What Is The True Cost Of Your Network Marketing Opportunity?

What Is The True Cost Of Your Network Marketing Opportunity?

OK, you've got great products, a red hot compensation plan, and you love your sponsor, who at this point, you believe would do anything to help you succeed.  And even though you are positive everyone and their brother would want to get involved because, in your mind, it's a "no brainer, nobody shows any interest.  Oh, you did have one guy that filled out the prospect information on your company sponsored website, but the phone number he give you is no longer in service, and your emails to him go unanswered.  What do you do?

Well, common sense tells you that you should go to your sponsor and ask her that same question.  Right?  And your sponsor says, "Just keep promoting, it's just a numbers game.  The more people that view your website, the more liklihood that you will start to find some good, interested people."  In a nutshell, is that what most people would hear from their sponsor with that type of question?

But you are not a quitter so you are going to contine to drive people to your website because if your sponsor can do it, then so can you.  But you are running out of people to talk to so you decide you are going to advertise.  You went to your company's convention a few weeks back and heard some guy talk about Pay Per Click advertising and how he used it to build a downline of several thousand people when he got started.  So you check into that.

You don't have a big budget for advertising, but you can afford some money each month.  So you get set up on a popular PPC advertising program, and set your daily limit at $10.00 for a few days to see how it goes.  You get some click throughs but no signups and you run hit your limit on a couple of days. 

So, you up your daily limit to $20 and you get more click throughs and low and behold, you get one signup!  Now, you believe you are on the right track so you continue to use PPC advertising but soon realize this is costing you several hundred dollars a month.  There is no way you can continue to spend this kind of money plus, in the back of your mind, you wonder if your downline will ever be able to do the same thing. 

Of course, one thing that guy didn't tell you at your convention was that he had a few network marketing friends who brought in some of their friends and gave him an instant downline.  So, he started making some decent money right away and before he knew it, he was spending $5,000 a month on PPC a little over 5 years ago.  That sponsored dozens more each month and he was off and running to earn trips, bonuses, and walk across the stage as a triple diamond distributor a year later and give a presentation on how he did it in such a short time frame.

It's What The Gurus Don't Tell You That Matters

Look, I probably don't have to tell you that everything you see, read, or hear is not what it appears to be.  But network marketing opportunities are doubly bad.  The  reason is because there are literally a million ways to build a team and most of them are dependent on your network of people BEFORE you ever signed on the dotted line.  So, if you are new to MLM, you probably didn't have a network of experienced networkers ready to pounce on the next pre-launch where they could make their millions and then move on.  So make a note of what I am going to tell you.  Write it down and don't forget it.  WHAT WORKED JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO PROBABLY WON'T WORK TODAY!

It's true.  The internet is changing, Network marketing is changing.  Your target market is changing. And people are changing.  Until you realize that, and are able to adapt with the changes, you are going to flounder, always being a year late and several thousand dollars short.  Believe me, there is a better way.

Stop Putting The Cart Before The Horse

If you are trying to recruit people into your network marketing opportunity directly, chances are very good you will not succeed.  Again, people have changed and are skittish about any opportunity right now.  Too many of them have been burned so the internet, being as impersonal as it is, just makes it even harder because there is no relationship established.  That is why you will find program after program being sold on "How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business".  At least there is some relationship between you and your "friends" on social networks.  Unfortunately, the networks themselves frown on blatent advertising(unless you pay for it) so it makes it difficult to actually use the social networks to find more than a person or two.

So, here is the answer in this day and age.  Build a team of people from scratch by offering them a really inexpensive way to start making money in network marketing and not have to shell out hundreds of dollars for products a month.  Use less than that for advertising this paradigm shift and see how many takers you have.  I have grown a downline of over 850 in 8 weeks.  There definitely is much more interest in doing it my way than the outdated way.  And then when your team reaches a pre-determined number, you can start making very good money in any program you choose.  Even your current one if you wanted to.  But you would have a team comparable to the guy who spoke at your convention on PPC without spending thousands of dollars like he did, and without having alot of network marketing friends.

