Success in Network Marketing – Without Selling
February 1, 2010
One of the major reasons people believe they fail in network marketing is that they “don’t know how to sell”. The belief of most new network marketers, upon entering this industry, is that you have to be a “salesperson” to succeed. So they model the words, actions, and strategies of the either sales people they’ve seen in the movies - or sales people they’d personally dealt with. Then, a few months later, with no sales and only a few family members involved in the opportunity (thanks to the power of “guilt”), the jaded network marketer jumps ship, complaining that “it” doesn’t work.
The problem isn’t that “it” – network marketing – doesn’t work. It does work. People all over the world are making part-time and even full-time incomes in the network marketing industry. The problem is this belief that you have to “sell” to be successful in network marketing. This leads people to using the worst hard-selling techniques they’ve had used on them by car dealers and time-share sales reps. Not only are these tactics not useful in the network marketing industry, they can actually repel potential prospects.
So if selling isn’t how you become successful in the network marketing field, what is?
The secret to success in network marketing is educating your prospects. Whether it’s on the benefits of your product – or the life-changing power of your company’s opportunity, you’ll be miles ahead of other distributors in the same company if you’ll replace your selling strategies with a focus on teaching and training.
For example, if someone has a problem that is solved by your company’s product, the most powerful way to get that person to want to buy your product is to educate them on why your product is the best solution for their problem. In educating your prospects, you’re simply “helping” them making a correct choice that will benefit them. This goes back to the old saying: “People hate to be sold to, but they love to buy.” If you’ll step out of the sales person’s shoes – and into the shoes of someone there to help solve the problems of the prospect, you’ll find yourself generating more sales AND building a larger downline.
It’s the same way when you promote your company’s opportunity. When you find prospects who are looking to create a second income, that’s when you start to educate them on why your opportunity is the best way for them to create that income. No selling. No hard-core pitch. Simply educate them on WHY your opportunity will best suit their self-employment and income goals.
And, if your opportunity won’t help them achieve their goals, let them know. Not every product or opportunity is right for every person. In doing this, you’ll find that you’re becoming a respected “coach” or “trainer”, instead of a “sales person”, which most people innately distrust.
If you want to succeed in network marketing, stop trying to sell. Instead, create an “Educational System” where you prove, through facts, figures, and benefits, that your network marketing opportunity will help your prospect achieve their lifestyle and income goals.
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This is a very good article. It is the hot topic almost on every network marketing blog. The idea actually comes from Think and Grow Rich book (although, there are many new gurus who claim to revolutionize the network marketing industry), which should be like a bible for network marketers. I red this book 5 time, and you always can learn something new. The success is behind your leadership – Burning Desire, Faith and Persistence.
A thought provoking article. Yes you are right, so many think that they have to go for the hard sell and become obnoxious irritants to everyone who comes within range.
However, I think you do have to sell – the product is yourself. So first you need to become well educated in your product, your company and yourself. Then you can offer your knowledge. As you say we are in the business of solutions to problems and we must recognise when to back off.
Once people know who we are, what we are about and the products/companies we are involved with they will know where to come.
Thanks again for bringing it all back to basics.
Jean Taylor´s last blog ..Feb 7, Direct Marketing
People always relate network marketing with sell, and most people hate selling, well basically they are correct. BUT what people don’t realize is all of us do sell something everyday. We sell our skill, sell our knowledge, sell our idea and many more to make a living. So selling is not something that we should afraid of because that what we do everyday.
I’m speaking my mind … I do not agree with this article. I think this is another guru strategy to provoke interest. This is a dangerous path since some prospects might believe you which will lead to a controversial situation. The web is replete with similar articles, video and blogs where everybody claims to hold the secret of making money through mlm and without selling anything. Fact is, the company will send you a check only if you produce a sale!
Further more, by education you mean teaching a prospect to solve a problem through the consumption of a product that you are willing to introduce. So, you create a context in the customer’s mind, introduce a product and induce the thought that by using your product the context will positively improve. Sorry my friend, you just closed a sale!
With mlm, you use a double hook, the product itself must legitimate the transaction but what really boost the confidence to buy is the expectation of getting rich. Whether or not the procedure is legal, the ethical aspect is definitely questionable since there is more emphasis on preying on the prospect’s naivety than conveying the benefits of the product. The legitimacy of the product is probably a subject important enough for another article, right?
I understand that in order to be a salesman, one requires some art and that not everybody is actually prepared. Nobody wants to be perceived as the crazy sales guy, therefor, this is not an image you would like to be part of your context. You need then to be creative, … did I say deceiving? In this economy, everybody needs money, the business model is very attractive but nobody wants to admit that the particularities of mlm might lead you to promote puffery and deception.
For example, this article seems to be informative and was designed to appear impartial. No sensationalism, no pressure, just innocent information. Now answer the following questions:
What was your motivation at the time you wrote this article?
Isn’t true that this article was meant to initiate a sale?
Isn’t true that the purpose of this article is to produce leads?
Isn’t true that the link you provide leads you to a capture page?
Isn’t true that you will call at least 3 times that person?
You probably answered “yes” five time, right?
Well, in my opinion, mlm is all about selling! there are many reason why people do not succeed but the main ones are:
1. People hate selling, they don’t know how to sell and they simply misunderstand what selling is. They lack the proper tools and think that with a few articles and some Facebook activity, they are marketing expert!
2. Except a very few product out there, it is hard to sell something which tangible value is questionable. There are millions of product available, it doesn’t mean we need them all!
3. The motivation for purchasing the package is not based on the products value but on the expectation of getting rich. This is a dream that one day or another will fade.
4. Due to a lack of regulation and a scam proliferation using this business model, there is a certain awareness that perceive the networker as a con-man*.
* Con man as defined by Wikipedia: a person who uses a fraud method known as a confidence trick.
In this case the confidence trick consists in gaining the trust of the prospect by mirroring a future large gain. Statistics shows that 97% of networker fail to success and quit in their first year, 78% of companies do not make it to their 3rd year.
Anyway, it seems to me that people should be responsible enough to know who they are and what they are doing. MLM is not for everybody and should not be marketed to anybody, but then the business model would crumble! it might be a good thing … who knows?