Monday, June 30, 2008

Lost on the Net: MLM Websites

If you are a member of a network marketing company that boasts of having great distributor websites that will generate business for you, think again about their effectiveness. These websites may well bring you business if you personally refer a lot of people to your exact website address but only if your customers spell everything just right. If your customer forgets this address and just types in the name of your host company and your name too--no dice-- your customer may get the company but not you. You could lose him or her right there.

These "distributor websites" are called replicated websites because all distributors have the exact same website except for very minor differences. There's usually not much space for you to get your personalty across or differentiate yourself from others. It's really just like a glorified, very detailed brochure which you hand to people. That means you have to personally hand out this brochure to every single prospect. Sounds just like conventional MLM marketing wrapped up in something of a disguise called the internet. The replicated website idea has it backwards: on the internet, people find you ; if they can't find you, you might as well not exist.

The internet is all about people finding people with solutions for their problems. The new consumer finds you, you don't necessarily find them . The new consumer is being proactive by looking for a new product, new ideas, or perhaps new business concepts. The old consumer watches TV and is told what to buy. Replicated websites are for the old style consumer and the old style salesperson.

In order to be an active player on the internet, you have to learn the new rules. You have to become internet savvy. If you want people to find you on the internet, you will have to bone up on your internet skills. If you plan on being successful in mlm or any small business, the internet needs to be mastered. It's not going away anytime soon so the skills you acquire will always be useful. In such a radically changing environment, the emphasis will always be on learning new skills.

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