You’ve chosen your company, signed up and are now a new business owner – Congratulations.
But how much do you actually know about Network Marketing? This is the ultimate guide to getting started the right way.
When starting out in Network Marketing, many people are given the same, poor advice. ‘Make a list of everyone you know and contact them about the business opportunity’. I was given this advice, and blindly followed it. I had never worked in this industry before, didn’t have a clue what I was doing, and was excited about my new business. Surely everyone else would be too.
Of course, they weren’t, and I pushed away a huge number of people who might have been great at this line of work, if they were only approached the right way.
First Steps
Your new business is just that. Your business. You are operating it under the umbrella of your Network Marketing company, but are not employed by, and do not work for, that company. Your branding should convey your individuality and speak to your ideal customer or prospect. Using your company’s name and logo is promoting their brand and not your own. People buy from people.
The first thing you need to consider is your ideal customer. Be specific about this, as it will form the basis of your entire brand. You are aiming to appeal directly to this person. From there you will develop a business name, mission statement and visual identity.
Online Presence
In this day and age, a business cannot be efficient without a strong online presence. Think about it – when someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, or you are looking for a new product or service, the first thing you will probably say is, “Google it”. We all have the same mentality when it comes to the ease of accessing information online.
What platform will you use as your business base? Many network marketers use a Facebook group or page as their main base. However, you could also have an independent website or other social media platform. Once you have your base established, all other platforms will lead to here for sales and information. This will act as your ‘shop front’ and will therefore need to give a great first impression that will compel people to browse and follow.
On top of the usual social media platforms, that you have probably already considered, you should think about building and using an email list. This is an effective way to stay in regular contact with your network and a great – free – marketing opportunity.
When building your online presence, you should take the time to engage with your audience, no matter how small it may be in the beginning. If they feel appreciated, they will continue to follow you.
Retail
Each week, set yourself a retail goal. If you know exactly what you are working towards, it will be easier to plan the activity needed to get there. Make your goals realistic. You’re not likely to earn thousands of pounds in your first week. Network Marketing is all about consistency.
Now you have your goal, how are you going to achieve it? Think about the products you sell. Get to know as much as you can about them and this will help you to make genuine recommendations. As you are going through each product, chances are someone will come to mind who might benefit from them. Let them know.
Posting online about your products is a great way to raise awareness of what you’re up to. Going straight in with a sales pitch, however, is likely to disinterest people. The majority will scroll straight past, without giving the post a second thought. Instead, talk about the benefits and advantages of the products. Why should people try them?
You can also go with the traditional method of catalogue sales. Talk to the people you know about your new business and ask them if they would be interested in taking a look at a catalogue. Don’t be offended if they’re not interested. Your family and friends are not the be-all and end-all of your business. You will probably get a handful of people who will take a look out of politeness, however, and this could results in a few sales. You might even get lucky and have them share the products with other people.
Prospecting
If you’ve properly looked into Network Marketing, you’re probably focused on building your downline, in order to develop your business quickly. Before you bombard everyone you know with the opportunity, remember that it is quality, not quantity, that you are looking for. When I started out, I built a large downline very quickly, but at least half of these people didn’t take the opportunity seriously, or just weren’t interested, and dropped out. Your aim is to find and help people who genuinely want to build a business.
When talking to prospects, you should focus on building a relationship and getting to know them personally. Find out how you can help them to fulfil their wants and needs.
Set yourself goals for prospecting and sponsoring. For example, how many new people will you talk to each week, and how many of those do you hope to close? Keeping track of each person you have spoken to will help you to stay organised and follow up effectively. The key is in the follow up. After your initial conversation about the business opportunity, prospects will be in one of three places: Yes – sign me up! Maybe – I need to think about it. Or, No – it’s not for me.
When you get a ‘maybe’, you need to follow up with this person effectively. How much time will you allow to pass before you get in contact with them again? What will you say? Make sure you have this planned out, so that you know exactly how you will handle the situation.
When you sponsor new downline members, don’t leave them to fend for themselves. Your job as their sponsor is to guide and support them. Provide them with relevant information and help them to plan their business for success.
If you’re struggling with the idea of prospecting, check out these top tips.
Content Creation
Content creation for your business can be very time-consuming. In order to remain productive – and avoid distractions – set aside a certain amount of time each week for this activity.
This will be your time to create posts for your social media, blog, email list and any other platforms you are using. Scheduling content will help to save time for other activity, and avoid online distractions, such as aimless scrolling through Facebook.
Start by brainstorming your ideas. Think of the type of content you want to post. What do you want to achieve from it? For example, is your primary purpose to drive sales, find new prospecting leads, educate your audience?
Once you decide on this, you can start to make notes for each post. When you start to create the bulk of the content, you can refer to your notes and expand on them. Dedicate your scheduled time solely to content creation. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by having your phone in your hand, or a tonne of tabs open on your internet browser. You need to focus to create quality content.
I realise that this is a lot of information to take in. That’s why I have created a free workbook to guide you through your set-up and initial business activity.
