Why MLM Professionals Need To Stick Together
Why MLM Professionals Need To Stick Together
I was in a forum the other day where the members are either making money online or attempting to. There is no particular niche in this forum – it’s membership is simply a wide variety of internet marketers sharing successes, failures, and ideas.
It was a normal day of posting to forums and fishing for an idea for an article, when I saw a post that took me by surprise. I won’t quote the exact phrase, but the poster was slamming MLM as a legitimate money making opportunity. The poster apparently makes his money in affiliate marketing and feels that MLM is a waste of time.
You know what? He’s right! MLM is a waste of time if you think it’s a waste of time. That ties into one of my all time favorite reasons of why most MLMers quit – it’s too easy to start! People will treat it like a hobby because it costs the same as a hobby. It doesn’t “feel” like a multi-million dollar business to them.
I actually replied back to the poster and tried to dispel the hatred between the groups represented in the growing thread. His answer was that all of our arguments seemed like “cut and paste” arguments. That’s funny – I normally write from the heart and only research facts to back up my writing if I need to. My post certainly wasn’t a cut and paste job. And I wasn’t arguing.
If you are told by your friends or coworkers that MLM is a pyramid scheme, kindly ask them what a pyramid scheme is. I did a little research on this and I found a very interesting quote on the Securities and Exchange Commission website. The SEC is the organization that oversees the stock market, accounting field, and auditing. Here is the statement: “The fraudsters behind a pyramid scheme may go to great lengths to make the program look like a legitimate multi-level marketing program”.
The SEC does not hold a blanket opinion on MLM, but it does recognize there are legitimate MLM companies. What a wonderful revelation! By the way, Berkshire Hathaway owns the Pampered Chef, so even Warren Buffett doesn’t listen to the likes of the forum poster.
You know who I think the worst perpetrator of the myth of MLM being a blue collar wish to fortune? MLMers themselves. Yep, that’s right. I have seen too many MLM business owners criticize competing MLM companies or even those with a completely different line of products in an attempt to make theirs look better. I have seen these posts in MLM forums and watch the ensuing argument.
If we are going to demonstrate to the masses that MLM truly is a legitimate business vehicle, then we need to pat each other on the back and realize that nobody has saturated the market. Pulling down other companies is not the way to promote one’s own company. Competition is not that brutal where we have to run smear campaigns.
This gives me an idea for my next article. I love it when the creative juices get flowing! I think I will spend some time discussing how to evaluate an MLM company. Having been in one that folded right from underneath me to being part of a true guerilla marketing group, I think I have some ideas I can share in that regard.
In the mean time, stand proud and look in the mirror and say “I am an Network Marketing Professional!”
Until Next Time!!
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