Online vs. offline marketing. It can seem like the “battle royale” of our times when it comes to how you should build your business because folks in either corner are constantly slugging it out saying their way is best.
It can get ugly!
But what if it’s not either/or?
What if you could do both (…and get even better results to boot)?
Read on and I’ll show you how blending the two is more effective than sticking with just one camp or the other.
Why the Internet works (so well) for network marketers
Question: as a network marketer, what are some of the things you’ve been told?
- Create a list of 100 people.
- Talk to friends and family.
- Fake it until you make it.
- Go for “No.”
- “No” doesn’t mean “no forever.”
- The fortune is in the follow-up.
- It’s not selling, it’s sharing.
- Share with everybody within three feet.
- If they can fog a mirror, this would be a great opportunity for them.
- Give home presentations.
- Hit people up in the malls.
These are all old-school, traditional, belly-to-belly ways to market.
What’s funny is that there are a lot of similarities here to how you should take your network marketing online.
The Online “Three-Foot Rule”
Especially if you’re first starting out, you should talk to everyone within “three feet” of you online.
No matter the social media platform, if someone connects with you, you should reach out and start networking.
For instance, on Facebook, you should send a personal message to anyone who…
- Sends you a friend request
- Likes or shares one of your posts
- Comments on a post or an ad (more on this in a moment)
Ask them about their business and goals and see if you can determine what they’re struggling with.
The Online “List of 100”
Here at Elite Marketing Pro, we recommend using Facebook’s advertising platform to connect with people who are already invested in the network marketing industry.
…and thus aren’t skeptical your business is a “pyramid scheme” or “scam.”
You can make lists of targeted “interest groups” highly likely to respond to your offer—for instance, the followers of a big name guru like Tony Robbins or Robert Kiosaki.
So instead of making a list of 100 people who very likely aren’t interested in starting a business, now you’re actually talking to people who’ve been bitten by the “entrepreneurial bug.”
No more dealing with unresponsive friends and family members.
No more getting rejected by strangers in whatever strange land you find yourself prospecting.
Talking to people who are already interested is more than half the battle, so your closing ratio will soar.
At the end of the day, though, traditional and online methods are similar, because much of the time you’re still going to hear “no.”
That’s just a fact—it’s still a number’s game.
But, it’s also true that “no” can simply mean it’s not the right time.
Hence the timeline advice…
The fortune is in the follow-up.
How Follow-Up Works Online
There are many forms follow-up can take online, and many of them are completely automated!
You can follow-up via email.
You can follow-up by providing content on your blog.
Follow-up can mean broadcasting a Facebook Live.
It’s a brave new world with today’s technology.
You’re not limited to the phone.
Social media is a highly-leveraged and largely automated follow-up channel.
You can also text message or host a webinar.
You have SO many options.
But what’s important to remember is that you’re still talking to people.
Traditional and online network marketing overlap each other in that you’re going to have to talk to people with either method.
Let me say that again…
You’re going to have to talk to people!
Because if you’re not…
- Reaching out and talking to your leads,
- Connecting with your audience,
- Getting out there and making connections, and
- Eventually automating everything possible
…you’re not building a real business.
You know, I was talking with a coaching client the other day.
One of the things this individual said was…
“This is a lot of hard work!”
Well, I’m going to be dead serious with you for a moment—it is hard work.
Whether you’re doing the traditional method of building your business or you’re building online, it’s still work.
Especially in your first year—you can’t avoid it, you can’t get around it, you can’t wish it away, you can’t hope there’s an easy button…
You just need to do the work.
I mean, seriously…
You can’t spell “networking” without “working!”
Your first year you’re online is the most critical in your network marketing.
This is your year of building trust.
It tends to take a year of being online, a year of consistently being seen by your audience, a year of providing value, education, and training—for people to grow to trust you.
It’s easy to get distracted.
It’s easy to lose focus
Imagine this…
You’re teaching everybody how to build one business, and all of a sudden you veer off and start promoting something else (and then something else).
If you do that within your first year, you’re going to lose trust with your audience.
If you’re always looking for the next thing you won’t be able to focus on the task at hand.
So don’t waste time starting over again and again…
Commit to twelve solid months of delivering value to your audience
Think about it…
If you’re dating someone, you’ve got to commit to them.
When you’re in a relationship, you’ve got to show up every single day.
It’s the same dynamic with your audience:
You’ve got to show up, keep your word, and fulfill expectations.
The moment you disappear, the moment you veer off-course, the moment you come up with a new product (or service or offer), you’re going to break that trust.
And it’s hard to get back on track when you don’t show up.
So commit to the process, because…
You’re becoming the go-to authority they’re seeking
If you show up, you’ll become the trusted recommender.
So, it’s time to ask yourself…
- Are you committed to staying the path?
- Are are you committed to following through?
If you are, then don’t try to avoid the work.
- Learn how to build those relationships!
- Learn how to offer the presentation!
- And learn how to follow-up with people using the tools available today.
Find out what’s going on in your prospects’ world and match your product to their need.
There’s always a problem—become the solution provider!
There are problems galore out there.
Become the master at solving problems and you’ll always be the go-to person—you’ll always be the person they want to join.
So, the answer to online vs. offline network marketing?
Blend online and offline to your utmost advantage!
You can…
- Follow up easier through the Internet than you ever could before.
- Easily connect with over 100 people every single day using the Internet.
- Get more “nos” faster to get to your “yeses” sooner online.
- Show people your presentation, without having to invite them to a hotel or home meeting.
And you can do it all online.
You can do so many things that traditionally done offline and blending them with the online world.
Sure, there are some technical skills you need to learn, and you’re going to get frustrated at first—that’s the experience we all have.
But you need to realize that if you’re reading this article today, you are among the smallest percentage of people that actually understands how to build a network marketing business online.
You are a minority in this industry (use it to your advantage!)
Give yourself twelve months.
Commit to the process and make sure you’re taking action every day.
It’s your opportunity right now to “embrace the blend” and be one of the pioneers in the network marketing space who are successfully building their businesses online and doing what it takes to move forward.
You have the opportunity—right now—to be a part of the transformation of the network marketing industry.
After all, we know that’s where the industry is going.
There’s no way around it.
In ten years, you won’t even recognize the industry.
But one thing will always remain the same: network marketing is one of the most powerful ways a person in a nine-to-five job can step out and start learning what it’s like to build their own business.
So be a pioneer.
Get out there and connect with people, make some mistakes, and have some fun!
Ready to blaze your trail?
Then I strongly encourage you to sign up for Elite Marketing Pro’s FREE 10-Day Online Recruiting Bootcamp.
You’ll learn how to build your business online using proven “attraction marketing” strategies so you’ll never have to chase down deadbeat prospects again.
Plus, you’ll see how Ferny Ceballos, CMO of Elite Marketing Pro, passively generates 300–500 leads per day, 30–50 customers per day, and recruit 70–100 new serious business-builders into his business each month.
These methods allow you to build your business automatically—where prospects reach out to you (instead of you having to reach out to them).
So if you’re ready to get started…
Simply click here and you’ll get access to the 10-Day Online Recruiting Bootcamp: https://elitemarketingpro.com/r/FEcp9
Guest Writer: Chef Katrina
Director of Client Experience
Elite Marketing Pro
