"To grow a large organization in network marketing, you must have a strong Internet presence." Myth or true? There have been three types of distributors when it comes to the Internet, the "guru's", the "newbies" and the "ostriches".

In the past, as the Internet grew in popularity, there is no question that those who were talented profited from marketing on the Internet. Born were "Internet Guru's", those that had that talent understood the capabilities of reaching millions of people at pennies of a cost. They saw their volume bolster, customers pouring in, but their success wasn't necessarily measured in organizational volume, but rather hits and visits on their webpages. They became instantly popular within their own company as others clamored to find out what they knew, their secrets to their Internet success. Superstars were born overnight.

Newbies are those distributors that knew a little about the Internet, knew a little about marketing and knew a little about this industry. They jumped on the bandwagon and started devoting their time and energy to Internet marketing and they failed, some miserably. Desperate distributors began paying hundreds and thousands of dollars to "experts" of web marketing only to find themselves in a pool of countless others trying to do the same and competition became fierce. Frustration took over where confidence once was home. Those that did manage to market feebly on the Internet, learned how harsh the cyber world was, words like "spam" no longer was meat in a can, and "flaming" was no longer just about Banana's Foster.

The Ostriches are the distributors that tried to stick their head in the sand. Those rebellious distributors refused to believe the Internet was here to stay, didn't go near it, and laughed at anyone who thought they could make a nickel from it. They believed it was just a phase, there was no place for the Internet in their business, and condemned anyone in their group from using it. Ever try to tell someone that they couldn't do something?

What later became a realization is that the Internet should not be used as a sole means to marketing your business, gathering leads, and prospecting, but rather in conjunction with offline techniques. Whether you are a Guru who remains faceless behind websites and posts, or a Newbie that is frustrated with lack of results, or even those Ostriches who hesitate to logon and would rather get sand in their ears, each group must realize how they have short changed their own business and themselves. After coming to terms with this realization, next work on the solution. If you recognize your strengths, you can work on your weaknesses. Master those and you will be a powerful network marketer. If you go to any top leader and ask them what they do to grow a business, it will be a balanced combination of offline and online marketing. If you are unbalanced, either only doing offline or only doing online, you are missing out on so much potential growth. If you are a Guru, you already know you can build your business online. Now challenge yourself to pick up your phone and call prospects, do a three-way, build rapport with a voice, not an email. If you are a Newbie, you are more likely to understand you need to be balanced, you started there. Just go back to what you know works. Don't abandon offline or online, just work both in balance. For Ostriches, start by seeing what others are out there doing in your company. Go to www.google.com, or www.yahoo.com or even www.msn.com and type in your Company's name. See what pops up. Go explore. Get comfortable.

Those that enjoy solid success in Network Marketing will be masters at offline and online marketing. The bottom line is in order to take your business to the next level, become teachable to learn new techniques. Caution however against going unbalanced yet again. Remain humble. If you are a Guru, then seek the advice and help of some Ostriches in your group. Help each other. That is the beauty of our business. When you work as a team, together you can accomplish more.

© TeamValco 2005

About the author:

Donna Valdes has been in the industry of Network Marketing for over 10 years, becoming a top Mentor and Coach. Her seminars were attended by thousands who sought help in building their business successfully using the Internet and various online techniques. She has written many articles about Network Marketing, and today devotes her energy to building Waiora International. She is a mother of two children, and works from her home in Largo, Florida