The following 10 things are what we've found to be crucial to the success of the many network marketing companies ApogeeINVENT has been privileged to work with over the last decade as a software provider through TitanMLM Network Marketing Software.

For many network marketing businesses, the website is the first impression many people have of the company. A professional, modern website will give the right impression to first time customers and potential distributors. A great customer experience comes from a well-designed website that functions properly. Take the extra time to have a great website designed, and test it often to ensure the experience is a good one.

Replicated Websites for your network of distributors is also essential to help them succeed, while keeping your branding consistent. A replicated website is a simple website similar to your corporate website created for distributors to market their products and recruit. It provides a place on the web to collect and manage leads, and communicate through email and a personal blog. All these features are crucial for each distributor’s sale and recruitment funnel to be a success, and for search engine optimization.

People are at the core of any successful network marketing business. Having a way to keep in touch with people is crucial to MLM success. A good Contact Manager (CRM) will help make sure no one slips through the cracks.

A great CRM should include the ability to view your customers and distributors, to easily segment them, to collect new leads, and to know when and where people are coming from by assigning labels or tags based on their status. Distributors should also have a way to communicate with their leaders so they feel like they are part of community and that they are being supported.

The CRM you need should also allow you to track emails, so you know who you’ve been in touch with, who is clicking, and who is active in your organization (or who is your top customers). Is your CRM doing all this for you? If you answered no, now might be the time to consider an upgrade.

Naturally if you’re selling a product, you need a way to process those sales.

A powerful shopping cart should include a simple checkout procedure for the end user, graphical displays of products, and secure transactions. For the management team, your shopping cart must have a way to view and manage orders, the ability to easily add or edit products, and easy shipping options for you to ship internationally with ease.

Email marketing has the highest ROI of any digital marketing. Your email system should have good deliverability to make sure your emails are getting to inboxes, and should also include tracking, the ability to design nice emails easily, and automation.

Automation is essential to successfully using email marketing. Auto-responders (such as Welcome Emails for new recruits) will ensure that the ball is never dropped when it comes to communication. Drip emails are another powerful marketing tool that will keep your brand front of mind for potential recruits and customers.

The more automation you can use, and provide for your distributors, the better chance of success your MLM has.

Blogging can be time-consuming, I know. But having a corporate blog will be a huge benefit in drawing organic traffic, as well as building trust in customers and distributors.

By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking to a human.

This means that your consumers are more likely to do their own research about your company before your first point of contact with them. One of the easiest ways for them to learn more about your company is through your blog.

You can easily influence the way your visitors buy with the help of your blog. Also, blogging is free. It will only cost you time.

If you offer a blog as part of the replicated website your distributors have, you'll be arming them with a powerful marketing tool to get more leads at very little cost. 

People buy from people, not from corporations. The same goes for recruits. A strong leader can motivate distributors, and be a representative of your company to potential customers. 

Emotion drives many of our daily decisions, even big decisions like joining a network marketing company. By seeing the passion and success from the leaders of your company, distributors will be inspired.

Pick company leaders that will relate well to your target audience and make sure they get the platform needed to spread your message loudly to customers and distributors.

First, your distributors need to be supported, and have access to training on their marketing software and company branding. Strong leadership helps, but having a training system in place will protect everyone’s time and give distributor’s a place to go when they need help immediately. Our TitanMLM system includes a complete user manual and video training system that you can add to at any time so your distributors are continually learning and feel supported.

Secondly, YOU need continual support on your software and marketing. It is important to choose a software company that won’t abandon you once the sale is complete. We get many questions during the building process while compensation plan details are worked out, branding is designed, and the first flood of distributors is added to the downline. But the questions don't stop there. Our account managers are usually busiest the month or two after a new MLM company launches, ensuring everything runs smoothly and any forgotten times or tweaks are performed right away.

Companies that are truly successful have dedicated people, great marketing, AND great products. Consider Amway, one of the oldest and most successful network marketing companies. I received free lipstick samples, and loved them so much, I’m now a dedicated customer. I never even wore lipstick before!

Having a great product will help your distributors sell with enthusiasm, and will keep customers coming back for more. Everyone wins.

Take the time to perfect your products. And remember packaging is half the battle here, because presentation is everything!

Every network marketing company dreams of being the next big thing. Time and hard work are required, but having a growth plan will really ensure that success continues to be success. 

The ability to handle floods of traffic is important. Expanding when needed from a shared server to a dedicated secure server will ensure your site is never down or slow.

Is your software international-ready? Tapping into the global market has made a big difference for many of our clients. It is a big world out there or people ready and willing to buy and recruit for your business. Don't miss out because your software can't handle shipping, taxing, language translation, or other international concerns.

Pay card integration is essential. Paying your distributors can be a huge hassle if you need to send out checks every time. Software that integrates with a payout service and runs commissions automatically will save you huge amounts of time and headaches.

Understanding the capabilities of your company, and having a plan to expand, is crucial to your success. Working with a team of experienced MLM software professionals will really help to ensure your business is ready for whatever the industry will throw at you. The right software, people, and planning will help to continually grow your company the right way.

Distributors / independent business owners come together best under a strong brand. By creating branding materials for your team, you’ll be helping them succeed, which will in turn bring about your own success.

A strong brand comes from having a brand personality (are you hip and fun, eco conscious, family-focused…?). Find a personality that will connect to your audience, and then create materials for your distributors that fit your brand’s personality. Replicated websites, social media materials, even training or marketing videos should be spreading your brand’s message.