Building a network marketing business is tough. Nobody said it was going to be easy.  Well, if someone did, they were not telling you the truth. It’s an uphill battle at first, but then it gets to the fun part…the part where “you can sleep when the wind blows.”

During that first part you are often tempted to quit. Don’t give in to temptation. Nothing worth having comes easy. In the beginning of building your network marketing business you do a lot of work and get only paid a little. But if you don’t quit if you keep your eye on the price and work hard then eventually you will reach a stage when you work very little in your business and get paid a lot.

Let me share a little story with you that will paint a picture in your mind you can pull up when things get tough, when you get frustrated, when doubt sets in and you are tempted to just “throw the towel.” Trust me, I’ve been there, plenty of times….

Do You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the region, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received nothing but refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.

“Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. Well, I sleep when the wind blows, answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the old man’s response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

~Author Unknown~

I love inspirational stories like this one and I hope you liked it too. I think of it when I hit a rough spot, when things don’t go the way I would like them to go. It compels me to push right through; it reminds me to not give up. Quitting is not an option, no matter what.  Because for one I don’t like the alternative, and two, I would like to sleep when the wind blows, meaning never have to worry about money ever again….And I’m not there yet.

So, how about you are you willing to do whatever it takes, so one day you don’t have to worry about money ever again? Make some noise in the comment section below. You know I always love your feedback.

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

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Are you catering to the needy ?

When I first started out in the network marketing industry that’s exactly what I did. When my sponsor asked me to make a list of a hundred people I made sure I included everyone that I could think of who “needed the money” that a network marketing business can provide.

Boy was that ever the wrong way to go about building my business.

What I didn’t know at the time was that “needy” people don’t have the right attitude. They don’t have an entrepreneurial mindset. They think differently. Believe it or not, some of them are actually happy with what they have and where they are in their life. They are content with putting in their 8 to 10 hours a day at work and then go home and cuddle with a six-pack in front of the TV. That’s why it is so important to qualify your prospects.

Here I thought I was presenting them with a great opportunity to help better themselves and improve their lifestyle and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t bite.

Then “lucky” for me, there were those that went for the carrot I was dangling in front of them and did join my business. But only to sit there and do nothing. Those were the kind of do-it-for-me people.

How frustrating! Have you ever tried to push a wet spaghetti noodle?

No, those aren’t the right people for your network marketing business. You will save yourself a whole lot of frustration and risk of getting burned out if you keep away from people like that.

But how can you tell the difference?

How can you tell who’s right for your
network marketing  business?

If you don’t know the person the best way to find out more about him or her is to ask questions. What do they do? How long have they done it? Have they ever thought about doing anything else? Do they have any networking experience? You get the drift.

You can tell by the answers you get if they are a prospect for you or not. You want to look for people that are self-motivated, hard-working,  people who are able to think out of the box  and are self-starters. People who read instead of watching TV, people who better themselves through personal development. Those are the people who are right for your network marketing business.

“Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.”  ―Zig Ziglar

This post was inspired by Oliver Tausend’s Facebook status up date from this morning. Oliver is a very good friend of mine and a fellow network marketer. If you’ve never been to his blog you are missing some incredible content….AskOliverTausend.com. Thanks, Oliver, for the great inspiration!

“Give the person with a need…a job. Give the person with a desire…an opportunity.” -Tom ‘Big Al’ Schreiter

You know I always love your feedback. So please add your thoughts below in the comment section. Maybe you have some other tips on finding the right people for your network marketing business.

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. 31 Killer Quotes about Networking and Network Marketing
2. 5 Things to Look For Before Joining a Particular MLM Team

To answer that question first of course you will have to pinpoint exactly what you are afraid of.

In network marketing that could be a variety of things. For example: fear of rejection; fear of talking to strangers; fear of picking up that 500 pound phone and present your opportunity to somebody you don’t know, or worse somebody you do know well.

To tell you the truth, making cold calls has always been my weak spot. I don’t like it and I haven’t done it in years. Personally, I don’t think it’s a very effective way to be prospecting because even if you are a master at it, the people you bring on to your team most likely are not.

But even if you market your network marketing business online in social networks such as Facebook, or LinkedIn, eventually you will have to take the conversation offline and that means you will have to pick up that phone to follow up with people.

