Network marketing has been around since about the 1940s when it was introduced as a business model to promote vitamins through relationship selling. At that time there were no opportunity DVDs to hand out, no websites presenting the opportunity, no automated dialers to do cold calling for you and certainly no Facebook or Twitter to promote your network marketing company to the masses. So what is the face of network marketing in the21st century? What lessons from the past still apply and what new network marketing tools are available to help the independent distributor succeed?
Network Marketing in a Brave New World
The 21st century network marketer must embrace the internet as central to their network marketing success. Even if you never send a prospect to your website or take an order via the internet, you can be sure that potential retail clients and new distributors will do background research on the internet. At a minimum, they will investigate the reputation of the network marketing company, the reputation of the products and the strength of the training and marketing system. Even if you have no intention of building an internet-centric network marketing business, you will need to be aware of the following advances. One the other hand, if you are planning to build an internet-centric network marketing business, then you really want to pay attention, because these concepts can automate many of your core processes and drastically accelerate your growth.
Video Opportunity Overviews
The internet (or a DVD) is a great way to deliver an overview on your specific network marketing opportunity. Why repeat yourself over and over again when this little piece of technology will generally do it better and more succinctly. The ideal network marketing opportunity video is about 10-13 minutes and leaves some key questions unanswered so that you can have a subsequent dialogue with the prospect.
Email Autoresponders
You’ve probably heard the network marketing adage – “the fortune is in the follow-up.” This is more true in this day and age that even before. Prospects will need multiple repeat exposure to your opportunity and your products before they are ready to make a decision. An email autoresponder series puts the network marketing follow-up process on autopilot. Simply script out the text of the email messages and load them into the autoresponder to be sent a designated number of days apart. You can load an entire year’s worth of follow-up with one afternoon of work.
Social Media
Your particular network marketing company may or may not allow you to establish your own social media page for your network marketing company. The ones that do, often provide fully compliant templates that you can erect in a matter of minutes. Even if you choose not to start your own page, you should be aware of the social buzz around your network marketing company. Are comments trending up or down in volume? What about the tone of the comments? Are there any negative sentiments that you need to address with prospects? With news – both good and bad – so easily available at our fingertips, you really need to stay on top of the headlines so that questions from prospects don’t catch you off guard.
This was just a quick review of how network marketing has changed in the 21st century. As an independent distributor in your network marketing company, what changes are you seeing?
Your particular network marketing company may or may not allow you to establish your own social media page for your network marketing company. The ones that do, often provide fully compliant templates that you can erect in a matter of minutes. Even if you choose not to start your own page, you should be aware of the social buzz around your network marketing company. Are comments trending up or down in volume? What about the tone of the comments? Are there any negative sentiments that you need to address with prospects? With news – both good and bad – so easily available at our fingertips, you really need to stay on top of the headlines so that questions from prospects don’t catch you off guard.
This was just a quick review of how network marketing has changed in the 21st century. As an independent distributor in your network marketing company, what changes are you seeing?
