Ripple Marketing by David Skultety is a concise and up-to-date book on everything that network marketing offers the aspiring entrepreneur who wants to work part-time to earn a few extra dollars, have a home-based business, or go all the way to create a full-time, lifelong, and fulfilling business career.
We’ve all heard bad things about network marketing, but despite those stories, the truth is that it works for many, many people, and it works because people make the effort to make it work. David Skultety himself has led two different network marketing teams, taking them from 1 to 100,000 in membership, so if anyone knows about the benefits and the woes of network marketing, it’s him, and in this new book, he reveals how people can use network marketing to their advantage, avoid its pitfalls, and reap its rewards.
The book begins with a foreword by David Litt, a network marketing corporate executive, who states “There are people in my life who have lots of money and very little time. There are people in my life who have lots of time and very little money. But the only people in my life who have lots of money and lots of time are my friends who are network marketing professionals like David [Skultety].”
David Skultety then takes over and walks readers through the entire process of finding the right network marketing company for them, how to build up their network by finding other people to join them, and how to help the people below them as they build their networks so those people can succeed and still benefit the people above them; after all, network marketing is about far more than sales-it’s about creating residual income based on other people’s efforts. As David Litt says, as a result, “ultimately this book is a blueprint for long-term financial freedom.”
David Skultety impressed me from the first page, and I quickly understood why his friends call him a “networker’s networker.” He has always had an entrepreneurial mindset, as he tells us through stories about how when he was twelve, he had a coffee and lemonade stand at a gas station during the 1979 oil embargo when cars were lined up there. In the sixth grade, he was making $20 a day selling candy to classmates so he could buy a moped. He’s always been involved in some sort of business since then.
Ripple Marketing is far from being like an infomercial of hot air about the benefits of being in network marketing-though those benefits are worth mentioning, such as: the low investment, having a home-based business, tax advantages, ability to sell without borders, working part-time, time-flexibility, and eventual financial freedom. Beyond that, David Skultety gives practical advice and information about how the entire process works and how the reader can become successful.
Various chapter topics include how to find a mentor, accepting that building a business will take time, and how to focus on income-producing activities rather than getting caught up in the minutia of items like building your website and continually improving it or reading up on your products-important activities, but also things that people sometimes focus on in a pretense of working when they should be out selling and networking.
My favorite discussion in the book was about how to overcome fear and develop the three proper mindsets you need to succeed, including the mindset of success. David also gives his top five tips for how to develop the proper mindsets beginning with learning how to feel good about yourself. I appreciated it when he was honest and straightforward about what people have to do to succeed and how it all boils down to motivation. At one point, he states:
“Over the years, I’ve watched countless people talk a good game. They talk about building it big. They claim to possess all the skill sets necessary to succeed. They show up at events and set goals. But they can’t seem to get out of their own way because they have not made one simple decision-the decision that they are going to use the model of network marketing to achieve their dreams, goals, and aspirations.
“In order to make that decision, you may need to overcome your limiting beliefs, you may need to become fearless in talking to people, and you may need to be forever dedicated to working on yourself and helping others do the same.”
David talks a lot about the importance of getting out there and talking to people-you can’t succeed otherwise. He talks about how this can be done numerous ways, including by hosting a series of home launch parties, setting up conference calls, and using social media. In all these cases, you are able to connect with people, and when you understand their needs, find their pain, and put yourself in their situations, you can find out how your product can be a solution to their problems. David also walks the reader through how to make each of these types of connections successful.
Another key point David makes is that when you are selling your products, you can also be introducing people to the idea of entering network marketing themselves so that you can add to your residual income through their efforts. I was impressed by how David pointed out here that we cannot prejudge people, thinking someone will or won’t be interested in our product or business, and then only sticking with the safe people like our family and friends. Instead, we need to go out and sell both our product and our business to the brightest and best people we know if we really want our business to grow and create ripples.
I was also impressed by the information David shares about the importance of learning how to duplicate your products so that you can keep producing them and earning income from them without a lot of extra work.
There is so much more in Ripple Marketing, but I’ll just conclude by mentioning that David believes in servant leadership. He believes in serving the people below him in the network chain so that they can succeed. And, of course, that only benefits him and everyone else in the network.
The back of the book includes additional resources such as “Selecting the Right Company for You,” “The 10 Deadly Sins of Network Marketing,” and recent statistics on network marketing.
Of course, network marketing isn’t for everyone, but if you make the investment to read this book, I think you will be pleasantly surprised that as long as you’re willing to talk to people, it can be a lot more exciting and fulfilling an opportunity than you imagined, and before you know it, the ripple you make can become a wave you can ride for a lifetime.
