Traditional Network Marketing – Is it Alive or Dead?

First of all, what is network marketing?

BusinessDictionary.com defines network marketing as “Direct selling method in which independent-agents serve as distributors of goods and services, and are encouraged to build and manage their own sales force by recruiting and training other independent agents.”  Agents are more commonly referred to as distributors in many network marketing-based companies.

Now, is it dead or alive?

Bottom line: it is very much alive but if it is alive – is that a good or bad thing?

Now that question is definitely complicated and requires a little thought and scrutiny.

To some, especially former, unsuccessful network marketers who are “born again” and practicing Internet attraction and relationship marketing; the answer is a resounding – probably a little of both.

Why?

Simply because the traditional prospecting and lead generation methods they were taught by the “old school” network marketers (warm market prospecting, cold calling, 3 foot rule, etc.) did not work; at least not for them. Many believed the stigma of the “failed” old school prospecting methods equate with and therefore characterizes network marketing.

Recently, however, many of those people found the Internet and news ways to develop leads and therefore potential customers or recruits.  Though this seemed to solve the dilemma of the old school methods (at least on the lead generation side), it often left many of the new or re-born Internet network marketers short on person to person contact skills.  This is especially true when trying to apply the attraction and relationship marketing model and not simply the “close the sale” approach.

In reality, both the traditional and Internet-based prospecting methods should be blended with attraction and relationship marketing in mind and then included as a part of a network marketer’s toolkit.

Since this is a “sales model”, the prospecting/lead generation aspect necessitates marketing to the potential customer until the sale is closed but in this case employing the relationship building component.  At this stage, good to excellent communication skills are required to elevate the potential customer to a regular, repeat customer – the end game for anyone in sales.

The ability to effectively communicate is a major factor that separates struggling network marketers from those that excel and build successful organizations.

Many struggling network marketers take to the Internet with aspirations of using attraction and relationship marketing to draw leads to court and build relationships in hopes of finding new distributors. Even so, they need to realize that effective personal communication is a must. These skills might best be learned by watching and listening to the successful old school network marketing professionals.

Just remember, it is usually best to work at building the relationship and then introduce the customer to the solution to their problem after a level of mutual trust is established on both sides of the cash register!

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