Many times when I talk to new potential business partners for my network marketing business I get the response that they don’t want to sell. I ask them, “Does owning a McDonalds franchise make you a hamburger salesman?” I think not. Even if people know you own McDonalds franchises they are not likely to come to your door wanting an egg McMuffin. They go to McDonalds, make their purchase, and if enough people do this your business makes a profit.

Now the reason the people know to go to McDonalds is probably because of the highly successful marketing of the McDonalds brand. People know if they want tasty, fast food they can find it at McDonalds thanks to the name being plastered all over television and billboards. Now this marketing does not come cheap so Joe’s burger shack down the block may be barely surviving because he can’t possibly reach as large a customer base through his own marketing efforts.

Good network marketing companies also depend strongly on branding their product but instead of paying huge sums for marketing before they sell a single product they brilliantly pay ordinary people to market their product word of mouth and then pay them commissions after the product is purchased. As a network marketer I don’t actually sell my companies product – I market it. This is a fine line and I no longer attempt to argue with people about whether network marketing is selling because it really does not matter and I do actually do some retail selling in certain situations.

The point I am trying to make is that I am a business owner and my business is marketing. I educate people about the products I offer and if they decide they want it and then I set them up with the company to buy what they need. If that person is also interested in an additional income source I invite them to join my network then I mentor them to become an independent business owner like me. Even though this person has his or her own business I still consider us to be partners because our success depends on helping each other.

Like the McDonalds franchise owner my income comes from repeated purchases of satisfied customers both from people I have personally introduced to the products as well as those who have been introduced by my business partners. Without satisfied customers my business fails so it does not serve me or my partners one bit to try and sell someone something that they don’t really want. I believe in my products and think everyone should use them like I do but I have learned that simply won’t happen so I let people know what I offer and then let them decide. This is what builds a successful network marketing business not selling product. Madalyn