MLM survival. Let’s face it, the world out
there is like a jungle. More particularly so in the MLM world. It would be easy
to say, since it is that difficult, let’s just forget about the whole MLM or
network marketing deal in the first place (then this book would not be
necessary at all). That action would be self-defeating.
There is good news for all of us. So let us
instead start from a positive note.
The purpose of this book is not just about
teaching you to choose the right MLM Company but also how, by being properly
educated about the industry, you will be able to receive benefits from every opportunity you invest your time and
money in. The information here will be completely generic and neutral. I am not
endorsing any company over the other as there
is no such thing as the perfect MLM but rather choosing an MLM that is SUITABLE for YOU!
Whatever your reasons may be, let us make a
few assumptions about it before we proceed (or else you wouldn’t pay for this
E-book in the first place)
(1)
Making money
(2)
Saving money on products
(3)
Meeting new people
(4)
Growth and development
Making Money
(a)
Looking for fast money
(b)
Building a long term business with money coming in long after you have
‘retired’
(c)
Investing in the product itself
For
people looking for fast money, there are pros and cons to this kind of
thinking.
Some people are WELL TRAINED salesmen. They
have built the relationship with their clients, customers and all sorts of
people. People trust what they say and will trust whatever they are selling.
They may sell the product itself (sometimes, in large quantities), or they may
sell the opportunity (the money making part of it) or both. Are YOU this kind
of person?
Fast money is not impossible, but it COULD
be for the short term only. Consider the facts that 80-90% of people in the
world are NOT built for sales. If a salesman sponsors a non-salesman, would the
non-salesman be able to do the same thing as his upline? Does that mean that I
would spend most of my time looking for the 10-20% of sales types?
The next
type of money is the long term type.
When I
define long term, it does not have to mean that you might not see money right
away. It differs from company to company. But as a general rule of thumb, it
involves BUILDING A NETWORK OR AN
ORGANISATION.
The key to building a large organization as
quoted by Zig Ziglar, “You will get
whatever you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what
they want.” In other words, if you will help enough downlines get enough
downlines, you are on the road to network marketing financial freedom. The key
is to help others.
There is one more category of people who
‘invests’ in network marketing companies, not to make money through retaining
or networking, but rather investing in the product, position, or depending on
the company, appreciation of their ‘assets’. A few examples would be investing in a product, so that in the
future, its value will appreciate, so you can sell it to other people at a very
high margin (sort of like old comic books.) Others might purchase the account or distributorship from you (depending on the
compensation plan of the company) while some Internet companies actually pay
you to ‘invest’ in their company, sort of like buying a share of the company.
Saving Money on Products
Retailing of a product is very important to
an MLM business. Lack of (or even non-existing) retailing could be harmful to
the distributor or the company as certain states have outlawed ‘headhunting’
and have their own policies.
Nevertheless, saving money on an MLM product
is one of the most wonderful key features of joining an MLM company if
recruiting is not your forte.
In certain compensation plans, repeat
purchase of the products you buy from the company gives you more rebates or
bonuses. In essence, the more you buy, the cheaper it becomes. This becomes an
even greater pleasure if you are totally in love with the products or you have
already set aside a budget for those products (which means you are now buying
from the MLM company or your upline instead of buying from the supermarket,
pharmacy, grocery store, etc)
There are some
important aspects to take note however, if the company requires you to purchase
the products in bulk (hence the term – frontloading), is there a DEMOTION in your achieved position in
the company, is there MAINTAINANCE
required, or how much are the renewal fees for membership. All these will be
further discussed in the later chapters.
Meeting New People
This is one of the many reasons why people
join MLM companies (even if the first two reasons discussed above don’t even
concern them). There are all types of people in the world. Some like the
positive environment. Others like the social events the company or team
organizes. Some look for a potential life partner there!
Lots of people even go all out to join these
kind of businesses to get more contacts for their OWN BUSINESSES (maybe even
THEIR OWN MLM BUSINESS). Bear in mind one thing. There is this old saying that
goes, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. If you participate in their
activities but don’t go full force in their company/team vision, don’t expect
them to join you or buy from you. There may even be negative repercussions
(such as being banned from coming back to the company).
Growth and Development
One of the biggest reasons why I would
recommend joining an MLM company and doing the business is opening your mind to
positive thinking and achieving your full potential. There are many companies
out there who have the best training courses, motivational rallies, sharing
sessions and whopping transformation camps that will not only fire you up but
take your business building to the next level.
I will not touch much on this subject
extensively here. There are so many companies out there that will do a
fantastic job in terms of training.
Remember that growth is a journey and not a
destination.
