To MLM or Not to MLM

Whether you want to be your own boss or you want to be
handsomely rich, the internet offers great possibilities.
Maybe too many!
You hop on the internet only to find yourself being pulled
in so many different directions that you don’t even know
which way is up. Yipes! How do you go about filtering
through the masses of come-ons?
Here’s one… “Fabulous Income Immediately with Little or No
Work!” Ooooh, goody!
I must admit, these ads appeal enormously to the greedy,
lazy parts of my humanity. Fortunately I, like most of you,
know that there is no such thing as being paid just for
showing up. And you don’t have time or money to lose…
So just how DO you proceed?
Rule 1 – Don’t waste your energy and money with multi-level
marketing outfits. These are the ones with a forced matrix
recruitment and pay-out system.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that there are some very
reputable MLM companies out there. Some of them are Fortune
500 Companies and some rank high on the New York Stock
Exchange and trade heavily on the NASDAQ.
However, just because the company as a whole is making money
doesn’t necessarily mean that YOU will make money. Too many
of us have learned that the hard way.
THE MAJOR DRAWBACKS TO MLM COMPANIES
Here are some obstacles I encountered, which finally led me
to abandon MLMs for good.
• MLM structures have a bad reputation. That’s just the
way it is. Whether the company deserves the poor reputation
or not is hardly the point. The fact remains that you are
working against widespread skepticism. (“Is this one of
those pyramid schemes?”) You’re trying to swim upstream.
Not wise.
• There is always a monthly purchase you are required to
make, so you’re losing money from day one. (Many companies
try to deny the fact that there is any “requirement” to
purchase anything. They conveniently sidestep the fact that
you aren’t eligible to earn any money unless you are making
a monthly purchase.)
• It takes several “recruits” to just break even. And no
sooner do you add one than another one bails out. It is a
sl-o-o-o-o-w grow.
• Your eventual income directly hinges on the efforts of
other people. Talk about giving away your power!
• Many MLM or forced-matrix structures are unstable and
short-lived. The term “fly-by-night” springs to mind.
• I found myself focusing so exclusively on tracking down
leads for the company I was promoting that I really wasn’t
aware of what was going on out on the big playing field
where all the really creative people were carving out their
piece of the pie. The internet is a much more fascinating
arena once you take off the MLM blinders.
So You Want To Learn the Hard Way, Eh?
Maybe someone is twisting your arm, or Aunt Martha
absolutely swears by it, or you’ve come across an ad that is
just too enticing to pass up. Oh, dear.
Well, if you absolutely insist on going the MLM route, then
at the very least observe the following guidelines.
• Make sure you’re dealing with a reputable company, one
that is at least 5 years old and is a member of the Better
Business Bureau. Check out their history for complaints.
• What are the start-up costs? How about maintenance costs?
Don’t forget that you will need to pay for advertising,
which is not an insignificant expense.
• Is the product one that you can promote with pride and
confidence? If you aren’t wildly enthusiastic about your
product, it’s going to be a tough sell. It’s going to be a
tough sell anyway, but without enthusiasm, you’re sunk.
• Does your product have global appeal? MLMs are not the
place for a niche market.
• How much overhead does your product eat up? Fewer
overhead costs translate into higher commission percentages.
Physical products have production, packaging, storage and
delivery costs. You’re better off looking at digital
information which incurs none of these expenses.
• Does your company supply you with state-of-the-art
marketing strategies and ongoing training and support?
Using internet tools is not difficult, BUT if you have never
been shown what to do, it’s horribly frustrating. And
nobody likes to be made to feel like an idiot, so it’s
important to find a program that trains you in the basics.
Okay, my friend, I hope this helps.
Ultimately, I hope you go out and create something unique,
something that surges up from your personal wellspring. Or
maybe you’ll find a product that someone else created that
you’re just wild about.
And then, as Zig Ziglar once told me with a twinkle in his
eye, “Go out and sell sump’n!”
Regardless of how you decide to go about earning your dough,
I’ll always have a kind word and plenty of encouragement for
you. That’s my specialty. So come on over and get your
motivation here: http://www.Calling-All-Entrepreneurs.com/
We’ll be waiting for you…