Dear Network Marketer,
Tell me if this sounds familiar...
You're posting "curiosity posts" and "power posts" on social media, sharing your products, and even posting all the top seasonal engagement posts...
But hardly anyone is interacting, and you're hardly getting any leads or sales, if any.
If your social media efforts just aren't working, it may be because you're making one or more of these 7 deadly mistakes that network marketers frequently make online.
You might be making a deadly mistake!
If you want to start attracting highly qualified prospects online, and have people asking YOU if they can join your team...
Then keep reading. I'm not only going to share the 7 deadly mistakes you may be making, but I'll also cover what you can do instead!
Including how you can build your team by hardly ever mentioning your opportunity.
Alright, let's tackle mistake #1...
1. Branding The Company (Instead of Yourself)
What is It?
"Branding the company" is always posting:
In other words, too many network marketer's end up looking like "Bobby" from "Grapity Grape", wonderfully portrayed by Ray Higdon.
Why It's A Mistake
You don't want to brand your company for several reasons:
- 1Network marketing has a negative reputation, so people might immediately write you off when they see you're in a network marketing company...Before they've even had a chance to learn about how great your product or opportunity is.
- 2There are probably thousands, if not tens of thousands, of other reps in your company. If you're branding your company, then there is nothing to distinguish you from ANYONE ELSE in your company. And this could result in them buying from someone else, or even the company website itself.
- 3When people are deciding if they should buy something, they're probably going to go to Google and seek out the negative reviews...losing you a potential rep or customer. Or, while on Google, they could find another rep or the company website and give their business to them instead.
Long story short...
When you brand your company, you're just asking to fade into the background and be forgotten or passed up.
Instead, you want to...
What To Do Instead
Solution #1
Brand yourself!
Instead of using your company's name, colors, and graphics, use your own!
Stop mentioning the name of your company and the name of your products, if possible!
Debbie Downer
"Wait a minute! If I don't mention the name of my company or my products how is anyone going to buy from me?"
That's actually a VERY good question, Debbie!
I will say that keeping the name of your company a secret is easier for some niches than others.
For example, if you're in Health & Wellness, it's pretty easy.
You can mention you're taking a product that is getting you X, Y, and Z results, and you can even show pictures (so long as no one can see the name or label of the product!)
This forces your audience to reach out to you...
But only the people who are ACTUALLY interested will do so.
That way, you don't have to waste your time by prospecting people who have no interest. You only have to talk to the people who ARE interested.
However, if you have a very visual direct sales product, like Pizzaratzi scratch-N-sniff, pizza-scented jewelry...you can't NOT show your amazing jewelry online, so you'll probably have to use the name of the products.
That said, you don't have to use the company name!
Again, create your own brand with your own name, colors, graphics, etc., and offer the jewelry as a product you are an affiliate for.
But the bigger issue isn't keeping your company name a secret, but ensuring that you're branding YOU, and NOT your company.
Brand YOU, not your company! #NetworkMarketingTips
2. Assuming Everyone is your prospect
If people feel like they've been turned into walking dollar signs...there's a problem...
What Is It?
A lot of people have expressed a dislike for network marketers because they've been made to feel like walking dollar signs.
This is probably partially due to the fact that network marketers have been taught that EVERYONE is their prospect, when this just isn't the case.
If you've ever gotten a long rambling sales pitch from a telemarketer for something you have absolutely no interest in, then you know how people can feel when being prospected by someone they don't know...
Or even a friend or family member who should know better.
Why It's a mistake
​
It's just a fact that not everyone is going to be interested in your product or opportunity, and that's okay.
But when you try to pitch to someone who isn't interested, not only are you wasting your time, but it's only going to further hurt the reputation of network marketing.
what to do instead
Solution #2
Understand Your Avatar!
Instead, you're going to want to craft and understand your customer avatar.
Your customer avatar is ONE person (real or fictional) who represents the larger group of people (target audience) who are going to be the ones most open and interested in what you have to offer.
The beauty of understanding your customer avatar is:
- 1You ONLY have to talk to people who are going to be open to your product or opportunity!
- 2Less rejection, and more sales and team members!
- 3You'll start getting people reaching out to YOU, asking about your products or opportunity!
The benefits go on and on, but you get the picture.
When you focus in on who your avatar is, and what their problems are...
And you seek to solve those problems, either by creating content or offering your product, you're going to connect MUCH better with your audience than if you were trying to appeal to everyone.
If you need help figuring out who your avatar is, and how you can help them, just grab our free Avatar worksheet below!
