One of the best pieces of advice I can share with network marketers is to only promote a product or service you are passionate about. If you ONLY join a network marketing company to make money, your odds of success are very, very low.
After all, it’s hard to sell something that you don’t believe in or use yourself. If you owned a Mercedes dealership and drove an Audi, do you think people would take you seriously? I doubt it. Could you successfully sell a widget that you knew was defective? I doubt it. Could you sell a financial service to seniors if you thought it was ripping them off? I hope not.
I tell everyone on my team, “if the products don’t make sense neither will the business.” If you can’t develop a good product story, and good belief in the products (or services), you will not have the conviction and belief that you need to succeed. Simply put, if the products don’t make sense, nothing else really matters.
I see it all the time in our industry. People spend all their time asking questions about the company and compensation plan before they even talk about, or try out, the products. That’s so foolish. Remember, the products must make sense. Success in this business comes from building an organization of people who use the product or service every month AND keep reordering it every month. The only way people will REORDER something is if they like it.
If you’re even considering joining a network marketing company, be a customer for a couple months first. Try out a bunch of different products the company offers. Pay the full retail price. See if they are good quality and offer a real value to customers. If they don’t, return them, get your money back, and find another company to work with.
That might just be the best piece of advice on this entire website.
What does it mean to be passionate about the product?
It means that you have a good product experience when you used the products. It means that you would naturally share the product with others, even if there wasn’t a business opportunity involved. It means you have a good product story. It means that you think the product or service is a good deal for customers. It means that you think the product is priced fairly.
If you have doubts about any of these things, find a different company to partner up with. There’s no point wasting even a minute of your time partnering with a company whose products you don’t LOVE.
Can you succeed without being passionate about the products? Yes, but it will be very difficult to do. I don’t personally believe you will be able to look someone in the eye and have the conviction in your voice and the belief in your eyes, if you don’t believe in the products.
You might be able to fake it temporarily, but you won’t be able to do it long term.
The bottom line is that the products have to make sense. They have to be good quality, competitively priced and in demand. They must offer REAL VALUE to people who have no intention of doing the business. If they don’t, find a different company to join.
Never, ever join a company until you have tried out the products first. Find a good quality product or service that you can be passionate about. Find a product that makes sense to you. Do that and there’s a good chance you will become successful in this great industry.
What do you think about being passionate about the products? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
It is very difficult to sell any products you don’t have respect for or use. I just do not comprehend why anyone would try to do so.
I also believe that to truly know if the products and business would be right for you, it is best if you start out by using the products as a retail customer. If you don’t enjoy the product or you feel it is much too high priced, how will you be able to convince others that they are good or worth the price?
I have attempted to sell products I didn’t care for, and I didn’t last very long doing it.
Great post sir.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Greg.
It is easy to spot someone who truly loves the product and service they are promoting and someone who is just doing it for the money. The passion, pride, and joy that exudes from a person truly invested in whatever it is they are selling has a positive impact on the prospective consumer. I can say that I have actually purchased a product I did not originally want because the person selling it was so passionate about it and that proved to be really convincing. So people should really take the time to research and find something they truly love because it is worth it in the long term.
When you love the product everything else falls into place.
My wife and I started selling our company’s products in 1969. First of all, we used them and were highly impressed with their quality. That made them easy to sell. We were passionate about them and our enthusiasm was contagious. People wanted to try them and they reordered. We always demonstrated them and spoke about their features and benefits. Stores don’t do that. Sales clerks have very limited knowledge of their products. That is to our advantage. We are our own best advertising.
Couldn’t agree with you more Howard.