Is your business being affected by PDM Syndrome?
You are probably thinking right now, I have heard of a lot of things but what is PDM syndrome. In the world of network marketing there are some very specific reasons why people are failing online and there is one specific trap that has caught more people and it continues to catch people every single day. In fact I believe this is one of the main reasons people are failing in their online marketing efforts. I call this trap the PDM syndrome, the Product Doesn’t Matter syndrome.
Let’s understand what network marketing really is. Network marketing is a distribution channel where products or services are marketed or sold by a distributor to an end user or customer. So for network marketing to work effectively there has to be a product or service and there has to be a customer. If one of these critical elements are missing then you no longer have a network marketing company and you have what people may think of as “pyramid” scheme. I see lots and lots of network marketers who go into business with no real thought of who is the customer that will be actually using this product or they don’t have a clear understanding of what the product actually is. Where you see this very often is in the popular 1-up and 2-up programs which are often expensive to join but offer no real product or service that is a customer will use.
This leads to a question. What is a customer? A customer is someone who uses a product or service because of the benefit that it provides to them. That benefit may be because it saves them money, makes them feel better or they like the service they receive whatever it is, they benefit from it. Customers are the lifeline of any business. In fact take any company in the world and take it’s customers away and you will see a company that will be out of business very quickly. The same is true of any network marketing company. I like to use a simple equation that says this, no customers=no opportunity.
How do I know then if I am falling into the PDM trap and how can I avoid it? Let’s look at some tell tale signs of PDM.
1. Are you are sold on the opportunity before you are sold on the product? This is probably the biggest challenge in this area. Often people join an opportunity to make money, whether full time or part time and this desire can cloud their judgment as to the validity of the product. Remember in my mind no customers means no opportunity.
2. Are the only people using the product the reps in the company? Here are two very simple questions to ask yourself when checking to see if you have PDM syndrome. Would you use this product if you weren’t involved in this opportunity and would anyone else use this product without being involved in the opportunity? Remember customers use products because it benefits them, not because they are compensated for it. If there is no one outside the company using the products or services that company will not be in business long. Imagine if the only customers that ate at Mcdonald’s were the employees, what would happen to Mcdonald’s?
3. Are you always leading with the opportunity and never the product? I know of some network marketing companies that only push the opportunity. They put all of their marketing efforts into getting new reps and none into getting new customers. Does this sound like you? Some companies don’t even have retail sites where people can go and just purchase the product/service. It is always about pushing the opportunity and that will not work very long.
Now for the good news! The best part about PDM syndrome is it can be avoided with 2 simple solutions:.
1. Always lead with your product first. When evaluating any opportunity make sure there are people who actually have a need, want or desire for what you are marketing. Your goal in business should be to develop long term, repeat customers who like your products or services and who order them month after month. This will help establish a nice foundation for your business and help you to develop long term, residual income. Don’t forget, if no one wants your product then your opportunity is worthless I don’t care what the comp plan looks like.
2. Make sure you are sold on the product before being sold on the opportunity. Not only will this strengthen you own belief in the company but it will give you real integrity and true excitement when talking about the product or service. You become your own testimonial. This will also help you acquire new customers and also new reps into your business. It will never hurt your business!
As you go searching through the sea of opportunities out there remember customers and products are the most important part of any business opportunity. The value of your opportunity is not measured by the value your company places on it or the amount of money you can make in the compensation plan but by the value placed on your product or service by the customer who is using it. After all no customers will always equal no opportunity. In my next article I will answer the question how do I identify a good product or service and is my company measuring up?
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