I was watching the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway this evening, and was excited to see network marketing companies Herbalife and MonaVie with their names on multiple cars and the pit wall. Add to that Amway North America, who pioneered new ground last year with television commercials and Amway Arena (the home of the Orlando Magic), and it is safe to say network marketing has hit prime time.

To see Amway, MonaVie, and Herbalife side by side with AT&T, GoDaddy and Target is a wonderful step forward for network marketers everywhere. Not only does it bring our company names into the public eye; it legitimizes our business model through association with these major sports organizations.

But with this new exposure comes new responsibilities. We must now conduct our business with the legitimacy and integrity that such efforts by our parent companies demand, otherwise we undermine these efforts. Let us all take advantage of this opportunity to obliterate the negative perceptions of network marketing and portray it as the true business it is.

In my last installment, I discussed some of the traditional ways  network marketers utilize leverage in their businesses and promised to give an overview of how to maximize leverage by using tools available on the internet.

First let’s make sure we are all on the same page. I am talking about maximum leverage. Leverage that works while you are not. It works while you are sleeping, eating, and spending quality time with your family.

The first tool I’d like to talk about is the internet itself. I’m sure you already see why. The internet is always “on”. It never stops broadcasting. When you establish a web presence, your prospects can consume your content at their convenience, not yours. A website can introduce potential prospects and customers to your opportunity and your products or services. It can provide contact information. It can provide a means for you to capture contact info so you can follow up with people who visit your site (there will be more on this in future installments). Establishing a website is one of the single most important things you can do.

Now, I know some of you are thinking “What?! I can barely send an email. How am I going to get a website?” Not to worry. Many, if not all, business opportunities have some sort of website available to distributors in their company either for free or a small monthly fee. You will get a URL (the address you type in your browser) that reads something like “yourname.youropportunity.biz” or “www.youropportunity.com/yourname”.  You can send prospects to the site where they can learn about your business and contact you for further information. They can also sign up for the opportunity and be placed in your downline because they signed up on your page. If you have no knowledge about how to put together a site, this is an easy way to get started.

A word of caution however, these types of sites are “cookie-cutter”. It is customized enough to have your distributor ID and info on it, but the content will be the same as any other distributor using the service. And the customization options will be very limited. You will be able to choose from a few different themes (colors, pictures, etc.) and put a heading with your name, but that is about it. That being said, this is still a great place to start.

In my next installment, we will take a look at why you might want to get your own website.