Congratulations on Adriana’s Mercedes Benz Party next month!! WhooHooo!!! Yeah!! Thanks for all your support and insight into what really makes netWORKmarketing bring REsults!

Charm in Denver

No, I’m not involved with Quixtar. Am glad you found a niche there! Sounds great!! Stay at it. CANI!

Thanks for the kind words. Keep in touch.

Dave
Naples, FL

What makes it network marketing is that you are marketing a product through a network of consumers.

You aren’t paying for referrals. You, in fact, get paid for referrals, if the prospect enrolls (like Sam’s/Costco’s $35/year). Plus, you make a residual on everything they purchase from their own “store/business”.

Dell, Sam’s and Costco have become giants simply on referrals. Especially Sam’s and Costco as Dell does do a good share of advertising (yet has no “storefront”).

What you are saying, if I got it right, is that it’s the paying for referrals that makes it network marketing.

I wasn’t aware that Dell was paying for referrals.

And how are Sam’s and Costco’s network marketers?

At the time I did my research, my wife was looking at Arbonne International. We’ve replaced the store bought products with products Arbonne makes, and have shared how good they are with our friends - just like you’d tell someone about a good movie. But, Arbonne pays us each time we make a referral and someone is interested. I still can’t get Regal Cinema to do that.

Seriously, we don’t do any selling or convincing. It’s like I tell you about a great camera with 8.2 Mega Pixels and show you some results I’ve had. But it might not be your cup of tea. You might be a Nikon man and I just showed you a Canon.

That’s why I started the site. The majority of networkers think it’s sales and that they must convince and cram it down your throat - and you don’t convert, then you’re not my friend anymore.

Arbonne has now become the fastest growing network marketing company on the planet, which is cool to be a part of that wave. I’m a baby boomer and can totally relate to most of the product line. So, we did make a good choice and it was for us. It’s not for everybody.

Hope this answers your question.

I’ve been tempted (I was going to say almost sucked in) by a couple of those voracious pyramid schemes, when I answered what looked like a normal job offer.

Most recently by one called
Mannatech, which actually sells some useful products.

But you didn’t answer my question.

What product do YOU actually deliver that makes someone’s life better?

I actually like your site and the many photos. Always thought photography was such a creative outlet, and marvelous therapy.

As far as a product that makes someone’s life better, if you are creating a network of consumers (not distributors), then you best have something that makes life easier, better.

As far as Network Marketing being a pyramid, I used to think the same thing and say the same thing to my “friends” that would come running to get me to join their latest craze. Then, I thought I’d better do a little research on it.

I did my due diligence and have found that the old way of marketing (manufacturer, warehouse, jobber, marketer, storefront), is really broken in our day and age. Just think of how Dell does their business. Now that’s awesome network marketing. Sam’s and Costco are other good examples of how network marketing was designed to work.

What happened was many greedy people involved used unscrupulous ways to get people “in” and really made a mess of the term. But that doesn’t mean the concept is bad. Some people are. But you get that in anything. (I’m not going to stop using the Internet because there’s porn.)

And about pyramids, I checked that out, too. That’s not Network Marketing. Pyramids don’t involve a product and only the people at the top make all the money. In Network Marketing, there are no people at the top, rather, you can “pass” people if you create a larger network (by simply telling people how you now buy off the Internet, your own product, instead of going to Walgreens).

It’s not for everyone. And that’s okay. Not everyone loves the Red Sox.

But I clicked on your link, and liked what I saw. I’ve been back several times since, and I like the way you write.

I’m not into Network Marketing. It really annoys me when I hear someone say they are trying to “grow” their business when really they are only trying to get other people to join in the pyramid.

What product do you actually deliver that makes someone’s life better?