Here is the link to my team site.  Just email me from the site if you would like to see how we do what we do.  http://TeamBeaman.com

If you continue to do what you've always done, you'll continue to get what you've always got.

Multi Level Marketing - Is There Anything Better?

Multi Level Marketing - Is There Anything Better?

Much has been written about the advantages of multi level marketing over other ways to make money long before the internet came along.  Advantages such as low start up costs, minimal operating costs, ability to create wealth far beyond what a single brick and morter business could produce, no employees, no bank loans, no franchise fees, and on and on.

But since the proliferation of the internet some 20 years ago, many other types of money making businesses have appeared.  And alot of money has been made in many of them over the years.  But the question remains, Is There Any Better Way To Make Money Than Multi Level Marketing?  Let's take a look.

Affiliate Marketing Versus Multi Level Marketing

Affiliate marketing is probably the largest non multi level marketing business model in terms of popularity and money made.  Affiliate marketers don't have to create, sell, use, or even know anything about the products they sell.  They just have to be able to market.  And as the internet has grown, so has the number of people willing to spend money on digital products which promise weight loss, pet training, muscle building, making money, and just about anything people are interested in.  In other words if you developed internet marketing skills, you could make a decent living and sometimes become very wealthy.

But the downsides of affiliate marketing are many. 

First, the money made is usually a one time deal.  Once you sell a product, you could go hungry until you sell another one.  With multi level marketing, a real draw has been the residual income.  Do the work once, get paid for life.  With affiliate marketing, you must work most every day or you don't get paid.  Now don't get me wrong.  With technology, you can automate much of your marketing so you don't have to be in front of your computer all day.  But the bottom line is if you don't make a sale, that day, you don't get paid.

Second, the internet and companies on the internet are constantly changing.  What Google will accept today in the way of pay per click advertising, they may completely change their direction tomorrow.  And that is exactly what happened not long ago when many affiliate marketers, who depended on PPC advertising were suddenly stopped in their tracks.  And their income stopped as well.  You certainly don't want to depend on any one person or organization for your likelihood.  It could spell disaster.

And third, affiliate marketers are usually paid online through various online payers.  When they have their problems or suddenly change how they handle your money, you could go a period of time without being able to access the money you have earned.  This, too, has happened when PayPal decided to withhold funds when their policy changed.

Sell Your Own Products

People can be very creative when there is a great monetary incentive or when they want to eat.  Instead of marketing other people's products, you could create your own products, digital or otherwise, and have affiliate marketers sell them for you.  Typically, you would make 50% of the sale when sold by affiliates, or you could market them all by your lonesome and make 100%.  Either way, it is an alternative to affiliate marketing and multi level marketing.

Sell On Ebay

An entirely new and different business model developed when people learned how to sell on eBay.  I'm not talking about selling things you have lying around your house.  I'm talking about creating agreements with companies who make hard and soft goods to drop ship them to customers that you, as an eBay seller have marketed to on eBay as well as your own eBay store.  This is the epitomy of being a marketer when you find the products to sell and then work with the companies to set up the distribution channels to get the products to them.  All of this while you are sitting in the comfort of your own home and working whatever hours you desire.  The advantage you have is the millions of customers who use eBay on a daily basis.  You don't have to go far to find customers for your products.

Membership Sites

Along the same lines as people that create originals to sell are the people who develop websites that offer information or services and charge a membership fee to access it.  This can be a form of residual income since monthly membership fees are the norm and as long as someone sees value in what they are receiving, they may stay as members for a very long time maintaining your income from those people indefinitely.  This can be an attractive option once you have the website and its intricasies set up for such a business.

