10 Tips for success

Kemble Morgan, country manager, Young Living Essential Oils, South Africa

Change can actually be beneficial if you see it through open eyes especially if you are looking to start your own business with aim of winning in the rapid momentum-gaining industry. Enter, a possible career in network marketing.

Network marketing is a model which allows you, as a business owner to set your own pace and do business as you would like to. It works for those who particularly don’t favour routine or rules.

Sounds good?

Here are 10 quick tips on how to get started as well as pointers to cross-check against your conscience before you sign up to join a network marketing company.

Factor in the age of the company before joining

You should never feel forced into an opportunity. You should be given ample time to study the company and acquire an in-depth knowledge which will aid your decision-making process before you sign on the dotted line.

One of these factors for personal research is to inquire the age of the company. Make sure you choose a company which has been in the market for longer than five years. You don’t want to devote your precious resources to a company which may be out of business in a year for example.

Does the company offer exclusive products which appeal to a wide but niche audience?

You must be sure that the company offers a product that is of high quality which caters to a specific audience. In so doing, you can be confident of selling the products in your own personal capacity as, you will have a deeper belief in the success of what you are selling.

Marketing to a niche audience means that you will be joining like-minded people who have access to bigger networks. You shouldn’t add your name to a business which doesn’t resonate with your own beliefs. If you believe in the product, this will come through in your presentation of the product to potential clients as passion and belief speak for themselves.

Is there a special need for the product or service?

While catering to a niche audience is vital, so is a greater need for such a product or service.

Take for example two Capetonian sisters Sara Abel and Ady Cohen. Ady used to be a practicing Physiotherapist while Sara was a high school and junior primary school teacher. Given the recent global holistic lifestyle movement, the sisters who share this belief already, joined essential oils company Young Living and now boast a staff complement of 400 at their company vOILa Africa, as well as serve their communities through selling a product of which there is a deep need for. There is no point in selling ice to an eskimo if they have no need for it. This approach is sure to set you up for failure in the long term as there must be a need for your products and services in order to set yourself up for long-standing success.

Is the product or service trendy or a fad?

You can't build a long-term residual income if the product or service only has short-term appeal. Always think long term. The product or service must appeal to your customers beyond today. The health and wellness category, for example, tends to perform well.

Does the opportunity make advantage of technology?

Not everyone can be a salesperson, but anybody can plug into a system and tools that do the selling and sorting for you. A credible network marketing company will be prescriptive in their messaging and technologies. This takes care of the work on your behalf as established systems in place aid you in achieving success. The important thing is that you're given a marketing system that is already proven to work and not required to trial-and-error on your own.

Can you join the company short-term while still retaining your full-time job?

Not everyone is able to up and leave their regular job to pursue a network marketing career opportunity. Automated systems in place mean that the company in question, is able to do the heavy lifting on your behalf. Being able to build your business part-time while keeping your full-time income is the least risky way to transition to a new source of revenue.

Manage your time well

Now that you’ve decided to pursue a career in network marketing, your time really has become your money. Make sure that you use your time well. This means doing tasks well in a shorter space of time, it means reaching out to bigger networks in good time. The more time you get out of your day, the more success you will be sure to achieve. Applying wisdom to your workday means that you reap long-standing success in your career as a network marketing.

Be smart about widening your network and think out the box

It stands you in a beneficial stead to attend events of interest which will allow you access to people who will buy into your business. So, for example if you are pursuing a career in health and wellness or beauty, then do sign up to attend events such as expos which cater to that audience in order for you to widen your own network. Not only will this aid you in widening your network, these also allow you access to experts in the industry who will assist you deepen your industry knowledge.

Put into practice what you learn

Former South African President Nelson Mandela cleverly put it this way, "We should never forget those on whose shoulders we stand and those who paid the supreme price for freedom." Be willing to listen to those in the business who have gone before you. The network marketing industry is structured for success. It is in their best interest to equip you to succeed so, be willing to learn from a mentor. Their success story can be duplicated by you so be open to listen to advice from someone who is paving the way to your success.

Will you have fun pursuing your side hustle?

The main reason people today pursue their dreams in the way of side job, is to have control of their hours as well as add interest and fun to their lives whilst doing something they truly believe in. No one on this planet wakes up every day in anticipation of going to a mundane job to tick boxes. Make sure that fun is the box you tick whilst living your best life. The sky can be your limit!

If any of the above tips grabbed your interest, this particular business model just may be worth considering as network marketing is different in the sense that the model is based on a sales strategy which some direct sales companies use in order to increase the sales of products or services.

This is done through incentivising a company’s sales force by offering them a commission on product or service sales generated through new and existing members who are part of the network marketing company. The sale of the product or service is the key focus with a secondary objective of increasing the size of the sales force to sell more products.

Network marketing companies use direct sales in addition to retail channels for distribution of products.