So how do you overcome that fear
and pick up that phone?

There’s really no other way around than to just do it. So get over it, pick up that phone, start dialing, take a deep breath, and start talking.

When you hang up, after the conversation, you will feel….”Oh, that wasn’t so bad. Actually, that was pretty fun.”

Little girl overcomes fear of first ski jump.

I came across this incredible video of this little 4th grader’s first ski jump. She is standing up on that ramp looking down at people way below her that seem like tiny little ants. Through positive self-talk she’s trying to overcome her fear.

She’s absolutely TERRIFIED! You can hear it in her breathing and you certainly can hear the trembling in her voice as she assures herself that she can do it.

And then suddenly she’s off. At first you can still hear that fear but half-way through the run, fear gives way to the excitement of the moment…and then jubilation sets in as she completes the run.

You’ve got to watch this!…

This is one brave little girl!!

I don’t know if I could have been as brave as her at 9 years old. Most likely not. I probably would have messed my bridges up on that ramp.

The reason I shared this is because this little girl gave a great example of how to overcome your fear.

Through positive self-talk, re-assuring yourself that you will be alright and that you CAN do it…and then just doing it.

No matter what our fears are, oftentimes they are all in our head. They are holding us back from what we could become. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to look back on my life someday and think, what if?

One thing’s for sure, I’ll be thinking about this brave little girl a lot. She’ll be my poster girl for overcoming my fears in the future.

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

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Why is it that people who belong to a great MLM team do so much better than those who don’t?

Let’s face it, humans are social animals. We like to belong to something, be it a club, a tribe a community, family, team, whatever. We just do better. Yes we even thrive, when we are in a group together with other like-minded people.

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.
The ability to direct individual accomplishments
toward organizational objectives.
It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

So, what is a (MLM) team?

A “MLM team” or any team for that matter, consists of a group of individuals with different strengths and weaknesses, working together to achieve a common goal.

I went over some of this already in an early blog post…“Why Is Teamwork Important for Your Network Marketing Success?”

So, even when we build our own home business, we don’t want to do it alone. We want to do it together with others who encourage, inspire and motivate us.

Of course the precursor to finding a great MLM Team is to join up with the right company first.

A company that resonates with you, whose products you love and which are unique, sizzle and are consumable.  A company with a compensation plan that is fair, easy to explain, and allows the average person to make money.

Once you have decided on the company that is right for you it’s time to find the right MLM team.

Qualities to look for in order to Find the
MLM Team of Your Dreams

• Who is the team leader? Does he or she exibit leadership qualities and is he or she the right kind of mentor for you, the one you feel can lead you to success? Don’t look for goo-roos they are often full of fluff. (I’m being kind here.) A true leader doesn’t lead by words but by action.
• Is the team using a duplicable system and do you feel comfortable using it?It sometimes happens, that the team leader will dictate exactly how you will have to market your business in order to remain part of the team. If you break out of the mold and try something creative of your own, you’re toast.Trust me, this is NOT the kind of MLM team you want to be on. (Also read: “It’s Our Way or the Highway | Are You Experiencing Upline Horror?”)You want to find a team where you get GUIDANCE on what to do and how to do it, but you still have the freedom to be creative and try some of your own marketing strategies. This is especially important because one day, you are going to be the leader your team will look up to and they want to keep their freedom to try some of their own techniques as well.
• Is there enthusiasm within the team? I don’t mean ra-ra-shish-ka-bob, rather genuine excitement and a positive attitude. Excitement is contagious; you want to catch that virus because the people you will be talking to about your business, your potential team mates, will sense that and who wouldn’t want to be part of a team of excited and fun people?
• How about the over-all team atmosphere? Are team members getting along or is there cliquing going on? Are team members supporting each other? Is there a sense of sharing ideas, strategies, experiences a sense of genuinely helping each other?
• What about team training? Are there exclusive team calls, webinars, product training, prospecting training, personal development training and/or help on how to use company or third party tools? What about help with 3-ways calls? All this is very, very important. The more you can learn from and with your team members the better. We are all motivated, (I hope at least) but learning together in a healthy team environment is so much more fun than learning alone.

Is it really possible to find a MLM Team like that?

Absolutely! I know it is. If you can find all these qualities on one single team, then my friend you’ve hit the jackpot like Randy and I have.  But even if you only find 4 of the 5 consider yourself very lucky.

