offline/online in network marketing...

OFFLINE/ONLINE IN NETWORK MARKETING BUSINESS 2

. © Copyright 2012 Lucy Bieri. All right reserved worldwide

It’s important that you know how Network Marketing functions before making the move.

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle

OFFLINE/ONLINE IN NETWORK

MARKETING BUSINESS

www.101networkmarketingonline.com



Table of Contents

From the Author ................................................................................................................04 Introduction ........................................................................................................................05 What is Network Marketing? ...............................................................................................09Why is Network Marketing Right for You? ........................................................................12Types of Network Marketing ...............................................................................................16Online Network Marketing ...............................................................................................17Offline Network Marketing ...............................................................................................23Why Choose Online Marketing? ....................................................................................26Case Study: Network Marketing Recruiting .........................................................................35Online Network Marketing: Turning Leads into Prospects ..................................................38Leads ...................................................................................................................................38Prospects .................................................................................................................................38Leads vs. Prospects ..............................................................................................................39Why is Online Network Marketing better for engaging prospects?.....................................39 Why is Now the Right Time for Online Network Marketing?..............................................41 Is Offline Network Marketing All Bad? .........................................................................45A last look at online network marketing ..........................................................................46Bonus 1: How To Get The Most Out of Social Networking ............................................49Offline/online in network in network marketing business ..........................................51Bear in mind ....................................................................................................................52



I have always been fascinated about Network Marketing business; my first experience was in 2002 with Herbalife Product.At this time I had no idea about online marketing, I was thought the offline methord. A year later I gave it up, because I was sick and tired of trying to convince just about anybody to join my business.

Years later, I decided to give network marketing a try, this time around, I was determined to do it the right way so I sought out professional networking consultant help, so here I’m. I started marketing online and never looked back again. It was much easier going online to market my business and find people interested in what I have to offer than offline. Going on-line open doors to other opportunities thus achieving objectives.

The information presented in this book is based on actual facts provided by professional on-line marketers. These people built most of their wealth online and have succeeded in turning their businesses into lucrative streams of income by mastering network marketing. After years of researching network marketing, along with my firsthand experience and success with this method, I have written this book to share my knowledge with others.

This book is for beginners and intermediates alike, aimed at helping you better understand offline and online network marketing. I’d like to thank you beforehand for reading this book, and I sincerely hope you will find the information you need to be successful.

Best of luck running your online networking campaign!Cheers

Lucy BieriBsc Business with Economics.

The Author



Introduction

Thanks to modern technology like the Internet and the emergence of social media network-ing sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, the world of networking has ad-vanced into a whole new dimension. Not only can you network with people face-to-face, but you can also network with prospects, clients, vendors, and other important sources to your business that you may never see in person. Online networking broadens your reach and wid-ens your pool of prospects – almost to infinity!

Even if you haven’t used social media sites for networking and broadening your business’s potential before, you must have at least heard about the social media buzz. People are split on what they think of social media: one side clearly sees the benefits of using an online medium to grow a business and network with prospects and referral sources, while the other side feels online networking is a complete waste of time. Before you decide which side you belong to, think about the different ways you can integrate social media networking into your marketing campaign, and how you can develop new methods to grow your business even faster.

Consider the following methods in which you can use social media to reap the benefits of social networks:

Online presence

It doesn’t matter what preconceived notion you have about social media websites, the fact re-mains—your target market is using social media and they are registered to those sites. Social networking extends to every industry, service profession and niche—and with current, past and potential clients and plenty of referral sources on these networks; you have a golden op-portunity to leverage the power of social media by creating your own online presence.



The entire social media platform becomes a form of word-of-mouth advertising, which has always been the most time- and cost-effective way for business growth. Don’t stop there though; use these social media platforms to monitor the conversations taking place—you’ll be amazed by how much you can learn about your business, your industry and even your clients!

Better customer service

Social media lets you become a part of the conversations taking place about you and your business, which also puts you in the driver’s seat to proactively react to potential problem situations. If clients or prospects are facing a barrier to working with you, wouldn’t you want to know about it right away so that you can remove the barrier?

Case of point: this is precisely how 1-800-FLOWERS corrected a customer service issue—by utilizing Facebook. During high-call volume times, customers weren’t able to place their or-ders online or by phone so 1-800-FLOWERS used its Facebook Fan Page to address the issue by allowing customers to place orders directly through Facebook.

Listen to what your clients and customers are saying

You have a power in your hands, don’t disregard it. Listening to what people are saying on your social media platforms can be very enlightening and beneficial for you.



Connecting with prospects, clients, and referral sources has led to the creation of new prod-ucts and services and has led to the generation of hundreds of millions of dollars of new busi-ness across various industries. Networking online with social media is similar to having your own research and development (R&D) division for your service.

Deliver your marketing messages

Social media networking sites provide you with an additional way to spread your marketing messages. For current customers, it can provide a reaffirmation of your marketing messages; for prospects, it can allow you to reach audiences you may have never otherwise been able to network with.

Remember, networking takes time and effort.

It takes time and effort to build any type of relationship, and one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to build your network before you need it. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a network of 50, 100, or even 500 people you can call on when your business needs them?

