Marriages and multi level marketing (MLM) business opportunities, or network marketing in general, have one thing in common: the first year is by far the toughest. The majority of fledgling network marketers fail during their first year in business, and if you believe the divorce statistics in modern day America, newlyweds do not fare much better. Making it past your first year in network marketing takes gumption, dedication, the ability to hold up under scrutiny and not buckle when faced with rejection; yet more than anything else, it requires a most valued and important skill for which no course or e-book laden with online marketing secrets can prepare you: the skill of schmoozing.

You probably have that friend who seems to know everybody. It does not matter if you go to the movies, the flea market, or a restaurant, there is always somebody who is nodding, waving, or stopping by just to greet your friend. He or she gets in conversations with complete strangers, and he is the one who can crack a joke in the long line at the bank on payday and have everyone chuckle. The florist will offer her a little flower for her button hole and the baker might offer a sample of the almond croissant. Even though your friend is not flirting, she or he seems to be on everyone's good side the moment they lay eyes on each other.

You, on the other hand, can run errands all day long and not really make contact with anyone outside that which is required by polite behavior. Nobody offers you any samples, and small children might be throwing their food at you. The odds are good that instead of receiving a flower for your button hole, you trip over the display and end up paying for it. Perhaps you are introverted and simply lack a few people skills, or maybe you have a truly abrasive personality and need a bit of a makeover in that department. For the sake of your business you might have decided to join the local Chamber of Commerce or attended business mixers, but somehow you are still the odd person out.

No matter what the case is, making it past your first year in network marketing will require you to schmooze. It is not a skill you can learn if you completely lack the talent. On the other hand, if you have the talent but thus far it has remained dormant or quite possibly you have not honed it to the extent necessary, you have a good chance of making it past that all important milestone in the existence of your business. Do not deceive yourself, however, if you lack the inborn talent that is schmoozing, you will not succeed in network marketing.

A potential exception is a strictly online business where no personal contact is required and each and every transaction is conducted via email or website. In that kind of situation there is a good chance that you can get away with some learned schmoozing skills that would not hold up in the real world.