There's an old proverb that makes quite a bit of sense when applied to network marketing: “Dig your wells before you need water.” That's right: before you need someone to sell a product for you or to recruit for you, have that person there, ready, and willing to do it. If you approach that person for the very first time with a pitch, chances are that he or she will reject your offer on the spot.
So how do you go about digging these wells? You start by surrounding yourself with the right people. That's right: start making friends.There are a number of places where you can find friends in your field who can potentially be business partners in the future. Perhaps the best place to look for them is on Internet Marketing and Network Marketing forums. The more popular of these forums are, the better. The Warrior Forum, for instance, has over 30,000 members and boasts the membership of many industry leaders.
Starting at a place like the Warrior Forum is a great way to surround yourself with people who could potentially help you in the future; however, it is important to understand that you have to be careful when you do this. If you take the wrong approach, you could end up wasting your time and preventing partnerships.
One of the best ways in which you can approach this is to make sure to be helpful whenever you post on a forum. At the same time, try to be helpful in ways that specifically showcase your talent. For instance, if you happen to be an expert on network marketing—or at least very knowledgeable—then take the time to post thoughtful, comprehensive responses to network marketing questions on the forum.
After you've spent some time there, you will likely start to notice people who have common interests and positions. Make every effort you can to network with these people. When the time comes to launch a product, service or business opportunity, your network will already be set in place.