To Network or Not to Network by Rob Dickson Network Marketing has been around, in it's current form for many, many years. However, with the advent of the internet, anyone has the ability to reach a worldwide audience using nothing more than an internet connection. This has changed Network Marketing in many ways, mostly for the better. With all the Network Marketing oportunities available to you today, should you make the leap and join one, or should you opt for selling your own product online? Below are a list of pros and cons for Network Marketing online. Pro - Instant Crediblility By joining an established company, you are taking on everything about them. When you sell the product or service, you are selling it as a representative of a major company that people have heard of, giving you and your products more credibility. Consumers are often wary of purchasing from a small company that they haven't heard of, and even more so from a sole proprieter. Aligning yourself with a major company can jump start you way ahead. Con - Inflexibility Although most companies with Network Marketing give their distributors a lot of flexibility, there are still some rules and guidelines that everyone must follow, to ensure that the reputation of the company is not compromised. You may not be able to market the products all the ways you want to. Pro - Tried and Tested Systems This is one of the biggest pros for Network Marketing. With thousands of people already having done the same thing you are now starting, there have already been a lot of mistakes made and corrected. People know what works and what doesn't, and they are happy to pass that on to you, to help your buisiness grow. Con - The Company's Cut of the Profits This is simple enough. The company wouldn't have you work for them if you got to keep all the profit. Owning your own business, you get to keep all the profits. Working for another company, you have to give up a percentage. Pro - Help From Others With Network Marketing, the people that recruited you have every reason to want to help you succeed. When you make money, they get a commission. This gives them, the more experienced sellers, an incentive to help you with any problems you have along the way. It's like getting free training! Con - Monthly Quotas Not all Network Marketing companies make you purchase a certain amount of their products to be a distributor, but many do. If you are marketing a service, most companies require you to be a meber as well. This is usually good anyway because it's hard to truthfully sell anything you do not believe in. yourself, but sometimes, monthly quotas can be overwhelming if you don't have a need or use for as much of a product as you are required to purchase. Overall, I think the pros outweigh the cons for Network Marketing. These companies haven't stopped growing, and aren't showing any signs of slowing down. Joining a company with Network Marketing could turn out to be a very wise move. --ds