CLICK HERE to download the Avatar Worksheet
3. Spamming
Most can't stomach it...
What Is It?
You probably know what spam is, and most network marketers would say they know what spam is...
And I'm sure they would deny that they spam...
But A LOT of network marketers, do indeed, spam.
Spam is defined as:
Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients.
If you're frequently posting on your Facebook profile or in groups about your products, company, or opportunity...
I'm sorry, that's spam.
It's spam because of the first word in the above definition:
Irrelevant.
It's irrelevant because just about everyone in those locations are NOT ready to buy!
At any one time, 99.99% of people out there are NOT ready to buy. And therefore, they're not interested in your products or opportunity...
So hearing about it is irrelevant to them...
Thus, spam.
Why It's A Mistake
When you spam your friends, family, or the network you're trying to grow...
You're going to end up burning through your warm market, and drive away your cold market.
The goal is to ATTRACT your ideal, highly-qualified prospects, not drive them away!
If you're getting blocked on social media, this is why.
Plus, it's just kind of annoying and rude.
Instead, you want to...
What To Do Instead
Solution #3
Provide Value!
Provide value!
This goes back to understanding who your ideal customer is.
Once you know who it is that would be ideal for your product or opportunity, then you can hone in on their problems, and solving them.
For example, if you're selling Pizzaratzi, then you need to find out who your ideal customer is, and solve their problems.
Maybe your ideal customer is a busy mom who needs help looking beautiful, fast.
Certainly, your pizza-scented jewelry is a solution, but if you JUST talk about your product, your audience is going to get annoyed, and stop listening.
So you have to give some free value first.
​
And that can look like many things, provided it involves solving the problems of your ideal customer in some way.
You could teach more beauty or time management hacks in a...
Then, AFTER you've given your free value, you want to try and continue to build that relationship with your audience, and the best way to do that is to get them on your email list.
And the best way to get someone on your email list is to offer even more free value in exchange for an email.
This could be...
You can easily create one of these freebies using a tool called Canva, and then easily deliver them when someone signs up with a tool called ConvertKit (affiliate).
​So remember! Don't spam, provide value first, and then not only will people be more likely to listen when you talk about your product...
They'll know, like, and trust you more, so they'll be more likely to buy!
4. Overhyping EVERYTHING!!!
THISISTHEMOSTAMAZINGPRODUCTEVERITGREWBACKMYARM!
What is it?
OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS THE WORST ONE!!!
IF YOU OVERHYPE IT WILL BRING MUCH DISHONOR UPON YOU!!!
OVERHYPE IS DEFINED AS:
MAKE EXAGGERATED CLAIMS ABOUT (A PRODUCT, IDEA, OR EVENT); PUBLICIZE OR PROMOTE EXCESSIVELY
IF YOU'RE NOT SURE IF YOU'RE OVERHYPING, JUST LOOK AT HOW FREQUENTLY YOU USE ALL-CAPS, AND HOW MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS YOU USE!!!!!!!
A BIG MISTAKE NETWORK MARKETERS USE IS OVERHYPING HOW AMAZING THEIR PRODUCTS OR OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
BIG, HUGE, SUBSTANTIAL, VAST, MASSIVE, COLOSSAL, GIANT, MONUMENTAL...................
MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAY, HOPEFULLY I'VE MADE IT CLEAR WHAT OVERHYPING IS!
SO MUCH DISHONOR!!!
Why it's a mistake
I think I made it pretty clear above what makes overhyping bad.
It's just plain abrasive, and annoying. I was starting to get a little annoyed myself just writing the above section, as I'm sure you were.
My apologies, but hey, demonstrating is more powerful than just saying it.
To top things off, hype is bad for two other reasons:
- 1For most people, hype=scam. The more hype-y you sound, the more scammy you sound. Not really great for business.
- 2The few people who ARE attracted to hype...are not really who you want on your team, or buying from you. They're going to be the LEAST likely to put in the work (after all, you hyped it up as being so easy!), or they'll be the most likely to complain about your product, and give you all kinds of headaches.
So don't hype.
Instead, you want to...
What to do instead
Solution #4
Show Them The Buried Treasure!
Like we talked about above, your ideal customer (your avatar), is in pain.
They have difficulties and struggles in their life that they want to overcome, but there's just one problem...
People hate change!
So you have to remind your audience of that pain (the knife), and how it's holding them back from reaching their goals and dreams (the gold).
The most effective way to do this is through telling stories, but you can also employ this in your general marketing.
For example, a pain many network marketers have is a lack of leads.
