Network marketing is one of the best industries in the world. My passion is training network marketers  and others about the power of network marketing, the benefits it can provide you and your loved ones, and debunking various myths that most people have about network marketing. Therefore, it’s my responsibility as a successful network marketer to train future network marketers and help those out there who are making our industry look bad.

So let’s just cut to the chase and talk about the BIGGEST PROBLEM with network marketing…Most people who are in the network marketing industry CANNOT NETWORK and have NO MARKETING experience.

Now, do you have to have either before you start a network marketing business?? Absolutely NOT. Every single thing in the world can be learned and unlearned.

There are basically only three things a network marketer needs to eventually learn and master if they want to create success and that’s how to:

1)      Approach/Invite

2)      Present (see my other blog post about the presentation)

3)      Follow up (see my other blog post about the follow up)

The problem is that most network marketers are terrible at the first, and MOST IMPORTANT, step in the process – the Approach. They shoot themselves in the foot before they even have a fair chance to bring value to their prospect. And when with the right company, with the right products, if that associate ruins the opportunity during the approach it is a disservice to that prospect. Why? Because had they done the approach correctly it could literally have changed that person’s future forever!

So let’s talk about the Approach. Before we talk about how to approach we must first understand the goal of the approach. The goal of the approach is to create curiosity and get your prospect to view the presentation!! The goal of the approach IS NOT to give a mini presentation or “throw up on them” with diarrhea of the mouth.

There are too many people out there who turn off a prospect because of their approach. I have found that energy, excitement and enthusiasm are a powerful tool during the approach. People will feed off your excitement and want to know more about what you are doing. But that doesn’t mean that you go shove your marketing tools in their face really loudly. Or really excitedly show them how much money they can make or how sweet your products are. You will waste both your time and their time with this style of network marketing. Plus, you will make it harder for someone like me who is good at what he does so cut it out!

Let me share with you an analogy that really helped me when I started fully understanding sales, specifically when it relates to network marketing. SHE WHO ASKS MORE QUESTIONS will get what she wants. There is a lot of power in asking questions and it’s the ultimate key to your success.

So here is a strategy for you – For the next few weeks, every time you go home and unlock your door, ask yourself a question that would be a valuable question to ask your prospect. Seriously…it may sound stupid but do it. And do it every time you unlock your door with your house key. And eventually you will form the habit of asking questions. And when you can master that talent, you will open the door to more opportunities with your network marketing business.

So here we go… on to the first 2 steps when approaching someone about your business opportunity.

Step One: Greet

When you greet someone you introduce yourself like you have done thousands of times before. Done.

Step Two: Qualify

Think about it…have you ever been on a date? While it may be a big awkward on the first date, it’s a ‘getting-to-know-you’ game. You are simply asking questions back and forth to find out if that person is worth your time, effort and money. If you are looking for an actual relationship this is absolutely essential in the other person being interested in a second date.

In network marketing, this is also known as building rapport. It’s your time to find out about and evaluate someone to see if they are a qualified candidate to become part of your organization. And this may be a shock to some of you, but NOT EVERYONE YOU APPROACH SHOULD DO NETWORK MARKETING! (See my QUALIFYING ACRONYM below)

Now I believe that every single person in this world should be on my company’s products because of what they have done for my family, my clients, and me. But that does not hold true with the business opportunity for everyone I approach.

And keep in mind that another name for network marketing is RELATIONSHIP MARKETING. Therefore, as a network marketer our primary function is to build relationships. And the best way to do that is to provide value for someone. To build trust. To show them that we genuinely care about their well being. To be there to listen to them. To want the best for them. To be a light. To respect their situation and support them in their dreams.

You certainly want to meet them where they are, NOT to force them to be where we want them to be. NOT to recruit them so you can make more money. NOT to simply win a contest and rank advance. NOT to set their intentions for them. NOT to waste their time. NOT to talk to someone just to use them.

This approach is like going to the bar to find a one-night stand with a girl who is interested in finding a serious boyfriend.

