The Daily Reality of Network Marketing Systems

You’ve probably seen advertisements that go something like this:

“I spent thousands of dollars and many long hours figuring out how to build my network marketing business. Now I’m going to share my exact system with you!”

What do you think when you read a headline like that?

Let’s say that you know this person is legitimate, they’ve been in the industry for years, and they really are going to share with you their hard-earned methods for building a downline.

When you read that headline, what does it mean to you?

If you are like most people, you are probably thinking that access to this person’s system will save you many long hours and thousands of dollars.

You might be right.

But what does THAT imply? Think about saving all those hours and dollars, what does it mean now?

The Glamour of a System

If you are like most people, you are probably getting excited and thinking, this is going to make building my business so easy!

You might be right.

But, if you are like most people, then you are probably wrong.

You see, even when you know how to do something, that doesn’t automatically make it easy.

This is why most people get started with a marketing system, but then never really do anything with it once they see just how much learning and work it will take to implement.  Sure, they probably would save many hours and dollars over what they would if they had to figure it out all on their own. But that’s not what they’re looking for. They’re looking for the easy road.

However, just because this person figured out a system to build a downline, doesn’t mean it didn’t take work to USE the system.

And that’s where most people who buy into these systems get discouraged. They assume that because it is a system, that the system will do the work for them. Systems are not magic. The person who invented the system still had to execute it, just like you will have to execute it.

Just because you know the system for building a skyscraper doesn’t mean that it’s easy.

The Drudgery of a System

The other thing people often overlook is that fact that systems are oftentimes very boring.

Sure, in the beginning they’re interesting and a lot of fun.  You spend time creating a website, creating profiles, learning to record videos or write articles, creating your prospecting scripts, getting your office area set up, and so on. You are learning and you are creating.

But once everything is set up, it becomes a daily routine. It becomes, dare I say it, a JOB.

Today, do step 1, 2, 3, 4… Tomorrow, again do step 1, 2, 3, 4… The day after that, step 1, 2, 3, 4…

And suddenly the glamour wears off.

Running a network marketing business is just like, well, running a business. There is a daily method of operation. That is, there are things that you will need to do every day. The SAME things every day.  Being an entrepreneur is really not all that glamorous.

How to Keep it Interesting

The bottom line is that systems WILL save you time and money.  But set your expectations correctly: you will still have to work to make the systems work. And that work can often be boring and repetitive.

There are, however, some things that you can do to make it more interesting, and to spend less time working the system and more time in the creative areas of work.

1. Systems will require some sort of set-up. Rather than get everything set up before you start using the system, set it up in stages and begin using it in stages. This way, you will be doing some daily routine work, but can also look forward to continuing to learn and set up the system.
2. Many systems have different areas in which you can focus. For example, you can focus on Facebook or Twitter if you already enjoy social media. You could focus on videos if you like doing that.  If you like to write, then you could pursue article marketing. If you love being on the phone and meeting people, then you might buy leads. The methods available to you will depend on the system that you are using. Pick the ones that you like.
3. Because it is a system, there will be certain things that you can outsource if you have the money for it. Outsourcing is often viewed as a solution for anything you don’t like to do or are not good at. But realize that outsourcing itself is work.  It takes time to find someone who is both affordable and good at writing articles or editing videos, or any other such task.
4. Research other tools that might be available that you can plug into your system. For example, if you are pursuing article marketing as part of your system and there are 10 article sites that you are supposed to submit to, then you might purchase article submission software to make the work easier for you. Same with videos. There are lots of tools that will help you be more productive in the social networks as well. Research them and use them.

Systems work, and they will save you time and money. But they do not work automatically, and they are not necessarily easy to implement. There will be a learning curve and by their very nature there will be some boring routine work to be done every day.

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