So I could say something like this:
Tired of a lack of leads? Then grab my guide that will teach you the strategy I'm using to generate over 400 leads in one week.
So we've stuck in the knife (tired of a lack of leads), and it's effective...
But we can go deeper.
Twist the knife
The lack of leads isn't REALLY their pain point. That's just what's on the surface. I mean, you're a network marketer, right?
If you struggle with generating leads, tell me if your real pain isn't:
- 1Bugging friends and family
- 2Being a "mall shark", and hitting up random strangers at the mall to see if they're "open" to your product or opportunity
- 3Inauthentic conversations on social media; friending people and starting conversations all with the mere intent of "building rapport" so you can pitch them.
- 4Leaving family or traveling long distances to try and grow the business
- 5Seeing other people around you have success while you're still losing money by paying for autoship
- 6And on, and on...
Ouch; That hurts
But you don't want to leave people with the pain!
You don't want to leave them with a knife buried in them!
You've got to them know that they can get rid of the knife, and dig up buried treasure instead!
And that's difference between hype and letting people know there is a better way.
Hype promises the world at a minimal (if any) cost.
Showing them the buried treasure lets them know that they CAN hit their goals and achieve their dreams, but it will also take work on their part.
After all, isn't that the truth?
Whether it's losing weight, or building a business, it takes work.
If you're selling jewelry, candles, or something else where the stakes don't seem as high...
I encourage you to see point #1 again, and build your own personal brand that goes beyond merely selling a product.
Build a business where your network marketing product is just ONE solution to the bigger problems your audience has.
Build a business where your network marketing product is just ONE solution to the bigger problems your audience has.
Show Them The Way Out
So after twisting the knife, you then want to show that there is a way out. That you have the treasure map.
This also explains why they haven't been successful in the past. They didn't have your treasure map (or what marketers call the "unique mechanism".)
Finally, go on to explain the benefit they will receive by following your treasure map.
So let's rephrase our offer again:
Are you fed up with bugging friends and family, or striking up dozens of inauthentic conversations a day in a fruitless attempt to drum up more leads and sales for your business? I know the feeling, and people could smell my "commission breath" a mile away! But then I found the Influencer Marketing Quickstart Guide, which showed me a better way, and now I regularly generate hundreds of leads at a time, all without even mentioning my product or opportunity.
That's just something I threw together really fast, but you get the picture.
Oh, and by the way, we really do have an Influencer Marketing Quickstart Guide that teaches a strategy we're using to generate hundreds of leads in just a week. You can get it by clicking below!
(I, however, do not know the feeling of chasing after friends and family, though, as I could never even imagine doing such a thing. I was just using it as an example of what one might say. Never say anything that isn't true!)
Formula: Problem + Pain + Solution + Benefit = Sales​
The Problem > Pain > Solution > Benefit formula I described above is one you can employ in ALL of your marketing communication, whether it's social media posts, Facebook Lives, emails, or blog posts.
What can help is actually filling out a table for yourself that looks something like this:
Problem | Pain: Twisting The Knife | Solution - Treasure Map (Unique Mechanism) | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
Problem X | All the pains that problem causes | "20 Minute [Desire achievement] Method" | Instead of [pains], you'll have [desires]. |
And you can just keep adding rows for each problem that your avatar has.
This will allow you to effectively communicate the value you have to offer in an authentic way, without hype.
5. Blaming Others
Blaming others only ensures you'll never have success
What is it?
​
It's pretty much what it sounds like.
Blaming upline, downline, sideline, the company...
Blaming family, friends, money (or lack thereof), the small town they live in...
Pretty much blaming anyone or anything beside themselves for not getting the results they would have liked.
Why it's a mistake
​
The reality is, if you blame others for why you haven't gotten the results you'd like...
You're never going to get there.
Because if your results are out of your hands, and controlled by others...you're probably doomed.
The good news, this isn't the case! Your results are not dictated by others!
No matter what obstacles come your way, someone has had it worse and has still been able to go on to be extremely successful in network marketing.
What to do instead
Solution #5
Take Responsibility!
Realize that your results are a reflection of your actions, not what other people do.
So take responsibility, and just focus on continuing to take action!
6. Jumping From One Strategy To The Next
This is usually what happens...
What is it?
This is also known as "Shiny-Object-Syndrome", and it's where you don't stick with any one strategy to grow your business, but instead, jump from one to the next.
Why it's a mistake
It's a mistake because the reality is that there are A LOT of good strategies out there.
There isn't any one way to successfully grow your business.