All of these will jeopardize your potential relationship with them…turn the prospect off…hurt your reputation…and potentially even cause you to quit approaching (see my 5 Secrets of the Wealthy). More importantly, think about the experience you just put them through with the wrong way of approaching! It’s no wonder they don’t want to join your organization!!

So here is a strategy you can use in an effort to simply and unassumingly qualify that prospect – ask them about the major things in their life. This way you will learn more about them and IF your opportunity/products may be able to help them. Use the acronym F.O.R.M. during the approach/inviting step to quality them. Ask them about their:

F amily

O ccupation

R ecreation

M oney/Financial situation

Let me give you an example for each of when it would be appropriate to invite them to a presentation about your opportunity. (Note: There are many other situations in which you may feel your prospect is qualified):

Family – If you find out your prospect is a single mom who is working at 40-hour job just to get by and her dream is to be able to stay at home with her child.

Occupation – They are working 2 jobs to be able to pay bills. Or they love what they do, let’s say a teacher, but they want a supplemental income for the summer break.

Recreation – They love to play golf but it’s too expensive to play every weekend or they don’t have the time because their job

Money – You find out they make good money but they want to start investing in stocks. Or they make enough to pay their bills but not enough to go on the week vacation to Hawaii they so desperately want

During the approach, your goal is to find out your prospect’s WANT, NEED or DON’T WANT. This is considered their HOT BUTTON. And this is ultimately what will drive them to enroll with your organization. Again, let me give you an example for each of these:

WANT – Your prospect wants to make an extra $500 a month to get the new car they love

NEED – Your prospect needs a second stream of income because their husband just lost his job

DON’T WANT – They don’t want to wake up at 5:30 AM, drive 2 hours to work, get home after the family has already had dinner, and only get to see their kids for an hour before they go to bed

When you have found out their WANT, NEED, or DON’T WANT, you have the ability to offer them a solution with your opportunity. And how are you going to do that the RIGHT WAY? By simply asking this powerful question…

“If I could show you a way that you could _________________________, would you consider taking a look at it with me?” Simply fill in the blank with their WANT, NEED, or DON’T WANT.

By following this proven formula you will not only begin to have more success in network marketing, but you will be providing your prospects a fair chance to consider the opportunity. It becomes a win-win and that’s what network marketing is all about.

Now for my final thought. Over the years I have built a passive income with my network marketing business. And chances are I have been told NO more than you, I have given more presentations than you, I have spent more time and money on personal development than you, and I have devoted myself to becoming a master at the Approach. Over the years, I have created what I use as my QUALIFICATION ACRONYM. This is who I am looking for to join my organization:

W ant wealth

I nfluential

N aturally charismatic

N oble with integrity

E nergetic

R eady for the opportunity

S uccess oriented

Do you know any WINNERS? Are you a WINNER?

Lane Ethridge  9/23/2011

The goal of my Usana presentations is to help a prospect get from where they are to where they want to be. And inevitably there will be “objections” that I will need to handle in order for a prospect to enroll as an associate with my team. Most prospects who are considering joining a network marketing business are looking for a way to create financial independence.

Let’s do a brief training on the steps to overcoming any objection. Here are a few key principles to answering any objection, specifically the objections about network marketing.

1)      Your response should be to acknowledge your prospect for asking the question and clarify what they are addressing. Simply repeat what they are addressing and ask them a question back.

2)      Never disagree with your prospect; simply repeat, approve and overcome with valid information

3)      Facts tell and stories sell. They don’t care about the facts, they want to hear testimonies about people like them who have been successful

4)      Be sincere, genuine and come from a place of helping them. It’s not about you, it’s about your prospect!

So let’s look at the 5 common objections (the 5 Olympic rings) a prospect has when considering network marketing.

The first ring: Is this Network Marketing

I LOVE when someone is concerned about whether or not Usana is in the network marketing industry. Why? Because this gives me the opportunity to educate someone about something that they typically know nothing about. And I want to re-emphasize this point. When you are asked a question like, “Is this network marketing?” you should be excited to answer this question for your prospect.

