Network Marketing Guide: How To Build A Thriving MLM Business With ClickFunnels

What is network marketing? Why is it powerful? And how can you use it to build a successful and thriving business? Find out in this article!

What if there was a business model where you didn’t need to create your own product…

…where you could sell someone else’s products…

…and where you could make a killing every single month by doing so? 

Well, that’s what networking marketing allows you to do. 

And the best part is… anyone can do it. 

All you need is the knowledge within this article and a bit of determination. 

But before we get ahead of ourselves, what is network marketing?

What is Network Marketing?

Network marketing is a business model that typically requires you to network in order to make sales. 

Avon, for example, is a global multi-level marketing company (MLM) that offers network marketing opportunities to individuals who sign up. People who sign up for Avon’s network marketing program can then sell Avon products to their friends (hence “network”) and receive a commission. 

It’s similar to affiliate marketing with one critical difference: you do the selling with an MLM, you don’t just drive traffic to an affiliate link.

That’s why it’s most common for people to sell to their friends and colleagues first — those people are often the lowest-hanging fruit.

But your network marketing growth doesn’t need to stop there. 

In fact, the people who succeed in network marketing don’t stop there — they create an online store, build sales funnels, and craft a fully-fledged business. 

But before we dive into how you can build a successful MLM business… let’s deal with the elephant in the room. 

Are MLMs a scam?

The Elephant in the Room: Are MLMs a Scam?

There’s a common misconception that Multi-Level Marketing companies like Avon, Beachbody, Pampered Chef, and Monat are just… well… a pyramid scheme. 

There’s usually an element of MLMs where, if you sign other people up as sellers, you get some sort of benefit or credit from their sales. 

This can make it feel a bit cyclical… as though it’s some sort of scam. 

But that’s not true. 

A pyramid scheme is illegal and typically asks for investment and recruitment without there ever actually being a real product (hence “scheme”). 

MLMs and network marketing companies, on the other hand, are legitimate entities that encourage individuals to sell their products for a commission. And while many people who pursue network marketing never end up selling to more than a few friends, the business model is solid and even sustainable (even if you know how to do it).

Still, not all network marketing companies are equal. 

Some are very restrictive and don’t allow you to run paid ads or sell their products online. 

Others offer a pittance of a commission. 

But others are great for building a sustainable income. 

In fact, here are 3 things to look for when selecting a network marketing company and product. 

3 Things to Look for in an MLM

Not all MLMs are created equal. 

Here are 3 non-negotiable things you should look for when selecting a network marketing company to work with. 

1. Ability to Sell Online

If an MLM prohibits you from selling products online, then your business’s growth is going to be seriously limited — primarily to your friends and family.

It’s not impossible to grow a local MLM, but it’s much harder than it needs to be. 

So before signing up, check the restrictions. Are you allowed to sell products online? Are you allowed to run advertisements and drive traffic in other ways?

Those questions alone will largely determine how successful your network marketing business turns out to be. 

2. Ability to Have Your Own Online StoreFront

If an MLM allows you to sell its products online, then the next question is… can you create your own store?

Why is this important? 

Because it allows you to control the experience of your customers and it allows you to build your own business without being too closely tied to the MLM. 

This means that you can grow however you want to grow, you can use sales funnels, and you can build it like a legitimate business rather than just throwing “parties” on the weekends. 

Many MLMs now allow you to create a sales front on their own platform. 

3. High Commission

And last but not least, how much commission do you get for each sale? 

This is the crux of a good network marketing business. You need to be able to afford Facebook ads and other types of advertisements and still make a profit when someone buys. 

Obviously, the higher the commission, the better.

At ClickFunnels, for example, we offer up to 40% commission to affiliates who sell our service.

How to Build a Network Marketing Business With ClickFunnels

You can use ClickFunnels to build a crazy successful network marketing business. 

Just check out the case study video below to learn how Mindy and Mandy — identical twins — used ClickFunnels to grow their MLM businesses to new levels.

Here are the steps so that you can do the same thing. 

1. Choose Your Product

The first step is to choose what products you’re going to sell and what network marketing company you’re going to work with. 

I recommend not just choosing the first one that comes to mind, but doing some research to determine if you can sell the products online, how much commission you make, and to find any other restrictions that might limit your success. 

Here are some of the best MLMs to check out in 2020…

• Monat — Hair and skincare products that you can sell online in your own ecommerce-style store with about 30% commission.
• LuLaRoe — Clothing you can sell online or offline at about 35%-60% commission.
• Shaklee — Health and beauty products that you can sell in your own online store at 4% to 20% commission.
• Scentsy — Fragrance products that you can sell online or offline at 20% commission.
• Young Living — Essential oils that you can sell online or offline at 25% commission.