Since you’re not sitting in front of a client, you can’t read their clues and appeal to their emo-tions. With online presence, you can still bring a personal touch to the transaction!

If you think Network Marketing is right for you, then there are three basic factors you need to consider before you start. You have to be prepared to work hard, adjust your attitude and meet every challenge in order to succeed.



Hard work – Network Marketing is not a quick and easy get-rich scheme. You have to be ready to work hard – and work smart – in order to master the skills necessary to market a successful business.

Attitude Adjustment – Any changes in your life have to be made hand-in-hand with a change in attitude. It’s great to make a decision to find a better concept, idea or system of doing things. However, the key to change is to adjust your attitude so that your pres-entation and communication skills, as well as your understanding of the operation of the business, will be re-focused to further your opportunities for success.

Commit to Success – When you own your own business, it is either a success or a fail-ure. Network Marketing is no different. It has the potential to reward you handsomely as long as you put effort in achieving superior results. You have to be dedicated and prepared to give your business what it takes in order to reap profits.

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Let’s begin with a clear understanding of the term ‘Network Marketing’ by breaking it down. The promotion and selling of products by informal communication with other individuals to achieve some mutual advantage.

What is Network Marketing?



According to the figure above, we can define Network Marketing as a business model for the promotion and selling of products by informal communication with other individuals Net-work Marketing relies on personal or individual relationships with family, friends, co-workers and even companies to sell products or services. Not only is the focus on selling a particu-lar product or service, but there is an emphasis placed on encouraging the buyer to become involved in selling the commodity themselves. The result is the development of an entire network of distributors of the commodity who directly service their customers. The individu-als that join this network are recruited or ‘sponsored’ by others who are already existing pro-moters and distributors. The benefit of involvement can be in the form of monetary reward or reduced prices on products and services. The compensation becomes more attractive as the number of people involved in distributing the product increases.

Network Marketing is also popularly described as Multilevel Marketing (MLM) or Coopera-tive Marketing and is sometimes incorrectly associated with pyramid schemes.Those who are sponsored (or recruited) are known as the distributor’s down liners and are also trained by the recruiter. In turn, these down liners may sponsor others as their own down liners, and this pattern may by repeated several times or on several levels. Hence, the relevance of the term ‘multi-level marketing’. Most businesses sell their products directly to customers. However, MLM companies place greater emphasis on the recruiting of distribu-tors and require that people who are recruited, in addition to buying and selling the product, to also recruit more people who in turn will recruit others to not only and buy sell but who will also recruit others. The multiplication never stops!

Figure 2 is a simple illustration. Picture yourself at the top. You recruit two people. Each of these two people in turn recruit two more. Then every one of those people recruit two people each.

Figure 1



Network Marketing Recruitment in Practice

Figure 2. Source: Manesis, Scott (2011). Home Business-Work From Home-Ideas. http://iamscott-manesis.com/home-business-work-from-home-ideas/

A common feature of MLM companies is a compensation plan that is structured on a tier-by-tier basis. So, the more buyers that you convince to become distributors in the business, the more income there is to be made. This type of income is labeled “residual income” and simply refers to money that is earned from the efforts of others within the business.There have been MLM company failures over the years, and the reasons for their lack of suc-cess are no different from the situations that other types of companies sometimes find them-selves in. Various explanations include poor ethical standards, lack of business knowledge or manage-ment skills and inadequate funding. However, many MLMs have been accused of creating scams known as Pyramid schemes. On the other hand, MLMs have also been very profitable and enduring with two well-known success stories: Amway and Herbalife.



Why is Network Marketing Right for You?

Despite various market fluctuations and much criticism, the concept of Network Marketing has endured. It is an effective medium for achieving your financial goals. Recruiting addi-tional distributors is the key. Encouraging and convincing other people to join the network of distributors will ensure a substantial and long-lasting residual income. Help others achieve their goals and your goals will also be attained.With Network Marketing comes the rare opportunity to build your own personal fortune while helping others. It is unconventional because your individual success will rely on the success of the people that you sponsor. Not remembering, or not putting enough emphasis on this important fact, could result in business failure.Let’s lay out the benefits of Network Marketing:

The ability to work from home

You can give up travelling to the office and sitting behind a desk for at least eight hours per day. As a network marketer, you will have the freedom and comfort of working from home.

There is no geographical restriction

The scope of your business does not have to be limited to your community, town, city or even country. The world can now be your market.



Being involved in an important part of the world economy

Distribution is an essential element of any service-based economy. Network Marketing allows individuals to be involved in this critical aspect to contribute to world growth.

Inexpensive start-up costs

There are minimal overheads to consider and you no longer have to have a large budget for marketing your business (both in terms of monetary budget and time).

Little risk

With so little capital involved, Network Marketing presents very little risk.



The option of working when you want to

You will be able to choose the amount of hours that you work. If you recruit many downline distributors, this will increase your income and you can choose whether or not to invest any more of your precious time in marketing the business. Just as you will help your sponsor at-tain greater wealth, so will those you sponsor assist you in your financial goals.

No employees to manage

The other individuals in the network are business partners. There will be no employees and human resource issues to deal with.

