Social networking sites can provide many advantages to building an online network marketing business (or any online business) if used properly; and if you have a website and you’re not getting involved in these networks, you’re leaving a lot of money and potential leads on the table.  Here are 4 advantages of tapping into this internet phenomena:FREE ADVERTISINGThe internet is huge, with hundreds of millions of people online at any one time.  Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook alone have over twenty million users each; so you are doing some major leverage of your time and reaching millions of people all over the globe.Unlike television commercials, which can cost thousands of dollars for thirty seconds, there is no cost to use MySpace or FaceBook.  Furthermore, the benefits of online social networking can usually be seen quickly, making it a good investment of time and effort.BUILDING A CUSTOMER BASEA drawback to the vast number of people online is that it’s easy to drown in anonymity.  How do you get those millions to notice you?  How do you know which people to target?  Social networking can help on both counts.  Build your friends list, join personal development and business building groups and make friends within those circles.  You can then network to their online friends to reach larger numbers of people with similar interests.  Suddenly, you have a targeted set of potential customers.BRANDINGMost people would rather do business with someone they know and trust than a complete stranger.  Interacting with potential customers online gives you the chance to establish a personal relationship.  From these relationships, you can get feedback from your prospects about their likes and dislikes, the challenges they face and their suggestions to improve your business.  By being responsive to this feedback, you can establish an online reputation as a dynamic name that values it’s customers and provides great service.  Keep in mind that participating in social networking is for providing valuable information and service to your potential customers, not completing a sale—leave that to your company website and other forms of marketing.  In this circle, it’s all about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry and providing valuable information to others that will help them be successful.INDUSTRY CONTACTSFinally, social networking sites can be used to reach more than just potential customers.  You can befriend and build relationships with other people in your line of business.  You can use them as a resource to learn more about your industry and customer base, to make contacts with reliable suppliers and distributors, and keep current on the latest trends in the industry.There are several different social networking sites besides the two mentioned here that can offer even more!  Take ZENZUU for example: they’re changing the way of wealth distribution throughout the world and even offering what they call “green pages” for online advertising in addition to many extra advantages for their active members who join for free.Spread your networking out between a variety of social sites, get out there and make friends, and raise the level of discussions by actively participating in groups and forums, and you’ll begin to establish yourself as a leader in your industry.

Copyright (c) 2007 Dave Sherwin

Why is it that some people have massive organizations in their online network marketing venture in a short time, while others struggle and fail? I have identified why.

I think the “secret” can be summed up in one word: momentum. And momentum doesn’t seem to be created by massive effort, “big breaks”, or charismatic, flamboyant personalities. As a matter of fact, from my own experience I can’t find many common denominators between the leaders I know in the field of online network marketing. There are men and women, old and young, people from blue collar backgrounds as well as white collar professionals.

So how do you create momentum? Here are six keys that I have identified in people that I personally work with, in and out of my organization:

1. They have a vision of what they want and a plan to get there. Their “why” is strong. They usually have very specific reasons that they are building their business, and they are serious about achieving their goals. They have a business plan, and act from that plan, which includes their goals, strategies, and marketing methods.

2. They don’t treat it like a hobby, they treat it like a business. They are willing to invest in their business. These are the people that don’t complain about the cost of marketing. These people are willing to invest $200-$300 a month or more marketing their online network marketing business.

3. They are consistent. They work their business every single day, at least 5 days a week or more, where those that are unsuccessful work their business once or twice a week, if that. In Jim Collins amazing book, “Good to Great”, he compares building momentum to getting a huge flywheel spinning. The first push doesn’t do much, or the second or third, or even the hundredth. But eventually, if you consistently push again and again, the wheel will spin so fast you couldn’t stop it if you tried. Building an online network marketing business is just like that, you have to give it consistent effort over a reasonable period of time, usually at least six months.

4. They take 100% ownership of their business. They aren’t waiting on anybody else to do anything for them, they just dig in and get to work. You will never catch these people blaming their sponsor for their lack of success. Regardless of the skills of their sponsor, they are going to get it done.

