Social Marketing, aka Attraction Marketing for Network Marketers: Now what?

Network Marketers are coming online in droves. They come online looking for answers. They are looking for ways to market their opportunity online. In many cases they are frustrated network marketers who like the concept of network marketing but don't like using old school sales techniques. They are like kids in a candy store; all of a sudden there are all kinds of people to sell their opportunity to! Or so they think.

Are you flogging your deal or are you a solutions provider? What is a solutions provider you ask? This is someone who has learned the art of asking questions and is focused on the the needs of the other person. As Zig Ziglar said: "You Can Only Get What You Want, If You Help Enough Other People Get What They Want"

"Knowing how to ask the right questions at the right time...and listening...are the essential problem-solving tools of the effective distributor. Learn the inner secrets of being an effective distributor by helping others get what they want...without using traditional techniques of selling, manipulation or persuasion..." Michael Oliver

In his dynamite book, How to Sell Network Marketing without fear, anxiety or losing your friends. Michael Oliver teaches universal sales principles of success. He says: "Using your own style and personality, let proven principles and methods based on universal ancient wisdoms work for you to get the results you want."

Ok, you've being writing content and posting it all over the internet. You've been bookmarking it. You've gone to all this effort to attract people. Now what are you going to do with them? Call them about your deal? What if they say no? What if they are already in another MLM? End of story? If you're mired in the old school methods this may be what is happening. I'd like to suggest to you that it is just the beginning.

The fact is we focus so much on the ‘finding' part that in many cases we are unprepared for what to do next! People skills are critical to your success in selling your solution. And I would suggest to you that your business opportunity is not the only egg in your basket. I recommend that if you are going to take your business online that you get some network marketing training.

Typically when we meet people online they are already in an MLM; their company is the best; their products are the best and they are very loyal. In the past this would have been where you parted company.

Today there is a marriage going on between internet marketing, network marketing and affiliate marketing.

I call the bride Ina for short. What this means is you have a lot more to offer your potential business partners than a single opportunity. With all the affiliate links available to us we have so much more to offer. If you have purchased The Renegade Network Marketer you have access to over 35 affiliate links to get you started. Most of these affiliates are free.

Some of these links pay $3, $33.50 $50, $120; they all vary. There is one very beefy affiliate available. These affiliate links are also tools for you to build your business. See TheMarketingHowTo.com/tools to see a starter list of tools that I recommend including Michael Oliver's book. (While I've been writing this article I received $88.50 $117 in affiliate commissions and that doesn't count the ones that only notify you monthly.)

What this book, How to sell Network Marketing without fear, anxiety or losing your friends! means to you is that you can learn to position yourself as a solutions provider. And as a solutions provider this is just the beginning. You are adding people to your funnel with your primary opportunity or your more high end offer on the back end of your system. I keep my primary company completely offline and don't even mention it unless I'm asked or until I have established rapport with the person.

Network Marketing the old way usually meant that once you discovered your lead was in another company that was the end of the conversation; you go your separate ways. Now it's all about building rapport, building trust. I read that as much as 75% of the outcome of any selling is directly related to whether trust and rapport were established between you and your prospect.

This takes time. When you brand yourself as a solutions provider you have a much higher chance of this happening. When you become branded as "Oh here comes that ______ lady; your dance is soon over.

This is an excerpt from an email I received. "The ____ people are obnoxious. Every time I'm on Facebook, I hear about the ________ over and over."

This is not the type of branding I'm talking about! As network marketers coming online we have a shiny new vehicle to drive. The industry as a whole has a tarnished reputation partly due to zealous distributors. I know when I first ‘got' the concept I got very excited and could not understand why everyone wouldn't want to join me in business!

I believe as network marketers we have a responsibility. If you come online and bring your old school methods with you our shiny new vehicle will soon look like a junker. Social marketing is not about chasing people; it's called attraction marketing for a reason.

Speaking of dance; that's a great analogy. If you want a successful first date you don't immediately discuss marriage. There are dance steps for every type of dance. In the Rapport Dance you need to learn your approach. This is now known as pre-selling; this is what you do before you even talk to the person for the first time. Once you have gone to all that work; all that writing of content do you want it to be all over after a single phone call? I think not.

Once you have connected by phone you need to focus on them. You need to ask questions to discover their needs and then you then both need to agree on that need. People are not so interested in what it is, but what it can do for them. It's important to remember, people always buy with: WIIFM

• WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME

Typically the old school methods required you to call someone who most likely had no interest in your deal. You chased down a friend or family member, you chatted with someone in the grocery line-up or at your child's soccer game or worse yet you went mall crawling.

They say you can't hug a computer meaning you can't build relationships online; that is simply not true. You can form very strong relationships online. Ann Sieg has built an incredible team of people who are extremely loyal and they may have been in her business for a year or more before they actually meet. People typically have gone to the manager level; 12 distributors in their organization before Ann even gets a chance to talk to them on the phone. I feel privileged indeed to have had her personally call me!

It's all about branding. To be successful on the internet it is in your best interests to brand yourself as a solutions provider. Michael Oliver teaches you how. When you learn to position yourself as a solutions provider using principles rather than techniques you can show people how what you have to offer is a solution for what they want.

They may not even know that network marketing is the solution they are looking for. They are simply looking for ways to generate more income. You can clarify for them that what they need to do may be to start their own P/T businesses which will enable them to get their lives back in control; have time to spend with their families; do the things they want to do; and eventually replace their present job. Keep in mind your deal may or may not be the solution; which is why I encourage you to become a solutions provider.

Web 2.0, aka social marketing, aka attraction marketing is just the start of your relationship. The finding now takes care of itself. It is now up to you to learn the art of asking questions so that people will want to join you regardless of your primary company.

To your $uccess!

Irene Kirkman teaches newbie's internet network marketing so you can learn to generate your own leads on a budget & attract your prospects to you. I am the smiling face, the personal touch to help you individually set up your own Internet Marketing. The one thing the Renegade University can't do is connect directly with people by phone and offer a word of encouragement. Yes we all want to be connected directly to Mike Klingler but if we want a system that gives us time freedom we need to allow the system to give Mike Klingler time freedom. We are the system. The "B" Quadrant is the "We" Quadrant. To plug into training with Irene click here or email me at: irene.paradigmshift@gmail.com or call 604.530.2719 PST.