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Is your network marketing a business or just an expensive hobby?

Written by: Andy Acciaioli

Article Overview: Not everyone who gets involved in network marketing is serious about what they are doing. Instead of treating it like a business, they treat it like a hobby: an expensive hobby but a hobby nonetheless.

Is your network marketing a business or just an expensive hobby?

I am quite sure almost all of us question whether it was the right decision to get involved with our mlm or network marketing program at some point. Especially when we keep paying out money for the various business tools and get very little - if anything - coming back to us. Our first experience in network marketing was that way. We made the weekly product as well as the required tape purchases. Over the years, we continued this weekly buying ritual. The weekly attendance at a local hotel meeting - with prospects! - was also done...as well as our attendance at monthly social gatherings at a member of our upline's home.

Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. When we calculated what we spent on product plus all of the tapes, books, meetings and events it became apparent that our continued participation was a financial drain. In spite of our building a sizeable group, our monthly residual checks were laughable and in no way came near what we were spending. We chalked it up to a very, very expensive hobby which we failed to see over the years. I guess that is where the expression being on the juice came from. My goodness, we drank the juice by the gallons.

I vowed that this would never happen to us again. If we would ever get involved with another side business we would treat it like a business. Not be drawn in by the razz-ma-tazz but immediately fully understand the compensation plan AND, most importantly, examine how to make money with it. I did not want to see a plan presented with the old: you sponsor six and get each of them to sponsor six and get those six to sponsor six each...and continue that down 10 levels until you have an organization to match the population of Rhode Island. It never, ever, ever works out that way.

When I first saw the Excel Communications plan - and then later when I would present this plan - it went something like this: you sponsor five people and they all become regional directors, that makes you an Executive Director. Yup, those words came out of my mouth nightly at hotel presentations. In reality I had to personally sponsor around twenty to find my five regional directors...AND I even had to build groups underneath two of them to get them to the regional director level to secure my promotion.

Trust me, had I not used a business strategy I doubt I could have gotten my five superstars.

To be a success in any network marketing / MLM program it is essential that you treat it like a business first and a social community - a hobby - second. Can you make money at it? How do you make money at it? Does the product / service you will be marketing have value for the consumer? If not, how do you think you will be able to sell it? Are the sponsoring goals realistic? Will you be required to purchase tools such as books, tapes and events tickets? How much does your sponsor spend on purchasing business tools?

Again, I ask you: Is this a business or an expensive hobby?

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Article Tags: business tools, communications plan, compensation plan, excel communications, financial drain, first experience, hotel meeting, local hotel, marketing program, meetings and events, network marketing, population of rhode island, razz ma tazz, regional directors, residual checks, right decision, side business, sizeable group, social gatherings, upline



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