Yes, there are teams out there just like that, encouraging, nurturing, lifting each other up, celebrating each others little and big successes and genuinely caring about every single person on the team. You don’t have to be the “Lone Ranger,” you  just have to do your homework.

I sincerely hope that you will find the MLM Team of your dreams, one that will help guide and support you and lead you to the lifestyle you desire and so truly deserve.

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. Who Are You Catering to in Your Network Marketing Business?

Most of you who are my regulars know how much I love quotes. I leave quotes everywhere. Here on my blog, in the comments I leave at my blogging friends’ blogs, on my Facebook Wall. Just everywhere I go I seem to leave a trail of quotes.

When I checked my first report at Tynt, a service I just recently installed that helps keep visitors on my site longer and improve my SEO, I found out that one of the most popular keyword phrases that people used to find my blog was “networking quotes.” (By the way, thanks to Adrienne Smith for writing a very informational post about this service….“How to Get Others to Build Your Links”)

I thought, wouldn’t that make an interesting topic? So, hence this post.

As network marketers we know that without networking and adding new people to our team on a continuous and consistent basis we have no business at all.

So I went out into cyber space and did a little research to find quotes about networking as well as network marketing quotes. And this is what I came up with ….

First some Quotes about Networking

• Robert Kiyosaki says, “The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.”
• “If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “It’s all about people. It’s about networking and being nice to people and not burning any bridges.” -Mike Davidson
• “The bigger your rolodex, the bigger your business.” -Anonymous
• “The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” -Keith Ferrazzi
• “It isn’t just what you know, and it isn’t just who you know. It’s actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living.” -Bob Burg, Best-selling Author of Endless Referrals and The Go Giver
• “Position yourself as a center of influence, the one who knows the movers and shakers. People will respond to that, and you’ll soon become what you project.” -Bob Burg
• “The successful networkers I know, the ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves, continually put the other person’s needs ahead of their own.” -Bob Burg
• “I like to define networking as cultivating mutually beneficial, give-and-take, win-win relationships… The end result may be to develop a large and diverse group of people who will gladly and continually refer a lot of business to us, while we do the same for them.” –Bob Burg
• “Networking is an essential part of building wealth.” -Armstrong Williams
• “A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.” John D. Rockefeller

As network marketers we often run into doubters, dream stealers, yes even ridicule. So we need inspiration, encouragement, approval and assurance. We need those bigger than us strengthening us in our belief that we are in the right place doing the right thing for US.

And who better to listen to and look up to than those who are successful and have inspired millions before us.

So here are some
Network Marketing Quotes I came across…

Some of these I have quoted in blog posts, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter before.

• “Of all the entrepreneurial opportunities available today, one of the most important is direct selling, also called network marketing.” — Paul Zane Pilzer, Famous Economist and Best-selling Author
• “If I had to do it all over again, rather than build an old style type of business, I would have started building a network marketing business.” -Robert Kiyosaki, Investor, Entrepreneur and Best-selling Author.
• “Network marketing gives people the opportunity, with very low risk and very low financial commitment, to build their own income-generating asset and acquire great wealth.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “Network marketing is the fastest growing business model in the world today.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “If you are a person with big dreams and would love to support others in achieving their big dreams, then the network marketing business is definitely a business for you. You can start your business part-time at first and then as your business grows, you can help other people start their part-time business. This is a value worth having – a business and people who help others make their dreams come true.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “Take responsibility for your finances or get used to taking orders for the rest of your life. You’re either a master of money or a slave to it. Your choice.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “I am often asked if Network Marketing is a Pyramid Scheme. My reply is that corporations really are pyramid schemes. A corporation has only one person at the top, generally the CEO, and everyone else below.” -Donald Trump, American Business Magnate and Co-author of “Why We Want You To Be Rich”
• “Network marketing is based purely on relationship selling, which is the state of the art in selling today. Small and large companies throughout the country and the world are realizing that individuals selling to their friends and associates is the future of sales, because the critical element in buying is trust.” — Brian Tracy, Author and Motivational Speaker
• “No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.” -Brian Tracy
• “All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” -Brian Tracy
• “Nothing happens until somebody sells something.”  -Mary Kay Ash, Founder and CEO of Mary Kay Cosmetics
• “Success in this industry is not in finding the right person, but in becoming the right person.” –Dr. Forrest Shaklee, Founder of Shaklee
• “I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.”  -J. Paul Getty, American Industrialist
• “Every single successful entrepreneur I know has studied and accumulated information on their industry that is the equivalent of a Master`s or PHD”. ~Mike Dillard
• “Don’t let the opinions of the average man sway you. Dream, and he thinks you’re crazy. Succeed, and he thinks you’re lucky. Acquire wealth, and he thinks you’re greedy. Pay no attention. He simply doesn’t understand.” -Robert G. Allen, Businessman, Financial Writer, Real Estate Investor and Motivational Speaker
• “No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you, trained to use your products more effectively, and taught how to make never-ending improvements in their lives.” –Robert G. Allen
• “Take action every day. It doesn’t have to be dramatic action, but every day, stick with it. Spend time on things that make you proud, that stretch and strengthen you.” -Phillip Humbert
• “Win with your heart, not your head – win on emotion, not in logic; have a passion about what you do; nobody wants a boss , everybody wants a coach.” -Art Williams, Founder of Primerica Financial Services
• “Don’t wish things were easier, wish you were better.” –Jim Rohn
• “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune”. _Jim Rohn

