Network Marketing Tip: Promote Yourself First Not Your Company

When you sign up for a network marketing opportunity, typically you sign up as a distributor or “independent representative” or some similar term.

Most people make the mistake of emphasizing the “representative” part of that term, not the “independent” part.

By that I mean, they promote the replicated corporate website or solicit prospects by starting off conversations about product benefits, great compensation plans, or one-of-a-kind opportunities.

The top network marketers focus on the “independent” part of the term, not the “representative” part.

By that I mean, they promote themselves or their own brand. They attract prospects by leading with useful, valuable content, marketing solutions, and/or educational presentations (webinars, etc).

From the company’s perspective, it actually makes sense for you to market yourself and not the company. Here’s why:

The company is focused primarily on developing products and services, and often manufacturing. At some point, they made a business decision not to advertise through normal channels like magazines, television, radio, etc.

Why? Because advertising and marketing are expensive. And, having to focus on marketing as well would deter them from their goal to provide industry-leading products or services.

So, they basically outsource their marketing and distribution to a group of “independent representatives” (you) by using an attractive, wealth-generating business model (the compensation plan). The pricing and structure of the compensation plan accounts for the (sometimes high) attrition rate and low-producing distributors.

What this means for you is that the very business relationship you have with your company suggests that it is only to your benefit to do two things:

First, educate yourself in what it takes to be a top network marketer. However great your company may be, it is not a “marketing company.” More than likely it is a product development and manufacturing company or a service provider.

They are not “marketing experts.” That’s what they hired you to be! They want you to market and distribute their products or services!

Second, if you’re going to be the marketing expert that your company expects you to be, then why not actually become that? Tell people that’s what you are, instead of “an independent representative” or “distributor” of [fill in the blank] company.

Promoting yourself and your own brand has several key advantages:

1. It attracts people to you
No matter how good the company or the products may be, any new member that joins up will be there because of you. The most highly qualified leads you can generate are ones that are attracted to you. Any professional salesperson will tell you that you have to sell yourself before you can sell your product to the client. It’s about trust. It’s about credibility.

2. It allows you to have a real business
As an independent rep for your MLM company, you don’t really own anything. You don’t own the product or have equity in the company. In many cases, you don’t even own the list you build. If you focus on promoting your own brand, you own the content you create, you own the list you build, you own the relationships you make, and the equity you’re building in the business.

3. It gives you flexibility
If you ever decide to market another product, join a different company, or if your company goes out of business, it won’t matter. Since your business isn’t focused on one company, it will be easy to plug in the new company or product to your marketing funnel. Since people joined to follow you, they will still follow you. That will make the difference between starting from scratch, or simply taking your downline with you.

4. It allows you to expand your business model
Developing your own brand will allow you to diversify your product offerings. Yes, you have a business opportunity with your network marketing company. But you’d position also yourself to offer other quality products and develop your own products related to network marketing. By doing this, you’d expand your revenue streams and your market for potential prospects.

Learn how to promote yourself and become a top network marketer.

Read more tips in this series:
Index: Network Marketing Tips to Become a Top Earner
Tip 1: Promote Yourself First Not Your Company
Tip 2: Master Copywriting and Maximize Your Results
Tip 3: Master Mass Psychology for Mass Prospecting Appeal
Tip 4: Learn Prospecting on a Large Scale

Wishing You the Best,

Ben Mapp

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