A Peep Into The World of Network Marketing

It was on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, she sent me a WhatsApp message that read thus: “Stewart, when will you be less busy today? I’d like to call to talk to you about something, it’s serious.”
“You can call at 10 pm, I should be settled at home by then”, I replied.

10:13 pm her call came in; she was sobbing and I asked what the problem was and she said she has lost her 80k. How? I asked. She said it was in the network marketing business, that their system crashed. She actually put in 80k to make 320k in 48 hours. Thief! Ole!

I collected the details of the platform ran a quick and meticulous background check on it and found out that it was a Ponzi scheme not a network marketing business.

It is this get-rich-quick syndrome that has led so many persons to be scammed. We take risks that are founded on greed, laziness, and poverty-mentality. We have failed to understand that building lasting wealth is intentional and takes a process.

They wash you with terms like Financial Freedom, Financial Independence, wealth World, and boom you jump at it. Your eye go clear, no worry.

They give you quotes from Robert Kiyosaki, Jack Ma, Bill Gates and show you videos of a white man speaking through his nose, and boom you are already feeling like Dangote. It will end in tears.

They know you are broke, they under the greedy nature of man, they know how lazy the majority of us are and they tell you it’s network marketing and sharp sharp you don send money, you don do video of yourself, now your money don tuoama, you don dey shine eye.

Since March this year, I’ve been working on integrating a network marketing system as a marketing tool into a client’s business that he’s going to launch by January. This project exposed me to a whole lot of things about network marketing and I decided to share.

What Really Is Network Marketing?

The term or concept of network marketing is being abused on a daily basis, especially in this part of the world. So much so that people now capitalize on it to create platforms or forums to defraud innocent people.

Network marketing is actually a unique type of business model or system that centers on person-to-person sales by independent representatives. These representatives more often than not can actually work from anywhere.

A network marketing (NM) business may demand that you build a network of business partners or salespeople that can assist with lead generation and closing sales. Some network marketing businesses can be structured to focus less on sales to consumers than on the recruitment of salespeople who may be required to pay upfront for expensive starter kits.

Now, take note of these facts:

Network Marketing (NM) is a business model. It is usually adopted by businesses to help penetrate into a new or existing market, generate leads and sales, maximize advertising budgets, increase traction, and consequently enhance business growth.

You are expected to work but at your convenience and space and this work may involve selling a product or paying upfront for an expensive starter kit.

Network Marketing does not require you to put in N4000 and get N16000 in 48 hours. It is not also for lazy and greedy people. The get-rich-quick mentality of our generation is killing so many of us.

The reason why it is called Network Marketing is that you will need people to work with so that you can be successful in it. It means you will have to build a strong web of business partners over TIME and be consistent.

Learning how to sell is very key in NM business if you must grow.

In principle and in simple terms, this is how Network Marketing works:

📌 The parent company creates stages of sales reps. It is designed in such a way that people can sign up for their own network of salespersons.

📌 The creators of a new level (Upline) will earn a certain amount as a commission on their own sales and also from sales made by persons in the level they created (Downline).

📌 As time progresses, a new level can give birth to another level which contributes more commission to the person at the top level & the middle level.

The point here is that earnings in network marketing will depend on two key things:

• Sales and
• Recruitment of other sales reps.

It is also important that network marketing should not be mistaken for pyramid schemes.

• Network marketing (multi-level marketing) is legal, pyramid schemes are not.
• Pyramid schemes are not sustainable as they are usually caught up in one litigation issue or the other.
• Pyramid schemes place more emphasis on recruiting than on selling actual products to consumers. While Network Marketing’s ultimate goal is to move products to consumers.

Though on MLM, there are benefits to recruiting new members e.g. earning a commission on their sales. However, the main objective of the company is still to move products.

Though, it is true that you can get rich while doing network marketing, according to statistics less than one out of 100 Network Marketers actually achieve network marketing success or make so much money.

However, that’s not the fault of the parent company, after all not all football clubs make it to the champions league.

Sequel to that, you must understand that being a great network marketer is exactly like building a business, it requires lots of hard work, consistency, and business leadership skills, hence it goes beyond going to social media to castigating employees or making noise about making N50million in 3 days.

Don’t be deceived, any Network marketing or MLM company must have a product or service to sell.
As we draw the cotton on this series, I’d like to mention that a lot of people do not see their network marketing business as a business, as they would if they opened a supermarket, a restaurant, or started any other business from scratch.

If you really want to succeed in Network Marketing, then you must be willing to treat your network marketing venture as the business it is. Yeah!

Don’t go into it with the mentality of cashing out in 48 hours. Be a little bit more intentional about organic growth and sustainable wealth and not diminishing audio riches.

Though NM can sometimes be referred to as a home business, it is also key to note that no matter the home business, you start, success comes from doing the work to build it.

While working on the network marketing project I talked about earlier, I have studied some pro network marketers and monitored their methods, progress, and strategies and I can boldly tell you that they are genuine and succeeding Network Marketers.

• They know their WHYs! They know how to sell!
• They play by the rules! They are also making their own rules.
• THEY HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT.

Haven studied and researched these other world-renowned Network Marketers, I have compiled a few TIPS to help you grow and succeed in your network marketing venture.

Here Are the Tips:

📌 Arm Yourself with Knowledge.

📌 Look for Company with A Good Product You Love.

📌 Understudy a Pro Network Marketer You Know.

📌 Be Authentic and Moral.

📌 Identify Your Target Market.

📌 Listen, Learn and Sell Solutions.

📌 Learn to Market, Learn to Sell.

📌 Choose A Handful of Marketing Strategies to Master at A Time.

📌 Design A Unique Product Plan Every day.

📌 Don’t Barrage Your Friends and Family

📌 Set Smart Goals for Your Presentation.

📌 Be Unique and Exceptional from Other Network Marketers.

📌 Don’t Always Recruit, Learn to Sponsor.

📌 Provide Value for Your Prospects.

📌 In Some Cases, Start It Up as A Team (3 or 4 persons)

📌 Stay Consistent. Be Resilient.

📌 Design A System for Feedback/Follow-ups.

Network Marketing Business is indeed a business and should not be mistaken for a Ponzi scheme.
So many people like me are not into NM not because it is not legit or good but because we understand that it is business and we know what goes into building a successful business hence we focus all our energy on building our own businesses first to give it solid foundation before we can venture into something else.

So, if you must go into NM, be ready to play by the genuine rules to succeed true and true.