So using our knowledge of how to handle an objection a simple response could be, “What is your understanding of network marketing?” “Or do you have an experience with network marketing?”

Some of your prospects may have legitimately had a bad experience with network marketing. And typically they fall into one of 3 categories: 1) They got started with a company that wasn’t a quality, established, and publicly traded company, 2) They didn’t have the support from their sponsor to help them have the success they deserved or 3) They quit and are blaming their failure on the industry.

Once you understand your prospects experience or their preconceived notions are about the subject, then you are free to educate them about the truth.

Their objection about network marketing simply comes from their experience (or lack thereof). Once you educate them about the benefits of network marketing they will understand the power of getting started right away.

Most of the time your prospect believes that “the person at the top makes all the money.” Network marketing is actually the only industry in the world I know of that this is not the case. Seriously!! Does your pastor at your church make the most money? Of course! Does the CEO of your company make the most money? Of course! Does the head of every military branch make the most money? Of course!

I have found that analogies are a great way to get the prospect to understand their objection better. So here we go…

First analogy: Real estate

What is the difference between a real estate broker and his or her agents? Absolutely nothing. The broker’s focus is to go out and bring on more agents under his/her brokerage. Why? Because he is paid a commission based on the sale of a house that the agent has done all the work to sell. The more agents, the most houses sold under his brokerage, the more money the broker makes!! It’s called leverage and it’s a key principle that every person who wants financial independence needs to understand and implement into their life.

Second analogy: Personal trainers

A gym wants to recruit and train more personal trainers. Why? Because that personal trainer is going to build a client base because they get paid on how many clients they have paying them for the personal training service. So why does that gym want to recruit more personal trainers? Because they take a percentage of that trainers money for allowing them to use their facility.

Within the network marketing objection there is also the misconception about a “Pyramid Scheme.” Before I can address how to help overcome this objection, let me define a “Pyramid Scheme” for you.

A pyramid scheme is when there is a transfer of money without any product being bought or sold.

Therefore, if you are with a company that has top-of-the-line products and the company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ticket symbol USNA, then how can one legitimately make the claim that Usana is a pyramid scheme. You can’t. Plain and simple.

Do your research and align yourself with the best. The number one network marketing company is Usana Health Sciences. They have independently been rated my MLM insider as the number one network marketing company for the past 9 years. They continually are ranked independently as the number one nutritional. They have the highest payout percentage of any network marketing company. They have the most fair, lucrative and simple to understand compensation plan. Oh yeah, and they have won best of state year after year and in The Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements – an independent, third-party publication – Usana’s flagship product, the Essentials, have been rated the number one nutritional supplement for the past 11 years. And last, my team is one of the fastest growing, International teams within Usana because of the key leadership within our organization. Can you so “no brainer?”

The second ring: I’m not a salesperson

Yes you are. If you have ever been on  date, you sold that person as to why they should go out with you. If you haven’t been on a date, they have sold you as to why they didn’t want to go out with you.

If you have kids and have gotten them to do their homework, you sold them on why they need to. If they didn’t do their homework, they sold you on why they didn’t need to.

If you have  a job, you sold your boss on why they should employ you. If you have been fired, they have sold you on why they don’t need you any longer.

If you’re reading this, I am either selling you that network marketing is the best industry for the average person to retire wealthy. Or you are selling yourself on not taking on this amazing opportunity to create financial freedom through true health and true wealth.

Are you going to keep being sold the American dream that is failing so many people? Or are you going to sell yourself on why NOW is the key time to take back control of your dreams?

The third ring: I don’t have time or I don’t have money

If you get this objection, simply ask your prospect, “Well what are you going to do to create more time in your life?” Or “What are you going to do to not live paycheck to paycheck the rest of your life?”

There is never a perfect time to get started with anything. So start now because the sooner you start the sooner you are building an asset that will afford you to live your dreams.

