From Product to People - the MLM Paradigm Shift

For those in network marketing who are programmed to "lead with the product" or "lead with the opportunity", it might be the most difficult thing to do to convince yourself how or why this is not necessarily correct. You may not yet realize that this is one of the primary reasons why so many people struggle to find real success in network marketing.

The focus on product and opportunity is so engrained in the old school MLM psyche that it seems logical and natural to lead with the product, and to coin the phrase, "the product sells itself".

Well, the word to notice in that statement is "sells".

If you want leaders to join your business and become part of a growing team, then 'sell' is the last thing you should be doing. If you want to just retail the product then of course selling makes more sense. Not to displace the importance of a good product when it comes to success in a network marketing business however, but you are your most important asset. Noone likes to be sold.

The truth is, albeit not completely overlooked in most MLM companies, is that it is a people business. But they never tell you to lead with yourself. When in truth, you are who your prospect is judging first. Not your product. Not your opportunity. People join you.

They call it relationship marketing for a reason. Yet they only pay lip service to the the fact that it is a people business, and give you no training on how to first capture their interest, determine whether they are a valid prospect and right for your business, or how to coach and mentor that person according to their personality. They tell you to support and train your team but never give you the tools or knowledge to do that correctly. 

Product brochures and opportunity presentations are not people skill training! Inspriational and motivational books are only a way to spur you on in your misdirected activities, when they would take on an entirely new meaning if you only knew how to lead with yourself, and how to understand, work with, and train your prospects.

I don't mean to completely dismiss the warm market or the value of the product (it must be a product that stands out from the crowd to drive a successful network marketing business).  It's just that the shift from the exclusive product lead must change when working in the internet marketing arena, where the instant connections and friendships that are made can't be compared to your true warm market. Therefore the lead in the case of online marketing must be you. Think about your warm market. You are already leading with yourself. People still join you because of who you are.

Lead capture can be done from the product angle as well; leading with the product shouldn't be entirely overlooked when addressing your product's specific target market. But if you are not working with your existing warm market (who already like and trust you), then you have to lead with yourself first, and then your product.

You will want to have something to offer that other people need, and to be able to provide that, you'll want a lead capture and auto-response system. But you may be struggling with the thought that you don't have anything of value to offer, either as a funded proposal or even free.  Hello! As a person you certainly have much to offer!

Think of all of the acconplishments you've had, no matter how insignificant you may think, and the struggles you have made it through. Think of all the people you have supported and helped over the years. You are valued, worthwhile and deserve success even if you do not think so or fully believe it. But, still, maybe you say you aren't as internet savvy as some of the experts out there, so that leading with yourself may seem a bit of a stretch.

So that's why systems like Better Web Builder (with free capture pages, training and auto responder emails) and My Lead System Pro (industry favorite) come in.

The value proposition for people using these systems is that they give you exactly what you need to become successful in network marketing. They provide the ability for you to duplicate yourself in the activity, the only way that you will ever succeed in this business. They provide training that you can use for personal growth and success in this business, along with your downline, and include a value proposition to generate your own leads.

Once you put your system into place, your market has become not product centric but people centric. You are providing value to people who are already in network marketing and looking for your solution. This makes them highly targeted and qualified leads.  Well then you might  say, 'but they are already in a network marketing company!'

Well, of course not everyone will be interested in your business, but look at the numbers of MLM companies that fail, or lose their integrity, or fail their distributor base in some way (change the policies and procedures or comp plan, or go public).

Look at the number of people simply failing in network marketing because they have never been taught how to be a professional in this business. Look at the number of people out of work and looking for some way to make ends meet in this day and time. Look at how many of them never knew that leading with a product or opportunity was the reason they most often fail!

Look at the numbers that have never known the right way to use the internet to reach their market, the ones that want to build a business. The way even some of the more modern MLM companies use the internet is still only to provide for product ordering, enrollment and back office functions. Some even provide company replicated web sites, which as newer network marketers realize, cannot be maniuplated to achieve SEO. But lead capture? Hardly.

Once this product -> to -> people epiphany finally occurs, you are on your way. Until then, you may continue chasing your friends, family and co-workers. But when you begin to get your own qualified, targeted leads by leading with yourself online, and coaching others to do the same, you will be amazed at how quickly things change.