with flip charts and CD business cards. We even showed The Plan on bar napkins!
An hour here and an hour there to show The Plan. But don't be TOO good at it or your prospect might think, "Well, I can't do that!".
Phase 3: Training
Company training. Product training. Motivation training. We trained on prospecting and showing the plan. We did tool training. We even trained on the need for training!
More hours here and more hours there training each and every recruit. It was said, "Networkers with poor prospecting and presentation skills may survive. But those with poor training skills are surely doomed to network marketing death."
These three phases added up to A LOT of time and effort. Starting a successful networking business while working a regular job was very hard (nearly impossible for most). It's no wonder network marketing got a bad rap.
What has changed? Why is network marketing different now? In a single word - technology! The technological revolution spawned the INTERNET, which has changed the world and network marketing forever! Network marketing embraced the internet - And discovered its soul mate!
Prospecting, presenting and training can be done VERY effectively on the internet. How has the internet made network marketing a more viable alternative to our 'J'ust 'O'ver 'B'roke? Let's take a look at the three phases of networking WITH the internet.
Phase 1: Prospecting
The internet is a marketing paradise. Mass prospecting is accomplished in as little as an hour a day. Millions of potential recruits can be targeted daily. That's more than networkers ever dreamed of reaching using old methods!
If you don't want to prospect your friends and family - DON'T. If you aren't comfortable cold calling - DON'T. The internet has given us countless other avenues to gain prospects.
Phase 2: Presenting
On the internet, Phase 1 absorbs the presentation phase. With online prospecting, potential recruits are sent directly to The Plan (usually a web site). Prospects can read, digest and understand a business opportunity at their own pace. Periodic follow-ups ensure that the prospect is refocused on The Opportunity. This follow-up is handled by autoresponders (an internet technology!).
If you're not good at creating sales proposals - DON'T. If you're not comfortable showing the plan - DON'T. The internet is open 24/7, 365 days a year to show the plan for you.
Phase 3: Training
Make no mistake, training is still MANDATORY, even with the internet. But it can be done much more effectively and in a fraction of the 'old system' time. Every online network marketing company (worth talking about) has developed a standard easy- to-follow training guide. Their training guide is available online. That way, recruits can visit as often as needed and take small bits of information and put it to use.
If you're not good at training others - DON'T. The internet is 'The Information Highway'. People can learn to do almost anything from the internet.
A STRONG word of caution. The internet has made networking efficient and effective. It has NOT made it impersonal. You MUST communicate with your recruits. Network marketing is a compounding of effort! That compounding won't happen if you hang your recruits out to dry. The great news is that the internet, via e-mail, has made the communication with recruits very, very simple!
The internet has made prospecting, showing the plan and training doable by anyone and everyone. If you have never been part of a network marketing opportunity; Or if you have been left with a bad taste in your mouth from traditional network marketing; Or if you have worked a network marketing opportunity before, but with limited or no success; Maybe it is time to Go For "Networking the Web Way"!
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