Rediscovering the basic principles of Network Marketing

I spent much of my working career in accountancy, retiring as Finance Director of a cutting edge IT company in 2004, before spending five years as an independent consultant here in North Wales.

During that time the industry saw many changes.

The tools that I used changed dramatically – but the basic principles didn’t. Having started my career using bulky handwritten ledgers, I moved on through the manual Kalamazoo system, to buying time on huge mainframe computers through a bureau, to “in-house” mainframe computer, to a network of PC’s, and finally to working from home here in North Wales using my laptop to connect over a VPN to the network back at the office in Liverpool.

The tools changed over the years – but those basic principles didn’t.

During nearly forty years in that industry I worked for many different companies. A mail order catalogue company, a vending machine supplier, an arms dealer, an international haulier, a double glazing company, a CCTV specialist company, a doorstep loan company, a wholesale cash and carry, a music store , a gents outfitters chain, and a number of companies in the I.T. industry.

Different companies. Different products or services. But those basic accountancy principles, and the principles of building a solid sustainable business didn’t change.

Back in 1992 I was introduced to the concept of Network Marketing when a “friend of a friend” showed me the Amway opportunity. Whilst I loved the concept, other things happening in my life meant that the time wasn’t right for me.

Two years later I met Jan, and we’ve been together ever since.

Back in the eighties Jan had built a number of very successful Network Marketing businesses, with companies like Herbalife, Jean Pierre Sands, Echoes L’Arome, French Connection and introduced the idea of combining Network Marketing with Party Plan, writing the training manual for JPS, which later became an industry standard. This experience proved invaluable when we began our first joint venture with another fragrance company Christian Monet in 1995.


Of course the industry has changed out of all recognition since then. Or has it ?

Twenty five years ago it was a people business. It still is. Personal Relationships are still the glue which binds people and teams together. The old maxim “People Buy People” first still holds good.

Twenty five years ago it was a communication business. It still is. What do we really get paid for ? Communicating. We share information with integrity and enthusiastically recommend our companies products and opportunity.

The basic principles of networking haven’t changed – but the tools most certainly have ….

Advances in I.T. have not only revolutionised how we build and run our businesses, but social media has changed the way we connect and communicate with our friends and family.

Back in the eighties Jan built her business using the telephone and snail mail. It was expensive !! There were no package deals with BT, and information packs had to be laboriously printed and mailed.

Today we can communicate and share information across the globe in seconds.

Do you remember the “three foot rule” ? If anyone got within three feet you were told to engage them in conversation, and pitch them with your business. Some were so enthusiastic that they quickly found people avoiding them like the plague :-) .

Now here’s the bad news – just as it is possible to communicate much more effectively these days , it’s also possible to irritate people much more efficiently !!

During 2013 I’m going to be combining those basic principles of networking with modern 21st Century tools like E Mail, Social Media, and the Internet. The vehicle I’ve chosen is our existing FM Cosmetics business, and this blog will be a log of our journey.

Of course these core principles will apply to any business, not just ours, so I’d love to link up with anyone making a similar journey to share ideas and experiences …

Next week I’ll be looking at “Attraction vs Attrition” …

Mitakuye Oyasin
Mike P