Having done both traditional marketing and online marketing, there are benefits to incorporating both forms of marketing to ensure you get as many opportunities to reach potential prospects as possible.

Traditional marketing is safe, tried and true method of finding prospects through local networking events. It’s what marketers are used to. Social media, blogging, and internet marketing on the other hand, are often received with mixed feelings i.e. Does social media work? Blogging seems like so much work, and so on.

Some colleagues of mine in direct sales and network marketing don’t have an online presence. They’re not blogging or participating on social media either.

With nearly 50% of the population online and tapping into social media to connect, network, find product recommendations, and search for work-at-home opportunities – why aren’t more home-based entrepreneurs embracing this effective and inexpensive form of marketing?

Here are some reasons why consultants are fearful of online marketing and how to get over these so-called fears but first, let’s consider the costs of traditional marketing versus online marketing

Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing is comforting to direct sellers and encouraged by uplines and direct sales companies. Traditional networking are BNI, chamber events, women’s groups, mixers, expos, meeting people randomly in your day-to-day activities.

The monthly luncheons can be productive especially if you arrive early and allow yourself the full 30 minutes to meet and greet. Ideally, to expand your contact base each month aim to meet as many new members as possible. Without sacrificing making quality contact over quantity that is.

The mixers are pretty much ineffective in terms of business networking. It’s great for socializing, free drinks and lots of food to munch on and for connecting with fellow chamber members, but they are mainly gabbing sessions.

The challenge with in person networking is that you’re limited to a small number of people you can talk to per event. With a typical luncheon, there’s only 30 minutes before and after to connect with people and for many, right after lunch is when they’ve got to head back to their regular job.

If you are actively attending monthly events, here’s a short and sweet article by Keith Ferrazzi: How to Never go to a Bad Networking Event Again.

Sure, you oughtta be exchanging business cards, follow up, and meet up outside of the luncheons, but how many business owners are diligently and consistently following up and following through? 

Cost and Time

If you’re a member of the chamber or another group, you know it ain’t cheap not to mention the time commitment. A typical luncheon starts at 11:30 and ends at around 1:30. Factor in the time to get there and back.

An annual chamber membership costs a couple hundred in addition to the monthly luncheons. At $20 a month for the luncheon- that’s $240 a year. Add to the annual member cost (my local chamber is $280/year) and you’re looking at $520!

With online marketing, there’s zero cost networking on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Forums, and so forth. There are also abundance of free online marketing articles to help you get started.

Online Marketing

Online marketing, social media, blogging are cheap and last I checked, close to 50% of the population are online i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

So it makes me wonder why aren’t more direct sellers, network marketers online?

If you’ve got a Smartphone, you can easily tweet or ping an update to the platform you’re on. If you’re working a full-time job and committed to social media, use your breaks and lunch to ‘check-in’. You can even time and send out your tweets automatically.

There are numerous options at your disposable. The beauty is you have the potential to reach so many people in a shorter amount of time- reaching far and wide. You’re not limited to the constraints of locality or time. You can network any time through out the day.

In my next post, Part 2, I’ll share tips on where to start with online marketing and how to get the most of it with just a couple hours a day.

If you’re a direct seller, network marketer and only use traditional marketing, would love to hear your thoughts.

As always, if you find this article helpful, kindly Retweet and share … I appreciate you guys!!

‘til next time,

Janette

p.s. In the meantime, if you haven’t downloaded my popular FREE ebook: 9 Powerful Strategies for Turning Your Passion into Profit- leave your email in the opt-in box.

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Guest Post by Brett Duncan of www.marketinginprogress.com. Brett and I met through social media and I immediately started digging his stuff. I love how Brett’s not afraid to write what’s on his mind. Enjoy this terrific post!

Social media is hot right now. White hot. But I don’t think it’s any hotter in any industry like it is in network marketing.

It makes sense: independent sales reps are constantly looking for ways to leverage their relationships to continue to build their business. Call it finding leads, prospects, recruits, whatever. It’s the lifeblood of any distributor’s business.

