Network Marketing IS for ANYONE

We have all heard the hype, we have all dreamed the dream, but why do so many people fail to harness the power and freedom that so many others achieve in the field of Network marketing?

Whether you have tried (or just thought about) owning and running your own home business marketing products and/or services, you know that there is more to it than just signing up and waiting for the money to come rolling in. Be it Tupperware, MaryKay, Lia Sophia, Candles, scrapbooking, nutritional supplements, Amway, Quixtar, long distance telephone, energy services, or any number of other legitimate and VIABLE network marketing opportunities out there, your roll is as an INDEPENDENT business owner. You actually have to work at it to run a business, though how much or how little depends on many factors.

The first step in starting any business, including network marketing is determining your "WHY".
Why do you want to run your own business?
Do you dream of being your own boss?
Is it the work from HOME (or another particular location)?
Is it the dream of profiting more clearly from your hard work?
Do you have dreams bigger than your 9-5 job, or your weekend job?
Do you want to spend more time with your children?
Are you hoping to have a legacy to pass down?
Are you just excited about the idea of doing your own thing?
Are you looking to have FUN while making money?
Are you tired of someone else telling when you can take a vacation and for how long?

If any or all of these reasons resonate with you, you can understand why people seek to do network marketing as their sole source of income.

So why network marketing instead of a traditional business?

Network marketing provides an opportunity to own and operate your own business without most of the start up costs and risks associated with a traditional business. Often you can begin in network marketing for the cost of a initial starter kit--which ranges from as little as $50 to as much as $2000 depending on the company. The contents of the starter kit depend entirely on the product(s) or service that you will be selling/marketing. For Tupperware, you will get a sampling of flyers, a small set of the most popular products to show, and basic business tools (order forms, new consultant sign up sheets, promotional flyers, etc...). With MaryKay you will get a "briefcase" filled with cosmetic and skin care samples, flyers, order forms, consultant sign up sheets, the most recent promotional catalog, and other basic business tools. For Quixtar you get the most recent catalogs, pricing sheets, etc... and of course the basic business tools. For Ambit Energy you get your briefcase with promotional materials, guides, videos to help present the service, and certainly basic business tools. Most companies offer you a website where you can direct customers and a back office online where you can learn and keep track of your business. There is normally a monthly fee of around $25 for this web service, but it is well worth it, as creating and continually updating your own website can be very costly--both in time and money.

Network marketing also allows you to build not only a customer base, but also to train new consultants and build a sales force from which you glean leadership bonuses. This form of marketing has also been called relationship marketing and has proven to be very good for the company as a whole. Rather than spending millions of dollars on TV and Radio ads (how many people have TiVo and skip the commercials or Sirius satellite radio to be commercial free?) that bring in only a fraction of people they are targeting, companies are turning to network marketing to build their sales force. This word of mouth style marketing requires a company to produce a quality products and/or service. People who are consultants who work hard, get paid very well, and can work towards promotions at their own pace. The only one deciding whether you get a raise or a promotion is YOU.

So why is it that thousands of people succeed in network marketing businesses each year, and thousands fail?

I will address this topic in my next posting, so stay tuned and check back often!