Aren’t Network Marketers those people that sell stuff from their homes and have stacks of products in their garage? Maybe it used to be something like that long ago, but not anymore! Especially now with the internet. You no longer have to carry large quantities of inventory. Now your company can take orders online and ship directly to your customers. Just like Amazon, or Walmart, it’s important that you view your Network Marketing Business as a System. A true business!

In this post we want to talk to you about how your network marketing business is actually a system. One of the reasons is because it’s important to see what it is that you are building, as opposed to the limited perspective a lot of people around you may have. This understanding will help build your posture and belief in the business model itself.

A Little Story.

Have you ever heard of the frog in the well parable? If not, here’s a little run down.

There once was a frog who was thirsty. He came upon a well and decided to go inside. He begins to drink and eat bugs. The frog becomes very comfortable in his surroundings and decides to live in the well. He stays there for a very long time.

One day he looks up and notices the beautiful sky. He admires it. He says out loud “look how wonderful the sky is”! Meanwhile, there are birds in the air, flying high. A bird sees the frog and notices his raised voice and hears his admiration for the sky.

The bird was surprised at how small the frog’s viewpoint was. If he only knew! The bird is thinking, “You think the sky is just this little piece you see everyday? You’re wrong! It is much bigger!”

The bird decides to scoop up the frog and show him a bigger view. The frog is astonished in the air, looking down. He sees rivers and mountains. He had no idea the sky and the world was that big.

This parable reminds me of how folks can view their network marketing business. Which are you, the frog or the bird? In a way we need to be the bird and not the frog.

So the moral of the story is, when we’re comfortable, we tend to remain where we are because this is all we can see. Sometimes we need the birds to “pick us up”, to help us see a larger perspective.

For example, you started building your business at home, so sometimes all you see is the home setting. But the truth is, you are part of a network that is much greater than that.

You are probably part of a network that’s in the hundreds, probably thousands, even hundreds of thousands in the company you represent.

Your Network Marketing Business is a System.

Did you know that your network marketing business is similar to a traditional franchise? That’s right! Did you know network marketing has been referred to as the poor man’s franchise?

This doesn’t mean you have to be down and out to get into network marketing. It just means you’re looking at a franchise system that doesn’t require a $30,000 to one million dollar investment.

With any franchise you’ll have steps and systems in place to follow. Network marketing is no different. When done correctly, it also has steps and systems that need to be put in place.

In future posts we’ll go more into detail with each step of your “franchise”. We’ll also go over what pitfalls to avoid and how to carry out each step in the network marketing business as a professional.

It Starts With You.

First it starts with you, right? As you know, the first step is to prospect. Then you have to invite, present, follow up and close on your prospect. And once you close, you’ll have to get your new distributor started, which includes mobilizing them to your team and company events.

Remember that network marketing is grassroots business building, particularly when building offline. It starts with you. Then you have to develop your team (locally or not so local with the use of technology).

The key is to find other distributors that will duplicate what you’re doing. There is a science and an art form to this.

This doesn’t mean you should go out and sponsor the entire world. It has nothing to do with that. In fact, you only really need a few dedicated team members to build a successful business. Remember, there’s a science and an art to this.

Science and an Art Form.

What we mean by science is there are real numbers to consider as you build. In terms of the art form, we’re talking about your skills with people, with communication, and with relating to people.

Understand that everyone is different and you can’t approach and speak to everyone the same way. People have different needs, different desires and different personalities. To be successful in this profession, you must understand this!

This is where the art form comes in. You need to connect with the different personality types, speak their language and identify, through listening, what the needs and desires are of your prospects.

If you always approach people the same way, pitching your opportunity or products without first listening and understanding their needs, they will see that you don’t have their best interests at heart.

They will most likely not join you or if they do, they’ll usually be the fist to quit your team.

Remember you only need a small group of dedicated core people to make a substantial passive income in network marketing. Key word here is passive. You may have to go through a lot of people to find your core members, but this is part of the science of network marketing.

It Takes Continual Education.

It takes an educational process for a new distributor to understand what it is that they are building. All the more, it is important for you to educate yourself on what it really takes to develop your network.

You want to keep doing the prospecting, inviting, presenting, follow up, closing and getting the new distributor started. This is a rinse and repeat process.

By doing this, you’ll filter through the dedicated and not so dedicated and eventually find a distributor who will actually take action and duplicate what you are doing. Most important, a team member who’ll be coachable.

As you gather your core team, you’ll want to put them through your educational and training process immediately and come together to do joint activities. This will ensure a greater outcome for your activities. There really is power in numbers. It will boost your morale and push you forward as a team.

The Power of Leverage.

Eventually, when you find your dedicated core members, you will actually see the power of your network unfold before your eyes.

Picture this. You have a home meeting or a webinar. You invite 5 of your own prospects to hear your opportunity. Then one of your dedicated team members, who’s “on fire”, attends and brings 10 of her own prospects to your meeting or webinar.

That’s leverage right there! You see, the results are not based on your efforts alone. It may seem like that in the beginning but eventually you’ll experience a greater impact in terms of turnout with the same amount of effort. Make sense?

Conclusion.

We hope you have a better understanding on my it’s so important for you to see your network marketing business as a real business, with real systems in place, because that’s what network marketing is. A real business! Not just a hobby that you can do when you only feel like doing it.

This will help you to see the overall vision of your business as a system, which will help in building your belief and your posture when meeting with prospects.

Next time you meet with your prospects, know that this is not some rinky dink business. Network marketing is very big business and you are just looking for the right people to do business with.

So, do you view your network marketing business as a true business? Let us know in the comments!

We hope you found value with this post and would appreciate it if you could share with those who could use it.

Jennifer Asidao-Querubin
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