I hope these quotes about networking and network marketing soothed your network marketer’s soul and gave you the lift, inspiration, motivation and encouragement you need to keep going.

“Never give up!”

To your massive success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. Who Are You Catering to in Your Network Marketing Business?
2. How do you overcome fear?

Tim shared his disappointment about a prospect he spent money and a lot of time on, educating him about his product and then in the end, lost to his sponsor. The prospect’s reasoning, Tim’s sponsor was a “bigger deal.” Huh? Are you for real?

Sound familiar?

If you’ve been in the network marketing industry long enough, I bet it has happened to you too at least once. I know it happened to me before.

Yes it stings. Your ego gets rattled a bit, but you can’t let that get to you. And for God’s sake, don’t let self-doubt creep in. It has nothing to do with you.

When someone passes you by and joins with your sponsor instead, because “he’s a bigger deal” there’s nothing you could have done. Don’t worry, karma will take care of it. What goes around comes around.

Besides, every big shot started out as a little shot that kept on shooting.

But on to the story I was going to tell you….

The Donkey in The Well

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The poor thing cried piteously for hours as th farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.

All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!

Takeaway from this story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you. All kinds of dirt. But each obstacle, road block, and yes, lost prospect can be a stepping stone. What happens to you isn’t nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up!

There will be many more detours on our way to success. Taking the “scenic route” can be a great learning experience. I am a strong believer that everything in life happens for a reason.  Sometimes we find out what the reasoning was for certain things that happened in our life, and sometimes we don’t.

So, never let self-doubt creep in. Keep believing in yourself…
and keep on shooting!

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

No related posts.

So, why are there still so many network marketers out there acting like secret agents around their friends, family and others in their circle of influence? Why are so many still not sharing the fact that they own and operate a network marketing business? Maybe they feel that they won’t be taken seriously by those closest to them.

But just think…would you spend a lot of money opening up a beautiful restaurant in a prime location, serving the most delicious food and then not tell anyone that it even exists?

I don’t think so. I bet the first people you would tell would be your family and friends. Right?

I know what you think now. “But, my sponsor told me to make a list of friends and family and I did. Then I approached them with my business opportunity and now nobody is talking to me anymore.”

Trust me, I know the feeling, and so do thousands of other successful network marketers. It’s a typical mistake people new to the network marketing industry make.

Here’s what went wrong ….You “approached people with your business opportunity.”

To stick with the above example of the restaurant that would be the same as asking people to partner up with you in the restaurant business.  But they don’t want to buy a restaurant franchise they just want to enjoy great food.

Instead you should have approached the situation this way…

“Hey uncle Marty, I just opened up a new restaurant downtown. If you know anyone that likes a great barbeque would you mind sending them my way?” Uncle Marty might say, “Hey, I like a good barbeque. Where’s your place located?”

Don’t pitch your network marketing business,
ask for the referral instead.