Training and support

Most MLMs offer full training and support services that will teach you how to operate a busi-ness



Personal growth

Network Marketing provides a great learning experience. Individuals will find that they will be able to run their business, work with various people globally, communicate effectively and, through experience, learn important tips for success. Meeting the challenges of Network Mar-keting will be very rewarding and enjoyable.

Take control

As a Network Marketer, your employer will no longer be in control of your financial future. No longer will you be paid what someone else thinks you are worth. You will now be able to take control for greater financial security and freedom.

Financial security

By working for yourself through a viable and sustainable network, you will be able to dedicate the time needed to earn enough for long-term financial security.



Types of Network Marketing

Two main categories of Network Marketing include Online Marketing and Offline Marketing. Before embarking on a Network Marketing opportunity, many individuals debate whether or not to use traditional offline techniques or to favor online methods instead.

Figure 3

Data obtained from the United States Census Bureau shows that sales from e-commerce have grown at a steady pace between 2000 and 2009. In 2000, e-commerce sales were at a level of $27.6 billion. The year 2009 saw an impressive growth in online sales to $143.billion!

There can be no disputing the fact that online marketing is here to stay and is obviously an ef-fective method of inducing sales online.



Online Network Marketing

Online marketing strategies utilize the Internet to reach and service customers cost effectively all over the globe. These types of strategies include Performance Marketing, Banner Market-ing, Email Marketing and Press Releases, Social Networking and Social Bookmarking, Affili-ate and Article Marketing.

Performance Marketing

Also known as Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing: An advertisement is placed based on queries from search engines. Certain words are targeted and when those words are searched for via search engines, the advertisement will appear in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). Payment is only made for the advertisement when an Internet surfer actually clicks on the ad. However, because a lot of money can be spent this way in a relatively short amount of time, the most effective use of PPC should be implemented to ensure that the right customers are targeted. Due to its powerful capacity and extensive resources, Google is a leader in perfor-mance marketing.

Banner Marketing

Advertisements are placed on a website with the intention to attract traffic by linking the ad back to the advertiser’s website. This form of online marketing is less effective than perfor-mance marketing; it is normally utilized as a supplemental form of advertising along with performance marketing.



Email Marketing & Press Releases

Emails advertising products are sent to extensive mailing lists. There are two essential ele-ments to a successful marketing strategy using email.

Create a long list of people to whom you can send emails

Write inspiring and motivating emails which will be full of valuable infor-mation in order for people to want to purchase what you are trying to sell.

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Social Networking and Social Bookmarking

Information about products and services can be circulated worldwide within minutes via so-cial networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. Social media is best used not as a direct selling tool but as a means to direct traffic to other sites where they can then be targeted with the relevant sales pitch.An Emarketer survey conducted in 2009 (see Figure 3) found that 25% of marketers plan to spend more on social networking media, 33% plan to spend the same amount on before, and only 5% plan to spend less.

Facebook social networking site creator, Mark Zuckerberg, issued an advisory that is critical to anyone considering network marketing. It emphasizes how essential online marketing tools are, and more specifically, social networking media.



over“500 million people around the world are now actively using Facebook and almost half of them are using Facebook every day. If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia

and Nigeria.”

Figure 4. Source: “Social Network Marketing Spending to Increase in 2009”. http://www.visibleu.com/2009/social-network-marketing-spending-to-increase-in-2009/



Affiliate Marketing

Website owners are allowed to promote products and services and in return they are given a monetary reward for every sale or lead generated. It is a simple and inexpensive mechanism that puts the task of promotion in someone else’s hands. Even though you will be giving up some of the profits, a lot more of the market will be reached through affiliates and more mon-ey will be earned than if you were marketing all on your own.

Article Marketing

This method involves creating articles and then posting them on either your website or an-other popular website. Popular keywords should be targeted and there should be valuable and interesting information included in the article. From this article, readers should be directed to another page where the real sales pitch will begin. Instead of trying to directly sell the product within the article, there should be a link at the end inviting people to click for more informa-tion.

Tips for Online Network Marketing

A successful online networking strategy utilizes five essential elements: Traffic, Leads, Rela-tionship, Monetize and Test (see Figure 4).



1) TrafficThe first step is to get traffic to your promotional material. If you have a website or a blog, traffic can be driven to your information via online advertisements, articles and social net-working sites.

2) LeadsHits on your website need to be converted into leads. Leads can be encouraged by inviting visitors to the site to submit their contact information in exchange for something beneficial, such as a free training package or ebook.

Traffic

Leads

Relationships

Monetize

Test

Figure 5: Five Essential Elements of Online Network Marketing



3) RelationshipHaving gotten leads, relationships need to be built with them by sending a regular stream of follow-up email messages with valuable information about the relevant product and network-ing opportunities.

4) MonetizeYour list can be monetized by offering leads valuable products that meet their particular needs. Thus the customer information captured is very important as it should help to link products with customer needs.

5) TestIt is essential that every aspect of the online marketing strategy is tested in order to ensure that the processes are working and that the necessary results are being achieved.



Offline Network Marketing

Traditional methods of marketing are offline, which means that neither the Internet nor any computer network is used as a part of the marketing strategy. They include print, television and radio and word of mouth.

