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Network Marketing Success - Why Does it Elude so Many?
by Deon Reynders
For prospective entrepreneurs the World-Wide Web has dramatically leveled the playing field. Internet access is affordable, and available almost everywhere. Marketing software is, generally speaking, inexpensive or free. We are showered with an avalanche of opportunities, often with an entry cost below $100. Not to mention those ‘free websites'! As a result, people jump on the bandwagon in hordes, in search of ‘quick' wealth. Job loss (or fear of it) is affecting many people, and this seems like an easy solution. However, only about three percent of those fortune-seekers will ever attain any significant degree of online marketing success. Why on earth is the drop-out rate so high? Let's look at possible reasons.
- Is there a shortage of marketing mechanisms? I don't think so. There's Pay-Per-Click, e-zine marketing, MySpace marketing, free classifieds, forum marketing, video marketing, article marketing, Facebook marketing, list builders; the list seems endless. It is not hard to pick one or two options and start using them.
- Is a lack of marketing tools then a possible cause of failure? Again, the answer is 'no'. For any type of marketing there are various alternatives. I recently had to procure a article submitter, and found an excellent one (with spinner) for under $100. There are also many free (and good) keyword research tools. I recently wrote a 50-page e-book on free and inexpensive software tools for online marketing.
- Is there a lack of published 'how-to' knowledge? Goodness, no. There's an abundance of it on the Web. There is a massive amount of free marketing training around. Simply use a Search Engine to locate the training material you need. A notable exception is PPC, which is a tough nut to crack. One the other hand, with list builders, one can get cheap leads in a matter of hours.
So, if a lack of tools or know-how is not the problem, then what on earth is? Is the problem not perhaps residing within us? At last we are making progress! Successful marketers will tell you that the problem (and solution) is mostly in the mind, but will seldom offer you proper advice in this regard. Here then are my personal suggestions. It has taken me thirty years to get my own head around this, so I do not expect you to agree with me at once. However, you no longer require several years to fix your faulty thought patterns, because the know-how regarding the operation of the human mind and the number of available methodologies for 'reprogramming' it has increased rapidly in the past few years.
The main barrier to network marketing success resides in our heads. Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute is quoted as saying that the quality and quantity of our thoughts will determine the quality and quantity of our actions. I have to point out that he is primarily referring to subconscious thought patterns. Here follows a one-paragraph summary of the process.
Our behavior is primarily governed by a so-called 'self-image'. This is a complicated mental picture that dictates who we are, how we are likely to behave in given circumstances, and the extent of our capabilities. The problem is that it has been significantly molded during the first few years of our existence. Most parents are not trained in this regard, resulting in a large number of adults (us) with self-image problems. To aggravate matters, we cannot (at least for a significant period of time) behave in ways that contradict our self-image. So, if our self-image dictates that we are not wealthy, or not great leaders, that is exactly what will materialize in real life. Our subconscious mind will preserve the status quo at all costs in order to keep us sane.
How to we eliminate this negative programming that keeps us from succeeding?
- In the first place we need to re-introduce DRIVE and PASSION into our lives. We need something to give us the necessary ‘blowtorch behind our backsides'. In other words, we need a big ‘WHY'. We require something to generate excitement. Something so exciting that it will sometimes wake us in the middle of the night. A goal so big it keeps us permanently excited and almost apprehensive at times, due to its sheer immensity. A goal so big, we cannot achieve it by ourselves. If the extent of a goal is so limited that we can achieve it all on our own, than it is probably too small!
- In the second place, we need MOVEMENT. Goethe is quoted as saying: "what you can do, or dream you can do, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it". Stop sharpening the tools and jump in with both feet. Today, not tomorrow. Procrastination is an insidious mental disease that robs people of their lives. So if the mind doesn't want to move the body, let the body move the mind. Act ‘as if'. Just DO. People often tell me that they are unsure of what to do next. It does not really matter. As soon as we get going, our subconscious will start guiding us. Try it, it really works!
- In the third place, we require ACTION on a MASSIVE scale. This is crucial, especially in the beginning. Unless an aircraft applies full power at take-off, it will not become airborne. This is not sustainable for long periods of time, but even on a light aircraft it is ‘throttle against the dashboard' until the aircraft is at least 400 feet above ground level, at which minor power changes are permissible. The space shuttle requires a massive amount of thrust in order to escape gravity. For a new Internet business, 80 hours per week (or more) is a good starting point. If you have to rely on a current job to keep food on the table during the start-up phase, then factor that into the number above. No offense meant, but if you are an '8 to 5' person, then network marketing is not for you.
- In the final analysis we need to CHANGE the PROGRAMMING of our subconscious minds. This is the biggest obstacle to be negotiated. If you are my age, there's already a lot of rubbish (inappropriate programming) in your head. This is arguably the most important issue. We can toil like slaves, do everything by the book, have clear goals, and do whatever else we think is required of us, but if we do not truly believe that success is ours, then little will transpire. Significant and permanent change starts on the inside, and then materializes on the outside. It is never the other way around.
At last we are seeing the light! How do we start the re-programming? At this point you need to take stock of 'what's in your head'. Decide what and who you want to become, what you want to have. In some of my other articles I will share with you some tools and techniques I use to facilitate the process.
May you enjoy success with your network marketing efforts! Start to live your dreams. Go, go, go.