Conclusion

There are other business models that have appeared online over the past couple of decades, some worthy of pursuing, others very short lived.  And the advantages of some of them may well prove the test of time.  However, multi level marketing HAS stood the test of time and, in fact, has grown to such a point that some would say it is a saturation of the market for people looking at ways to make money.  But as is the case in free market societies, the strong will survive and the weak will die but may surface in a new, similar type business or a completely different business model.  But the bottom line is: if you need to make money outside of a job, take a look at multi level marketing.  Pick a strong, knowledgeable upline in a company that has been around for at least 2 years.

If you are interested in building a network marketing business in a completely different way than what you find today, check out my blog post: A Different Way To Build A Network Marketing Business

Guarantee Your Network Marketing Success

Guarantee Your Network Marketing Success

Someone you just introduced to your network marketing business opportunity gives you this ultimatum.  "OK, I've got $150 to spend now, up to $100 a month and no more, not even for tax or shipping, just a crisp $100 bill every 30 days. What are my chances of building a large, vibrant, active network marketing business in one year so that I am making a consistant $10,000 a month 12 months from now?"

What would be your answer?  Zero %?  10%? or maybe even 20%?

What if I told you I would guarantee him/her that the chances of that happening were 97.4% if he/she followed my system to the letter?

And you say, that's crazy!  Nobody can guarantee anybody anything when it comes to network marketing. There are too many variables.  How many network marketing superstars do you know because if you don't know any who would join you, you could never make that happen.

And I say, "If you follow my system EXACTLY, you will be using a team building platform whereby EVERYBODY will be contributing to your success.  It is a demonstration of teamwork the likes of which you have never known.  When all is said and done, 15,000+ ACTIVE networkers will be on your team in one year."  Any takers?

I can explain to you my system in 5 minutes.  There are no websites required to be viewed (unless you want to), no sales pitches, no leads to cold call, no friends or family to see, no more money out of pocket will be spent, ever.  A total of $1350 over a year to make $10,000 a month RESIDUAL income.  Are you in?

Oh, and by the way.  Your time spent on this will be less than one hour per day, also guaranteed.

The sooner you contact me, the sooner you lock in your position and the sooner you will receive results you can pocket.

And, just in case you are wondering if you could lose your $1350, you will not be giving your money to me.  You will be using it to build a loyal, lifelong team using diversified advertising that works.  If at any time, you are not seeing rapid team growth, you can walk away.  Of course, there is a possibility that if you choose not to follow my system that you would lose money.  So, if you are not coachable, don't waste our team's time and your money.

Email me at mysystem@teambeaman.com with a phone number and a good time to call and we will go from there.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities

If you read 100 articles or blog posts about, 'Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities',  you would get 100 different blueprints on how to do the evaluation as well as 100 different opinions on what are the most important things to look for when evaluating network marketing opportunities.  This blog post will be no different.  It will, however, give you a little different slant on what is the most important factor in choosing network marketing opportunities.

First and foremost, the evaluation process should include these points (in alphabetical order):

• Company/Years in Business
• Compensation Plan
• Management/Legal Team
• Marketing Plan
• Products/Market Demand
• Sponsor/Upline/Training

Second, overanalysis or 'paralysis by analysis' can be a major drawback when doing due diligence on selecting a network marketing opportunity.  Spend a day or so on your research, if needed, but there is no perfect opportunity, so don't wait for one.  You will never get started if you do.

Third, you should expect to spend at least 6 months to one year before you start to break even with your expenses.  If the expectation is any longer than that, you may be able to survive an outlay of expenses but your downline may not.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Company

Many people believe that the MLM company is the most important factor when evaluating network marketing opportunities and will lead with company brochures or slides of an ultra modern building to show the company off.  But in reality, the company itself only plays a small role in determining which opportunity to select. 

The real thing to look at when it comes to company is the longevity.  The company should have been in the MLM business for at least 2 years.  If not, that is a definite negative in your evaluation.  If you are offered a pre-launch position, you are risking your credibility with any people you sponsor and as we will discuss later, your credibility is all important. 

