I have been involved in Network Marketing for about 10 years now. I have had pretty good success but I found myself wanting more, more, more. After all, who doesn’t enjoy getting up whenever you want, going where ever you want and being the master of your own time. No one puts time restrictions on me and I love that!

I have read every self help book, written & rewritten my prospecting list, ran through my memory jogger again & again, attacked my warm market, called leads, followed the 3 foot rule, did 3 ways, duplication (make it simple), watched webinars, did thousands of conference calls and so on. Sound familiar? I was what you would call, a traditional network marketer. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the old system and it still works today for many people including myself. I still prospect the traditional way, that will never leave me but, I have added an additional prospecting tool…the internet. Here is how that happened:

I had begun to get stale with the old style prospecting and started my search for new ways to reach large groups of people. After all, I had become one of the most well versed people in my company about my products & leadership but, I needed to be able to share that with the masses.

I met with a local Chamber of Commerce group called SCORE. SCORE is a group of retired business people that were/are highly successful with their ventures. They take a look at what you are doing and they give you ideas on how to achieve the next level of success. Weirdly enough, I was the very first network marketer that they had counseled with. Even so, they really dug in and came back with a smart business plan for me.

They told me that I needed to position myself as an expert in my field, someone that people wanted to feature at meetings or on websites etc. That would be easy enough…I had giant knowledge on my product, I love to get in front of a group of people and I had become a leader that people respected. They told me that as I was positioning myself as an expert in my field I needed to begin Social Networking. I was unaware of that term at the time but soon after that I began to read about it everywhere. They mentioned that I needed to get very familiar with social websites like MySpace & Facebook. I needed to learn their rules and begin networking…as an expert…on those sites offering more than just my product, there are millions doing that. I needed to offer them something different than all of the others, an experts view with useful information. Attraction marketing, attracting prospects to your expertise and/or useful information.

Wow, I was excited! I was going to go right out and get myself in front of the masses…right? Hold up, not as easy as it sounds without connecting with someone who really knows about exactly how to do it. Time went on, I searched all over the internet for information on how to begin my quest at Social Networking. Luckily I found Ann Sieg’s 7, Great Lies of Network Marketing, which lead me to a couple of e-books that I bought that were exactly what SCORE had been talking about, how to get into the social network. I read both of them front to back, highlighted, turned pages down, underlined and basically destroyed the books. I was even more excited now, there were so many ways to do social networking, I was going to be an overnight success.

As I began my research on a few of the avenues, I became highly overwhelmed, there was so much to know! So much that I sat back and said…if I, of all people, am having trouble absorbing this and even knowing where to begin…how in the world am I going to get my team members to duplicate? Roadblock!! Or, so I thought. All I needed to do was learn all of it and then put it in a simplified version to all of my interested team members, right?

Many late nights of studying this type of marketing for prospects continued to solidify in my mind, this IS going to be the way to go, I must learn. I just need the right coach…someone who has positioned themselves as an expert on this info. I am going to become the expert in my field but to do that I needed the help of an expert in another field…makes sense. Just what the SCORE group said, I was beginning to believe that they actually knew what they were talking about. Wow, good advice for free, how uncommon.

There was a ton of information in the e-books I had ordered and the companies that I bought them from followed up with great emails about Social Networking. I was jumping all over the place trying to compile as much info as I could when BINGO…there it was!

A Social Marketing University, right there in one of my books. A University that I could join for only $40 a month that would teach me everything I needed to know, and in the order I needed to know it. They basically took my hand and guided me like I was a kindergartner through all of the different avenues I could use to market. They walked me through a step by step tutorial on setting up anything I was going to need to become successful at this. They also hooked me up with the right resources (priceless) that I would be using, and they taught me how to do all of this at a very minimal cost to me…most of it is free. They even taught me how to make money with some of these sites while I was prospecting so I could recover some of the costs I would incur, including the $40 monthly membership…this is called monetization, very powerful. Thank You Ann Sieg for leading me there!

Yes, it was time consuming to go through all of the modules but, when I think of the time & money I saved myself by letting them guide me through it…I am amazed. (not to mention I probably would have gotten too bogged down with my research before I succeeded, and put it on the back burner).

