The Power of Network Marketing

In these uncertain economic times, many people today are looking for a solid and legitimate home business model to help create another stable stream of income in their lives. Not to mention the ability to spend more time with family, and the chance to quit their jobs and become their own boss.
Rather than taking the risky path of creating their own product and then trying to create a market for the product, many entrepreneurs are choosing to get into a turnkey network marketing businesses that can be easily run from home - especially with the technology available today.
The benefits of network marketing are that the market is already there - you just have to tap it to make sales. You do not need to reinvent the wheel trying to figure out if there is a market for the product. The items being sold by most network marketing companies, such as nutritional items, cleaning products or books are items that are already in demand by the public. There is no need to create a whole new market, or having to explain the value of a product that the public already knows that it wants to buy.
To find the best network marketing company for a home business, there are a few key areas to pay attention to:
1. Does the company sell something that you can believe in? If you do not have a passion about the product or the concept, then you should not choose that particular network marketing company. You want this home business to be fun and something you enjoy.
2. Are the items jut fads that won't be in demand for long, or are they items that the public will be interested in for years to come? You want a product or concept that will stand the test of time.
3. Are there a variety of items, or just the one product? There's a better chance of success when you can sell related items to a customer instead of just one product. And, when there are many products, there is no limit as to how many each customer might be interested in buying. The more you can offer, the more your customers will buy.
4. How difficult will it be to get customers and your "downline associates" interested in the items? Will you have to spend a long time explaining the product, or is it simple enough to attract a lot of attention? The KISS (keep it short and simple) principle really applies here. It if takes too long to describe the product or concept, people just won't buy or join.
5. Is the business so pervasive that everyone you are likely to market to has already joined it? Is it new enough that you can still introduce the idea to potential customers and plenty of downline associates?
If you can find a network marketing company that meets these criteria, then you've found a company, product and concept that has tremendous potential to be a wildly successful home business.
A network marketing business like the one described is one that will also be attractive to other people wanting to break into the home business arena and become part of your downline organization - which spells even great profits for you - since they will have the same excitement to grow their organizations as well. This duplication can create a huge residual income stream.

Network marketing is one of the methods of marketing products and services. The organization marketing the products creates a network of individual entrepreneurs who assist the organization in securing orders for the product. The individual marketers in the network get commission for business conducted through their efforts. The enterprising network marketers grow their own marketing network and, depending upon the compensation scheme of the organization, the network marketers also get paid for the efforts of their team mates.Though network marketing is an old concept it has got a real boost by the development of internet. Spreading information is one of the key elements of network marketing and internet provides just the medium to spread the message at staggering speed. For millions of individuals involved in network marketing it signifies a complete business. Most of them are looking for additional source of income. They are lured by the ease with which they can join network marketing and by the expectation of making some quick money.But what happens? Most of the people are not able to earn from network marketing. Many of them get disgusted and either leave or become inactive. According to one study there is better chance of making profit in games of chance such as gambling than in network marketing by an average person. A person who is not serious about his network marketing business would stand a better chance to earn some profit in a gambling den than in the network marketing. The same study concludes that the top few involved in network marketing earn tremendous amount of wealth at the cost of thousands of network marketers who do not earn any profits.While I do not question the authenticity of this study, I do feel that this is a wrong way of interpreting facts. When we send our children to school we do not say that the owners of the school are earning at the cost of the students. Even those who realize this fact still send their children to school.Network marketing provides opportunity not only for earning but also for learning. Most of the people are drawn towards network marketing by unreasonable expectations. They are led to believe that they can earn without much efforts on their part. Those who try to learn go much further than those who don’t. The network marketer has to go through the learning process to find out how he or she can succeed in earning money.Success is something which cannot be imposed. It has to be earned. Being successful is a habit and like every other habit it can be cultivated. Success is not a single event – it is a winning mindset. Network marketing is one of the best places where you can find the opportunity to develop a winning mindset. But only those who are willing to learn can hope to benefit from this opportunity.All the good organizations involved in network marketing provide plenty of support to its sales force. They provide learning opportunity, promotional material, and even mentoring. It is up to the individual network marketers to learn and develop himself or herself. It is not correct to compare network marketing with a game of chance. The internet marketers who are the players in this game have a clear choice – those who learn will succeed.One of the key elements of network marketing is the leverage. All successful network marketers use this technique to increase their effectiveness several folds. Leveraging means getting others to work for you. Now, why will others work for you? They will work only if they stand to gain for their efforts. Therefore it is in the interest of the team leader to see that his or her team members also learn to earn. Network marketing is really a team effort.Network marketing provides tremendous opportunity for learning, earning and making new friends. For those who take initiative, success is just round the corner.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of Americans working as direct selling consultants in the U.S. increased by more than 1 million to 15.2 million in 2006, according to a study released today by the Direct Selling Association, the industry's national trade group.
According to the Growth & Outlook Survey Report: U.S. Direct Selling in 2006, the direct selling industry, which includes well-known name brands such as Avon, Mary Kay, Herbalife, The Pampered Chef and The Longaberger Company, gained 1.1 million representatives from the previous year. The study also reports that U.S.-based sales grew to $32.18 billion in 2006, up from $30.47 billion the previous year and $29.73 billion in 2004.
"Today, there are more products and services available than ever before, and more opportunities for men and women to work with companies that offer items that match their own interests and hobbies," said Amy Robinson, DSA's Vice President of Communications and Media Relations.
The report indicates that women continue to represent the largest segment of consultants -- 85.2 percent.
The survey also found that 89.9 percent of all direct sellers work part- time, less than 30 hours a week, while 10.1 percent work full-time.
"For stay-at-home moms, direct selling offers a fun and flexible way for women to work part-time around family obligations and other responsibilities," said Robinson. "Some do it to make extra money, perhaps to save for holiday shopping or family vacations -- while others simply enjoy the social interaction or the opportunity to get their favorite products and services at a discounted price."
The study indicates that 75.2 percent of all sales in 2006 were conducted face-to-face: 66.9 percent in a home, 3.9 percent in the workplace, 3.8 percent at a temporary location and 0.6 percent of the time in other locations. The remaining 24.8 percent of sales occurred remotely: 12.8 percent of the time over the phone, 11.6 percent via the Internet and 0.4 percent of the time through other mediums.
In addition to flexibility, one of the greatest benefits of direct selling is the portability of the business.
"The direct sales model enables people to easily relocate their business and develop a customer base in new communities, while maintaining relationships with pre-existing customers in other states by accepting orders placed over the phone, via e-mail or on the Internet," said Robinson.
Clothing, personal care and accessories remain the largest product categories with 33.7 percent or $10.84 billion in sales. Home and family care products were second with $8.6 billion in sales, wellness third at $6.5 billion, leisure and education at $1.3 billion, and $4.8 billion for other products and services.
Other significant findings from the survey include the following: -- 33.2 percent of sales occurred in the South region of the U.S., 26 percent in the West, 24.9 percent in the Midwest and 15.9 percent in the Northeast -- 67.1 percent was generated by individual/person-to-person sales, 28.9 percent by party and group sales, 3.4 percent directly through a company and 0.6 percent via other methods
More information about Growth & Outlook Survey Report: U.S. Direct Selling in 2006 can be found on the DSA Web site: http://www.dsa.org/.