If I Were Starting A Network Marketing Company, Continued

By: Kim Klaver

"If I were starting a Network Marketing company, I would say, what's a different group of people that want to hear a story about how to succeed with network selling? What words, phrases and images do I use to help them understand what it is I have to offer?" (posed by Seth Godin)

People in the new group I'm proposing - amateurs and hobbyists doing network selling - have a different worldview about other practices too.

For years we've been admonished to "Treat it like a business." That's how members of the existing group explain the 95% drop out rate: "People don't treat it like a business, (i.e. take it seriously), and that's why they don't make money."

Maybe too many people don't like what they have to do so they don't do it seriously. Not a problem for our amateurs.

And, if you listen to people talk today about why they want a business of their own, and it's a lot of them, the money's not what they seek first, anyway.

"Two-thirds of Americans have entrepreneurial aspirations..." according to a recent Yahoo poll. Here are three things they learned about these folks:

1. Money is not the primary motivation for aspiring entrepreneurs -- only 3 percent (half of the 6 percent in 2005) said getting rich was the main reason they wanted to start a business.

2. Doing work that they really love was the main reason for launching a business.

3. Second most popular reason: "To be my own boss."

Sounds like the worldview of our new group of amateurs and hobbyists to me. Think?

The pitches from the existing NM group are about the money and what that can do for you. And that's ok because money first is their worldview, their thing. And there's room and people for both groups.

Oh - did you notice the second most popular reason people aspire to be an entrepreneur - "to be my own boss"?

This means that the widespread NM practice of teaching duplication, i.e. imposing someone else's painting by the numbers methods and systems onto the new member - well that isn't part of what the new group will do, either. (No loss here, given the results it seems to have gotten.)

A new story for a new group about how to succeed with network selling.

1. Our new imaginary network marketing company will seek out enthusiasts for the things the founders are also most devoted to. Say that's doing everything they can to maintain and max out their own health, longevity, energy and appearance. (Think Ray Kurzweil.) And within that, mini groups will form, a la the longtail concept. They've created a state of the art little supplement.

2. The product sales to aficionados who know and prize the ingredients and love talking about how it helps them will always outweigh any need to subscribe newcomers (i.e. new recruits).

3. No trying to change anyone's worldview. Mission is to find those with a similar one already.

My imaginary network selling company

A small group starts a network selling company because they're health and longevity buffs (think Ray Kurzweil's Fantastic Voyage).

These folks especially love knowing that they're eating the right stuff, organic of course, and they stand ready to make up for any possible shortcomings in the food they eat, because of deficiencies in the soil, toxins from water runoff from neighboring non-organic farms that spray chemicals, etc.

So being health (mental and body) aficionados, they spend any free time learning about which nutrients do most to maintain health, energy and looks, even as the years go by. They are the envy of most people 20 years their junior in energy and appearance.

The kinds of network sellers in our new group have conversations like these about the product they love madly - they've bought the story and love it because it's who they are:

"I really like being on regular dosage. It is perfect for my body. I'll take an extra one if I fly on a plane to keep a high dose of antioxidants floating around in my body while I am breathing airplane air. I love the friendly bacteria and all the goodies like lutein and indole-3-carbinol...I market them because I love them."

"Oh yes, me too. Greens are my favorite because I'm getting so many veggies I wouldn't normally prepare, but know are good for me. And I couldn't live without the acidophilus, bifidus and inulin which have eliminated [blah blah blah] which has plagued me all my life...but no more!"

"Yes., and even if I do find myself slowing down I've found that it's a real message from my body to take a break. They make me aware of how my body feels and what it needs."

These are the things that matter to the members of the new group, so that's what they talk about. For them, the commitment to their own health is just like talking about the stuff geeks talk about all hours of the day and night - like lutein and indole-3-carbinol.

Who'd know or care about such stuff and get in a good mood talking about it, except devotees of the thing?

That's the new group so far, and the members that I'd want if I were starting a network marketing company for people with this worldview. What about you?

("New group" refers back to the original question at the beginning of this and the previous post.)

Kim Klaver is Harvard & Stanford educated. Her 20 years experience in network marketing have resulted in a popular blog, KimKlaverBlogs.com, a podcast, YourGreatThing.com and a giant resource site, BananaMarketing.com which features hundreds of stories, tips, books and CD programs for those who want to learn the art of network marketing.

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