I am all in favor of automating as much of our internet businesses as possible. That to me is one of the big advantages of having an internet business. You can accomplish so much more than you used to be able to do. However when it comes to the internet and network marketing this is usually not going to be enough. Here's why!

Network marketing is a people business. Although email is a great way to communicate it still does not provide the quality of interaction you can get by talking on the phone. Granted because of the cost you may not want to follow-up by phone everywhere in the world, but at least call the prospects in your own country if you want your business to grow.

Farm out leads in other countries to your good distributors. You could use those as a contest to reward the people in your downline for their efforts and therefore you are not wasting leads from countries you do not want to call.

The internet is perfect for lead generation. Having a system in place to capture names and email addresses is great. Then follow up with them by autoresponder to drip information about yourself and your company to educate your prospect. A series of short messages about having a home business in general as opposed to directly promoting your opportunity is the best way to do this

The other thing to include in your lead capture form is a place for their phone number. The people who fill this out for you want to be called and they are telling you they are a better prospect and worthy of you time. Give them a quick call to find out how you can help them.

Do both of you a favor and give them a quick call. Introduce yourself, thank them for filling out the form, and ask them if they have any questions. Put all of the emphasis on them and not you or your business. People love to talk about themselves and you will find yourself recruiting more new distributors if you will just do this.

So to summarize when it comes to the internet and network marketing using the telephone is still an important part of the whole process. Network marketing is still a people business. That's what networking is all about. It's what makes this business fun. Dealing with people is more effective by phone than email. Use the internet to sort and then pick up the phone and watch your recruiting numbers go way up.