LOW COST - BIG PROFITS

Network marketing: a profitable business model at an affordable price, says Chris Day

I don’t suppose, even in his wildest dreams, actor Richard Wilson could ever have anticipated how his character Victor Meldrew would capture the public’s imagination in the television series One Foot in the Grave. His catchphrase, “I don’t belieeeeve it!”, an expression of frustration and annoyance, was adopted by thousands of people when faced with the realisation they too are surrounded by idiots.

But it is not just the daily annoyances of life that we can find unbelievable. This time of year, with all the seasonal celebrations long behind us, the dark days of winter still dragging on and the reality of bills and credit cards looming large, many people start searching through the classified adverts in the paper to find a part-time job or some way of bringing in extra income. For many people the phrase ‘too much month at the end of the money’ is too true to be funny. So what are the options?

SHORT SUPPLY
There is no doubt that this year many of the part-time jobs that could be relied upon to make a contribution to the debt mountain are in short supply, as so many businesses have cut back and are not needing additional staff. There are more people chasing work than there are jobs to go round and those that are available seem to be very low paid. For those at a career crossroads, or who have been made redundant, the option of setting up in business or investing in a franchise might not be possible because the capital needed to get started just isn’t available. So where can you turn?

There is a saying that ‘it is an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good’ or, to put it another way, no matter how bad the circumstances there are still opportunities to be had. Those opportunities may not be what you have done before, they may not draw on your qualifications or your current expertise, but if you have an open mind and are prepared to reinvent yourself they are very much there - and may well take you down an exciting new path that you had never considered in the past.

The trouble is that many people resist change will all their might and energy. A solution to their problems may well be staring them in the face, but they are blind to it because they only see themselves in a particular role. Because of this mindset, it would not matter how good the opportunity was because they will never even consider it.

Pride also has a lot to do with it. When somebody has been working at a high level within an organisation and has become used to the status and trappings that go with it, it is almost impossible to contemplate doing anything less. They think of themselves in that role, and nothing else will do. In fact, very often they would rather starve than embrace the opportunity to change. How sad.

Tony Buzan, the inventor of mind maps and an expert on mental literacy, says we will be judged to be acting intelligently by our capacity to continually adapt to the changing circumstances we find ourselves in. Not to adapt to circumstances and realign ourselves to the reality that surrounds us means missing opportunities and not fulfilling our potential.

It is against this backdrop that I mention probably one of the most powerful and profitable business models that so many people come across at a time of such change, and so often discount without taking a close look at what it really is. I refer to network marketing.

INSPIRING
One of the most inspiring motivational speakers of the past few decades has been Alabama-born Zig Ziglar. His self help classic ‘See You at the Top’ has sold millions of copies and is still in print 30 years after it was published. Now in his eighties, Ziglar continues to inspire through his writing and public speaking. I believe his most famous quote has to be: “The only way you can get what you want is to help enough other people to get what they want.” What an enlightened concept, and one that perfectly sums up what network marketing is all about.

It is in challenging economic times that network marketing really comes into its own. Indeed, it is one of the few industries that thrives at times like this. Yet few people outside the industry really understand how it works, and many have got this instinctive feeling there is something not quite right about it. How wrong they are.

A look at the member companies of the Direct Selling Association, the professional body for the industry, shows it is full of longstanding and trusted household names like Virgin, Kleeneze, Avon, Nature’s Sunshine and Forever Living Products, to mention just a handful. All of them, and the many other member companies, have created a route to market for their products where, instead of investing in expensive high street shops, provide opportunities for independent distributors to build a business of their own with the strength of a big brand to support them.

Unlike a franchise, the opportunities are invariably low cost start-ups and ideal when there are just not the funds available to invest in a conventional business. The whole dynamic of the industry is based on sharing - both products and opportunities. There is nothing for nothing, and nobody gets paid unless products move. When they do, the compensation plan is more than generous and geared to incentivising you to help others in your team to succeed.

So if you have recently had an ‘I don’t believe it!’ moment in your career, don’t worry, you haven’t got one foot in the grave - yet. Take a look at network marketing as a viable option. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Chris Day has been associated with the direct sales industry since 1988 when he joined Encyclopaedia Britannica as a salesman. Since setting up his own communications company in 1995 he has maintained close, collaborative links with the industry as an associate member of the Direct Selling Association.

He is the creative director of The Reel Thing Ltd, a television and events production company, and a supplier member of the Direct Selling Association. Telephone: 020 8688 2598. www.filamentpublishing.com.