Do you think you might start a Network
Marketing business? You could indeed be on the right track.
Fortune
magazine called direct selling (of which network marketing is the
largest segment) "the best kept secret in the business world." It has
experienced 91-percent growth in the last 10 years with annual sales
in excess of $30 billion in the United States, and $100 billion
worldwide. Financial experts say it's a "recession proof" industry.
Billionaire Warren Buffet, after purchasing a network marketing
company, called it the
best investment he'd ever made. Tom Peters, author of In Search of
Excellence, calls it the first truly revolutionary shift in
marketing in the last 50 years.
Wow. And here we are. Mr.
and Ms. Nobody. And we can become part of this incredible
business revolution as well.
So. Where do we start?
First, and yes most importantly,
figure out what you are passionate about. Not only is there
no sense in having a business you don't enjoy, but you won't make much
money either.
Next, find a web host that will help
your business succeed. You are
welcome to
use mine, or find your own.
| Then, block out all the fancy
Get Rich Quick Guru stuff that shouts at you. Truly, you
won't make money with them. They make money from you.
Period. The GRQ schemes only get the guru wealthy. |
Now you are ready to settle down to
business.
Then there are some internet skills
you will need to know. If your web host doesn't have this built
in (and mine does), then look for other providers that will provide
them.
EMAIL SERVICE. You
will need to respond to mail as YourName@YourSite.com .
Everything else looks really amateurish.
NEWSLETTERS. Building
your newsletter list is the single most important task you will
have. This is how you communicate with potential buyers and
associates.
SITE BUILDING. You
need to know how to build a basic website, one that can provide lots
of information with minimal upkeep. Identifying and capturing
strong keywords for your site is essential.
A MINI FORUM. Give
your guests a chance to put in their two cents worth. If your
site is one that features images, there should be a capacity for
having your guests send in images as well.
BACKGROUND SERVICES. There
are all kinds of things, like submitting your pages to search
engines and blogging, that a good web host will attend to. You
shouldn't have to worry too much about these things. Just make
sure they are happening.
SITE PROMOTION.
Learning about using articles and links to enhance your website is a
tremendously important component in getting visitors.
You may already know a lot of this
already. That's great. What you don't know, see what you
can learn from your web host, then go out searching for the rest.
When you start a Network Marketing
business, you are making a commitment much like a brick and mortar
business. You are announcing to the world, "This is MY business.
Please come."
You might note that I said nothing
about incorporation or formal documentation. In truth, you
probably don't need it when you first start a Network Marketing
business. You may need it later as your business starts to grow,
so keep it in mind.
So How Much Money
Do I Need to Start A Network Marketing Business?
I hate this question. There is
just no "right" answer.
The simple answer is that all you
need is
- a computer
- a wide band internet connection
(and you will need that)
- subscription to a web host (mine
is $299 a year)
- a few miscellaneous programs, etc.
Maybe $200 worth.
This begs the issue of "Time".
Your time.
If you are planning to start a
Network Marketing business as a full time endeavor, you need to have
enough in reserve to take you through the planning and initial growth
stages. And, gosh, no, I don't know what that time is. I
don't even know if an "average" time exists. There are huge
variables -- how quickly you build your site, how rapidly you promote
your site, how many visitors you really need to be successful, AND how
long it takes the search engines to find you.
I do know that it is a lot safer to
start a Network Marketing business as a part time business. Get your
feet wet. Figure out what you know, and what you don't know.
Fill in the gaps. When the business will support you full time,
you will know it.
If the Network Marketing is a
component of an existing brick and mortar business, then everything
you earn online is a plus. You're home free with your first few
dollars.
It is an exciting adventure. I
don't regret one moment that I've spent as a Network Marketer.
I've spent years honing my craft, and will spend many more learning
everything that I want to know.
And in the meantime I've made some
pretty decent money. I wish the same for you.