I’m over web marketing on the corporate side of a direct sales company, so you’d probably think I’d be all giddy over network marketers using social media to build their businesses. In theory, the two things should go together like peanut butter and jelly. They’re made for each other.

But that’s not how it works most of the time, and for every good reason I can come up with for direct sellers to use social media, I’ve got an even better reason on why they shouldn’t.

So, take a look at these reasons, see if you’re guilty of any of them, and start thinking about what you need to do to change what you’re doing ASAP.

Because No One’s Logging Into Facebook so You Can Sell Them Something

Let’s not forget the “social” in social media. People are logging into Facebook, and other social media sites, to see what’s going on, load some pictures, connect with old friends, send an update, whatever. They aren’t logging in so they can find out how to make an extra $1,000 this week working part-time and wearing their pajamas. So stop feeding them that stuff. Give them what they want. Be a real person, who’s interesting and interested in them, and form a connection. Slowly. No, seriously, S-L-O-W-L-Y. Over time, take opportunities sporadically to make sure they know what you do. Then just see where that leads you.

Because Social Media Isn’t as Good at Sales as You Are

People usually screw up with social media because they think it’s going to replace themselves somewhere in the sales cycle. But that’s not how it works. Social media sucks at selling. It can’t read buying signs, or interests. It’s not good at knowing when to back off or when to switch gears in the midst of a presentation. It doesn’t do what you do. It does work real well as a communication tool with the rest of your team. It also fits in nicely with the other tools in your toolbox that help you generate leads. Social media is a supplement, not a substitute. Use it that way.

In my line of work, I’ve met sales reps who honestly have trouble turning their computer on who are wanting to jump on social media. Give me a break. My rule of thumb is that if you’re not already on social media sites for your own personal reasons, don’t get on theirs with the sole purpose of building your network marketing business. Some people will disagree with me on that, but I just think you need to get a handle on using these tools socially before you start pillaging them professionally. A truly mercenary use of social media opportunities can be seen from a mile away, and it will backfire on you. Make being likable your primary goal from the start. Otherwise, anything else you do will be useless.

Because Social Media Tools Weren’t Originally Made for Business

OK, I know some of them were. But Facebook was originally made so Harvard students could keep up with each other (and who they hooked up with). Twitter launched as a way to answer the question “What are you doing?” Of course, like we do with most new channels of communication and connection, it doesn’t take long to find ways to commercialize and capitalize it.

Just remember that the business side of these sites has morphed into existence. At their core, it’s always been more about keeping up with friends and connecting with new people.

The good news is that these online introductions and interactions really can lead to offline partnerships. But normally not right out of the gate. Keep each tool in perspective as to how it was originally intended to be used, and see if it suits you.

Because You Can’t Automate Social Connections

Network marketing is plagued with people who phone it in before they even really get started. The attrition rates are so high because the expectations from the beginning for most are so off-based. I think it’s a wonderful idea to put systems in place that help offload some administrative work and maximize your time. But again, it can’t substitute what you offer.

Direct sellers tend to look for a system that really doesn’t involve them at all. Either they’re scared to ask for the sale or they hate doing parties or whatever. But we’re all looking for a formula to simply plug into and let the good times roll.

Don’t fall for this. Leverage automations and systems where it makes sense, but jump in and get completely involved before it’s obvious that there’s absolutely no personal touch involved. People want that; give it to them. Make room for spontaneous attention.

Because Social Media is NOT the Best Feature of Direct Sales

The best feature of direct sales is the direct seller. That’s you. The whole point here is to get you effectively connected with more people. Notice I said “effective.” You may find that you’re most effective on the phone. Or in person. Or via email. Whatever it is, use social media as a step in that direction. It’s a means to the end, not the end itself. When you remember that YOU are the best feature of your business, then it becomes obvious which ways work best in introducing more people to you.

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So, your thoughts? Am I off-base here? Have you experienced something different? Or do you have some stories that confirm any of the points above? I’d love to hear how you’re practically using social media to build your network marketing business.