Print

Examples of print network marketing methods include newspapers, magazines, billboards, posters and flyers.

Flyers and posters can be expensive to produce in large quantities, as well as costly and time-consuming to distribute (especially to a high volume of people).

Putting advertisements in newspapers and magazines and on billboards can also be expen-sive. In addition, extensive research has to be carried out to pinpoint potential leads within customer segments. However, identifying the leads will not guarantee that they will be con-verted to prospects.

Television and Radio

It can be quite expensive to broadcast advertisement on television and radio. In addition, if several spots are bought at a time (which is normally more cost-effective), there leaves little room for change if the marketing tactics are reviewed and modified.



Word of Mouth

Word of mouth has traditionally been considered an essential element of any marketing strat-egy. This view is no different for network marketing.

However, disseminating information by word of mouth using offline methods is very tedi-ous, frustrating and can be very demotivating when the desired results are not achieved. Traditional ways of sharing product information by word of mouth include phone calls, voice messages and engaging strangers in conversation and discussion in public places. Even for the most outgoing type of personality, this strategy often wears thin and is usually highly unsuc-cessful.

An ad agency, ZenithOptimedia, set out their predictions on marketing spend based on cur-rent trends and forecasts. Although they estimate that the amount of money spent globally on television advertising will grow (see Figure 6), they predict that print advertising will reduce by approximately 1% and that internet advertising will rise by 16%. Other forms of offline advertising show an expected reduction in spend.



Figure 6

These estimates are important indicators for network marketers. Based on these numbers, should a network marketer invest time and money in offline methods, when others are direct-ing their scarce resources to internet advertising? Absolutely not. In order to be successful as a network marketer, online strategies have to be pursued. The rest of the world has caught on, so why shouldn’t you?



Why Choose Online Marketing?

1) Acquiring Leads

Online – The structuring and implementation of an effective marketing plan can generate automatic traffic and leads using the Internet. A greater volume of leads will result in a greater probability that these will be converted to purchasing customers and recruits who can spon-sor further individuals.

Offline – Getting leads is a difficult and extremely tedious process using offline methods. Lists will have to be created manually by pulling on friends, family members, co-workers and other acquaintances. The practice of having to speak to strangers in public places to generate interest is quite common. Advertisements also have to be placed in print media, shop win-dows and office buildings. Most individuals cannot describe themselves as a natural ‘people’ person and are not completely comfortable speaking to strangers all day. Recruiting is an es-sential part of Network Marketing and the offline methods make recruitment very difficult.

2) Convenience of Making Changes

Online – Changes can be made to online marketing methods very quickly and with little preparation. With proper monitoring and tracking of promotional and marketing activities, a decision can be made to change a slogan or picture without any hassle.

Offline – With traditional methods of advertising, such as newspapers, television or radio, it is much more difficult to effect changes. Even with adequate reviews of marketing efforts, there will be a significant time delay for revisions to print and media material which can hin-der the effectiveness of the marketing strategy.



3) Ease of Monitoring

Online – Monitoring is an important part of analyzing the performance of marketing ac-tivities. By using online methods, results of activities can be tracked in real time. As a result, any problems can be quickly identified and rectified. In addition, any noted advantages can be emphasized for ultimate benefits.

Offline – Traditional marketing efforts can be tracked as well. However, they can rarely ever be monitored in real time. If the performance of the marketing strategy cannot be prop-erly reviewed within good time, neither corrective measures nor reinforcing activities can be conducted to ensure the success of the marketing endeavor.

4) Ability to Refine Targets

Online – Online marketing presents the ability to target particular demographic segments with great ease. Possible categories include age, occupation, gender, location and work experi-ence.Offline – Specific demographics can be targeted using offline marketing methods as well, but it is more difficult not having online access.



5) Greater Options

Online – Marketing online provides a plethora of options. As an online Network Marketer, you can use several methods – audio, video, blogging, email, social networks and e-newslet-ters – to your advantage.

Offline – In order to utilize the same options that online marketing offers, an offline Net-work Marketer would have to work with several media outlets.

6) Facilitates Instant Purchases / Customers

Online – A customer can be captured almost instantly online. Their information can be collected and the sale completed with the ease of clicking a mouse.

Offline – Traditional media options do not allow for instant conversion. Both capturing customer information and making a sale requires a great deal of human contact and resourc-es, thus offline Network Marketing will be less successful at attracting new customers and recruits.



7) Encouraging Purchasers and Recruits

Online – Marketing online makes it easier and less expensive to keep in contact with leads in order to encourage customers to purchase commodities and become recruits.

Offline – Once a lead is established, telephone calls or physical mail will have to be sent to the prospect in order to stay in touch. Trying to build a relationship this way will be very time consuming, has the potential to be very expensive and is likely to be ineffective.

8) Relatively Inexpensive

Online – Costs for setting up online networking marketing strategies are relatively lower when compared to offline marketing methods. Maintaining blogs and email lists do not re-quire much in terms of funds. Even the cost of setting up of a website is not burdensome.

Offline – Paying for the constant re-printing of flyers and posters can be a hindrance in terms of expense. In addition, it is very expensive to book air time on television and radio, and paying for advertising space within newspapers and magazines can be prohibitive as well.



