A while ago, I started a blog post talking about Network Marketing as “A Better Way” for the future. Yet many people still have quite an attitude towards this industry. I truly believe that some people do not choose to embrace this business model simply because of their perception of what Network Marketing is.

Ignorance Is The Problem

Here are some of the most common MIS-perception about what it takes to be successful in Network Marketing:

1. Annoying or Chasing Friends

I must admit that this is, sadly, a general image of a Network Marketer. More than once, I was being chased. I also chased or annoyed my friends or relatives when I joined my current company nine years ago. It took me a long time to realize that chasing may not be the most effective way to educate others about what I was passionate about.

Now I would only share what I have with others who would like to hear about it (product or business opportunity). I believe that although there are more and more network marketers doing business like this (professionally), people’s perception of what Network Marketing is still have not changed much.

Questions: Is Network Marketing an ‘annoying’ industry? Or, is it the individual’s way of doing business annoying?

2. Have to be Good at Selling

To be honest, products needed to be moved for the Network Marketing Company to make any profit. The question is: do individuals SELL their products and make a profit (as in the case of a traditional retail business)? While some traditional business owners (eg those who sell skin care products in their beauty salon) prefer to run their Network Marketing business that way, most people do business quite differently.

How do they ‘sell’ then? Typically, they SHARE.

What this means is that once they have experienced great results with the products, they CANNOT WAIT to share with others!

By sharing from personal experiences and from the heart, they can create some ‘sales’ and got commission from the company’s Marketing Plan (sometimes called the Compensation Plan).

For people with an entrepreneurial mind, they would take on the business opportunity after hearing a lot of testimonials and doing some research on the company and products.

By now, you can probably see why this ‘Word-of-Mouth’ Marketing is so powerful. We have here good products that are recommended by trusted friends or relatives. And, there is a choice to open an account and buy wholesale. PLUS: an option to go into business with a very low start up ‘capital’ and extremely low risks (no employee, no large overhead).

Selling? Not really. It is sharing. Some very business-focused network marketers may call it ‘sorting’ – sorting through who want the products or business opportunity. I like to call it ‘serving’. Some people benefit from the product use, say, getting rid of common ailments by nutritional support. Others may benefit from having another $500, $1000 or even more extra family income. Isn’t that considered a service to others?

If you enjoyed this discussion, you may want to check out my previous post ‘Selling? Sharing? Serving?’ too.

More Sharing is Coming

I have covered these two most controversial issues in Network Marketing to illustrate a point – Ignorance can keep us away from reaching our full potential. It can also keep us from reaching out to help others.

Stay tuned for my next post. I will be sharing more ‘I for Ignorance’ perspectives relating to this situation:

‘Okay,  know that Network Marketing is a legitimate way of marketing products or services. I do not think that I can successfully build a Network Marketing business because __________________’

Your Thoughts?

“I don’t have time.”

“I don’t have money.”

“I don’t have a lot of friends.”

These are the most common reasons for people NOT joining a Network Marketing opportunity…