And as far as the cost of starting a home-based business. Where else can you start a business for $200-$1200 that has the potential of paying you millions of dollars, RESIDUALLY, for $200-$1200?? The only thing you have to lose is that initial investment but remember you are ordering the number one nutritional that will improve your health. So are you willing to invest in your health with the opportunity to retire in 2-5 years?? If not, stop reading and go back to your job. If so, keep reading!

The fourth ring: It takes too much work

What sounds like too much work to me is working 40 years of your life, driving hours to a job you despise, sitting in a cubicle next to someone you hate, working to make someone else’s (your boss) dreams come true all just to not have enough money when you are ready to retire.

Wouldn’t you agree that’s A LOT of work??

So would you rather work 40 hours a week for someone else to make just enough money to scrape by? Or would you rather work 5 hours a week part time for a few years to build a fortune that will become an asset for you and your children?

The choice is YOURS! Work smarter, not harder.

The fifth ring: Can I do this?

Millions of people have created success in network marketing. Millions of people have also started a network marketing business and never made a single dollar.

But isn’t that true in any business? The fact is, 64 million people are involved in network marketing and 500,000 people join a network marketing business every day around the world!!

And network marketing is comprised of people from all walks of life. So it doesn’t matter your background. We don’t care if you are male or female, black or white, rich or poor, have business experience or not. All we care about is how many people you want to help and how much money you want to make….

So what are the chances you will be successful in network marketing?? Honestly, that’s 100% up to you. However, let me go over the key areas you want to consider when choosing the right network marketing company:

1)      Q: Is the network marketing company in the right industry?

A: Usana is in the health and wellness industry, which is quickly approaching $1 trillion

2)      Q: Is the network marketing company older than 15 years?

A: Usana was founded in 1992

3)      Q: Has the network marketing company had more than 5 years of consecutive growth?

A: Usana has been publicly traded on the NYSE and has had 7 years of consecutive growth!

4)      Q: Does the network marketing company have a binary compensation plan?

A: YES! You want to find a Compensation Plan that focuses on depth, not width. That creates teamwork and better leverage.

5)      Q: Does the network marketing company have positive 3^rd party accolades?

A: Best nutritional supplement – The Comparative Guide for Nutritional Supplements

A: Best energy drink -

A: Best Skin Health products -

A: Best network marketing company – MLM Insider

A: Best Compensation Plan – MLM Insider

A: Highest Payout Percentage – MLM Insider

A: Best CEO under 40 – Forbes

A: One of the best Companies to work for – Outdoor Magazine

The other key component when determining your potential success is to consider what support you will have within your team. The ultimate reason I joined Usana is the TEAMWORK aspect. I had more people who believed in me, wanted me to succeed, and supported me in reaching my goals that I couldn’t fail.

Are you familiar MICHAEL PHELPS and how he won 8 Olympic Gold Medals in the Beijing games. His best single performance was in the Men’s Relay! Why? Because he wanted to do his best for his teammates. The same is true in Usana. We help each other by being our best. And our team is there to support us in our efforts!

So are you ready to get off the sidelines and actually be part of the games? This is your life, your time, and your future. There is a world of excitement and adventure waiting for you. Don’t you owe it to yourself and your family to live the ultimate lifestyle? Are you going to let life determine what you do or are you going to determine what you do in life??

When you fully understand the power of network marketing and believe in your heart that you can create financial freedom through this opportunity…and you get all 5 of these rings together you have one of the most powerful groups of people on the planet – so are you ready to get to the GOLD??

There was a point in my life where I felt like I was stuck in a financial maze. I was trying to find my way out but everywhere I turned was another wall that prevented me from getting to the end. And the harder I tried the deeper in the maze I found myself.

What I learned was to follow the secrets of the wealthy. Essentially, what I did was learn how to look at the maze from a bird’s eye view and see exactly what path I should follow so I could easily make my way from the beginning to the end. Basically, I took that walls out of the equation and I want to show you the top 5 things that I learned about creating financial independence.