Here’s another example, relating more to a real network marketing business situation. Let’s say you are marketing a natural product that helps people with high cholesterol. The conversation then would go something like this…

“Hey uncle Marty, I started a new business marketing a natural product that helped me lower my cholesterol. By chance would you know anybody who might be interested in lowering their cholesterol?”

This approach takes the pressure off both of you. Uncle Marty doesn’t feel like he’s being pitched so he doesn’t put his guard up. Instead he’s listening and maybe already thinking of people he knows. And you feel more at ease because you are just asking for a referral.

There really is no need to act like a secret agent because of fear of rejection.  As a matter of fact doing so might cost you a great deal of business.

Did you know that every person has a circle of influence of around 250 people?  This is how many people usually attend a wedding or a funeral.

I actually put this number to the test, because I thought, like so many, “There’s no way I know 250 people.” So I sat down one day and started writing down the names of people that I know …and, who knew me by name as well.

I was really surprised when I came up with a list of 265 names right off the bat without even trying.

So I bet you a soda pop, if you sit down and do the same thing you will come up with at least 250 names as well. How many of these people know what you do? Seriously?!

Takeaway: Start working on that list and let everyone know what you do. Tell them that you are running your own network marketing business. However, stop pitching and start asking for referrals instead. You may be surprised about all the business coming your way.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. May I ask you a small favor? If you enjoyed this article would you be so kind to tweet it and share it with your friends on Facebook? Thank you ever so much!

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If you missed my previous post, you can catch it here, “A Degree in Network Marketing.”

Basically I was writing about Bethany College intending to offer a four year Degree in Marketing with emphasis on Network Marketing.

You can read Len Clements’ full article about it here.
http://www.marketwaveinc.com/viewalert.asp?id=153

You probably have a lot of questions about this like…

What’s the benefit of taking this class when I can find education
and training in Network Marketing out there for free?

What will I learn in this course?

Who is going to teach this class?

How much is it going to cost?

Is there an online version of this course?

You will find most if not all the answers to your questions by listening to this 49 minute interview Len Clements did with David Frost, Assistant Professor of Bethany’s Business & Economics Department who is spearheading their network marketing projects.

http://www.MarketWaveInc.com/RadioShow.asp

This has never been done before in the history of network marketing an industry that is 79 years old. Never before has a fully accredited undergraduate college offered a Degree in Network Marketing. And if Bethany College can pull this off and succeed at this, I’m sure a lot more colleges and universities around the country will follow in their footsteps.

Just think what this can do for our industry.

Please make sure you listen to this interview. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. As always, please share this with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter and don’t forget to give it a +1 if you found this information valuable. Thank you, I really appreciate you.

No related posts.

Would having a Degree in Network Marketing make them feel better?

Maybe. At the very least it would lend more validity to the industry. No college in the world would offer a degree in something that wasn’t legitimate.

The business model of Network Marketing, or Multi-Level Marketing isn’t new. It’s been around for at least 50 years and it contributes billions of dollars yearly to the global economy. However, its reputation has only slightly improved in recent years. Mainly because of such celebrities as U.S. President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Warren Buffet. Just to name a few.

When you look at it with an open mind, it’s actually quite a brilliant business model. One that allows ordinary people start their own business, often just for a few hundred dollars start-up cost, and potentially go on and achieve extraordinary success. More millionaires have been made in this industry then in any other. But still it has a bad name because of a few rotten apples.

Bethany College to be the first to offer degree in Network Marketing

LINDSBORG, Kan.— Bethany College will add a new network marketing curriculum in fall 2011. The program was created through Bethany’s new Center for Servant Leadership that promotes the awareness, understanding, and practice of servant leadership by individuals and organizations.

This is a major step forward towards the acceptance of the Network Marketing business model and one that is in my opinion long overdue.

Robert Carlson, the chair of the business program said this in a statement, “Entrepreneurs have not been taught how to correctly use network marketing. This has led to many using unethical, unsustainable, and nonproductive network marketing business models. We want to fill the education gap and teach students how to use the foundations of servant leadership to successfully and honorably operate a network marketing business.”

I love it! It’s about time and I hope this is only the first of many colleges out there to offer a Degree in Network Marketing to their students.

You can read more of the article here: Bethany College to be the first to offer degree in Network Marketing

Also please read MLMWatchDog.com’s article on the same subject HERE.

A Degree in Network Marketing – We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!