You think of it like landing on a beach to dig for buried treasure, and finding there are "X's" marking the spot everywhere!
BUT! Instead of going up to one "X" and digging until reaching the treasure, you stop after a few shovel fulls, and move on to a different X.
And then you move on again...and again...and again!
There is treasure everywhere, but you're not finding it!
This can be very frustrating, especially when you see others around you hauling up treasure.
What to do instead
Solution #6
Focus!
Focus on one strategy!
Dig at one "X" until you get the the treasure!
Then, and ONLY then, you can move onto the next "X"!
This is what I did when I got started. I found one strategy, and stuck with it!
And you know what happened?
I built a full-time income in just a matter of months! And have since gone on to build a team of over 7,000 reps!
So which "X" do you choose?
Pick the one that fits best with your strengths, and something that gets you excited!
If I had been told when I got started in direct sales that I had to call people on the phone, bug friends and family, prospect strangers, or host home parties...
I NEVER would have joined!
Because that's not me. I'm an introvert, and was a busy mom homeschooling 7 children.
I needed a strategy that would work for me.
​And I stumbled across it when I discovered Influencer Marketing.
It's a strategy that enabled me to get highly influential leaders to promote my products FOR me!
If you haven't yet found a strategy to focus on that you love, then grab my influencer marketing quickstart guide below, which will walk you through the process I used to grow my business.
BUT! If you already have a strategy you love, and it's working for you, then feel free to ignore! Don't let this become another shiny object!
7. Treating Your Business Like A Hobby
This is a hobby...your business isn't.
What is it?
Not dedicating the time or resources necessary to build your business.
Why It's A Mistake
​
It amazes me how so many network marketers want everything to be free, and yet expect other people to pay for their products or join their team.
The reality is, if you're serious about growing your business, then you need to treat it like a business, and not a hobby.
That means you have to show up and work, and also be willing to invest in your business.
When you don't, it makes it very hard for your business to grow. +
What to do instead
Solution #7
Invest In Yourself & Your Business!
You have to invest time and money into your business.
We've invested a ton in our business, whether it be on tools, coaching, courses, or events, and they've all helped us to grow much faster than we could have on our own.
When I was first getting started, I invested by paying to run reviews and giveaways on the blogs of major influencers in my niche.
Sure, I may have had to spend $50 or $100, and sometimes I didn't get that money back. But most of the time, it paid me back so much more than my initial investment.
I wouldn't have my business today if I hadn't invested.
So if you're serious, invest!
Just be sure that you're investing in the training and activities that are going to get you where you want to go.
Hobbies are great! But they won't help you quit your job, bring your husband home, or create the time freedom to spend more time on what matters most. If you're serious about your business, treat it like a business.
In fact, if you're ready to invest a few minutes of your time right now, I'd like to share with you the strategy I used to grow my business and team to over 7,000 reps.
It's called Influencer Marketing, and I put together a free quickstart guide you can grab by clicking the button below.
Free Online Marketing Quickstart Guide
Discover how to get hundreds of leads for your network marketing business, increase sales and grow your team online without social media, Facebook parties, messaging strangers, or bugging friends and family.
This will be especially beneficial if you're tired of bugging friends and family, or never want to do another vendor show or home party ever again!
I hope you found this post on, The 7 Deadly Online Network Marketing Mistakes (And What To Do Instead), helpful!
Please feel free to share if you got value, and let me know in the comments below...
Which of these mistakes have you been making? It's ok! I make mistakes all the time too!
By sharing, you'll let me know what I can create content on in the future to help you get past it!
Blessings!
Hi, I'm Paula Ramm
I’m a homeschooling mom of 7, living in the sunny state of Florida. I’ve been in direct sales for over 7 years and managed to build a multi-million dollar revenue-generating team of over 7,000 amazing consultants.
I love to help other ladies build their own thriving businesses from home, so they can spend more time with their families and be able to focus on the truly important things in life.
Which of these mistakes have you been making? It’s ok! I make mistakes all the time too!
Let me know so I can know what content to create in the future to further help you get back on the right path!
My main problem is that I can’t figure out my avatar or how my products benefit them.
There’s plenty of other people making and selling super cute, food themed soaps.. I’ve been banging my head against the wall, trying to figure this out for a YEAR!.. I’m honestly ready to take my moms advice & give up.
Hi Candace!
Don’t give up yet!
Send us an email at hello@keithr19.sg-host.com and let us know a bit more about your business and what you’ve been working on. Then we can see how we might be able to help with your particular situation.