Be Sure Your MLM Business and Marketing Approach is Right for You

Like a horserace handicapper, people have varied skillsets and approaches. What works for one, doesn't always work for another - and may not even work all the time. But the most important part of the equation in any business, including MLM, is YOU. You're unique - and that's a pretty potent marketing tool. There are thousands upon thousands of MLM business opportunities and lots of varied marketing techniques, but if they aren't appropriate for you, then they won't work.

So, once you've determined what business really suits you and that it's something you really believe you can do, then decide what marketing approach fits your personality. There isn't really a single right way. Personally, I'm not comfortable with the old 'warm' marketing approach. Bugging friends and family, making cold calls and beating people over the head with my 'wonderful' opportunity just doesn't work for me. To me, it's an obsolete approach. But that doesn't mean it can't work for you. Some people have been really successful using that tactic.

My own preference rests on the principles of Attraction Marketing - getting people to invite you into their lives. If you build strong relationships and trust in your social network, offer constructive advice and help, people will regard you as a person of value. Interested parties will start to seek you out. You'll be a welcomed guest, not a despised 'sales person' trying to dig into their bank accounts. The social barriers people erect to protect themselves against the deluge of information and the onslaught of sales people will crumble, and you will be uniquely positioned to succeed.

Reviewing The Fundamental Plan for Your Own Network Marketing Business

Life is all about sharing. Don't work in islolation. You can't get a new home-based business off the ground without drawing on other people's experience and knowledge. Like most network marketers, I made a ton of mistakes, largely because I simply did not have good guidance and a well-formed plan. Any of the real gurus will tell you that. Many of them struggled for years before succeeding. And you can learn a lot from the right mentor.

So today, I'm taking a look back and reviewing the basic steps you need to take to get started right.

First and foremost, whatever you decide to do, be committed - at least for a year. Businesses do not succeed overnight. And all those 'make thousands quick' deals in the MLM industry probably aren't worth your time. Be honest, thoughtful and consistent. Make sure you add value. Establish yourself as a real professional who has something to offer that people want or need.

Step 1: Determine what you want to do. Select something that suits you, that will allow you to build off your strengths and that you will really enjoy and will be committed to - if you aren't, you'll find yourself in trouble (and a lot poorer) quickly.

Step 2: Analyze why you want to do it. Write out a clear statement of your why. It's not just about making money, it's about making money to pay for your kids' education, to travel and do things you've never been able to afford, to build for your own retirement by achieving full financial freedom, to allow you to do something else that you're really passionate about but doesn't make you any real money, and so on. Whatever your 'why' is, it's your real motivation to keep going. So post your 'why' where you can see it every day.

Step 3: Consider when to get started. This is actually a bit tricky. 'Now' is the obvious answer. And most gurus will tell to 'take action now.' But if you start running around without a good financial and business plan in place, and you fail to accumulate some basic knowledge about your industry and business, you'll just wind up flitting from one thing to another, trying to find something that works. When you've got your foundation, you can apply the '80% action/20% learning' rule. But when you are getting started, I'd recommend '40%/60%'. I think you'll avoid a lot of mistakes and, ultimately, be more successful. So, by all means, get started now, but make sure you have your ducks in a row too. There is no road to instant success.

Step 4: How: The two major problems people building a new home-based business have are: 1) Lack of Money and 2) Lack of Quality Leads..

The first can be overcome by preparing and utilizing a good budget and by finding a way to generate enough income while you're getting off the ground with your main business. Know what you can afford to invest and how you want to invest it. Don't run around buying up stuff or programs without careful thought. There is a lot of good information on the Net and a lot of excellent guidance that is available for free from top leaders in the industry. Find it (google search, FaceBook groups are some good starting points) and use it. Allocate your funds so that you are getting maximum value.

Many people will tell you 'this is the truth, the way. Just sign up and you're off to success'. Look rather for those who invite you to learn, offer valuable advice, video presentations, and webinars - people who want to build a relationship with you that will be mutually rewarding. But don't buy anything until you've evaluated its potential benefit to you. And stay on budget or you'll be out of business.

Overcoming the lack of quality leads really rests on two factors: building your own list and building a strong relationship with that list. People who favor the warm marketing approach will tell you to start with your family, friends, acquaintances and associates. It works for some people, but not for me and probably not for many of you. I prefer the principles of Attraction Marketing and build my lists and relationships to establish myself as someone people want to do business with. But much more on that later.

Having Trouble Reaching Your MLM Goals?

Old Scratch was quite a character. He always wanted to share Sara's dinner, but could never quite reach it. Not for want of trying though. And that seems to be the case with most of the people who are trying to make it in MLM. They find their niche, start building their network, and then they start to market. But success is elusive. And the checks aren't big enough to make it worthwhile. So, what's the problem and how can you solve it?

First of all, you need a marketing approach that works for YOU. If you've chosen a company to represent, chances are you'll be trying to promote through the company's website. They'll give you all kinds of sales training. And your upline tells you that the 'warm' marketing approach is the way to go. They suggest you build your list of friends, family, acquaintances, professional contacts - people you know or with whom you have at least some contact. You'll get scripts which they insist are effective. And they may suggest you buy 'opt-in' leads.

You enthusiastically slog your way through everything they suggest. But your family, friends and acquaintances/associates want no part of your opportunity. You've talked with everyone you can think of - in stores, at social gatherings, anywhere and everywhere. Your personal social network gets exhausted and all you feel is that you're a pest. And cold-calling leads produces next to nothing. You wind up feeling stupid, inadequate and discouraged - and pretty much empty handed in your new MLM business. And all you get from your upline is "Just don't quit. The next call may be THE one that gets you going".

Yes, sometimes it does work - for people who are comfortable with the concept of 'warm' marketing. But that's a very small percentage - mostly people who are truly sales-oriented and have the personality to go along with it. But most of us aren't and can't work effectively that way. We're uncomfortable, unsuccessful and frustrated. We just can't reach success using the 'warm' approach.

I had some neighbors stop me once as I was working on my rose garden. They admired the bushes and asked me what I did to make them grow so beautifully. We chatted for quite a while. Wow. If I were a professional gardener, I had some new customers right there. I thought about that a lot. The difference was that they came to me! If I represented a gardening company, I could probably have signed them up on the spot, without doing any 'marketing' at all.

And that's the power of 'attraction' marketing. People come to you. They don't care about your product. They care about who you are, whether you're an honest and trustworthy person and professional. Someone who has something of value to offer them. Remember, people want to do business with people.