In 1998 savvy, successful Network Marketers began looking
toward the internet as a way to move their business
building efforts from the hotels, motels and living rooms
dotting the landscape to websites, chat rooms and web
conferences. Companies began to move product fulfillment
from toll-free numbers and FAX lines to on line ordering
through websites assigned to individual distributors.
The internet's promises were myriad: 24 hour marketing,
standardized presentations, the leverage of technology, the
ability to cast a wide net to attract new customers and
distributors without the limitations of region and distance.
Yet, by the year 2000 the viability of the internet as a
business tool was seriously in doubt. The majority of
consumers were using dial up connections at 56 kbps or less
and could not access many of the presentations and
downloads available online. High speed internet connections
were reserved for businesses and consumers who could afford
the 60 to 100 dollar per month premiums charged for a high
speed connection. Consumers, concerned about online fraud,
were reluctant to shop online. Finally many of the
companies now considered internet bell weathers had yet to
turn a profit online.
Additionally many companies and distributorships who found
success with traditional network marketing models were
reluctant to embrace online technologies or provide support
for distributors seeking innovative ways to expand their
businesses. Even today, distribution of information,
technology and systems across the industry that may
compliment and augment an individual distributor's business
building efforts is not uniform leaving individual
distributors to adopt older strategies which do work but to
which they may not be suited or engage in counterproductive
budget-draining strategies in search of the next guru with
the answers.
Yes, the internet held promise but the overriding question
was would high speed internet usage become common place
enough to allow the free-flow goods, services and, most
importantly, information in the market place?
According to a November 28, 2007 article in the LA Times,
internet access in the US has grown tremendously since 2001
from an estimated 4.5% of households to 22.1 % of
households in 2007. Most excitingly the US currently ranks
15th internationally in the availability of high speed
internet opening the possibility of broad exposure in both
domestic and international markets for the entrepreneurial
distributor backed by effective technology, quality
products and a seamless compensation plan.
While it is our opinion that the internet will never
completely replace the need for and value of human
interaction, social networking sites, forums and chat rooms
amply demonstrate the value of the internet in forging new
connections and strengthening bonds in the business
community.
The truth is that successful network marketers have always
had the ability for forge new connections, build large
social networks and market themselves over time and space.
These marketers, successful using traditional models, were
"always on". They were always on the lookout for potential
new business partners sometimes to the embarrassment and
consternation of their friends and families. A trip to the
mall was never just a trip to the mall. A trip to the
movies never just a trip to the movies. A trip to the
grocery store never just a trip to the grocery store.
As it applies to network marketing, the value of the
internet is obvious. The following benefits are listed as
illustrations and are by no means exhaustive:
1) standardized presentations that run 24 hours a day 7
days a week
2) order fulfillment that runs 24 hours a day 7 days per
week
3) 24/7 business building and downline growth
4) multiple language presentations to grow your business
5) access to new markets
6) access to new warm markets and spheres of influence
7) on-going, long-term, customizable follow up with your
prospects
8) time and space leveraged technologies that allow a
presenter at home in his or her pajamas to present
simultaneously to prospects in multiple locations
9) limitedless interpersonal connections required for
business growth
10) ability to customize technologies to allow
self-expression for the individual entrepreneur
What should a network marketer do who wants to take
advantage of the internet yet has no support from his
company or upline? That is a difficult question.
Difficult because our experience teaches us that it is very
easy for a distributor to get lost in the miasma of guruism
in search of information or the "magic bullet" and forget
all about his or her company, products or services thereby
compounding rates of attrition already present in the
industry. An internet marketing system will, in general,
be an expense added to the already existing business
expenses of autoship, product purchases, and corporate
subscriptions. The following list is a guideline to assist
you in finding or developing the system that is most
appropriate for you and assist you in taking a practical
approach to evaluating a system before you attempt to
duplicate it throughout your organization:
1) A system should have professionally written
autoresponders
2) Link tracking. If a prospect clicks on your link, where
did that click come from?
3) Well-designed landing pages that capture prospect
information
4) Category sorting for prospects and the ability to
customize campaigns to those categories
5) White-listed server. Will your prospects get e-mails
send from your system?
6) Can-spam compliant
7) Unsubscribe function that should unsubscribe prospects
from all prospect categories
8) System upgrades and new sites included in purchase price
and ongoing subscription
9) Internal well-designed presentations
10) Integration with your corporate websites to facilitate
product purchases
11) Excellent customer service
12) Initial start up cost of no more than 80 dollars and
ongoing subscription rates of no more than 49.95 per month
13) Dedicated web team to keep the system running
14) Form code generators that allow you to integrate
independent pages into your system
15) Refer-a-friend pages or scripts for your pages
This list is not exhaustive but will serve as a useful
guideline to help you get started on the right foot if you
want to build your network marketing business online.
Finally, as access to high speed internet connections
continues to grow around the globe, the internet holds
tremendous potential for those seeking to build their
network marketing business online by providing access to
new markets. Access that was once restricted to those with
large budgets and the unrestricted ability to travel. The
internet, in short, levels the playing field allowing more
avenues to the "winners circle" of your chosen company.
----------------------------------------------------
Ouida Vincent has been generating leads online for her
primary network marketing business and teaching duplicable
strategies to her team from her home for over 5 years. To
learn more go to http://www.passiveincomesecretsonline.com
Michael Ray, MLM internet entrepreneur and expert in
building a successful MLM organization online, has used his
strategies to earn over a million dollars in MLM. Find out
more at http://www.click2wealth.com .
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