You need to pass on a new start up and, likewise, steer clear of companies that have been around 15 to 20 years.  They may be giants in the industry, but branding is important and negative branding can be very difficult to overcome.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Compensation Plan

When giving a presentation about a network marketing opportunity, most people will go into great detail about the compensation plan believing that is what people want to hear the most about.  But that is not true according to several surveys done after prospects listened to presentations.  They certainly want to know that they can make money but they don't need the details about the triple diamond bonus given to the first person to sponsor someone during a full moon.

Again, the most important point about the compensation plan is does it offer a fast start payment capability and can you start earning regular checks fairly early without having to build a large team first.  Making money as soon as possible is more important than learning about overrides and leadership bonuses which usually require a lengthy time period before earning.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Management/Legal Team

Other than making sure the company bylaws are following the government's commerce laws, making the company legal, and looking for hidden clauses in the bylaws that can dismiss a distributor without cause, there is no value in trying to determine that the management team is going to be a determining factor in evaluating a network marketing opportunity.

The years of experience of the team, the number of similar positions held and the fact that they are all family men, with 4 or 5 families each to prove it, does nothing to prove or disprove that the management team is a reason to choose opportunity A or B.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Marketing Plan

Before you sign on the dotted line, you should make sure that the plan the company or your upline group uses to market the opportunity or products is one that you feel like you can do.  You may have to get out of your comfort zone somewhat to introduce people to what you are offering, but if you are absolutely terrified of calling your brother and asking him to look at a business opportunity and the first thing your upline wants you to do is make a list of everybody you know, then it is time to walk away.

Understand that the company may use one primary method of marketing but your upline may use another.  We will discuss evaluating uplines in a moment, but just be aware that if you don't believe you can market the way your presenter is telling you, you will either have to go out on your own and re-invent the wheel when it comes to marketing or you will flounder and probably eventually quit the business.

One more point about marketing.  Marketing is the only way you are going to make money in a network marketing opportunity.  Your income is going to be directly related to your ability to market effectively your products and opportunity.  Online marketing has been the "buzz word" in the last decade, especially for network marketing opportunities, but unless you have some experience in that field, there is going to be a learning curve that you may not want to endure.  Be very careful before you get started when you are told the primary means of marketing will be from online sources.  It either may get very expensive or very frustrating.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Products

Even though network marketing is about the movement of products or services using large networks built by individuals, no bigger scam has been perpetrated than the use of bogus products in trying to create a network marketing opportunity.  Products should not be the main reason for you joining a network marketing opportunity, but they certainly should be a reason for you to pick an opportunity, once all other factors have checked out.

In other words, just because you love the products doesn't mean you are going to become rich if you decide to make it a business.  Products will many times keep people on autoship but only if they see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, hoping it is not an oncoming train.  But if you expect people you sponsor to stay on a high ticket product without seeing an income from the business, short of it being life-saving, you are probably in for a rude awakening.

Don't evaluate products in a vacuum.  They can be the overriding factor if all other things are equal.

Evaluating Network Marketing Opportunities - Sponsor/Upline

Surprise!  This is the most important factor in choosing a network marketing opportunity.  Let me explain.

People don't join businesses, companies, marketing plans, compensation plans, or products.  They join YOU!  You are the reason that over 90% of people will let you sponsor them.  It has been proven time and time again in surveys when asked why "successful" network marketers got started.  It was overwhelmingly because of the sponsor, upline, and to a lesser extent, training they would receive.  And after all, aren't we trying to find how to be successful in network marketing opportunities and not fail?

This is why many people call network marketing "relationship marketing".  Because network marketing opportunities are really about trust.  Trust that your sponsor is telling you the truth and trust that they will help you every step of the way.  I am a firm believer in building a team for life and the only way to do that is to develop and cultivate that relationship over the recruiting period and the first few months of the business.

If you would like more information about how to build a lifelong team of active, dedicated networkers, visit our team page at http://TeamBeaman.com