You think you’re ready to jump into the latest Home Based Business or network marketing opportunity that just popped up on your radar? Obviously, you first have to decide and commit to the notion you are ready to dive into the wide, wild world of network marketing. Why do people choose a home-based business over a conventional job? The reasons are many:• set your own hours,
• earn extra income,
• replace an income,
• meet new people,
• leave the rat race,
• secure a retirement,
• get out of debt, and
• self-development.Whatever your reasons for seeking to work from home, choosing to work a home-based business is a decision that should be weighed carefully. Essentially, you are hanging shingle for a new company (new to you, anyway) and this is a commitment to a whole cadre of people:• your network marketing business sponsor,
• the team you will be building,
• the clients you will take on,
• your family, and
• yourself.The investment for fulltime network marketers who are serious about building a home-based business is no less serious than a bootstrapping entrepreneur (they’re the same thing, actually) who wants to build a better mousetrap or market their stellar service to an anxiously-awaiting world. The only difference: the bootstrapper who diligently creates their company from scratch often has to single-handedly fulfill the laborious demands of: production, marketing, sales, order fulfillment, customer service, human resources, accounting, legal, et cetera.They get to do it all, especially at first, until they can generate enough revenue to begin hiring or outsourcing these jobs out. In contrast, the network marketing model (if it’s a good one, and they vary widely) should have much of this is taken care of for you. The best work-from-home scenarios will have:• NO large investment,
• NO carrying inventory,
• NO taking orders or making deliveries*,
• NO billing or collections,
• NO pressuring customers to purchase,
• NO repeat sales presentations,
• NO RISK* Prior to discovering our current network marketing business, my wife had joined a well-known beauty and cosmetics catalog company. They, of course, had a network marketing MLM compensation plan. My wife initially signed up to be a representative for this company because another, established rep wanted to retire from working the business (first flag!) This outgoing MLMer had built a book of clients where my wife worked, so it appeared my wife could not only get a discount on products she was already ordering, but she could even earn some extra income. Sounds great, right?Well, not really. As the months progressed, I watched as my wife handed out catalogs, collected orders, placed orders, received shipments, sorted orders, delivered orders, ordered more catalogs, handed out catalogs.. rinse, repeat. You get the idea. One evening, I asked her how much she had earned with a particularly large shipment that was being sorted on our livingroom floor. She laughed. “After all my time? Probably about five dollars,” she said. “Is the discount worth it?” I asked. “I’m starting to think it’s not,” she said. A few months later, she officially quit that MLM and passed her book of business onto another rep (lucky them!)The moral of this story: Make sure your road to wealth and freedom doesn’t involve trading time for placing orders, stuffing envelopes, or packing boxes. As with any business, you want to place your energies into building relationships, implementing strategies and conducting activities that will grow your business and support others as they do the same for themselves.By having much of the manual labor handled for you, you are free to focus on the fun part of operating any business-talking with others.
(Note: If you don’t like talking to people, network marketing is not for you. “Network” refers to a network of people you build around you.)Any successful network marketing or MLM model involves lots of communication with others, including your QUALIFIED prospects, your team (hopefully upline, but definitely downline)Hint: Once you’ve successfully enrolled another believer, you’ll be responsible for helping guide the development of their own network marketing business. Insert lots of talking, answering questions, coaching and encouragement here.In conclusion, if you’re considering joining a network marketing MLM “opportunity” or beginning a home-based business, make sure you can invest your time on activities where you’ll see a clear return; not on the menial labor the offering company isn’t willing to do themselves. If you’re already in an MLM and you find yourself doing this, I’ll simply ask you to take an inventory of where you’re investing your time, energy and out-of-pocket dollars, then calculate what your return on that investment has been. If things appear to be working for you (or if you enjoy the meditative work involved in stuffing envelopes, bags and boxes, etc.,) galvanize your resolve with the knowledge you’re where you need to be. Resolve is the first thing you’ll need to meet success in any business endeavor, including owning and operating the home-based business variety. Keeping fighting the good network marketing fight and ensure-whatever you do-you are doing your part to elevate the lives of all those you touch.