How to actually succeed in Network Marketing
I’ve been working in the network marketing industry for over 4 years now, and there are a few common themes that I saw over and over again in the dozens of training courses, coaching programs, and challenge groups I participated in. These themes were repeated over and over, like the rhythmic beating of a drum that you don’t even think to question - you just take them as fact.
The system works, just trust the system.
There is no secret sauce. You just need to consistently DO THE WORK.
Your business will work when YOU do.
Do these sound familiar? They aren’t lies - not entirely. But they are also only half truths. If they were full truths, then the ONLY difference between those who succeeded and those who failed would be the measure of the consistency in their daily work. Period.
But I observed the falsities of these statements in an undeniable way that forced me to question them. And the journey I took to seek answers taught me that there is, in fact, a secret sauce.
The journey I took to seek answers taught me that there is, in fact, a secret sauce.
I recruited a friendly, sociable, dynamic, intelligent, dream team partner. She was easy to talk to, driven, willing to do the work, and learned fast. I was extremely hopeful that perhaps I had found the power partner I was looking for! At the time, I also happened to be taking a training course by an industry expert who was teaching the concept of the 4 Phases of Intentional Leadership.
The basic premise was that if you turned EVERY moment of your own income producing business activities into a teaching moment, and let your team observe you, they’d learn to duplicate your work. Then, you could move into a phase of observing them, and providing helpful feedback. At this point, they would move into operating their business on their own. And finally, they’d then let their new partners observe them, thus completing the duplication cycle.
It’s a phenomenal system, and if you haven’t heard of Bob Heilig, look him up. You won’t regret it. His philosophy is that the level of success you achieve is directly correlated to the amount of VALUE that you provide to your network, and it's absolutely true!
The level of success you have relies entirely on the amount of VALUE that you provide to your network.
Anyway, we moved through Phase 1 according to schedule. She was indeed a quick learner! So on to Phase 2, when I began to observe her in action. She was consistent. She used the right language. She reached out to the right number of people. She offered 3rd party tools, and didn't try to be the expert. She offered phone conversations or messenger conversations at the right times. She did everything right. EVERYTHING.
And yet, she got zero results. Literally….zero. For over a year.
So often in this business, we find ourselves frustrated by the “assumptions” that people make that are simply not true, or based on ignorance. You know what I mean…..people assuming that all networking marketing companies are “pyramid schemes” which of course has a very specific definition that is, in fact, very different from networking marketing. Or the people who assume that every company operates on a “party plan” business model. Nope. Or how about the people who assume that every company forces you to stock inventory and ship everything yourself? Ok, so I’m preaching to the choir, I get it.
But what was I assuming to be true that wasn't?
What if the system didn’t work?
What if there was more to it than being consistent?
What might cause differences in success, even if people were doing everything right?
And why would my upline mislead me?
Questioning my own assumptions led me down a rabbit hole of research that took one year to complete. I won’t lie - it was a huge distraction. In fact, my business suffered as a result, which is why I’m sure most uplines do their best to beat those drums they way they do. They don’t want you going down the rabbit hole like I did. But I did learn something that I think every network marketer deserves to know, and I’m writing this blog so you can shortcut your learning down from 1 year to 3 months or less.
There is a secret sauce, and the premise is extremely simple. You need to use BOTH warm market and cold market systems, and they should all revolve around the concept of attraction marketing.
The system that virtually every company uses, regardless of what they actually sell, falls into the category of a “basic warm market system”. And yes, it does work, but it relies on both the size of your market (which most people intuitively know already), as well as on the level of “know, like trust” factor that you have with that network (which is new to most people), also referred to as rapport.
The amount of rapport that you have with your network depends on how much VALUE you add to your network. If you are socially awkward, or are an infomercial constantly spewing information about your company, your rapport will vanish quicker than you can imagine. And if you have zero social media presence or zero face to face time with your network, you probably never built rapport to begin with.
You need to use both warm market and cold market systems, and they should all revolve around the concept of attraction marketing.
Warm network realities
Big network + good rapport + average value = immediate success
Small network + extremely high rapport + high value = immediate success
Average network + average rapport + decent value = some small wins that slowly build to success
….but if any of these 3 factors is lacking….
Poor rapport = nobody trusts you enough to take a chance on going outside their comfort zone
Low value = people view you as an infomercial and don’t want to do what they see you doing
Small network = not enough people to become customers or business partners to make any real money
So as you can see, these factors begin to explain why my partner, and many of you who are actually working, can do everything right and still fail. In the case of my partner, she later admitted that when she moved to the area she thought she’d only be here for a very short time, so she and her husband made the conscious choice to not make friends which meant that she had a small network and low rapport with that network. She had a social media presence but it was very limited and random, so therefore was not adding much value to her audience (and certainly wasn’t feeding the social media algorithms).
Small network + low rapport + average value = struggle bus
If you’re thinking….”Well, that’s me. I might as well give up”....think again. Every single one of these factors is within YOUR control. Also, you forgot the other two thirds of the equation.
First and foremost, you can always grow your warm market, make new friends, begin adding value, and build rapport. ALWAYS. Even if you have never had a social media account of any kind and open your first one tomorrow, you can do this with proper training. If you focus on giving and serving more than you do on getting and achieving, you’ll succeed in this. That’s a fact.
