Why Network Marketing Business Fail In Nigeria

“Networking is the system of trying to meet and talk to other people who may be useful to you in your work, while marketing is the activity of presenting, advertising and selling a company’s products in the best possible way” from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary,  it can be deduced from the above definition that network marketing is all about getting other people to join you to sell other people’s products for a reward.

As simple as it sounds and looks, it is a very lucrative and rewarding venture to engage in provided the products is effective. It has been described as the business of the 21^st century. It enables you to make good fortune with little startup capital but with hard work as nothing good comes easy or often said in Latin “quid pro quo”.

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Network marketing companies have existed long ago and survived different economic situations especially in advanced countries but reverse is the case when they are brought into Nigeria. I do not want to mention names here because the list is endless and you may agree with me that hardly do you find one that is active for ten consecutive years; hence the purpose of this article is to identify some of the reasons why network marketing organizations do not last in Nigeria.

The major obstacle that bedevils network marketing is high level of ignorance of what network marketing business is all about.

People ‘s minds are so fixated that the only thing that comes to their mind when network marketing is mentioned is that the agent wants to use them to make money for himself  or that they are expected to hawk the products all around the town or city.

Unfortunately, this myopic view has deprived many the ample opportunities of making money from it while a microscopic few especially the pioneer members benefit largely from it.

The right perspective to network marketing should be when you identify an effective product introduce it to others and encourage them to do same and as long as the product serves its purpose, the cycle would continue and so your earnings. This may not course you much stress neither will it affect your daily jobs.

Another challenge militating against the success of network marketing in Nigeria is greed.  The aim of network marketing is to enable members make money consistently and on incremental basis till one gets to the peak.

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However, the mentality is different in this part of the world; everybody wants to make millions over night and because the expectation is high one is willing to do anything to achieve it including dishonest and shady dealings to the detriment of the down lines or team mates as they are often called.

More often than not, the marketers usually lie about the capability of the product thereby deceiving their targets. Not only that they promise to assist their down lines sell their products and when they do, they fail to remit the proceeds all in oder to enable them make more money.

Moreover, the natural law on sowing and reaping is sacrosanct and network marketing is not an exception. A marketer is expected to continually talk to people and introduce new members into the business in other to grow except one is a pioneer member that has many referrers.

But some new entrants approach the business with nonchalant attitude and laziness yet expecting millions in a short while unfortunately their hope turns to a mirage.

It is important to state that the normal growth is achieved when more and more members join your group but due to laziness some people opt to achieve growth through buying more and more products thereby limiting the even growth of their down lines.

The Nigerian economic situation is not in the least affecting the survival of network marketing in any society. Given that most of the products networked are regarded as supplements, their demand is often complementary and sells better when the disposable income is high.

More so since it looks like a kind of investment with future expected returns, it is only rationale for an individual with limited funds to focus on survival first and invest latter. Besides, the product price is usually very high in times of inflation , new members would be discouraged from joining and old members bonus or earnings dwindles , if it continues for a long time ,the network fizzles out.

Some networks marketing organizations have complex system that is difficult to attain. Imagine where a new member is expected to introduce six new persons to move to the next stage.

It may interest you to know that some of these conditions were not introduced by the original owners of the network but by the pioneer members just to enable them get to the peak faster. The original design might even be to introduce only two persons and move to the next level but the bonus will be relatively smaller but Nigerians want it big.

They usually come with a bogus compensation plan aimed at enticing you like building a mansion for you in any city of your choice, awards of expensive cars and lost more.

Conclusively, there is a need for a reorientation on how to approach network marketing in Nigerians. I encourage people to join a network marketing organization that has a tangible product ,ensure that the product is effective ,do not go for such that has too good to be true compensation plan , they only want to entice you and are always difficult to achieve.

Be honest in your dealings with your down lines; do not promise what you cannot deliver. You may not necessarily do it full time at first until you are sure that your bonus is equivalent or more than your current salary.

It is indeed a lucrative business if all involved can approach it with the right knowledge, sincerity of purpose and willingness to work given that the economy is favorable, I tell you there is so much for everyone to take from network marketing and is truly the business of 21^st century.

This article was written by: Okpani Johnson

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