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Brett Duncan lives in Dallas with his wife and son. He’s Senior Director of Global Online Solutions for Mannatech, a pioneer in the field of glyconutrients. He shares common sense for marketing leaders at his blog, MarketingInProgress.com, and tweets often @bdunc1.

No, this article isn’t about tennis but as an avid tennis fan, there are so many similarities between tennis and direct sales that you can learn from. Specifically, tennis is an individual sport that’s built on talent as well as mental toughness. Similar to direct sales, you’ll need the right training and skill sets to do well but you’ll also need mental toughness to “tough it out” day in and out.

To lead your team, whether that’s one consultant or a dozen, you have to get inside their heads a bit and find out what they want and what’s holding them back. Sometimes we don’t even know what’s holding us back much less our team members. But team building contributes greatly to your overall direct sales success. So how do you coach and lead your team? How do you inspire others to motivate themselves?

Here are some lessons in tennis that can help you coach your direct sales team.

Tennis players and their coaches have an intimate and paradoxical relationship. A coach helps the players strategize, bounce ideas, and prepare them for practice and play. But also acts as a friend, confidante, and can significantly shape a player’s life.

In direct sales, you have an upline that acts as a coach to some degree. Although the success of whether a team member wants to be coached or not depends on the quality of the relationship. You can’t successfully coach someone if there’s lack of respect or desire. Likewise, someone’s more likely to be coached if she feels there’s something to be gained.

As a leader in your direct sales business, how do you coach your team to success? It’s not easy and personally, I find nurturing a team is one of the most challenging aspects of this business because people are complex. Each team member is special, unique, and comes with a host of baggage. Uncovering what’s in the baggage is tricky.

Great coaches lead people to the answers that they often already know. They have the ability to make you see things that you didn’t see before. They know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it that can have the greatest impact.

Imagine your team member having a lack luster quarter: zilch in sales and recruiting. What you say in this critical moment can have an impact moving forward. It’s tricky because it depends on the personality of each team member.

If someone is highly sensitive- an honest feedback can backfire and can change the scope of the relationship entirely. If someone’s open-minded a constructive feedback is a great time to learn and grow. Finding a highly motivated team member that’s coachable and open-minded is the holy grail of direct sales J .

Being a successful coach requires not only knowledge in your craft but intuitiveness and highly personable skills. Since direct sales is a relationship business, one that mirrors tennis a great deal: requiring skill sets and mental toughness, it would make sense for you to take a keen interest in understanding your team member. You can teach drills and skills but you can’t always teach mental toughness.

Dig deeper, go beyond their sales and recruiting numbers, and get inside their heads. Get to know what motivates them – what makes them tick – what’s holding them back.

Like a great tennis coach, it’s not always about the technical stuff but maybe, if you want to coach your team to success, it’s more about the personable stuff.

What do you think? Do you find motivating your team challenging?

‘til next time,

Janette

p.s. As always, kindly share if you find this article helpful. For additional tips be sure to subscribe to my email and get my FREE ebook.

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The truth about network marketing is that it’s a simple concept but a difficult business to build from the ground up, especially for a new distributor who isn’t told the truth on what it takes to succeed in network marketing.

Instead of telling your new recruit how easy network marketing is how about preparing your recruit on what it really takes to succeed? Honestly, when I hear people say how easy network marketing is, it makes me cringe.

The reality is starting any business can be a daunting undertaking. But in network marketing, the attrition stats are outright scary. Knowing the attrition rate is over 97% or whatever it is, why would any rational person sign up right? It’s because we buy into what’s possible- the dream of being in the top 3%.

Heck, if so and so did it, why not me? That’s the right thinking. But the problem is that we project into the future and fantasize what we’ll do once we get “there”, wherever that is, rather than focusing on what needs to be done NOW.

So let’s consider these tips for preparing your new recruit:

Ownership

Encourage your new recruit to take 100% ownership and responsibility. Don’t get bogged down in babysitting your new recruit. Point them to the back office training and materials. The more invested your recruit is in her business, the more ownership she’ll feel towards it.

