Internet marketing is merging with network marketing Network marketers who once predominantly used the old school methods of purchasing leads, spending hours cold calling or chasing friends and family is dying out. For good reasons, they're deciding to come online.

More and more families are struggling financially. The condition of the economy is cause for worry. The cost of fuel and food are significantly rising. The housing market is collapsing. The credit crunch has forced record numbers of foreclosures. Credit card debt continues to rise. Families have less and less disposable income.

What does all this mean?

It means that network marketing provides solutions in a weak economy.

Everyone needs more income and investment opportunities. Many of them will look to a home based business to solve their financial problems. It means there is a growing need for internet network marketing support and training.

With network marketers coming online, and a steady drove of individuals looking to supplement and/or replace their income in a home based business, proper utilization of the internet is essential. Utilizing and harnessing the power of the internet to do business has tremendous advantages.

But there is a learning curve. How does one go about using blogs, SEO optimization, E- zine, E-mail, article submission, social networking, pay-per-click and more to generate a massive amount of leads to get paid? How does it all flow together?

Needs and Challenges:

• Several network marketing programs I've investigated encourage hefty initial start up costs. Include the monthly costs and the price can reach upwards of $200-500 per month. The thing is, those prices make sense when you study the compensation plan - it's the best way to maximize potential commissions. For a cash-strapped family with little or no disposable income, and no online marketing experience, this is risky.

• Finding one place that is paced for a beginner to set up actual online marketing that promotes YOU first - not your business opportunity - instead of hopping around from one training tool to the next, or struggling through trial and error, and never getting anywhere.

• Finding an affordable training system that will lead you to the next level where you can see exactly what to do instead of putting faith in an expensive "autopilot system" to do it all for you.

Challenge - Evaluating a Network Marketing Company - Caught in Frenzy

If you are a network marketer, how many of you have jumped from one "hot" program to the next? If you haven't, how many of you have lost some or all of your downline for a new program?

What is the reason for this?

There are more and more "ground floor" opportunities, and more people searching for instant, short term, explosive incomes. How does this effect building a long term income, or bringing quality products that offer genuine value to the public?

If you are searching for a network marketing company, all you see is frenzy. Many of the home business owners I interview don't mention or seem interested in the real benefits of their product. Is this no longer a priority?

I was always under the impression that loyal product customers were what created long term income. If no one is retailing their products, then the only benefit is for the business builders. If business builders are jumping from one network marketing company to the next, then creating a committed downline is compromised. Do you see how this creates a vacuum of cannibalism?

Solutions

Find a network marketing company that has lowered product prices and monthly requirements while still retaining high product value. This will accomplish two things. For starters, it will allow for an increase in retail sales. Secondly, it will attract large numbers of new representatives. This is a win-win situation because income will remain high or increase.

Furthermore, there is no better way to establish, grow and develop long term stability for a network marketing company than to increase retail sales. Increasing the number of representatives will naturally follow. In the long run, this will move network marketing toward a mainstream method of distribution. Attrition rates will lower. Overall, it will help the image of network marketing, as more people will be accepting of it.

Network marketing companies and the industry as a whole has an opportunity to make these adjustments, which could make for a positive impact on the current economy.