And I have found an opportunity that has all 5 “Secrets of the Wealthy!” So prepare to be a‘MAZE’ d at how you can have the same success as the millionaires:

1)      LEVERAGE your TIME

Do you ever wonder how some people can afford to spend time with their families or on the golf course while you are stuck in a cubicle? I mean, we all have 24 hours in a day, right? Secrets of the Wealthy They have learned how to benefit from the time of others to help them create wealth. Think about it. Right now you are working for a boss who has 24 hours. But he or she is making money off you because he has leveraged himself within the company. Wouldn’t you rather be making money off him or her?? That’s what I thought. Well NOW is the time to do what the millionaires do…get paid the smarter way!

2)      EARN WHILE YOU LEARN

You are not going to be good at something the first time you do it. But when you have a coach showing you how to succeed and, more importantly, what not to do, it will make building a business a lot easier. Plus, with the support of a team that will encourage you to do your best you have everything you need to reach your goals. Additionally, with world-class training, you are set up to make money while you learn how to do this business. It’s as simple as that – get paid to be a student!!

3)      GET PAID MULTIPLE TIMES AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN

When was the last time you got paid for something you did 5 years ago? With Usana, you will earn money for years and years for helping someone today. So why not help yourself create financial freedom by making money for the rest of your life!

You are already working hard at your job. But if you get fired today…will you still make money from the company? I didn’t think so. With Usana, you will get paid for the rest of your life and you CAN’T get fired!! How does that sound?

4)      CREATE MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME

And if what if you got fired? What would you do? Have you set yourself up to be able to make money outside your job? The secret to becoming financially secure is to have money coming to you from various sources.

You may be absolutely passionate about your job. If so, that’s great! But what if the company shuts down? What if you get sick and can’t work for a few months? What if your boss leaves the company and another boss comes in and replaces you?

When you have another ‘stream’ of income paying you on the side, you can rest easy. The goal is to have at least 2 ‘streams’ of income. So the key is to find an opportunity such as a home-based business that can pay you in addition to what you are already doing. What are you waiting for?

5)      Be ‘TRENDY’

Now typically I educate people about looking at what 90% of people are doing and do the opposite!! Why, because the ‘smart’ 10% own 90% of the wealth in the world.

What I am talking about here is following what you know is the easiest path to the end of the “maze.” We know with absolute certainty that the health and wellness industry is the fastest-growing and most lucrative industry in the world. With 75 million baby boomers, imagine if you earned $1 from each. Can you say chaching!!??

And not only that, but younger generations are more interested in health. The health and wellness industry is quickly reaching $1 trillion. It’s time you reap the benefits!!

Well that’s all going to change TODAY…if you are ready!

We were designed to enjoy life to its fullest. In order to be completely balanced we have to be both healthy and wealthy. Now, by wealthy I don’t simply mean money. But let’s be honest, when you have more money life is better.

So why are so many people settling for mediocre lives?

Part of it is because we were never educated about the key principles to create wealth. As a 7^th and 8^th grade teacher for 3 years, I actually learned more than I taught; I was a student as much as I was the teacher. What I truly learned is that we are not teaching the key principles in life that help us create the lives we truly desire. In school we learn to be like 90% of people out there who struggle, living paycheck to paycheck, and wasting away their health stressed out just to get by.

Is that the life you want…

Or would you rather be in the best shape of your life both physically and financially?

My life all changed when I was introduced to Usana Health Sciences. Usana has afforded me the ability to live the life I have created rather than a life that some boss created for me. With time freedom to spend doing what I love and the money to afford the things I enjoy, life is a lot more fun. And recently I just found out that my metabolic age is actually 7 years less than my biological age!! That means I will have the health to enjoy my fortune even longer.

My passion of teaching still burns deeply, but now I have the luxury of teaching principles that are helping people improve their lives through true health and true wealth. Come be a part of the USANA University of Health and Wealth! Are you ready to learn how to create your perfect life??