Everybody these days seems to be boasting of the "magical system" that will let you build your business on auto pilot.
Is it true? Can any mlm marketing system build your business automatically? And what exactly should you look for when picking the right marketing system for you?
I think there is a lot of confusion out there as to what marketing systems are, what they do for you, and how they can be different. So, in this blog post I'm going to attempt to clear up any confusion you have.
Sound good? Okay here we go ...
What Is A MLM Marketing System?
A marketing system is really just a tool to help you build your business. Just like a brochure or DVD is a tool so is a marketing system. However, not all tools are created equal. A good marketing system consists of a "front-end" and a "back-end". The front-end consists of your lead capture pages and websites. The front-end is what your prospect sees.
The back-end is where you keep track of all your prospects. Any prospect who has filled in their contact information into one of your lead capture pages will show up in your "contact manager". A good marketing system will track what your prospect does on your website so that you can see who is interested and who isn't.
Also, a MAJOR advantage of a marketing system over other conventional tools is that it usually has built in auto-responders. Auto-responders are pre-written emails that are automatically sent out to all of your prospects reminding them of your opportunity. Let's face it... most of us suck at follow-up. So auto-responders are like a "safety net". A marketing system NEVER sleeps, it is always doing what it is supposed to do.
It is my opinion that a good, effective marketing system is superior in every way to conventional tools like brochures, DVD's, etc. A DVD does NOT automatically follow up like a marketing system. A DVD cannot track what your prospect sees or doesn't see. A DVD has no way of growing your list.
Plus, a good website should have video on it anyway. It is proven that a combination of video with well written copy is always better than just video by itself. Websites are so flexible. You can add video, words, audio, pictures, etc.
What Is The Purpose Of A MLM Marketing System?
The primary purpose of a marketing system is to help you grow your list, expose your primary opportunity to your list, and stay in constant contact with your list.
What Are The Different Kinds Of MLM Marketing Systems?
Funded Proposals - Ever heard of Mike Dillard and Magnetic Sponsoring? Or what about Ann Sieg and Renegade Marketer? Maybe Daegan Smith and Power Prospecting?
All of these are considered funded proposals. They sell you on the idea that you can generate leads upfront by becoming an affiliate of their ebook. The idea is that you will receive around 50% of the sale for the book and help fund your advertising while generating leads.
Do they work? Yes, if all you want to do is generate "affiliate" leads for an ebook. In other words, these systems are nothing more than disguised affiliate programs. But, you can still generate leads. The problem is that in theory you are supposed to back-end your primary opportunity but it rarely works.
I think these systems are a distraction most of the time. They convince you to sell their ebook and become an affiliate marketer. But, you are NOT an affiliate marketer. You are a network marketer. And your primary focus should be on getting people signed up in your opportunity.
Does Mike Dillard and Ann Sieg and others like them have good information? Yes and no. They have good information on marketing in general. In other words, they can teach you sound marketing principles. I think Mike Dillard is a brilliant marketer.
However, always remember that they are not really professional network marketers. They don't specialize in building a network marketing downline. They specialize in internet marketing and affiliate programs.
So, my advice is unless you are a very savvy Internet marketer and know how to drive TONS of traffic to your site then don't use these marketing systems (and even if you do know how to drive tons of traffic to your site, it would be better to brand yourself anyway and not someone else).
MLM Lead Systems - These are "generic" systems that back-end affiliate products to your leads. An example of this kind of system is MLM Lead System Pro. They are very similar to funded proposals but do not necessarily sell an ebook upfront.
The advantage of a marketing system like MLM Lead System Pro is that you can brand yourself. However, you still need to know how to drive lots of traffic (be a savvy Internet marketer), and you have to be in the "right" mlm program to back-end it.
Again for the majority of network marketers this kind of system will only be a distraction from their primary program. There is a very small percentage of MLM'ers that are in the right program and have the knowledge necessary to really make this work.
Replicated Company Specific Systems - These are marketing system designed specifically to sell your primary opportunity. Normally, for the masses this type of system is far simpler and less confusing. All of the websites and emails are designed to promote the primary program.
Usually these systems are NOT customizable. Which means you have to settle for using the replicated lead capture pages and websites exactly the way they are. For most network marketers this is fine. However, for a lot of team leaders it can be very frustrating since they want to customize and personalize the system.
Remember, this system is NOT designed to be an affiliate program. In other words, the ONLY way you can make money is by converting your prospects into distributors or customers. This factor alone is one of the big reasons why "funded prosposal" systems were created. They wanted people to be able to "fund" their marketing efforts (so, if a prospect didn't join their primary opportunity then they could still make money through the affiliate program).
Here's the thing. Most network marketers are not pay per click experts. Most network marketers do NOT know how to drive targeted traffic to their site. Funded proposal's rely heavily on targeted traffic (you advertise to other network marketers).
This is NOT duplicable. A marketing system has to allow the average distributor to refer their friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. to their website and feel confident that the website and "marketing funnel" will clearly explain their opportunity.
In other words, a marketing system has to keep "word of mouth" alive. Network marketing is still about human to human contact. And a marketing system should be viewed as a tool that still gives the correct message.
Universal, Fully Customizable, Company Specific Marketing Systems - Until now, this kind of marketing system was just a "dream". Nobody had created the next evolution of mlm marketing systems which introduced full customization.
Remember, the last kind of marketing system we discussed had a few disadvantages. First, they are not customizable. And second, you can only make money from converting a prospect to a distributor or customer.
So, naturally the next evolution of a marketing system would solve those problems. This kind of system allows any network marketer to customize it for their particular opportunity. It doesn't matter what company they are in, the system allows them to integrate their opportunity into it.
Obviously, this is important since the primary goal of every network marketer is to sell their opportunity (and not just be an affiliate of some ebook).
This system also lets a Team Leader fully customize it (i.e. upload training, share videos and audios, create lead capture pages, etc.) and then send the "customized" version to their team.
This is a BIG deal because until now a team leader would have to pay anywhere from $2,500 - $20,000 to fully customize a marketing system for their team.
The second problem it solves is the ability to make money even if the prospect does not join their primary opportunity. The system is set up with a two-tier affiliate program built into it. So if another network marketer wants to use the system (whether they are in your company or in another company) then you receive a residual commission for referring it to them.
This empowers the masses! It lets you and me get excited about referring such a great tool. But, what's cool about it is that your primary opportunity is the UPFRONT thing while the system is the back-end. So, you will always be building your network marketing downline first and foremost while making money on the back-end from others who want to use the system as well.
What Is The Most Important Factor In Choosing Any MLM Marketing System?
Do you know the answer?
Simplicity.
If a marketing system confuses a distributor then it is no longer an advantage but rather a detriment to their business.
The most difficult part about creating a marketing system is making it simple enough for the masses to use. Network marketing is built around duplication. So, you need to make sure that the marketing system does NOT confuse anyone.
Very few systems are very robust and yet simple. In other words, it takes a lot of skill to create a marketing system that has everything you want but keeps it simple enough that anyone can use it.
So, what the heck is the point of all of this, Dave?
Well, I want you to clearly understand and appreciate the new system that is about to be launched. It is the only universal, fully customizable, company specific marketing system that I know of. And the BEST part is it's EXTREMELY easy to use.
I've had the chance to have a "sneak peak" into it and it is absolutely amazing!
Get ready because it is very, very cool and could be exactly what you've been looking for!
Stay tuned ... (I'll be sending out an email as soon as it launches which should be any day now).
