Network Marketing
Want to know something that I find interesting and a bit
puzzling? Whenever I meet people in the
business of Network Marketing, they only talk about how much money they are
making. It’s always about the revenue
generated by their upline or the moolah that they plan to make and, of course, how much better their lives are as a
result of being in the business. But,
never do I hear about the number of lives they are changing with the products
or services that they are selling. It
becomes obvious that too often the passion is in making money only, not in
providing value through meaningful products or services. And, in my opinion, they are missing out on
the key ingredient for business sustainability.
I have worked with several Network Marketing companies
selling products and a wide array of services from insurance,
telecommunications, legal assistance, energy products, and finally credit. Throughout all of these experiences, it’s
fair to say that I never heard any of my colleagues talk about how much joy
they were receiving from helping people with the products and services that
they were providing. I have never seen
testimonies from customers who loved the product or services. This glaring omission on the part of
businesses to intentionally name the desire to help others as a goal, was the
number one reason why I was unsuccessful in the Network Marketing
industry.
I am driven by a burning desire to serve. Any
product and/or service that I sell must have a positive-measurable impact upon
the customer or I am not satisfied. The
accumulation of material items alone will not satisfy me. I am moved by a much higher purpose. Now, please don’t mistake intent, I am not
saying that all Network Marketing companies and the people involved with them
are bad and should be avoided. Quite the
contrary, I believe that Network Marketing is one of the best avenues for
entrepreneurs who want to get started in business.
The startup cost is typically low, usually never more than
$500. The business brand or identity is
already created, so you don’t have to worry about such things as creating a
logo, choosing company colors, or producing marketing materials. Training is usually provided and mentors are
available to help, avoiding the typical learning period required for new
startups.
For a $500 investment you get a website, business cards,
training, promotional materials, mentors, and a company that already has market
awareness. I find that for me this was
the attraction: low startup cost,
everything that I needed to get started in business, and the ability to start
generating significant revenue in a short period of time. I also found that I
liked many of the products that Networking Marketing companies offer. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the
services. Even though they are offering
services that are in high demand, the implementation of those services never
quite seems to live up to the hype.
The bottom line is that Network Marketing is built upon the
business model of connecting and building relationships and can be very
lucrative in the short-term. However, if the intent behind your connecting is
to only make money with you as the only beneficiary, then it is not a strong
connection and therefore not sustainable.
Sustainable networks are comprised of connections that send
and receive. If either is lacking, the
network is doomed for failure.