5. They are students of the business, constantly learning and studying. They spend time not only in personal development, but they are students of business and of marketing. They also invest a fair amount of time in trial and error, and discovering what doesn’t work to find out what does. They’re not afraid to fail if they learned a lesson in the process.

6. They love their products and use them religiously. It seems that success is very closely related to the passion a person has for the products they market. These people are not only fans of the products, they are usually on the “big” autoship and are proud to talk to anybody about the products they represent.

I believe anybody can activate their membership with a company they feel good about, and simply apply these six principles for six months and have success. It’s not that hard, it’s just that most people don’t understand the power of consistent effort, with the right attitude, for a reasonable period of time. So if you want success in the online network marketing world, just apply these six fundamentals to your business and get ready for the bonus checks to roll in!

Copyright (c) 2007 Escape The Matrix LLC

When I was introduced to online network marketing, I jumped in with both feet and a lot of enthusiasm… then I crashed and burned like the Hindenburg. I want to show you how to avoid making some of the rookie mistakes I made.

Here are eight things you can do to ensure success:

1. Have a strong Why. This is definitely number one. If you don’t have a very clear vision of what you want, and a “never say die” attitude, you probably won’t succeed anywhere, in anything. Spend some time getting very clear on what you want, why you want it, and commit to pay the price to get it.

2. Join the right company. This one was painful for me because I had many good friends in my former company, and I was very loyal. But as I tried to build my organization online, I came to understand that they didn’t get it with the internet, they weren’t going to get it any time soon, and the wave of opportunity was going to pass me by if I didn’t find a cutting edge company. Very tough decision, but when I finally found the right company it was like taking the brakes off, my organization grew bigger in 5 months than my old team grew in 3 years!

3. Eliminate distractions. Let’s face it, when you get online there’s suddenly a thousand things fighting for your attention. Video games, useless e-mails, marketing offers, video sites… the list goes on and on. You have to be able to focus on your daily priorities until they are all done before you get distracted by any of these time sucking income reducers.

4. Establish a plan and strategy. If you don’t know exactly how to accomplish your goals, you are likely to be sucked into “program of the week” mode. You must have a business plan, and know what activities will get you the signups you need in your business. Don’t fall for every sales pitch you see. Figure out what works and commit to it, only trying new strategies after your core methods are implemented.

5. Be a good student. Too many people rely on others for their success. Nobody else cares about your success like YOU do. YOU must become the expert. You can’t outsource your marketing education to somebody else.

6. Develop the habit of personal development. I have heard many of the top online marketers and network marketers train, and every single one of them has a personal development program. They read the good books, listen to life improving audios, and attend self improvement and marketing seminars.

7. Be willing to WORK for your dreams! There is no substitute for HARD WORK! Be willing to put in the hours to build a great business. Second to work is the issue of consistency. Online network marketing is something that has to be done DAILY. Too many people dabble at it, spending a few hours here and there. That doesn’t work. It’s much better to spend a little bit of time every single day than a lot of time on Saturday. Even if you only do ONE thing to build your business per day. Try it for a month and prepare to be amazed at how much progress you’ve made!

8. Have realistic expectations. Because there are so many hypy, unbelievable testimonials out there people think they are going to get to a $10,000 a month income their first month. Unfortunately, a lot of people HAVE done this online, and it can be done. But we usually don’t hear the “story behind the story”. Success almost always comes after a period of consistent, effective work. As great as the internet is, and as much leverage as it provides, it just makes the process easier and shorter, but you still have to go through the process. What if it takes you five years to make over $100,000 a year? Consider this: most people in the US work 40 years, 40 hours a week and only 5% reach the $100,000 a year mark, but we are willing to quit our online business in the first year if we don’t achieve it?! We just need to be willing to commit to the process for as long as it takes, and give our efforts a chance to compound.

Online network marketing is AWESOME. It pays residual checks, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s easy to do. These eight things just aren’t that hard to do. Do a “check up from the neck up” to see which of these areas you need to work on to ensure you have success in your online network marketing business!