Secondly, add in attraction marketing and you have an immediate recipe for success. It will take time….but it will work. This is where the “do the work consistently and your business will work” will come into play. It is true - IF you are using the right systems.
Finally, the system that virtually every upline is either oblivious to, or knows about but doesn’t mention, is the “cold market system”. And this, my friends, is the secret sauce I’m here to tell you about. But of course, it wouldn’t make any sense without setting the stage properly.
So, the stage has been set! Let’s talk secret sauce….
Small network + low rapport + average value = struggle bus
BUT every single one of these factors is within your control
The Secret Sauce
When it comes to network marketing, the type of cold market system that will actually work is what I refer to as a “professional sales funnel” or “sales funnel” for short. So from here on out, when I say “funnel” that’s what I’m referring to. Keep in mind that most, if not all, network marketing companies stipulate that you cannot “‘cold call” or approach strangers about your business - they want you working with someone you actually know and have built rapport with. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use cold market systems. It just means you need to build rapport with those cold market contacts.
So calm down Linda, I’m not breaking the rules. Sheesh….
People who are attracted to your cold market funnel provide their contact information in exchange for something they really really want or need. You then begin to send them VALUE via email or message, building rapport. Perhaps they start following you on social media outlets and see your posts and live videos. Maybe they start reading your blogs and check out your website (light bulb moment? If so, check out my website here). As that rapport builds, they begin to see you as a valuable resource….then a go-to guide….and eventually even a trusted friend. They have now entered your warm market. BAM!
Example- you are in Barnes & Noble to buy your latest personal development book & grab some Starbucks. The employee at the counter tells you that you can get a $10 discount on your book if you sign up for their mailing list (lead magnet). You want the discount, so you give them your email (opt in). Well, you just entered their funnel! They then send you coupons, notifications of sales and new book launches, and more (CRM value building). Then they send you an email saying you have earned enough points to get an extra 25% off your next purchase if made in the next 30 days (lead magnet). So guess where you go when you need your next book? Barnes & Noble of course.
That is a funnel. It’s professional. It’s effective. People are familiar with them. And they work.
Funnels are the secret sauce. They're professional and effective. People are familiar with them, and they work.
So imagine how YOUR business could grow if you started using professional funnels. Have you ever heard someone in your company say “It’s all a numbers game. Just talk to more people”? Well, it’s true. And funnels are the fastest way to find an unlimited stream of people.
Virtually every top earner in the network marketing industry uses funnels. Tony Robbins, Ray Higdon, Jessica Higdon, Eric Worre, Sarah Robbins, Julie Burke, Todd & Leah Rae Getts, Heather Quisel, even Bob Heilig who I mentioned before….they all use funnels. Whether they are selling a book, a 14-day challenge group, or a coaching program - you guessed it - funnels.
You might be thinking-
“But those people are only selling those things through funnels because they are already top earners”.....right?
Flip the assumption and you are closer to reality-
“Those people are top earners because they are selling those things through funnels”
You see, every product or service that they are offering through their funnel is attracting their ideal client, ideal customer, or ideal business partner - like a magnet. And if you start attracting your ideal business partner, the dream-team kind of partner, you can be a top earner too.
Those people are top earners because they are selling those things through funnels.
#MicDrop
So at this point, the light bulb has likely gone off but you probably have questions. They probably sound like this:
So where can I learn how to do this?
I don’t speak technology. How do I even start?
What is a lead magnet?
What’s the difference between a landing page and an opt in page?
Is that what Click Funnels is for?
What’s the point of a blog?
Will I need to blog?
I don’t have time as it is. How do I possibly fit this in?
Is it possible for me to do this?
Is there an easy button?
Is this what that Facebook ad was about that I saw in my feed?
Is everyone doing this?
I’ll go find that ad…..
WAIT - Remember when I said I wanted to short cut your learning from 1 year to 3 months or less? There are no easy buttons, but there is a short-cut button.
There are no easy buttons, but there is a short-cut button
I will teach you the basics about everything I learned over the last year, in an easy step-by-step format. And unlike other people who set up ONE funnel to teach you ONE platform and their ONE way of doing it…..
I will teach you about the basics of funnels AND I will give you an honest review on 4 different funnel building platforms so you can choose which one is right for YOU. I’ll even give you a library of resources and links to get started, so you have a one-stop-funnel-shop.
It has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? One-stop-funnel-shop!
I can almost hear the skeptics now…..suuuuuure, you’ll give me all these great things for the low low price of $997 right? Nope. I’ll give you all of this for $37 because it’s just enough for me to break even on the platform that I use to host the membership site with all the information and the ads I need to run to get the info in front of people.
That’s a CRAZY good value. Why would I do that? Well, a few reasons.
First, it’s the right thing to do. There’s no reason that people should have to jump into 5-10 different funnels, jump across 4 different platforms, and take a year to learn what I did. That’s wasteful.
Second, the more professional we can all be in the network marketing industry, the more people will take us seriously. And that’s a win-win for everyone.
Third, it will clean up social media and get salesy, spammy posts out of our feeds. Again, a win-win for everyone.
And finally, there will be a certain percentage of the population that sees the value I offer, appreciates my style, and wants to work with me directly. Of course, I’m always looking for talent, so that’s cool too.
And the rest? Well, I believe in karma and paying it forward. So, there’s that.
If you’re ready to get your funnel on, simply click here or on the image below, and let’s hook you up with some of the secret sauce. You’ve got this, friend