I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of the looks I sometimes get from friends and family when I tell them what I do. It’s time for our industry to be treated with the respect it deserves. I feel (and that’s just my opinion) the success rate in our industry would rise significantly if newcomers to the industry will be taught correctly.

Here’ s looking forward to a bright future where we can all hold our heads up high and proudly proclaim…

“I am a Network Marketer and darn proud of it!…And by the way, did you know, you can even get a College Degree in Network Marketing  now?”

We’ve come a long way baby, and it’s only getting better.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. What are your thoughts about this? You know I always appreciate your feedback in the comments below. Please don’t miss the “Follow up on A Degree in Network Marketing” I wrote after Len Clements Founder & CEO of MarketWave,Inc, left me some links with more information in the comments below. You don’t want to miss this!

P.P.S. And as always I would really appreciated if you could share this article with your friends and followers….And…Don’t forget to give it your vote of approval by clicking the Google +1 button in the Sharebar. Thank You! I truly appreciate you!

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Imagine for a moment…

You are a Grammy Award winning musician who has played for royalty and sold-out audiences around the world. You normally get paid over $1,000 dollars per minute, but because of a few marketing mistakes you only earn $32 for a 45 minute performance.

This really happened.

Fortunately it didn’t happen by accident, but was an experiment conducted by The Washington Post in 2007.

What was the purpose of this experiment?

To find out if people when they are busy and distracted would notice that something special is taking place, would they be paying attention?

Grammy Award winner Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world, was to play a 45 minute concert in a D.C. subway station at the most busiest time of the day –early morning.  This wasn’t an ordinary street musician. People would fly all over the world to listen to him play. He even played in front of royalty and sold millions of CDs.

On this particular morning he was playing one of the most elegant pieces ever written and he was playing it on a 300 year old Stradivarius valued at $3.5 million dollars and often referred to as the most perfect instrument in existence today.

Watch this! You won’t believe what happened.

Joshua Bell played for 45 minutes. Over 1,000 people walked by him, not even giving him the time of day. Only 7 people stopped to listen.

That would normally have been a $45,000 performance. Instead he only earned $32.

Wow!

From over a thousand people who walked by, there was only one single person who recognized him and said hello. That’s incredible, given his talent and fame!

That’s less than a 1% conversion ratio.

There is a valuable lesson to be learned here about marketing mistakes.

Although this experiment wasn’t meant as a marketing lesson in particular, there’s one in there. A big one! From a marketing point of view, Joshua Bell’s concert in the subway was a complete and absolute disaster.

1) First, his timing was totally off.

At morning rush hour, people are preoccupied and busy. They have only one thing on their mind…their destination, which usually is work.

2) He performed for the wrong target market.

People in a subway usually aren’t the right audience for classical music. And if there were a select few, like the lady who recognized him, they certainly wouldn’t expect a musician of such magnitude as Joshua Bell to perform a concert there. He was totally out of place.

3) No branding.

Nobody knew who he was. No signs, no flyers, no posters, no announcements or third party introductions. Nothing!

What can you learn from these marketing mistakes?

1) Timing is everything!

People are busy. Your fellow networkers are busy. So if you want their undivided attention you have to give some thought to when the best time for your marketing will be.

According to 60 Second Marketer the best day of the week to send out email campaigns is Friday. What a coincidence, I have found this to be the best day to send out blog posts as well.

2) You have to target the right market for your product or service.

Just revisit the example above. Out of over 1,000 people, only 1 person recognized Joshua Bell. If you market to the masses, you will yield the same results.  Not good and very expensive on top of it.

Think about the junk mail that comes through your inbox or in your postal mail box. It is clearly not targeted to a specific niche, is it? It’s a total waste of advertising dollars. You have a much greater chance of making a sale if you target a specific niche, people who search for and want your products or service.

3) Branding is key!

If you want to be successful in your network marketing business then branding is Key. For one, you want to differentiate yourself from your competition. Stand out from the crowd! Be different. Make a name for yourself. You are uniquely YOU and you want to convey that to your audience with your unique selling point.

In time, people will get to know you and connect with you because you have what they want. They will recognize you by your brand and they will recommend and refer you to others.

Do you agree that making these 3 marketing mistakes can absolutely be fatal for your business? I always love your feedback so please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

To Your Success…

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

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