All sorts of things have been written about network marketing. I have several books on the subject, have sat through various seminars and training sessions, and have even written a few articles on the subject. Between network marketing and internet marketing, and sometimes by combining the two, I make a tidy income.

Actually, network marketing is not all that hard, it's just that people make it that way. The other day, a very nice lady from Florida, educated and intelligent, asked me to give her some tips on network marketing. I was thinking about the answer, and pondering some points on the subject, and the following came to mind.

First of all, my philosophy is NOT to market. The strongest position in network marketing is usually NOT that of the marketer, but rather that of the networker. Within my reach as I type this are six excellent books on network marketing, and you will have a hard time finding exhortations to "market" your product, service, or business opportunity. Again and again in these same books are page after page of instructions and examples of how to effectively "network".

To be sure, having a good product, strong promotional materials, and a working ability to express the virtues of the product, service, or opportunity is of great importance. However, just as in most traditional product advertising, sales are going to be dependent on the number of interested people you can get your message in front of.

So, if you are selling toothpaste, does this mean that you only target people in need of toothpaste? No. In network marketing you must always remember that even someone who doesn't need toothpaste can refer someone to you who does. In most network marketing situations, YOU are the more important product. The referral or purchase will seldom come because you have the best or only toothpaste in town. Your success will hinge on how well you market yourself.

A quick question; how many women do you know who buy network marketed cosmetics from a friend or a friend of a friend?

Any one of these women can pick up almost anything they can imagine while doing grocery shopping or at any one of a dozen other places they regularly visit. Why buy something that possibly costs a little more, that can only be glimpsed in a catalog and that they must wait to have delivered if not because of the relationship that exists between them and their distributor?

Interestingly enough, once the connection is made, many of these women have become so comfortable with the person, the product, and the system that they automatically seek to establish contact with a new representative should they lose contact with their original distributor.

Without cracking a single one of those network marketing books I mentioned, almost anyone can create a list of places to network and how to do it. Go to church, volunteer at the library, take part in fund raising events, join professional organizations, bring your neighbor's garbage cans back up to the house for them...

Wait a minute! Are you saying I just need to be a good guy or gal to be successful?

Obviously, in addition to being a "good" person, being a pillar of the community, and making lots of friends, you DO have a product or service to sell, but it is usually pretty easy to mention what you do or ask for a kind word once you have established your credentials. People are actually pretty understanding about that sort of thing...especially if you don't start throwing your best sales pitch at them.

Several years ago, I saw how a guy named Ed turned a chance encounter into a network marketing opportunity, and, at least briefly, created a friend.

Ed was an Independent Business Owner for a discount dental plan that was just getting started in Texas and a few other states. I had signed up in the business opportunity under him. I had just attended one of those network marketing training sessions I mentioned above, and Ed had accompanied me out to the elevator as we continued a conversation which had begun inside the training room.

As we stood there talking, an elevator stopped at the floor, a man got out and looked around with that bewildered look on his face that we get when WE step out of the elevator and are not quite sure where the room is that we are looking for.

With a quick grin, Ed immediately asked the man if he could help him find something. The man mentioned the name of a business, and Ed was able to tell him where it was and took the few steps necessary to escort the man to the correct corridor. He thanked Ed very politely, and Ed just as politely told him that he had been happy to help.

All of this took less than a minute.

Just before Ed and the man parted company, Ed asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

The man replied that he didn't mind.

Ed then asked him, "Do you have a dental plan?"

The man hesitantly replied that he didn't, and Ed, who never left home without them, handed him a brochure and simply asked him to take a look through it when he had a chance. Ed had actually begun to turn back to me when the man, unfolding the brochure, began to ask questions about the program. Ed was only too happy to answer the man's questions.

Another elevator arrived and I left. I don't know if Ed ever sold that man on the dental plan, but I do know that I saw an excellent piece of networking. That was basically Ed's "sales" technique.

Oh yeah! The last time I saw Ed, he was making in excess of $100,000.00 A MONTH.

For several years, I tried to "sell" things with little success, and lots of moments that I wished I was elsewhere. Eventually, I wised up and just started trying to be a "nice guy", and lo and behold, I began making money.

Okay Ed, I finally got the message.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has an internet business website at http://www.donovanbaldwin.com and is actively recruiting those interested in starting their own home business at http://www.donovanbaldwin.com/homebusiness/.

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