Most network marketers pick an opportunity, and throw themselves at it, working hard to build a downline. While there is nothing wrong with that, you may want to rethink your marketing perspective…

It is good to build a downline – after all, that is where the money lies. Your income eventually lies in the numbers of people you can accumulate in your downline. It is a brutal, mathematical fact. But there is more to it than meets the eye…

Yes, you have to start somewhere. You have to start by attracting people to whatever you are doing. For most people starting out, that means simply putting your network marketing opportunity in from of as many eyeballs as possible. Handing out flyers, placing ads, making calls, distributing DVD’s, etc.

Good. You are doing something, and if you keep at it, you network marketing business will eventually start growing.

BUT…

While you are doing that, please do work on this as well:

Attract people to YOU. You see, network marketing is about being able to connect with as many people as possible. Not everybody will accept what you offer them – today, anyway. Heck, the first time I was offered a network marketing opportunity, I was totally NOT ready for it…

It was in 1995.

In the meantime, I have learned a few things – and here I am. Moral of the story: The guy who turns you down today could still come around – keep in touch.

Another, obvious yet overlooked aspect of building YOU, or “building YOU as a brand” is this:

If people follow you as a person, you can introduce them to other things you get involved in later on. If you join another program or company, your followers will trust you, and follow you into your new venture.

The result?

AN INSTANT DOWNLINE

Heck, what happens if the company you have built the downline for goes down? It is possible – all it takes is a few others doing the same thing, but better, and the ship starts sinking.

If you just “built a downline”, that downline will sink with the ship.

If you “built the brand of YOU”, and built a network of people around you, you simply start whispering in their ears about what you are going to do next…

And just pull as many as possible in your direct referrals – they will pull in some of theirs, etc, etc, etc.

You might not start with a complete downline, but you will have a HECK of a head start.

So…

Build your downline – but for your own sake, don’t neglect building a network of people around YOU. The don’t all have to get into every opportunity you get into. You just have to surround yourself with people. It could be a following on Twitter, or Facebook, or LinkedIn, it could be a mailing list or RSS subscribers…

Whatever – as long as you have a way to connect with those people. You future might depend on it some day, and in the meantime, it will definitely add to your prosperity.

Author: Pj Prins