Up until the mid 90's, the majority of networkers used techniques like hosting home parties, putting flyers on cars in parking lots, hanging signs on bulletin boards, renting small rooms at hotels for meetings, and talking to your warm market (people you know). At the same time the market was becoming over-saturated with everyone and their brother trying to make a dollar on the latest health product that came along.

There's really no need to leave your home to build a large organization today. The world is at your fingertips instead of out in the shopping malls. This is extremely powerful. Don't we sign up into a "home based business" for a reason? Most people would rather not leave their home if they had a choice. The main problem with the internet, however, is that most people do not know how to properly use it for marketing their products.

Most people get persuaded into thinking that they need a fancy website and expensive leads in order to play the numbers game on the world wide web. That couldn't be farther from the truth. First of all, numbers games do nothing but waste your time and money because it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Secondly, all leads stink. So why spend a lot of money for them?

Experience is a key factor when it comes to building a successful network marketing organization today. You can try to shortcut your way to success, but cheaters never prosper. There are no substitutions for walking the walk. Success comes with knowledge of what to do, how to do it and understanding why you're doing what it is that you're doing.

The best place to start is with the basics. If you don't have a basic skill level of being able to know your target audience and communicate with them properly over the telephone, getting them to your website will be impossible. You'll spend most of your time weeding through people who aren't really serious because they answered an ad they weren't really looking for.

Imagine your website as being a convenience store way out in the middle of the desert. If you are in need of water, how are you going to find it? And when you do stumble across it, is it really going to matter what it looks like? If you have a want, need or desire for water, you're going to buy it whether the store is fabulously decorated or not. What your message says and the type of person you get in front of it makes the difference between success and failure in network marketing. There is no better way to do this than with the internet. You can reach anyone.

Ultimately though, you are going to have to speak to your prospect. Being a master of the telephone is even more important than mastering the internet. Create a prospecting script with a solid interest question that leads with your product.

Let's say you were marketing a weight loss product. Create the interest by asking if you can honestly show them how to safely lose 9 lbs in the next 20 calendar days without drastically changing their diet or running 3 miles a day. Would that be worth 27 minutes to find out how to make that happen? Now honestly, if you're dialing weight loss seekers, do you think someone in their right mind is going to say no to that question? Probably not. That interest question can be modified to solve the pain and needs of any prospect in any industry.

Success ultimately comes from doing the basic, over and over again - and being persistent. Once your skill set is built, you can then move on to more advanced techniques and even some hands off business building approaches. The foundation must be firm first. Gain experience by trying over and over and over again to build a firm foundation. There is no free lunch. You must learn the basics before worrying about websites and auto-responders.

The best way to keep current is seeking proper marketing education. If this means breaking out from the clutches of your parent company, then do so. It doesn't mean you don't believe in your products. It means you are willing to be a leader instead of follower and you recognize that in order for things to change, you've got to change first.