9) Greater Coverage

Online – Using the Internet as a marketing tool breaks down all geographical and politi-cal barriers. There are a myriad of ways to reach potential leads and prospects worldwide and millions of people use the World Wide Web every day. By advertising through PPC advertise-ments, online banners and through your website as well as the sites of others, the number of people that can be reached appears to be limitless. Also, there is increasing evidence that the older generation has now become more comfortable using the Internet, as they realize the convenience it affords them.

Offline – It is much more difficult and expensive to reach potential customers on a global level using offline methods. Methods such as physical mail, telephone calls and voice mes-sages are not as effective because there is a lesser likelihood of making contact with potential customers.

10) Better Customer Relationships

Online – Due to the fact that communication is so much easier online, initial contact as well as follow-ups are more easily implemented through websites and emails. Emails with valuable information can be sent to large mailing lists instantaneously to maintain contact with prospects and with actual customers.



Offline – Maintaining an adequate level of follow-ups with leads, prospects and customers is more difficult using offline methods. There may be delays with offline communication tech-niques and monitoring follow-ups becomes a tedious and time-consuming process without an automated system online.

11) Ease of Business Presentation

Online – It is very important to be able to present your business opportunities to an audi-ence. Online methods facilitate doing a business presentation via a webinar, video or Power-Point presentation from the comfort of your own home. These presentations can reach a wide audience who can access this source at any time and possibly pass it on to others who may be interested in your product and network.

Offline – Without an online facility, the business presentation will have to be done with your physical presence. They will have to be done over and over again for separate audiences within the physical region that is being targeted. In addition, these continuous presentations are being done without any guarantees that these leads will turn into prospects and actual customers and distributors.

12) Signing up Customers and Recruits

Online – Using websites and online forms, the sign up of customers and recruits can be easy, convenient and automatically compiled.



There is very little effort involved for the online network marketer. This information can then be used by you to do your follow-ups.

Offline – Without the use of the Internet, customer and recruitment sign-up will be a manual process. Piles of information will have to be collated with less automation which will make follow-ups and the monitoring of your customers and recruits very difficult and leave more room for errors.

13) Training

Online – As an online network marketer, you will be expected to train your customers so that they can acquire the skills to become distributors within your network. This training can be done automatically through videos and webinars online.

Offline – Using offline methods, training will have to be conducted in person. In addition, you may need a team of people for effective training sessions. There may be expenses involved in reserving meeting rooms that can adequately facilitate the number of people to be trained and provide any equipment that may be necessary.

14) More Room for Creativity

Online – Having a website or a blog at your disposal provides you with more room for creativity.



You can try out different approaches without many implementation delays in order to get the rate of success that you desire. There are also various medium available that are easy to learn and use that can get your creative juices flowing.

Offline – Offline methods are more restricted. Creativity can be shown through graphics on printed documents, but the limitations when compared to online media is tremendous. In addition, you will have to get other parties involved to print advertisements or request adver-tisement space.

15) 24/7 Marketing

Online – Anything that is put online is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can also be accessed several times by each customer. Therefore, using online network marketing meth-ods provides you with an auto-pilot facility, so that lead generation can be done with little manual involvement.

Offline – Having advertisements circulating on flyers, television, radio, etc. all day and every day would be an extremely expensive endeavor. It is virtually impossible, using offline methods, to ensure that the public has access to your information all of the time.

16) Availability of Tools

Online – There are so many choices with regards to tools when network marketing is done line. Some of these include online forms and automatic data compilation tools,



audio/visual aids that can be accessed automatically online (such as Webinars) and blogging tools, which allow you to update your blog as often as you wish.

Offline – The tools available are limited to those that can be accessed via computer without use of the Internet. As such use will be restricted to those which are automatically loaded on to your computer or which are bought. The plethora of freeware on the Internet will not be available to offline marketers.

17) The Time is Now

Current world trends all point to why network marketers should choose online methods. These are listed below and will be explained further in another section.

Changes in Corporate ClimateIncreasing Drive in EntrepreneurshipNominal Capital RequirementsAdvances in TechnologyGlobalizationNeed for Greater Control and FreedomAging PopulationAlternative Channels of Distribution



Case Study: Network Marketing Recruiting

Success as a Network Marketer depends greatly on using online methods for recruitment. The following is a case study which illustrates how ineffective offline marketing can be and how online techniques can be used to turn the tables and get the recruits that you need in order to succeed.

The Ineffectiveness of Offline Network Marketing in Practice

After a morning chock full of meetings, Mary returned to her office and retrieved her voice messages. She came across a message from a man, identifying himself as Fred, who had come across her information and wanted to discuss a product. Immediately thinking that her web-site was continuing to attract potential customers and - even more importantly – recruits, she wasted no time in calling him back right away.

Before Mary could launch into her spiel about network marketing and the rewarding and profitable opportunities available from buying and selling products and identifying recruits, Fred began to ask if he had heard of a particular company that he was affiliated with. Mary gave him a negative response and the Fred proceeded – with no room for interruption – to describe his company and emphasize the benefits the product offers and the wonderful com-pensation that exists with that particular MLM.

