For 15 years I followed my network marketing company's training methods in the hope of growing a solid and prosperous home-based business for myself. I didn't know it at the time, but the methods and techniques that they were teaching me were outdated and for the benefit of the company, not me. I spent thousands of dollars on local and company sponsored trainings, CD's, brochures, pamphlets and advertising. For 15 years, my wheels were just spinning.

When I finally decided to keep detailed track of my gauges, I realized that the latest and greatest internet program I had signed up for was directing me down a road of debt I didn't want to travel. After about 6 months, I discovered I was spending a lot more money that I was receiving.  The only advice I received was to keep spending money on their lead system, as much as $2,500 a month plus. That's a classic one...the more money you spend, the more you will make. That's about as far from the truth as you can get.

Since I had a passion for the products I distributed, I did not want to quit my business. My slowly dwindling checking and savings account inspired me to quit my training program and look for some other way of being educated. I didn't want to go back to flyering every parking lot I drove past, or attending monthly meetings that my guests never showed up to, so I decided to look beyond my company for training.

What I found was a system that offered me proper marketing education with a money back guarantee if it didn't help me generate an additional $50,000 in my first year. It cost some money up front, but the money I saved from not having to implement the techniques I used to use made up for it. Not only that, but how could I pass up a chance to get it all back if it didn't work? My company never offered me a deal like that.

I decided to put the start-up fee on a credit card with no interest for a year. I figured if it didn't work, I'd be able to get a refund in time to pay it all off without any worries of going into debt. I didn't make money for the first two months because I focused on learning their techniques and changing my way of thinking. During the second week of my third month I was able to pay off the entire balance of the credit card, and I sliced it in half with a pair of scissors.

I didn't profit an additional $50,000 my first year, but I did profit $10,000. Do you think I asked for my money back? Absolutely not. The training I paid for when I signed up will be available to me for the rest of my life. Since the trainers who educate the members of my program keep current with the latest techniques, I will never have to worry about finding out how to implement the latest tricks of the trade. It will always be at my fingertips.

What I learned for the first two months of my training program was mind boggling. It changed my way of thinking about Network Marketing completely. When you step away from your company, you begin to see it for what it was. It didn't make me hate my products or the company, but it make me understand how things work. Keeping your blinders on and believing there are no weeds in your garden is a counter productive way to do business in network marketing.

All of the techniques I was taught by my company kept my business spinning like a tire stuck in the mud. The reason they don't work to grow a business is because they are designed to keep the big company afloat. Proper marketing education takes more time and effort than companies are willing to provide because it doesn't bring in sales right away. They want you to get their message out to the masses, and the quicker you do it, the better for them. Even if you quit after a month, you're sure to leave behind one or two customers.

This doesn't mean your company wants you to fail. All they are really responsible for is providing you with products to sell. It's up to you to decide where you can get the best marketing education. If you decide to jump from one fad technique to the next, you'll probably only have a dwindling savings account to show for it. Marketing is not about fads, it's about knowing your target audience enough to satisfy their wants, needs and desires.

If your company isn't teaching you how to properly use the internet (and I'm not talking about just buying a fancy website and putting it out into cyber land), how to use pay-per-click advertising to reach your target audience, or other proven techniques like blogging and youtube, you should find a training program that will. The program I found offers your money back if you don't succeed. Does yours?

In the world of today where rising costs are putting holes in our pockets faster than ever, finding a program that will allow you to learn on borrowed money with a guarantee is not a luxury. It's a necessity.