How do you build your network marketing business?

If you have been in network marketing any length of time you probably have heard someone say talking to your warm market is the only way to build.... and someone else say the internet is the only way.

I've seen sites that say your upline is "lying" to you if they tell you to build traditional ways which means friends and family. But really.... your sponsor and upline have a financial interest in your success.... would they really lie? I find that kind of advertising deceptive.

I personally know six figure income earners in network marketing who have only built offline with friends and family. These are people making more in a month than most people make in a year.

On the other hand, I also know very successful marketers who have done so using the internet only. They only tell people they know what they are doing when specifically asked.

So clearly a person can be a success using either "old school" or "new school" marketing or, of course, a combination of both.

It's my belief that a new distributor should start with a method of their choice. Yes they should be aware of the different ways to build, but I think they will be happier and more productive being able to decide which is most appropriate for their comfort level and also their budget. Someone with little extra to spend will not want to start with paid leads, for example. Once we have determined which method they want to begin with, it's up to us to teach them how to do those things effectively.

Not many people want to start with paid leads anyway, and it's something better left for more skilled marketers. In most cases it means going through a LOT of people to find one or two good ones.

One of the mistakes that is commonly made when someone sponsors someone new is to teach them the method only they are doing. Although it may be working great for that particular marketer, we need to remember we all have different skills and talents. A very outgoing person may love to talk to everyone they know, while others may not.

The best thing we can do for new team members is to be well informed as to how to build a network marketing business both online and offline and provide a new distributor with several choices. Trying to get someone to fill out a "memory jogger" when they don't really want to is only going to lead to resistance, and can make the new team member feel pressured to do what they don't really want to do which is not going to be very effective anyway. If someone doesn't really want to call their Aunt Sally they shouldn't feel they have to.

The one thing I would add to this is that some methods are likely going to take longer to build and so it requires patience and discipline. Starting with friends and family can be the fastest way to build, because the trust is already there, and I think this is one of the reasons why so many marketers teach everyone should begin this way.... but in many cases our friends and family may have no interest whatsoever in a business. This is not always the case, as I've stated I know many successful marketers who have built huge organizations doing only this. It's also important to remember the people we know can be part of your customer base, and can provide referrals if they like your products. If you market a health product like I do, you generally will want to tell those you know, for them to be a wholesale customer.

Attraction marketing and online marketing is a great way to go, but there is a learning curve and won't produce results overnight. The biggest advantage in my opinion is that by learning attraction marketing you can have people call you, instead of you doing the chasing. There are thousands of people looking for what we have to offer, we just need to make it possible for them to find us. Many times they are other network marketers who haven't achieved the results they are looking for yet, and they are looking for leadership and guidance that you can provide. These can be the best leads you can find, because they are already sold on residual income and all the benefits network marketing can provide.

Then of course there are the opportunity seekers who are looking for a business or thinking of one. I will discuss these in more detail in a later post.

So using a "one size fits all" training to new team members on how to grow their network marketing business often leads to attrition and frustration. Not everyone is meant to build the same way.

Learn how to do these different methods, or be sure to have someone upline to you who can train them if it's something you aren't particularly skilled at, and give them the proper tools whether it be online or offline. In addition to letting them know your favorite method be clear they are free to choose whatever works best for them.