In this controversial yet honest thread, I am going to talk about why I do not wish to associate network marketing with internet marketing.
From time to time, I get offered different networking marketing opportunities. It started off in 1999 with Success Resources on motivational programs by gurus like Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy and Robert Kiyosaki and subsequently in 2001 and beyond, it was healthcare products all the way.
That happened initially when I was starting to work for the man like everyone else and when I was about to embark on my internet marketing journey in 2008.
Though the opportunities are lucrative whereby you earn unlimited residual commissions, get to travel around the world and even promoted to manager or director, I was not impressed by the way they approached me for Joint Venture or JV in short.
Now, why do I say that?
It all began with casual business networking events whereby entrepreneurs, business owners and wannabes gathered together to know one another and do business with potential customers.
I am not sure about your country but in my country Singapore, even though we are first world in infrastructure and economy, we are pretty much third world in thinking and marketing.
Truth being said, Singapore is a very realistic, social and value-oriented country. Though the people recognized the potential of digital learning and technology, most of us – in particular baby boomers – are still very skeptical about buying and selling online.
In fact according to the World Survey On Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the baby boomers in Singapore are among the most skeptical Asians.
They still see the need to see people face-to-face first before buying anything. Whether it is a physical or information product.
That is why even with the introduction of webinars and live videos from Google Hangout and Facebook, our people still persisted with organizing the traditional seminar previews even the cost of renting a function room are higher.
Through those events, they first approached me with the pretext of wanting to meet me again to learn about internet marketing when I told them I am running my online business upon introduction and business cards exchange.
Then when meeting up, they have no interest in what I am going to share with them and counteroffered by selling their MLM Healthcare products.
In fact this has happened repeatedly that I eventually stopped going to networking events whereby most people I associated with are from networking marketing industry.
Through I attended countless seminar previews, I only joined 2 companies and invested in one type of healthcare product.
The first one is Anthony Fong And Associates in which the director Anthony Fong used to be the head of AIA insurance agency.
I was supposed to be promoting a product which helped car owners to save money by using water instead of fuel for their vehicles.
Unfortunately the company did not explain the business compensation plan clearly. There was a misunderstanding between my upline and downline which put me in a very difficult position. The downline – an elderly man in his prime 60s – have problems understanding my English and I have problems doing business presentation in Mandarin.
Even though I am a Chinese but strongly educated in English than my race language.
Anyway, I quitted the company after a year without any compensation or whatever as I only have one downline whereby the company required at least two.
In terms of health products, I only invested in Nuskin Pharmanex TRA Weight Loss program and G3 Juice bottles. I can talk about others like Unicity, Jeunnese, Herbal Life and Forever Living but Nuskin is the ONLY one I trusted most.
One, because I trusted my upline sponsor who have had extensive marketing experience even though I am buying and using as a consumer and not distributor since I am busy and committed to my internet marketing projects.
Still back to answering the main question of this post, the reason why I no longer want to associate network marketing with internet marketing is –
Even though I and those marketers have the same dreams of being our own boss and earn our own paycheck, our interests and values are different.
Their style is to approach and invite anyone – any Tom, Dick or Harry to come to their workshop previews and sign them up as downlines.
Using their business endorsements and presentations on healthcare products which may or may not deliver.
Whereas for my internet marketing, my main goal is to build an email list of subscribers and customers which I can market to them again and again through emails.
Whether they are my products or other people I am helping to promote as affiliate.
That despite many other internet marketers like Max Steigmeyer and Patric Chan thinking otherwise, I don't like to mix these two together.
Having said that, I am going to explain why email marketing is not always lucrative as what most marketers claimed to be in my next thread.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel to do so in the box below my post and I will get back to you soon.