Network Marketing is a great industry. It is especially wonderful if you are fortunate enought to find an excellent product line with a stable company. Maximizing your financial rewards through the compensation plan can certainly be achieved if you take time to really understand your income opportunity - and especially the risidual benefits.

As with any business, you should take the time to develop and establish a business plan which includes your marketing strategy. You will obviously have some insight into a few of the specific elements of your opportunity, because there was obviously something there that interested you enough to get involved. The "hook" that brought you in, is probably a key interest for you - so you will likely utilize that interest in your own recruiting efforts.

Key Point: take time to establish you business plan which will includes your marketing strategy and perhaps your financial goals.

Unfortunately, most people who get involved with a Network Marketing opportunity do not really take their business seriously. They join because they were given a slick pitch by their sponsor, or perhaps they really like the product. Many people get involved because they want (and perhaps need) to believe - this is the opportunity that will bring them financial freedom.

Certainly, there are great rewards in building a Network Marketing sales organization. But it does take work, and it must be treated as a business - your business.

Too many good people have been hurt because they jumped-into an opportunity without assuming they had a role to play in the success. They have been hurt by over-hyped sales presentations that give the illusion that nothing is required in order to build success. One of the biggest problems in the industry is the sponsors who recruit rookie networkers using hype and lies.

I have been a top income-earner in the industry, and have also been a Network Marketing Company Corporate Vice President. In my years of leadership in the industry, I've seen some pretty disgusting sponsor tactics. I have also seen alot of dreams crushed, because people got involved with the wrong expectations.

The advice I would give anyone who is looking to join a Network Marketing opportunity is - do not depend on your sponsor for your success. It is inevitable that your sponsor will fail you, or will go "AWOL" and never contact you again. If you rely on them for your financial reward - you will be terribly disappointed.

Bottom Line: Do Not depend on your sponsor for your success

If you want to succeed in your Network Marketing opportunity, decide that you will succeed on your own - regardless of what your upline may do. You certainly may utilize tools they provide, but do not allow those tools to prohibit your own creative marketing ideas. Use as many resources as you can - but never become solely dependent on any one system or tool to succeed. And above all, do not give up when your sponsor goes AWOL... Just consider it part of the deal.