Seeing an Opportunity

When the caller deigned to take a breath, Mary used the opportunity to ask the Fred a bit about his background. “How long have you been a network marketer? Is this the first compa-ny you’ve worked for? How long have you been with them? How well are you doing with this company?”

Mary had enough experience as a network marketer herself to realize when someone is exhib-iting false cheer and seems unsure. After he told her that he had been with the company for three months and had never before done so well in his life, she was quite doubtful.



After questioning him further, Mary found out that Fred had retrieved her telephone number from a physical telephone directory and that she was simply a “cold call”. His intention was to persuade her over the telephone to not only buy his product but to consider recruitment by his network marketing company. Sounding exhausted, he explained to Mary that he has been calling people that way for the past three months.

Mary wouldn’t give up on the interrogation and she asked him how many sales and recruits he had gotten using this method. At first, Fred tried to stumble through a story of how suc-cessful he’s been and threw out some figures to represent how much money he had made in just a couple of months.

Now being an experienced online network marketer herself, Mary was resolute that no indi-vidual – no matter how much of a “people” person they are – can be successful calling people they have no previous association with on the telephone. Not only would it be difficult to even being to engage them in a conversation, but to actually convince them to buy a product and become involved in a network they had never heard of before? Impossible!Mary knew that many trainers of offline marketing methods, encourage sellers to talk quickly and keep a high level of excitement in their voice under the premise that it will become conta-gious. This technique was not working with Mary. She cut right to the chase.

Online Marketing: The only choice to make

She told Fred what she thought of his false optimism and empathized with the demotivation and frustration that he must be trying to hide. Mary was very straightforward and told him that, from a realistic perspective, if he had large numbers of buyers and recruits already, there is no way he would be making “cold calls” in the hopes of getting more business. He had obvi-ously run out of options.

Mary then asked the question that would alter his view of network marketing forever:



“Instead of wasting time calling up all of these strangers….have you ever thought about using a strategy that has them pursuing you for a business opportunity instead?”

Mary explained how Fred could generate leads without having to make random cold calls. She told him to pull her website. Within minutes, she had shown him how a potential cli-ent can fill in a customer information form, hit submit and acquire free training to learn the necessary skills to become successful when recruiting as a part of the network. By submitting their customer information, they are also automatically added to a notification list which will keep the lines of communication open by advising the individual of latest product updates, strategies, training methods and marketing events.

Do you see what Mary was able to do? Not only did she turn a telemarketing call into a lead generating and recruitment opportunity, but she also helped someone else recognize the benefits of online network marketing. Never again would Fred consider placing a “cold call” when he can use the Internet to generate automatic leads and recruitment possibility with lit-tle investment in terms of time and money.

Using online methods, anyone can become a successful network marketing seller and recruit-er.



Online Network Marketing: Turning

Leads into Prospects

Let us now look more closely at leads and differentiate between leads and prospects. Many people will use these two terms interchangeably, however, there is a distinct difference be-tween the two that is important for any network marketer to understand.

Leads

A lead is an individual or company who may or may not have the potential to purchase a product or be recruited. An evaluation of their potential to spend money has not been con-ducted yet. Leads can be anyone who visits your website and could be merely a name and address from a computer database. The name could also be false in an attempt to escape fur-ther communication from you. The real interest level of a lead is unknown. Some marketers choose to chase all leads. Others view this as a waste of resources and liken this approach to “cold calling” – an ineffective offline marketing approach.

Prospects

Once an evaluation of a lead has been conducted and it is determined that there is a potential for money to be spent, the lead becomes a prospect. Prospects are seen to have the potential to become clients. They are also known as qualified leads, because they have passed the mar-keter’s requirements and have been declared worthy of further attention.How do you know if a lead is genuinely interested in the opportunity you are presenting? The lead might have downloaded a report free of cost from your website, requested more informa-tion via an email or online form or signed up for a training course.



Leads vs. Prospects

Many marketers make it their aim to generate as many leads as possible. Their emphasis is on quantity, which can often waste valuable resources that could have been deployed for other activities. It is worthwhile to focus on prospects, since these are more likely to convert into sales and recruits. If as a marketer, your conversation rate of leads into prospects appears to be low, it may result from nurturing too many leads that do not qualify to become prospects.

Why is Online Network Marketing better for engaging prospects?

“I’m sick and tired of constantly calling my friends and family to convince them to buy my products and join my business”.

“I’m demotivated knowing that the people I am trying to convince have no interest in what I have to say”

“I want to talk to people who I know are interested in my business opportunity”.

Have you ever had one of these thoughts as an offline network marketer?



“I want to get in touch with people who are interested in starting their own business or earning extra money”.

“Why can’t I speak to people who are already interested in network market so that my business can then grow?”

Traditional methods of network marketing are not going to solve these issues. It will not be possible to easily find prospects within your community, circle of friends or workplace. “Cold calls” placed to strangers are unlikely to result in leads much less prospects. It will also be im-possible to expect prospects to approach you using traditional methods.



Why is Now the Right Time for Online

Network Marketing?

Changes in Corporate Climate

In previous years, it was expected that once you were employed with a particular company, you would stick with that company until retirement. In turn, that company would reward you for your loyalty.

