It was a great plan. A company will employ a sales force of satisfied customers that will in turn recommend a product to their friends and family. For doing so, they will be compensated with a discount in price or receive a commission for the products that the people in their network purchase, based on their marketing efforts.

It was a win-win for everyone. The customer won because he received a discount on a quality product that he was already using. Plus he was paid for recommending these products to his friends. The company won because it did not have to spend countless dollars on monstrous ad campaigns. It did not have the headache of maintaining a salaried sales force. And finally paid money AFTER a sale was made. It sounded like the perfect system.

But then along came the charlatans and scammers that gave the industry a black eye. These people and companies tarnished the promise of network marketing, turning mlm into a four letter word.

Now the entire industry is topsy turvey. Companies and senior uplines simply focus on recruiting. They tell you that it is all a numbers game and that you just have to plug more people into the system. It is all about your warm market and your warm markets warm market. Leaders sit in training meeting and conferences telling you to find more people. Go wide. Go Deep. There is a huge focus on building your network but what about the marketing.

Ignoring the marketing aspect of your business is like lifting weights with your right arm while ignoring your left. It just doesnt make sense. It creates an imbalance, and this misalignment in network marketings Feng-Shui, Im convinced, is the reason that most people are failing in this industry. This strategy violates the motivations that created the industry and just does not make common sense.

You must market you product. If you represent a product that you would not buy if there wasnt some financial compensation tied to it find a new product! Then market the hell out of it. Find customers that are happy with the product. This will accomplish two things. It will put money in your pocket quickly (the reason you got into business in the first place). And it will provide you with a happy customer that will be more than willing to introduce this product to his friends and family. This person will be more open to becoming part of your downline, thus providing you with residual income (which is why we chose network marketing as our business)

I am not saying that you should ignore the recruiting aspect of your business. I am telling you to balance the scales. Thus, you will have achieved harmony in the yin-yang of your network marketing universe. With a evenhanded approach you will have more upfront income, from your marketing efforts. And with happy customers instead of perpetual opportunity seekers in your downline, they are more likely to stay in the business instead of hoping into the next big opportunity.

Brian Johnson has been coaching and mentoring charities, small business, home based businesses and network marketers around the country for more than 7 years. His site http://www.GetPaid2Prospect.Com will introduce you to probably the best FREE generic mlm & network marketing prospecting training course in the industry.