They set me up to succeed, which is exactly what I am doing. With my knowledge I can market how ever I want. I can market my product, my self and my opportunity all in a way that people come to me for these things. The days of talking someone in to joining my team are over! I have people that want to join my team that don’t even know what my product is. The University taught me that too. Like I said, a priceless tool.

Social Marketing is just the answer I was looking for, SCORE told me that for free and now I am doing the same, sharing good information! Nothing comes without some work but, the effort you put in up front with this program will certainly pay for itself over and over again. I love this quote…it makes all kinds of sense: If you get a chance, take it! If it changes your life, let it! No one ever said this would be easy, they just said it would be worth it.

Seven Considerations

First, Though, What Is Social Marketing?

Its an old concept with a special addition. We add a social conscience to Network or multi-level Marketing. The company and the field all are committed to making a difference for good in our communities, our states, our country and in the world. We do well financially, by doing good in the world, hence the name, Social Marketing.

The Seven Basic Considerations

1. What can a Social Marketing business mean for you?

That depends on what you want. In 1970 I was a stay at home mom to 5 children. I just wanted to make enough money to pay for what I was already using by buying them from myself, instead of from the grocery store and getting nothing back.

2. What time commitment will you make?

Your speed and success strongly depend on the amount of time you can commit. I started in the six to 10 hour range. Later I expanded to around twenty hours a week. Did that pay off? Can you really earn as much as a million dollars in a Social Marketing business? Well, Al & I expect to reach the two million mark by the end of 2010.

Do we make that in a year? No. We are in the “average” range shown below. That is a very nice extra income for us and it is still growing! Most people who work consistently for three to five years, earn around 7 to 8 thousand a month or more. Your determination and coachability determine whether you’ll be one of the average earners or higher.

3. Do you keep your commitments to others, and most importantly to yourself?

There is a learning curve and uncountable obstacles in EVERY business. Social Marketing is no different. You must “do what it takes” not just do “your best”. You honor your commitment even when you don’t feel like it or when things go wrong. What is your dream? Have you given up on your dreams? A Social Marketing business allows you to turn your dreams into reality. The world is headed toward global distribution of products and services. The rise in home based businesses is the future and Social Marketing is leading the way.

4. Do your interests and passions correspond with the scope of the products and the opportunity that the company provides?

In 1970 we learned that toxic chemicals, from products that most people used in their homes every day, were getting into our drinking water and polluting it. We were also introduced to some non-toxic cleaning products that didn’t pollute the water. I wanted to stop polluting and be a part of the solution. Now I could help take care of our environment. These products matched my interest and passion.

I then learned that I could improve my skin with the company’s skin care products They worked! Nothing else, including “the pill” ever worked on my adolescent acne that was still raging at age 36. These products also matched my interest and passion

The nutrition products were like a miracle for me. I went from being constantly utterly fatigued to having energy to spare. Now I had a new passion. The company & I were a good fit.

5. A Social Marketing company should have a philosophy firmly in place and visible to all.

Our company’s philosophy, simply stated is: We do well by doing good. We take the Golden Rule very seriously. It is the guiding principle in all of our dealings. The stated mission is that we help create a healthier life for everyone and a better life for anyone.

The internet is filled with offers for you to make easy money. You don’t spend a penny, you don’t do any work, and, as you soon find out, you don’t make any money unless you upgrade to their Secret Magic money making plan. A high percentage of businesses that go in and out of business on a regular basis as they are shut down by the regulators for one infraction or another. Each time, they choose a different fancy name and they re-incarnate themselves. This is not the Golden Rule in action.

Every legitimate business has start up and ongoing business costs. Period! A quality Social Marketing company builds an impeccable reputation.

6. You want to be sure the company that has been around for NO LESS than five and even better, at least ten years. The company should show steady growth for at least the previous five years and should offer a no questions asked money back guarantee on every product.

7. It is important to me to have a product philosophy that guarantees that the products I use or recommend are always safe, they always work, and they are always green. The products must be in harmony with nature and good health! This requires that there are procedures and controls in place to insure the purity and safety of every batch of every product, so they will never have to recall any product because of a harmful ingredient or contaminant.

Wouldn’t this be a great time to explore the great potential of developing a Social Marketing business?