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[Shelly Begarowicz Contribution Level: 2]

Has internet attraction marketing killed network marketing?

This is a tough time for network marketing companies. Networkers, even newbie networkers, are a savvy bunch these days. We’ve learned all about attraction marketing. We know we don’t need to build a names list, pester our family, hand out fliers in the mall or make cold calls.

We know all about funded proposals and affiliate marketing. Income streams are all around us on the internet. The question is… Do we need Network Marketing?

Why would we include a business in our income mix that ties our hands when it comes to advertising on the internet by not allowing us to use the company name in so much as a product or company review?

Why would we partner with a company that forces us to use them as our sole source of income?

Why would we even consider building a business around a company that will not let us sell OUR business if we decide that is in our best interest?

Many network marketing companies are hanging around the necks of their distributors like anchor, dragging them down with all their antiquated marketing practices and exclusivity rules. These companies had better shape up or ship out as others develop or remake themselves to meet the changing needs of their new internet savvy distributors.

Will network marketing survive? Are the glory days of MLM over? With all the other ways to monetize online, do we even need network marketing?

I look forward to your thoughts.

ShellyB
http://www.TheRatRaceRebel.com

[Matt Fusinato Contribution Level: 2]

MLM Is not dead but we would be stupid to not consider the state of the economy right now.
Yes they have their stupid rules but that is why we promote with out even mentioning the product. Ann Sieg teaches that the best I have found!

So many people I talk to right now are in a wait and see mode. Yet I still hear many success stories as well. Personally I have been playing around with SEO and SEM and incorporating them skills along with professional copy write to promote affiliate marketing.

I believe the best in the business say to not put all our eggs into one basket! This is good practice to go by. Look at all them people who YTB fired just for trying something else while YTB was not putting food on the table like it used to. Luckly some peole did have a plan B because you never know when they will change some dumb rule and get rid of you.

So yes MLM might be dead for some but others will adapt and those are the ones who will profit the most!

Matt Fusinato
http://www.RenegadeTravelMarketer.com

[Lane Romero-Reiss Contribution Level: 2]

Shelly,

This is an excellent question. I believe we might be viewing the death rattle of network marketing as it has come to be known by many people over the last few decades. I don't believe it is the end of network marketing, though. Rather, we are on the threshold of what I see as the re-birth of an entire industry, and attraction marketing is having a major hand in that.

As you point out, people aren't going to be relying on one company as their sole source of income anymore. Those companies that recognize this shift will capture the lion's share of attraction marketers as they adjust their Policies and Procedures to better reflect the needs of the distributors.

Personally, I see the most successful companies adopting a modified affiliate program. A large percentage of programs will allow you to become an affiliate for free, which only makes sense. Some will require you purchase the product, but they don't charge you to become an affiliate, the way most MLM's do. With so many choices at our disposal to build mulitple streams of income, I think many people will start to seriously question why they are paying for the right to sell someone's product.

I'll be watching this discussion closely to read what the rest of the community thinks.

Lane Reiss

[Roger Silen Contribution Level: 2]

well... Is Network Marketing dead?? Absolutely not it is alive and well....

Is there a shift happening...? Absolutely... but a change for the better.....

A shift to Attraction Marketing... A shift to adding supplemental income streams and marketing funnels... but keep in mind that most of the affiliate programs and cash flow/funded proposal programs are designed to support your main MLM business... if the Main mlm or network marketing businesses were to crumble then the result would be a major House of Cards.... a bunch of marketers selling tools for a market that would no longer need them....

I think the face of the industry is changing however ... I think it is growing up and maturing and becoming main stream.... It is certainly not going anywhere....

We all are at the beginning of, as Lane said, a Re-Birth.... Our industry is the place to be but
make sure you have your pulse on the happenings so you can stay ahead of the curve....

[Malika Duke Contribution Level: 3]

Network Marketing is most often used as a synonym or parallel for 'word of mouth advertising' is as old as the the human race. But as a business, well, it technically died a long time ago and recruiting bonuses we all chase after killed it!