The corporate world has changed dramatically over the last few years. The younger generation of corporate workers is not easily satisfied. They need to see the potential for upward mobil-ity, professional development and a constant stream of challenges to keep them interested in any position for any length of time. Similarly, companies are no longer hiring employees for life. Instead, they are cutting costs by eliminating middle and high-level managers with large salaries.

Within this new corporate climate, individuals belonging to the younger and older genera-tions are looking for ways to take greater control of their lives by operating their own busi-nesses. The appeal of network marketing is obviously there and this displaced group within the corporate world can form a pool of potential prospects for distribution. Those belonging to the corporate world are also familiar with technology and its possibilities and already have some of the skills and knowledge necessary to utilize online methods in their network mar-keting strategies.

Increasing Drive for Entrepreneurship

More and more people are looking for business opportunities that will allow them to start their own businesses. The belief is that being self-employed will give them the best



financial rewards for the time invested.

Women who are either disillusioned by the male-dominated corporate world, or who are frustrated with having to divide their time and attention between family and financial respon-sibilities are also increasingly seeking new business opportunities.

Online network marketing has many attractive features for entrepreneurs. This type of busi-ness is easy to operate, requires a minimal amount of capital and is low risk.

Nominal Capital Requirements

Now is the time for online network marketing, because unlike traditional business and mar-keting methods, very little funding is required. There are no overheads, employee salaries to be paid, legal or accounting services or large amounts of start-up capital.

Technology

I can’t mention that now’s the time for online network marketing without mentioning ad-vances in technology. Offline marketers have traditionally used lower-level technologies such as voice messages, telephones (including cellular phones) and fax machines. The ability to make conference calls allowed distributors to communicate with prospects worldwide. Network marketing operations have significantly improved with online facilities. The Internet has revitalized network marketing by automating various processes, such as email and data collection, and allowing prospects to find distributors instead of distributors having to do all the chasing via phone calls to random strangers.



In addition, not only have communication capabilities increased for greater and easier lead and prospect generation, but advancements in shipping allows customers to receive their products in a timely fashion. Therefore, the customer is happy with the efficient delivery ser-vice and the distributor does not have to worry about maintaining large bulks of inventory.

Globalization

Our world economy has become more of a globalized community with limited barriers and restrictions. With online network marketing, information can be sent from distributors at the click of a mouse. Persons residing in rural areas, or those who live in less developed countries in the world, can now be easily reached. Additionally, as a distributor, you and your products can be accessible to anyone on the globe. International operations can be carried out online without overwhelming overhead costs.

Need for Greater Control and Freedom

Having online access is an integral part of success for network marketers. As such, online net-work marketers are able to achieve a sense of personal autonomy by using online marketing strategies to build a profitable personal empire.



Population is Aging

The world’s population is aging, and these individuals are seeking out network marketing as a viable additional or alternative source of income. Even the older generation has to become technology savvy in order to take advantage of a possible safety blanket for the future.

Alternative Channels of Distribution

Distribution is a significant factor affecting the cost of retail goods. Therefore, it stands to rea-son that there is great opportunity for those that can lower distribution costs. Alternatively, online network marketers can use the cost advantage of reaching customers via the Internet. These cost savings help minimize inflation rates of retail goods and help to balance high dis-tribution costs.



Is Offline Network Marketing All Bad?

We have already covered the advantages of online network marketing and compared it to of-fline network marketing methods. But is offline network marketing really all bad? There are some benefits to offline marketing strategies, as outlined below.

Personal Approach

Face-to-face meetings, as well as telephone calls, represent a more personal-ized approach to network marketing.

Market Reach

Even though millions worldwide can access the Internet, a higher percentage of the world’s population has access to television and print media.

Pro-Active Approach

Offline marketing is said to be more of a pro-active approach. Whereas when using the Internet, you are able to sit back and wait for leads to be generated, with offline methods you are forced to go out and seek leads.

Longer Lasting

Print advertisements in newspapers and magazines and commercials on tel-evision may leave a longer lasting impression than websites and blogs on the Internet.



A Last Look at Online Network Marketing

Anybody can be successful as a network marketer using an online marketing strategy as long as they are ready to put in… hard work an attitude adjustment for change; and dedication

Specifically, online network marketing will be right for you if you would like to:

work from home have no geographical restrictions be involved in an important part of the world economy cut down on your start-up costs minimize riskhave the option of working when you want to have no employees to manage access to full training and support encourage your own personal growth; and take control of your life for financial security and freedom

Types of online network marketing include:

performance banner emails affiliate article; and social network marketing.

Using these methods, along with the five-step process of Traffic, Leads, Relationship, Mon-etize and Test, can guarantee profits and a healthy residual income for distributors.



Using an online network marketing strategy has a higher success rate of turning leads into prospects.Offline network marketing involves using print, television and radio, as well as word of mouth for promotion. These traditional methods do have some benefits, which include a more per-sonal approach to marketing, greater market reach, a pro-active marketing approach and a longer lasting presence. However, these methods should only be used alongside an online marketing strategy.

Now is the right time to go online because of the:

changing corporate climate current drive for entrepreneurship little capital needed advances in technology trend of globalizationdesire for greater control and freedom aging population; and current distribution channels.