2. Determine Your Target Market

The next step is to determine who your target market is. 

Because even though you’re selling someone else’s products… you’re only going to be successful if you know who you’re selling to. 

You’ve got to understand your target market — who are they? What do they want? What do they fear? What are they excited about? How can you help them? 

The better that you understand them, the easier it’ll be to sell to them. 

Here’s an example…

Natalie Hodson sells a course that helps women recover from pelvic floor dysfunction after having a baby.

This video ad on Facebook showed Natalie peeing herself on accident during a workout, which seems crazy. But it’s actually a great hook because she knows her audience. 

Natalie further hooks her target market when they arrive on her landing page, where she talks about the challenges of pelvic floor dysfunction after pregnancy…

Now that her prospect is hooked, it’s time to tell a compelling story. This is where Natalie shows her target market that she understands them and that she can relate to the difficult things they’re going through. 

This story is primarily told through the video on the landing page. 

Finally, it’s time to offer the solution. This is where Natalie asks the prospect to purchase her product (but this can also be an email opt-in).

And because she’s proven that she understands her target market, people buy.

Once you understand who you’re selling to, it’s time to craft your sales funnel.

3. Create Your Sales Funnel

In order to sell your network marketing products consistently, you’re going to need a little something that we call a sales funnel…

But don’t get overwhelmed — a sales funnel is simply a series of pages that are crafted to guide each visitor to the exact action you want them to take… whether that’s signing up for your email list or buying a product.

And they convert way higher than websites. 

There are different sales funnels for different things. There’s the tripwire funnel for selling products…

…the webinar funnel for hosting an online event… 

…and the squeeze page funnel for generating leads (plus lots more)…

Basically, sales funnels are a strategic and proven method for growing your online business. 

But since you’re working with an MLM, you’ll be a bit limited in how you can use sales funnels. 

So here are a few ideas…

• Grow Your Email List — Every online business needs an email list. And generally speaking, the larger that email list, the more successful the business becomes. That’s because your email list represents traffic that you own, it’s full of people you can contact and sell to over and over again without having to pay. Our squeeze page funnel is designed to grow your email list (get your free squeeze page funnel over here).
• Sell Products — Whether you can use sales funnels to sell your products or not will be determined by which MLM you’ve chosen to work with. And you might have to get a little creative with how you structure your sales funnel (the first few pages can be hosted by ClickFunnels, but then you’ll probably need to send them to the MLM for point-of-sale). Our tripwire funnel is designed to help you sell products (get your free tripwire funnel over here).
• Host An Event — Hosting a webinar or other online event is a great way to generate leads and sell products. You can get your free webinar funnel over here and you can get our proven webinar script over here.

Oh — and don’t forget to talk right to your target market with the sales copy of your sales funnel. 

Show them that you understand what they’re going through, that you’ve been there before, and that the products you’re selling really can help them make a change. 

Tip: Your first priority should be having a sales funnel that’s meant to generate leads. Most of your selling is going to happen through email follow-up. If you’re able to craft a sales funnel for selling products as well, then that should be your second priority.

4. Pay for Advertisements

Most people who start a network marketing business sell to their friends and family… and then sort of run out of people to sell to. 

They might post on social media a few times and try to sell more… but still, they quickly run out of potential customers. 

But here’s the thing: paid advertising allows you to consistently generate leads and make sales without relying on your immediate connections. 

Some of the best platforms for running advertisements to your MLM products are…

• Facebook Ads — You can run Facebook Ads to your sales funnel to generate leads or even make sales. Make sure to check restrictions to see if your chosen MLM allows this.
• Banner Ads — You can pay for banner ads on various websites in your niche. Just make sure your MLM doesn’t have a problem with this.
• Influencer Mentions — Probably the best way to get traffic to your network marketing business is to find influencers within your niche and pay them to mention your products.

As you start running advertisements, make sure that you’re doing so at a profit. You should still be making good money even after your ad-spend. 

If you’re not, then consider signing up for an MLM that gives better commission or trying to optimize your ads and decrease overhead. 

Start Your Network Marketing Business Today!

One of the best parts about having a network marketing business is that the entry threshold is very low. 

Typically, you just need a little bit of money and some determination to get started. 

So follow the steps from above — choose your product, determine your target market, create your sales funnel, pay for advertisements, and build an email list — and you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful network marketing business. 

But enough from us…

What tips would you add?