A lot has been written on the subject of network marketing and the products commonly sold through network marketing. Unfortunately, most people joining a network marketing program for the first time don't read the books first. Even if they did, they would get a message that is really hard to grasp for someone used to the standard sales techniques of the modern world.

If you are new to network marketing, a great book to read is "Masters Of Networking" by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D., and Don Morgan, M.A. While it does contain instructions on how and where to network, I believe that part of its value lies in what it doesn't always say out loud, but hints at in the subtitle: Building Relationships For Your Pocketbook And Soul.

So what does that have to do with selecting the product that you will attempt to "sell" through network marketing?

The book I just mentioned gets a lot of its message across through the stories of people who have passed through the stages of learning to network. In keeping with that, I am going to talk about my favorite subject...myself.

In 1996 I was introduced to my first network marketing venture. Never mind what it was, but I will say that it was a valuable product and I felt good being associated with it. I honestly felt that it was a service that many people could use and that by purchasing this service they could get better service in certain health related areas and they could possibly save large sums of money.

In other words, I BELIEVED!

I also believed that I could make a lot of money. After all, I saw other people doing it, and being a product of 20th century marketing practices, I began doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I placed ads, I handed out flyers, left business cards laying around, and mailed out a lot of brochures. After a few months, I was making some money, but it sure seemed a hard way to make a living!

In the meantime, people I knew were making larger and larger sums from the same product, and with a fraction of the time, effort, and money. So I did the next logical thing...I dropped out and spent a couple of years licking my wounds, nursing a grudge, and generally being a chump. The one thing I didn't do was ask for help or study the subject of network marketing. However, I DID keep signing up for program after program, with the same predictable results.

Finally, I broke down and did the unthinkable...I did some research!

What did I learn? I learned that some of the best "sales" people and some of the best network marketers had the same thing to say. Their opinion was to quit concentrating on sales and concentrate on building a network of people who respected you. They did not necessarily mean "respected" in the sense of someone who was an expert or who stood head and shoulders above the rest. What they meant was that you should be someone who is willing to listen, to help, to guide, to support...to be a genuine friend and someone who could be counted on.

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