“WHAT??” THIS IS SALES?
Gasp! Your prospect/candidate/suspect has discovered the truth. Network marketing or multilevel marketing is not merely “sharing and teaching” or “relationship building”. It’s sales. That means you get paid COMMISSIONS. 100% commission sales. No salary, no stipend. Pure, unadulterated commission.
Why do we as network marketers work so hard to obscure the fact that we are sales professionals who build networks of customers and networks of professional sales teams?
You’ll notice at regional and national conferences MLM companies don’t report, “Sharing is up alot! We are making tremendous relationships! Everyone has new friends! 50,000 people have been taught! (what exactly did they learn?) No, they say- “Sales are up 15% Over 100 million products sold”!
Look, MLM is SALES. If the person evaluating the company and its service feels like its a good fit for her, then she will BUY and you will get commission. That is the definition of sales.
However, network marketing has always been more than merely money and business transactions. The purpose of network marketing is to build long time relationships that benefit the consumer by providing
a genuine solution, and creating income for the distributor who acts as a channel and advisor for the customer.
And sales has a bad name. It evokes high pressure, cornering the prospect with “tie-down closes”, and salespeople who never leave your living room unless they are escorted out by the police. It creates the idea of one person foisting an unnecessary item or overpriced service on a vulnerable and gullible prospect. As with all stereotypes, it has some truth or it wouldn’t stand. It is a stereotype not deserved by 80% of the sales professionals I know, but more powerful than virtually any social stigma.
No one wants to be “that”. Many people prefer the concept of “sharing, helping, teaching”. It implies cooperation and the benefit of the prospect before personal profits. If you are reading this while you evaluate network marketing know that if someone doesn’t buy, or a distributor doesn’t sale, you will make
no money. If you are in network marketing, put your prospect’s needs first before your volume goal and you will never be salesy.
Sales is a good thing. As veteran trainer Zig Ziglar in Secrets of Closing the Sale said, “If every salesman in America stopped selling and making sales, the economy would shut down in 3 days”.
For more tips on how to sell without being a pushy sales person, check out these archived posts:
5 Ways to Improve Your Results NOW
The Perils and Pitfalls of MLM
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Karen Miner Hurd has been an entrpreneur since she was a kid. She left her career as a public relations professional to stay at home with her first baby. She now has 5 children. He passion is empowering others to create wealth in network marketing. To learn more about partnering with Karen visit: http://www.coolbiz4u.net
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