Support System

Support System is a term in Network Marketing to provide supporting tools and education for distributors in establishing their business network. Since network marketing membership is open for everyone (with restriction in age, must be over 17 years old), support system carries very difficult task to allow everyone from different backgrounds to form well established network with strong foundation, both in quality and quantity.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich dad series, state on his book The Business School:

The most important thing in network marketing is not product knowledge nor selling technique, but how to improve the quality of leaders within whose dream to achieve.

There are five main functions of a working support system: as a paradigm change, as a movement agent, as education provider, as a team player facilitator, and as supplier of business support tools.

The Task of Changing Paradigm

The basic way of thinking in a network marketing business is forming an asset. In this paradigm, people get their income not by bartering time with immediate income, but by building productive asset that in turn generate passive income, as long as the asset continuously growing. This concept of asset introduces new opportunities to become financially successful without less time investment.

Support System as Movement Agent

People move (make action to change their course of life) according to their needs. Once they find their needs, they need to be encouraged to take initial action and keep enthusiastic to maintain consecutive actions. In network marketing, this task is instituted in the formulation of 'dream', an ultimate objective of life that usually includes deep emotional desire. To achieve such dream people should have willingness to put extraordinary efforts, sacrifice their spare time, and humbleness to learn many new things required to advance their self qualities.

Education in Support System

The most important skills in network marketing is resource management and people skill.With resource management, people learn awareness about their financial condition and make wise planning on spending their money (in general, how to wisely put their money on assets rather on liabilities). They should also learn about managing their time, to use time efficiently and effectively.

With proper people skill, based on values in leadership character, people learn how to communicate and interact with others, to work in a team player, become teachable (willing and able to learn from others as well as teaching many things to others).Support system should provide tools and trainings to improve these two basic skills. Further, support system should capable to enhance the quality of leadership since network marketing is leadership based business.

Facilitating a Good Team Player

Due to the nature of network marketing compensation plan, there are many line of sponsorship that separate several groups with their own intention and working methods. Support system provide basic foundation to form a cooperative relationship between these groups and their leaders based on win-win establishment. A common practice in support system is exchange of speakers in seminars, cooperation in establishing meeting, etc.

Supplying Business Tools

Business Tools in network marketing divided into three categories: a sales support kits (that should be provided by the company itself, not by support system), network building tools (such simpler presentation plan, contact tape, motivational tapes, follow-up kits, open plan seminars, business building seminars, etc.), and learning tools (learning audio materials, leadership trainings, public speaking trainings, etc.)

List of Well-known Support System

* Network 21
* United core vision

See Also

* Multi-level marketing