In a new job, you’re expected to do the work and not doing the work, will get you fired. Showing up in your business is the first step.

Expectations

Set clear expectations in terms of what they can realistically earn based on their efforts. Obviously the results are entirely based on her dedication. But if your recruit wants to earn $5000 a month and puts in 10 hours a week, that’s not likely to happen.

Training

You don’t need to invest a lot of money but set the tone from the beginning that some things aren’t free. Setting up a blog requires hosting and an autoresponder to start a subscriber list. Encourage your recruit to start a personal and professional development library of books. The day you stop learning is the day you put a cap on your earning.

Practice

In tennis, top players train with relentless efforts every day before their games. The off court work lays the foundation for their on court games. Likewise, in network marketing, you put in the daily work to maximize your income. You practice hard to earn the most from your commission checks.

Short term memory

In tennis, it’s about short term memory. Focus on your successes and forget the losses. You are as good as your last result. As an avid tennis fan, I live by those words “short term memory” as a way to shake off disappointing results.

Instead, focus on the positive results and do more of those. Resiliency will get you over the speed bumps in your business.

Network marketing is a professional business just like other businesses. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of work and dedication to succeed, and it takes someone willing to invest in themselves and their business on a continual basis to achieve success. Given the right business opportunity, anyone with this mindset, is likely to achieve success.

What say you? How honest are you with your new recruits on what it really takes to succeed? Share your thoughts.

‘til next time,

Janette

p.s. As always, kindly share by retweeting and with your pals …enjoy this gorgeous Tuesday wherever you are J

One of the hardest things in life is letting go of things that mean a great deal to us. The more effort we invest in something or someone, the harder it is to let go. The more meaningful the relationship, the more attachment we form, thus making the bond that much harder to break and let go of.

Direct sales and network marketing is a relationship business first and foremost. You’re in the business of finding people, building a relationship, and hopefully form a synergy that leads you and your prospect to work together in the same business opportunity.

Often times this leads to a bonafide friendship from working together. There are plenty of women that have met and become friends through their direct sales venture. The problem arises when your team member and friend changes course in her business.

Of course, this doesn’t have to become a problem, if you learn this one tip: do not become attached to the outcome of her business. Your role as a leader is to inspire your team members to take positive action and create a thriving business for themselves.

Whatever your team member chooses to do even if her goals are no longer in alignment with yours, don’t allow the disappointment to affect your goals or your friendship.

Learn to let go, accept whatever it is “as is”, without judgment and go with the flow. 

Focus on you

The more you’re dependent on someone else’s outcome for your success, the greater the disappointment when things don’t go as planned. People come and go in your business and in life. Customers will stop re-ordering or have switched products. People move on and when they do, so should you.

Things change constantly. If you practice letting go of setbacks, you can handle a lot of things. When the disappointments arise, stay focused and centered. Focus on what you need to do so that you’ll stay on track.

Count on you for success rather than being attached to someone else’s.

What you can do

*Don’t attach yourself to your team member’s outcome.
*Don’t take it personally or drive yourself crazy with why so and so did this or that.
*Don’t read into what is or what isn’t there.
*Don’t think about the disappointment. If you find yourself replaying the events, just stop. It’s hard to do but just stop the train of thoughts and if that doesn’t help, find something else to do to distract yourself i.e. grab an inspirational book and feed your mind with something positive.

Recommended books

One of the best books that I’ve read is The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz (www.miguelruiz.com). I love the practical and common sense wisdom from this book and his teachings. It’s common sense yet incredibly powerful that applies to your personal and business life.

One of my favorite personal growth websites is Heal Your Life (www.healyourlife.com). You’ll find all kinds of inspirational articles from Dr. Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay and topics in all areas of personal and business development.

Whenever you find yourself sulking in disappointments – stop the negativity and feed your mind with something uplifting!

‘til next time,

Janette

p.s. Do you find yourself being attached to the outcome of your business? How do you handle the disappointment? Share your thoughts. As always, kindly share if you find this article helpful to others.

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