There have been many names for a simple concept that Mike Dillard best described as “Magnetic Sponsoring,” which was intended to expand MLM or network marketing businesses. Those words express the simple concept of attracting people to you instead of chasing them with your business or product. Many people have read about the funded proposal, the funnel system, and other practices, but it all boils down to one thing.

Marketers have known and practiced for many years the technology of making a product, opportunity, or person magnetic. In other words, they specialize in doing something irresistible. A person who can do that is valuable to anyone who has something to sell. Whether it is an ethical point or not depends on the company or the product. Obviously, the “snake oil sellers” of the past were not ultimately revered. History has left its mark on the traveling salesman.

On the other hand, Wall Street is living proof of how valued a good marketer is. Even the last president of the United States called in a marketing expert to take over his campaign. But suppose your company and product are excellent. How will you let the average person know? Marketing is the answer. And let’s take a look at what they have sold us which was a waste of time. Why do we buy it? Marketing is the answer. In order for us to come to a conclusion, let’s conclude that if you are having trouble selling your business or product, marketing is the answer.

Returning to the topic at hand, attraction marketing, we find that the “brand” comes into play and needs a brief explanation. In network marketing, the “brand” is when you are the company and the product. In other words, network marketers often suffer and fail when the company or product fails. You may have convinced family and close friends that this opportunity was the best deal they had ever heard of and they all came together just to watch the company collapse and burn. Or maybe the product wasn’t really that great or the company fell back on its payments. Whatever the failure, it wasn’t necessarily YOUR failure, but now it is. Why? Because you rated the company or product and not YOU.

This is important because it puts a twist on something very basic. The fact is, those people signed up because they like you, they trust you, they want to work with you. Most people know that a “company” is an ambiguous and ethereal entity. But hopefully he sticks around and is fun to work with. It will be an adventure. If you’re honest and stay in touch, give them something of value so they don’t feel ripped off, then you could end up with a group to be built.

So how does that relate to “attraction marketing” and its application to a home business? Most people will sell your product and your company. While that is good information, it is usually not the reason people buy and especially not the reason they buy from you. In fact, if you’re not promoting anything other than the product, you may be selling it, but they will likely find the company and sign up with someone else if you haven’t branded yourself.

Does this mean that you have to lie about your experience? Absolutely not. That would be a mistake, as it can be easily refuted. It means that you have to know how to look and sound like a professional and how to make friends. It means you have to be positive, stay in touch, don’t sell, care about people enough to ask how they’re doing. It means that you never sound desperate or need your money. If that’s what you feel, then handle that first before talking to someone.

It may take evolution and a leap of faith to back down and start offering help to people rather than waving your recent opportunity in front of them. But to the potential consumer or distributor, it’s as strange as the grocery store manager going door-to-door with his favorite foods and complaining about how great they are. What a waste of time when you have a whole neighborhood of people who definitely need to eat.

Imagine the same manager going door to door shaking hands, introducing himself, leaving a coupon book, asking them to let you know what they would like to see in their store, letting people know how much they would appreciate their business, and then without trying to sell them anything, wishing them a good day and moving on. Maybe you expect to see the manager when you go there and what a surprise if he stopped by to say hello and welcome you. Say hello, smile, the food is … well, the food and prices are not the lowest but not the highest either. The difference is the pleasant atmosphere and the friendliness. Now THAT is attraction marketing.

There are too many companies and opportunities to say “This is the best”, but people gravitate, and remain loyal, to the sponsor who got it. Now he will stay because “I like Joe” or because he made money immediately and respects his sponsor. If it was the company or the product, you will find the promiscuous behavior of most distributors. Another more attractive opportunity is destined to roll and take your dealer.

Marking yourself is a subject dominated by a few. There are many gurus who write on the subject. Who do you listen to? One tip is to choose one whose story matches yours. For example, are you shy, withdrawn, and unwilling to make phone calls? Then choose the guru who says that was his original situation. The book is sure to tell you how you got over it or how you avoided it.

Attraction marketing works if applied correctly. It is simple and logical. If everyone used it, we would no longer be bombarded with just the company and its latest ad. That is not likely to happen. But that’s good for you. If you really apply this, you will stand out from the crowd like a preacher in a lynch mob. However, knowing this is not the same as training in it. Choose your guru and start studying!