6 Exciting Cultural Shifts of Network Marketing

 Not too long ago I exchanged emails with John Milton Fogg over at Facebook on my take of what I believe is the most exciting cultural shift in the Network Marketing Industry. John told me, “Tony this is too good NOT to share.” I’ve added a little more to the original message as my perspective has grown.

I believe the next phase of Network Marketing will shift the industry to revolve around several key factors. And please tell me if I’m hot or cold (these are just a few of my view points).

Keep on reading to discover if you’re innovating your business and becoming attractive as a business leader. I’m absolutely 100% confident you will gain a positive outlook on Network Marketing.

1) The Massive Rise in the Fortune 5,000,000

The Fortune 5,000,000 are people who work their day job but are working on their business. Not like it has changed, but the reason for the shift will change. It will be the corporate Gen Y’ers and X’ers who recognize Network Marketing for it’s business model because they want to be agile in their life career and do things that fulfill their many life purposes.

Many of the Gen Y and X generation might know or have personally seen someone become very successful in Network Marketing. Today more people are succeeding in Network Marketing than in the past 20 years. Why? The answer is simple. Training is easier to access, communicating is instant and global and with the advent of the Internet, connecting with more people is easier than ever before.

Add to the mix the unstable global economy and people’s desire to be free and independent, Network Marketing could be one of the greatest opportunities people will come in contact with. Resumes mean nothing and educational degrees mean nothing. The only item of importance that has any meaning is how willing someone is in getting out there to tell people about what they are doing and how effective they are based upon practical training of skills.

2) Shifting Priority to Being People Driven

We’ll see a shift in the priority in that it will move from business first, products then people to being people driven, product focused, and business supported.

Every aspect of life is about the quality of relationships around you. I asked someone the other day if they liked company x-y-z that I was in previously. They answered, “YES! I’m deeply rooted in the company and the products. They are amazing! The mission is so great. I’m completely in alignment with them!” I simply asked another questions, “If I was a jerk would you have ever been part of the business or even a customer?” He paused for a while and replied, “No. I wouldn’t even have taken a look at it.”

Interesting how someone was so focussed on the business and the products that he/she forgot about why they even became interested in the first place. It wasn’t because the mission was so great or the product was so great. It’s because I made HIM feel significant and out of his feeling of significance he contributed by becoming a part of my business.

Business is about people. When confidently serving people out your known value in how you can seek to enrich their lives will drive more people to your business.

Remember. People driven, product focussed, business supported.

INSIDER NOTE: My next blog post will be on the value of people. I’m very excited to discuss this subject.

3) Network Marketing as the Next Billionaires Playground

What do Warren Buffet, Donald Trump, Trey White and Richard Branson all have in common besides being billionaires? One thing. They all own or have started a Network Marketing company.

Network Marketing is the most viable and greatest way to get the message out into the market place. Brand evangelist are out there every day speaking about how the product and the business is changing their lives.

The truth is the average person is honestly only looking to make an extra $500 per month. If you spent time helping people to reach $1,000 a month in income you would have a much more loyal base of customers and business associates. This is exactly why billionaires are drawn to Network Marketing. Loyal people = steady and predictable profits.

Some call it Network Marketing others Direct Sales and know the new term will be Social Distribution. I personally really like that term. Distributing products through a social network of people.

4) Departure from Hype in the Desire for Skills and Professionalism

No more will people coming into Network Marketing put up with the feeling of being thrown against the wall and left waiting to stick. People will demand training in the form of skills.

In the old days you could stand in front of a room and chant a few phrases, beat down on people for having a job and then some how convince them that what you’re doing is what they need. Those times have LONG gone and past.

Going back to point #1 people are recognizing Network Marketing for the financial freedom, time freedom and ultimately lifestyle freedom it provides. Yet they desire the structure a job provides. People want their position in Network Marketing to feel like any other business professional such as accountants, doctors, consultants etc.

When people feel they have the training in form of practical training (let me emphasize practical… as in do this, say this etc) then they will feel like any other professional out there. Yes it is a mindset, but more importantly it must become a cultural fit.

If you have a job today you must identify yourself as your business not as your job. Your job just becomes a job until you have a enough customers to go full time in your business. Your job is not who you are. It’s what you do to pay the bills as you launch your true business and step out in your ambitions.

Staying on track with the current point, I think that those who recognize the droves of people who come to network marketing for the opportunity it represents of financial, time, and lifestyle freedom and in recognizing that people crave the structure of a job and the skills it represents, will create the systems that bridge the gap people struggle with crossing and by doing so will end up making all the money.

5) Validate a Person’s Job to Motivate a Prospect to Reach for More

I feel that the days of bashing jobs will end and recognizing options will come to the forefront. In my opinion the culture of Network Marketing industry needs to return to it’s roots as being just a business model instead of being a “culture of job haters” which is so foreign to the rest of the world that it’s hard for people to relate to the opportunity.

Listen carefully. VERY IMPORTANT! Stop bashing jobs!

Bashing jobs turns so many people off. Most people identify themselves with their job as their success in life is a direct result of how well they contributed to the job. So if you tell someone their job is stupid what they are hearing is that THEY are stupid.

Recognize and honor a person’s job. You’re there to offer possibilities and improvements.

Understand if your prospect didn’t have a job they wouldn’t have either the skills, drive, or determination to be worthy of your time. Not to mention that without a job they couldn’t afford your products or opportunity.

Embrace your prospects job. Honor it. Show them how your opportunity can add value to their life where they can become empowered to do the things in life they really want to do. The key here is to show how the benefits of Network Marketing and your opportunity out weight the benefits of a job offering much more.

Remember. Jobs are great starting points and areas to acquire life skills. Wealth is found in running a smart business, that’s where Network Marketing comes in.

What most people want is the structure of a job, but the freedom of running your own business. When you can demonstrate your business as the structure that job provides with training and marketing tools with all the freedom of running their own business then you’ll attract more people than ever before.

How do you get a dog to let go of their bone? You offer the dog a juicy steak.

If the dog wants to hold onto the bone let him. You don’t have to sell a dog on the fact that the steak is much more tastier. He has a nose that can tell the difference.

Learn to offer people a more succulent meal full of greater benefits without telling them the bone they are chewing on is terrible. Focus on your solution and forget about the bone in their mouth. Keep marinating the steak with benefit driven sound bites.

6) The Rise of Communities of Significance

With the rise of social networking sites we’ll begin see communities become the main focus and social networking sites will enable people to engage on a much more personable level. It will also accelerate a more opened form of communication.

What I love about social networking web sites is the focus is on people. People connecting and engaging. This gives you time to get to know people and discover the significance of each person.

How do you build a community? I’ve been asked this many times while being a consultant in the marketing and technology industry.

Focus on making people around you feel significant. Out of their significance they will contribute in a significant way. When people contribute out of their significance they will have ownership in what they are part of. Once they feel a sense of ownership a community will be created.

Simply put a community is a group of individuals coming together with a like minded purpose feeling safe to voice cares, concerns, options and ideas.

Embrace every creative idea. Listen to pain points. Focus on how to improve with a solutions based outlook.

Those are just some of my thoughts. I believe a new culture is emerging. I would like for you to be part of this new culture.

The intentions behind what’s happening in this new shift is more exciting than ever before. I believe more and more bringing credibility, practical skill based training and validation through professionalism is exactly what the industry is craving. The culture in the Network Marketing industry is changing. It’s new generation with a new drive to do something different.

Will you embrace the new culture? Will you spend your time working harder on yourself and your business? Will you value the people around you seeing them as significant?

You can read more great posts at my blog ProsperityPerspective.com.