Let me explain....

We all build networks of relationships based on common interests: nunneries, foot ball teams, quilting clubs, families etc. Well all have our friend or group of friends that we do stuff with. Our drinking friends, our work friends our neighbor friends. We naturally belong to different networks at the same time.

We also talk about and recommend to each network different ideas, opinions and yes even products (movies, restaurants, cars etc.) I talk about different topics with my girl friends than I do with my professional associates.

Network Marketing as a business model offered us a way to monetize those relationships by recommending goods and services, as we would do anyway, and as a bonus get paid for it.

Great idea when the same lines of networking were followed when the "getting paid to recommend" part was thrown in there. But, they weren't...

Suddenly our natural recommending was replaced with enticement tactics (anyone remember the last time they asked someone, "Do you wanna make some extra money"). Tactics that included scripts, edification and canned approaches which convoluted a rather simple process.

Then It Got Worse

When your networking or your marketing has an incentive other than giving honest value the same way you would to a friend people do some crazy things! God knows I have.

That's were it network marketing died.

It became more "Buy this so I could make money" instead of "hey, you remember that ____ we were talking about? I found some cool ones I think you may like".

If you are being honest with yourself you'll know what I'm talking about. You, know they 'lean on the relationship' mantra (as in pressure them with guilt)... If it was an honest recommendation you wouldn't have to //LEAN//. You could just be straight up!

but no, no, we bought into the 'quick start bonuses' and the recruiting fast, wide and deep theories... dragging our poor, unsuspecting family members, friends, even strangers through the mud along the way.

Some of us have even had tear-filled conversations with prospects about why they won't support your seeming cycle of insanity. We've even tried to bribe my friends to come look at my business. Even insisting that it is for their own good. Ever had that conversation?

But People Have Had Enough!

Our potential prospects and past victims have been sick of it for a while. They want to know you have their best interest at heart before they even click on your links, view your sales page or even leave you their email address.

Our prospects want to know we are in their network naturally, meaning we know their pain... and that we have some authority on the subject matter related to your products and services we are recommending. They don't care that you need the money to take little Sarah to Disney world (unless, of course, that's your theme of your marketing campaign which is another topic entirely ).

They would take sound advice from someone who has proven to know enough about who they are, what there problems are and of course how to solve it. They don't care If you throw the money in your fire place or wipe your... [windshield]. Many of my clients have no idea that I make any money off recommending products and services to them. The few who do know are always careful to buy through my links so I get the credit. (thanks guys! ).

BetterNetworkers Are Finally Listening

So, No, Network Marketing is not dead it's just getting back to the basics: Business built on long term mutually beneficial relationships... naturally!

Here to bigger networks and expanded marketing,

Malika

[John Lowery Contribution Level: 1]

I personally think attraction marketing is important, but at the end of the day nothing will ever replace relationships in network marketing. Yes I blog and I do video's and all the things that Mike Dillard and Ann Sieg Teach and that may work to help build credibility, but you still have to build solid relationships with your people. Not everyone is going to be a leader and only about 10% of your downline is probably going to make big money or recruit more than a handful of people. Most people are just going to do this part-time and that is how this business works.

MLM is actually more prominent today as a viable source of income for many because of the internet, but being dead - No Way! The only way to become wealthy is to find a way to create non-linear income and I really don't think that affiliate marketing or e-bay or a website is really going to create that sort of income unless you are the creator and can sell your idea yourself. MLM is the best way in my opinion for an average person to create a huge income within a short period of time. Yes, the first few months may seem bleak, as the average paycheck for most is very small, but overall if someone understands first hand how to do it, the sky is the limit. I believe that way too many people try to over complicate MLM and make it into a rubiks cube. And let's face it, many obnoxious sales people who only care about money are attracted to MLM. They are always dressed up in their suit and tie, you know them, you probably see them at all of your corporate events. I personally don't like to over dress as I've already been in corporate america and don't really want to go back. One of the top network marketers in the world wears only Hawaiian Shirts. So I think companies teach people coming into MLM how to fail their way out the door by being a bible belt salesperson.