Online network marketing should be chosen over offline methods because they present many advantages in terms of:

acquiring leads making changes monitoring refining targets affording more options allowing for instant conversionencouraging purchasers and recruits low cost greater coverage



easier customer relations convenient business presentation easier sign up of customer and recruits training more room for creativity the ability to market 24/7; and the availability of tools.

The case study we included (Mary and Fred) highlights the importance of network marketing recruitment, the ineffectiveness of offline strategies (particularly “cold calling”), the magic of turning a problem into an opportunity and the inevitable effectiveness of online marketing.

“Cold calling” needs to become a thing of the past. The frustrating and motivating days of “cold calling” should be left behind for a bright future with online network marketing.



Bonus 1: How To Get The Most Out

of Social Networking

Lesson #1: Don’t be pushy! All those old-school marketing methods don’t work. Remember the time where you’d fill your webpage with bulks of RED UNDERLINED text to convey urgency and encourage sale? Long gone are the days where you could be successful by “push-ing” or “forcing” your services or products onto someone. As with everything else that devel-ops and improves over time, and since you have a load of new social networking tools, you need to play by the new rules. Case of point: Twitter—are you guilty of sending auto-responder-type text to your new fol-lowers?

Maybe something along the lines of “Thanks for following me! Please visit my website for… [continue promotional message]”?

Well, that’s the first sign that you’re still a novice when it comes to social media; you have to understand that you’re trying to draw clients to you, not push them away.

Lesson #2: You have to coax your way to being heard! Social networking as all about conver-sation, and there’s always two sides to a conversation—which means participation in the com-munity is essential.

Lesson #3: Content first, conversation second and conversion third! It’s been proven time and time again that nothing can sink a marketing campaign like poor content can. Your content has to be informative, entertaining and well-written and it has to reach a wide audience which means limiting yourself to one media outlet isn’t going to cut it. Blogs, tweets, Facebook, LinkenIn, videos, YouTube, podcasts, images, webinars, whitepapers, are just a few ways you can reach your audience.

Remember though, you want to position yourself as a knowledgeable expert at all times—posting irrelevant or uninteresting content can have a bad effect on your business.



Further, keep content and commerce separate—editorial and advertorial should never meet. Lesson #4: Come across genuine and transparent! You may be rolling your eyes, but these are not petty issues. With the advancement of technology came the advancement of client aware-ness. You made a mistake? Who doesn’t?! The underlying issue is…did you admit to making a mistake? Your audience is more intelligent than ever so it’s imperative you remain open, hon-est and real at all times.

Lesson #5: More isn’t always necessarily better! Newsflash: you don’t have to be on every so-cial network—in fact, it’s practically impossible for you to even try to maintain some sort of regular, active presence on every social network out there. So which social networks should you target? Do the research and figure out where your clients/customers are—that’s where you want to be, and your clients/customers are counting on finding you there. However, there are three main websites you HAVE to be on, no matter what your business is, and these are: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Lesson #6: You give some to get some! This isn’t just in business either, but in life in general you have to give to get in return. In business and social networking in particular though, hav-ing a helpful attitude goes a long way when looking to establish a credible name for yourself or your business in the social circles you frequent…and just think of all the referrals you can get!

Lesson #7: Keep on marketing! No matter what anyone else tells you, you have to realize that social media can be another channel used to your advantage to build your brand and mar-ket your message. However, it shouldn’t be considered a replacement for every other form of advertising and marketing.



OFFLINE/ONLINE IN NETWORK

MARKETING BUSINESS.

In this eBook, I outlined more benefits to using the internet because you have more chances of reaching more People than offline. There are so many tools out there you can make use off to leverage your online business, no matter what business you do. Off course the choice is yours as to what system you implement. There are people who combine using offline and on-line in their business and also people who use only offline system because it’s the only method they know.

Bill Gates once said, if your business is not in the internet, then your business is out of busi-ness. Was he joking when he said that? No, because he knew the power of the Internet.

So if you are one of those offline marketer or you are planning to operate offline and not im-plementing the online tool that means you will be left behind.

I believe you’ve found this eBook to be of value to you, now it’s left to you to profit from this information and continue profiting from whatTechnology has provided us to make use of … The world Has No Boundary.

We all have our Dreams, no matter how big or small it is, MAKE it Real.

Have Fun

Lucy Bieri online. Let’s CONNECT:

Blog: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuzzMarketerLinkedin: http://ch.linkedin.com/pub/lucy-bieri/27/570/447Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Energeticolina Youtube :Google+ :

www.101networkmarketingonline.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/LucyBierihttps://plus.google.com/u/0/100649306013512868419/posts



Bear In Mind

Disclaimer

This publication is designed to provide information on the subject Matter covered and is based on research and experience of the authors. The authors, will not accept any liability for actions undertaken by any person or entity, or any loss incurred, based on the strength of the information contained in this publication.

First edition January 2012Worldwide all rights reserved The moral rights of the authors have been asserted

Except for the purpose of fair review, no part of this publication may be, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the copyright owners.



Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

Great Leaders Fall and Stand. Keep going until you get there!

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