With respect to Network Marketing, the terms “old school” and “new school” are flying around the Internet these days like rubbery hamburger patties in an elementary school cafeteria food fight.
Which brings up the question:
Are “old school” Network Marketers extinct?
Have they, in fact, gone the way of the T Rexes and Mastodons?
What I mean by an “old school” Network Marketer is this: someone who builds only one company, does not sell affiliate or information products, and earns his or her living strictly from the income generated by the one Network Marketing or Direct Sales organization he or she builds.
With the way trends are going these days, it seems to me that the “old school” Network Marketer has virtually disappeared, not to mention been hung out to roost by “new school” Network Marketers who can preach only the gospel of Attraction Marketing techniques (which I have nothing against and believe works well for this business model).
Now this conclusion of mine could stem from the fact that I spend a good deal of my time online, and thus am seeing and interacting with Network Marketers who have migrated into using “new school” techniques. I myself represent affiliate products on my blog and am not at all ashamed of it.
The game has indeed changed, and many of the improvements to building a large Network Marketing organization have indeed brought greater prosperity to more people who understand the rules and apply them accordingly.
Still…I am curious if there are some pure-bred old school Network Marketers out there and if they are able to build big organizations without the use of some new school strategies, such as Social Media communities like Facebook and personal blogs…
What do you think? Do you know any old school Network Marketers who have not embraced new school tactics? Do you believe it is still possible to build a solid, profitable Network Marketing organization without using any new school methods?
I really want to know what you think! Please share your comments and share this post with friends to get their thoughts too!
Here’s to Building Great Businesses, No Matter How You Do It! 
17. July 2010 at 1:52 am
Hey Mary Lou,
Great post, and something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. It seems to me that what we’re seeing online today shouldn’t be described as network marketing, it should be described as internet marketing that pays lip service to MLM. Amongst all the affiliate programs, generic lead systems, info products and other ‘trinkets’ most online MLMers get distracted by, one question still hasn’t been answered in any definitive way:
What about duplication?
So now, instead of building a strong downline in a reputable company that could pay you for decades, we have company jumping, ‘funded proposals’ and all manner of extraneous stuff to compensate for the fact that on the internet…. duplication and retention have yet to be solved.
Plus, a handful of savvy marketers are getting rich selling this crap to the rest of us. Just like Amway in the 70s and 80s.
Thanks,
Nathan Z
Mary Lou Reply:
July 17th, 2010 at 3:31 am
Hi Nathan, Thank you for your reply. You bring up a lot of the other pink elephants in the room of what’s happening online. Duplication is the cornerstone of building a profitable Network Marketing business, and I’m not sure we can say with 100% confidence that what is happening online is duplicatable. It’s the “books, tapes, and seminars” syndrome, only wearing different clothing to the party. Only time will tell if any of this plays out for long term prosperity and success for the majority, not just the minority.
17. July 2010 at 2:13 pm
I must admit that I wonder what about the old school marketers. As far as sticking with one company, I know that I have had sponsors who used the old school marketing tactics, but they were doing it with multiple companies. I know that I have changed companies because I realized that the business model didn’t work for me. It wasn’t necessarily something wrong with the company (some changes were, though), but it just wasn’t for me. Still, some of the “old school” marketers who focus on one company seem to have a high enough turnover that, as much success as they have had in getting people in their business month in and month out, it seems like they still have trouble getting any increases in pay, so I wonder to what extent most people truly duplicate online or offline, even the ones who claim to have done it.
Mary Lou Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Hi Steve, I think many people are wondering about “old school” network marketers. It seems to me that as a community of professional network marketers, we are currently sorting through all the changes the Internet has brought into our daily lives and methods of operation. Duplication is the big question, indeed. It will be interesting to see what survives once all the “dust” clears from this massive transformation.
19. July 2010 at 2:29 am
I have a few friends that are still doing it the old way and they are really struggling unless they have huge downlines. Great Post
Mary Lou Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 3:20 am
Thanks for sharing your comments here, Keith! I wonder what specific elements of “old school” methods your friends are struggling with?
19. July 2010 at 4:41 am
Great post Mary Lou. It’s foolish to ignore the internet in our marketing. It’s equally foolish to think that the internet is our salvation. Too many people want to use the web as a shield from other people. They believe they can build their empires without ever meeting their subjects, their soldiers, and their generals. Network Marketing, I believe, will always be a relationship business. Relationships require a degree of intimacy to work.
Duplication will always elude those who do not have a system that works again and again. People don’t duplicate. Systems do.
Mary Lou Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Hi Louis, You are exactly right about what the foundation of Network Marketing is: Relationships. I see too many people online trying to rush others into making decisions about their futures in business that simply should not be made with one click of the mouse. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I look forward to future conversations with you!
20. July 2010 at 6:00 pm
Hey Mary Lou,
Wow you’ve opened up a great discussion here and I loved your balanced reply to Nathan above! Not sure about which part he is saying is not duplicatable!
Here are my thoughts… When I first came online with Network Marketing, I saw a huge amount of people promoting affiliate products which to me seemed like a distraction from their main MLM. My only focus was Network Marketing so I couldn’t understand why people were letting themselves be so distracted. Then one day it dawned on me, that it didn’t matter if you were online or offline as you needed money to support your marketing efforts. I can remember starting out and spending $1,000.00 on an ad and I didn’t have any other marketing income to support the ad.
So you are talking to the converted! Although I once viewed affiliate marketing as a distraction from building your opportunity, I now see it as a ‘must include’ strategy to keep marketing your Network Marketing company.
Michaelé
Mary Lou Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Hi Michaele, I am also a convert, but loyal to some tried and true “old school” methods that seem to be getting overshadowed or unfairly “bashed” by this huge wave of online systems. The bottom line is exactly what you say here: somehow, someway, entrepreneurs need a funding source to build their businesses. Network Marketing is no different an endeavor fundamentally as any other small business person wanting to build a profitable business. We all need cash flow…affiliate products are one great source of cash flow for the starving entrepreneur until she gets her own business rocking and rolling. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!