Network marketing is a business model that can take someone who has no specialized skills and develop them into a thriving and self-assured entrepreneur.
Unfortunately, network marketing or multi-level marketing (MLM) has gotten a bad name over the years.
The reason for this is that for someone just getting started in a business of their own, it is impossible to understand all of the subtleties of business building.
The demands placed on a new business builder are intense and frequently quite out of the norm for someone who has not used to promoting a product or service.
The traditional method for building a networking business is to write a list of names of friends and family members and invite them to a meeting, a webcast, a teleconference or an online presentation.
Frequently scripts are used to help the new recruit "say the right things" and keep their approach consistent.
I suppose that there is nothing wrong with this, but it has been my experience that the most successful network marketers are those who ask a lot of questions and truly listen to what their prospect is saying.
Determining whether an individual would make a good business builder has little to do with the network marketing company, the products, the sales figures, or any of the other details that are so frequently dumped onto the prospect trying to impress them with the credibility of the opportunity.
What really matters is the needs and ambitions that are currently unmet in the prospects life.
Learning the skills of effective questioning or interviewing candidates are perhaps the "silver bullet" that most networkers never master, but for those who do, the rewards are unbelievable.
One of the best resources that I remember studying is, "How To Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety, or Losing Your Friends!" by Michael Oliver.
I also enjoyed "Professional Inviter" by Tim Sales.
Of course there are probably many other great tools and books available now, but the point that I would most like to make is to allow the prospect to discover the need that they have in their lives by asking careful and sincere questions and offering them the chance to self-discover whether or not network marketing would be a viable option for them.
Education is also paramount to awakening the sleeping giant of ambition and desire in your prospects mind.
Of all of the books I've read, the one that truly changed my life and shifted my paradigm was, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.
Other books that are excellent to share with people are "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and "The Magic of Thinking Big" by David H, Schwartz, Ph.
D.
Although I am no longer a network marketer, the skills that I've learned from MLM have helped me succeed and build many other businesses.
The thing that I miss most is the training, education and surrounding myself with people who are clear about their dreams, goals and vision in life.
Most people today, have lost sight of their potential and just settle into a safe and predictable life that is directed by others.
If you decide to pursue network marketing as a business, make sure to treat it as a business.
Learn about the industry, the company, the products, but most importantly, learn about how to LISTEN to people and help them get what they want.
If you can do this, you will be a success!