Eagles Fly....

"Eagles fly...they always focus on their goal,
Fly or die, it is how they live and how they roll."  Kody Bateman

Welcome to the Networking Eagle. A little self disclosure here... I am hooked on Network Marketing. The whole concept of word of mouth marketing intrigues me. There is something so very honest about the whole structure... After all,  is not word of mouth the most effective way to obtain good information about products and services?  Not to mention that historically it is where all good business begins. Think about it.

I grew up in the 1950's, Happy Days right? With the risk of sounding a bit naive, it was very Happy-Days-like. My childhood thrived in a small town in Los Angeles County, where my parents knew everyone and everyone knew them. My father sat on the city council, my mother was the president of the PTA, the local Women's Club, and active at the church. We shopped in town. When there was a product or service that out did itself, everyone knew about and flocked to buy the product or use the service. The opposite was true as well. Certain death was the sentence to the product or service that was ineffective, or had the slightest hint of ill-will.

My point is that people have always listened to people and they always will, that is if people are communicating. The Internet, as crazy as it sounds, has brought back good ol' fashion people-to-people communication! (Look at us, we are communicating, that is if you are reading this blog!) Tweets, posts, chats, texts, etc... All of this amounts to word of mouth affirmation, confirmation or defamation. I tend to go to movies on friends recommendations over reviewers, however, I have come to trust some of the movie critics out there. Restaurants aptly get my initial visit on the recommendation of someone I know, like and trust. Consequently, I find myself going to the Internet, and if I find a fair percentage of positive reviews on a restaurant or movie, I will try that particular establishment first.

What does this mean to businesses? Is it still necessary to spend millions of dollars on TV or print advertising? I don't think so. No longer is the Ad-Man necessary, at least not the Ad-Man of the days gone by. More and more businesses are seeing the benefit of the Network Marketing model for their product or service. Rather than pay a large corporation for advertising and marketing campaigns, why not pay a raving fan for trying, loving and sharing your product or service. This is the very essence of direct sales, network and affiliate marketing business models.

What does this mean to the 'RAVING FAN'? Probably the most impressive is the financial freedom this can bring. I am not talking about instant wealth or get-rich-quick schemes. I am talking about potential wealth to those individuals who are independent, hard-working, self-starters, and teachable. There is no ceiling on what one can make. This is the only even playing field left!

We all have products or services that we have fallen in love with... we would use them no matter what, we are loyal to these particular businesses. They have provided "something" we are bound to tell others about for no other reason than we love the product and want to help find solutions for our friends, family, clients and customers. What if you were paid a dime for every time you have recommended a movie to someone? Netflix has 25 million subscribers. How about a dollar for every book you recommended? Amazon has put Barnes and Noble and Borders out of business. I heard about both of these businesses from others, people who I know, like and trust, people who became Raving Fans!

In closing, if you are one of those who have a prejudice against Network Marketing models of business, or you think they are  all "pyramid schemes", I ask you to rethink your position, open your mind to the possibilities of starting your own or even a second business with a product that is marketed in this way. I am especially speaking to the college student. This is an excellent way to supplement your income as you are becoming  what you are going to be when you grow up! (I am still trying to figure that out.)

This blog is dedicated to the Network Marketing model, to dialogue and discussion of the pros and cons of this industry and to educating others about the ability to soar financially and grow personally into all one can be! Your comments are welcomed!   Sandra Bandfield