I’m a big fan of mystery novels, and the other day I came across this acronym in one of my novels: SWAG.
The detective in the novel said it stood for “Scientific Wild Ass Guesses,” as in:
“Give me your SWAG about this.”
That got me thinking about doing online MLM because there is a certain amount of SWAG in this business. The SWAG part is the part of the business that you can’t control. Then there are other parts of the business that you ca definitely control.
Online MLM: What You Can Control
There’s a lot that you can control when you decide to run your MLM business online. For instance, you can control:
- Your online home base (where you promote your business)
- Which social media outposts you use (to drive traffic to your home base)
- How much time you dedicate to your business
- Which niches you choose to pursue online
- Which online services you choose to pay for and which you do for yourself
- Which online marketing leaders you believe and follow
If you have a fairly good level of organization, a definite online MLM marketing plan, and a strong streak of perseverance, you can control a lot in your business. Success in doing MLM online is 10% inspiration, 80% perspiration, and 10% SWAG.
The words “elbow grease” tell you all you need to know about perspiration. Inspiration comes from reading what online marketing leaders are writing, looking at other industries to see how you can apply their tactics to your business, and staying in touch with your spiritual life.
And then there’s SWAG.
Online MLM and SWAG: The Part You Can’t Control
SWAG is the 10% of your business that you can’t control. It covers the parts of your online MLM business where you have to go with your best guesses and hunches. For instance, the online world moves so fast (and it’s only getting faster), that you often have to guess where it’s going to go … not just in the next step, but three steps from now.
For example, will Twitter always be a popular social media platform or will it fade into oblivion like some other social media platforms? How many people who fear computers now will love them in 5 years? What factors will affect the way we interact with other people, either in person or digitally? How will technology increase the demand for “personalized marketing”?
Yeah, I know, these kinds of questions can really drive an MLM business builder crazy! But if you do want to get a handle on the SWAG factor, then start reading the writings of futurists to understand how the shape of the internet will change in the coming years. Some books and authors to consider include:
- “Smart Mobs” by Howard Rheingold
- “The Next Millionaires” by Paul Zane Pilzer
- “Convergence Culture” by Henry Jenkins
- “The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom” by Yochai Benkler
- “Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age” by Duncan J. Watts
- “Seeing What’s Next: Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change” by Clayton M. Christensen
- “Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means” by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
- “Beyond Mobile: People, Communications and Marketing in a Mobilized World” by Mats Lindgren
And that’s just the short list! These books are not very technical and they give you a rich look at the effect of technology on the ways we do business in the future. If you read even one of these books you will be amazed at how much more certain you will feel about doing MLM online … and you will be in a position to make much more informed SWAGs … sound good?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or contact me if you want to join our MLM team. We are teaching people to dive into online MLM head first … successfully! I’m holding out for a few good people. Really.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fhashemi/ / CC BY 2.0
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“Success in doing MLM online is 10% inspiration, 80% perspiration, and 10% SWAG” (best part of the entire post). Be careful based on your post anyone could think MLM online is hard work!
Hi David…that’s a good point. But in the beginning, MLM is hard work, just like any other small business you are trying to get off the ground. I would rather be truthful and attract people with the skills and talents to do online MLM than lie to people that it’s all pink clouds and bliss. Wouldn’t you agree? Cheers, Stephanie
Stephanie,
Another great book that fits with your list is Tribes, by Seth Godin. Great post. Madalyn
PS online MLM is hard work and I bet David gets that all to well.
Thanks for giving such valuable information. For those who are wondering how to run their MLM business profitably, this article will be the best answer.