Do 'Network Marketers' Really Understand 'Marketing'?

An associate of mine, like me a branding and marketing expert since 20 years, commented while I was prospecting him for my offline network marketing business, "Man you must be doing really well because you know the principles inside out". I grinned sheepishly and thought to myself, "That's the problem", but I said, "well you do too, and so let's get started"... and we did.

But there was - and is - a 'problem' and that's what Mike Dillard says when he states, "Network marketing is just promotion and marketing done by people who have no clue about promotion and marketing". So this article is a small practical aid for people like moms working from home... starting a business with no qualification or experience, to understand what they DO teach you at Harvard Business School.

Marketing is about creating 'pull'. Sales is about 'push'. Keep this vividly in your mind. You are not in the Network Sales business. You are in Network Marketing. When I got into online networking very recently, I was quite taken aback at the open-the-door-and-sell-in-your-face tactics adopted by our brethren. Ouch!

Pull means you do whatever it takes to pull a prospect (lead) to you. You may want to do more dignified things than stand on your head and juggle 3 balls with your feet... but, whatever it takes... without having to cross a line where you find yourself pushing. Even if you disconnect, do it with authority, knowing that you are making available to your prospect something he does not have (and needs more badly than he may realize just yet).

Now there's an emotional difficulty in thinking this way. And many people articulate that in their minds as, "if he does not sign up what will happen to me... let me get desperate just this one time".

This is where the word 'Network' kicks in, with the job that it has to do. Networking is about realizing that there is plenty. A network can reach anywhere where a single entity can not. So when you are creating a network, you are operating from an abundance mindset which means, 'there are many more' (see Facebook Group Live in Abundance). And that, practically, is the 'hard work' of this business... to make a big list on an ongoing basis, so there can be many more.

Interestingly, it is hard work only because we do it for ourselves, with no end-of-the-month compensation. As any telemarketing professional would tell you, day in and day out all they do is make massive lists in exchange for some petty money, which they are assured of in salary. So it's not that lists of completely unknown people can't be built. It's about having that mindset about building them, and it is difficult when you don't know why. So the best way to develop that mindset is to cement a dream. To know 'Why' you will do what you have to do.

The untrained mind will object here. It will ask how can contacting xx number of people a day get my kid to private school? It will propose that one might as well spend that time contacting some principals, or ministers, or loan agents. But that's not how marketing works!

In corporate jargon we call this simple dream a 'Vision Statement', which every mind in the company aligns with. We call the marketers in and train them to have 'an emotional connection with the brand' so they sound warm and friendly. And then we segment our markets, target wide audiences and position our products in their minds. Repetitively, through advertising. Spending millions in the process. And the money comes back!

So while the Harvard guys spend millions to make millions, Network marketers spend a few thousands (on a System: Robert Kiyosaki) to make the same millions... and to make mindsets that make millionaires of others! My 'Why' for Network Marketing is to make 100 individual millionaires in my life. What's yours?