[Matt Fusinato Contribution Level: 2]

Yes MLM is the fastest way to make a large amount of money so quickly. Recession Proof!

All these people who are loosing their jobs out there are going to eventually run to the internet and see what we have been doing for years and wondering how it is done. If you are the 1st one they see as an established professional in the industry that has the most value. Then they will buy into your information.

Affiliate marketing for me personally is something I build during down time to have on autopilot. Some things work and others don't. Some don't bring me a penny until 2 months later! Oh well it was something I built for free and only took like 1-2 hours of research out of my day.

My main focus is still my MLM. I have made a larger profit from it and I have seen way to many people in my exact MLM make 5 figures in 3 months time. If they can do it so can I. That is the attitude we should all push forward with!

Good morning Shelly;
Has internet attraction marketing killed network marketing?

I don't think so.The seo's of those companies are going to wake up and smell the profits. Some already have and are turning their people in the direction of the electronic media.

One of the big problems have been their own associates making off the wall claims about the companies product. As a result there have been some massive law suits. I am sure their lawyers will come up with some kind of disclaimer to protect their butts. Many of these MLM companies are going to continue to grow.

After all nearly everyone of us are still involved in networking our MLM and probably always will be unless there are some drastic changes in the industry.

We just do it differently to start with. We sell ourselves first and gather a following [ Prospects list] and then we begin networking with those ones. After all is that not what we are doing in this forum, Learning how to do just that.

I don't think networking will ever die off. What we have done is added the word Attraction to a along standing already existing phrase that is not going to die off, in fact or in theory, networking has been around since the first man and woman were created [or evolved] whichever you prefer.

Thanks Shelly for the chance to sound off. I am curious to see how many agree or disagree. This is interesting because one of the first articles I ever wrote was on a subject that included this very issue.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Home-Based-Business-Forget-It

[Michael Kane Company: 5LINX Contribution Level: 2]

Hello Family!

I have enjoyed reading this post! You see the Google ads out there that say things like "Network Marketing is Dead, Try This Instead" and things like that. I don't believe it one bit. I see a new found zeal in the industry since I first joined in 2003. Attraction Marketing by using blogs, articles and video marketing with sites like Youtube, Google Video, Viddler and others have allowed us to create that personal relationship with people that we have not actually met in person in our local areas. All the social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and others have helped also.

Network Marketing will never die, its TTP's (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) will just evolve. The main thing to remember is that it's all about creating personalized relationships in order to create long term success for our business partners, their families, and THEN ourselves. Malika said it best- Business built on long term mutually beneficial relationships... naturally!

Let's change the lives of many people WORLDWIDE!

Michael Kane
Champion WIth Vision

[David Bone Contribution Level: 1]

Wow, Shelly, you always get such great responses.

As you can tell, these are very determined networkers. As Mike says, there are all kinds of ads proclaiming that it doesn't work anymore. But as he suggests, they are simply trying to lure you in to their own program. Many of us online marketers have been taken into this industry in a similar fashion.

Ann Sieg is a classic example with her 7 great lies ebook. I wonder how many networkers are now building a business online, simply due to her effective marketing campaign?

Anyone that has read her book, or Mike Dillard or many others, have come to the realization that you have to create multiple sources of income if you are going to survive the business.

I am also in agreement with Lane, in that you will probably have the Network Marketing companies adapt some type of affiliate program in as much as the laws will allow them to operate in this manor. You can already see some of the companies coming out with much better online media presentations, so they are getting the message.

And as you pointed out, this can only help their cause by strengthening the position of their company, simply by adding more of us that are truly enjoying building a business online. Besides, our methods were only brought on by the frustration and burn out that is experienced with the traditional methods being taught in the industry in the first place.

Wouldn't it be in their best interest to have more happy reps?

David Bone