Why e-Commerce Needs Network Marketing Now

With the technological advances and innovative methods of communication that we have today

With the technological advances and innovative methods of communication that we have today, you may think that network marketing could be a thing of the past ? and if that is what you think, you are wrong. Smart network marketers use the Internet along with their other tools for promoting their businesses or products. They may have web pages on the Internet with links to their products and to their business opportunities. They may sell products as well as recruit business builders through the Internet. They may train new distributors with webinars and conference calls and communicate with them via e-mail.

The Internet is available at any hour of the day and enables a networker to recruit team members from many different countries and sell products all over the world. However, a computer cannot hear the tone of voice of a customer or team member or read between the lines of an e-mail. Nobody would get emotionally involved with a computer, develop a relationship with it or care to be loyal to it. The Internet does not generate repeat business from loyal customers. Many people use the Internet to find the lowest prices for products, but the cheapest products might not have the most value.

Referrals and word of mouth are some of the most valuable tools for building a profitable business, and network marketing has been using those tools for decades. Network marketing leaders develop relationships with their customers and with their downline. They can show people that they care about them and are willing to help them meet their goals. They can teach their distributors how to be successful by their own examples. When people learn to have faith in their leaders, trust them and feel that their leaders really care about them, they will be loyal to them and their business.

Networking is a business of people working together as a team, sharing common goals and dreams, helping and inspiring each other. The more impersonal new technology we get, the more we need to balance it with the human touch ? with real live people.

Network marketing needs e-commerce, but e-commerce needs network marketing too. Nothing beats the personal contact you get with the tried and true network marketing system. People want to talk to real people ? they don''t want to talk to impersonal machines. If you have ever tried to contact someone at a large company and endured selecting from a menu to direct your call, been asked to enter account numbers, been placed on hold, been asked to enter various forms of identification, and were never allowed to talk to a live person, you know how frustrating that can be.

Only caring dedicated leaders can truly inspire and motivate their distributors, recognize and praise them for their accomplishments, celebrate their victories and give them the personal attention that they need. The human touch can never be replaced by any amount of technological advancements or automation. Uniting highly technical e-commerce with personal network marketing creates the perfect winning combination for success.

Robert Butwin is a natural coach and author of the book Street Smart Networking, first published in 1994 to share his success secrets with others.