Internet Marketers VS Network Marketers...

19 replies
Over the past 14-15 years I've watched the "battle"
between "internet marketers" and "network marketers"
with a smile.

Purist seem to imply that you have to be 100% one or
the other. In actuality, I have been BOTH for most
of my time online and find "the feud" entertaining.

I also have been exposed to what those outside of BOTH
"niches" say about "us." Outsiders, don't believe our
income claims, think that most of those testimonials
are contrived, and run away from those big red headlines.


Back to IM'er vs MLM'ers...

To me a lot of the battle boils down to us trying to
attract people into our businesses so that we can
leverage and profit from their efforts.

Offline businesses do the same thing!

Leverage IS one of the biggest factors that allows you to
be a successful MLM'er. If you try to build an organization
all by yourself, and don't teach your downline how to
do it too, you WILL fail.

That IS one of the biggest factors that allows affiliate
marketing to work. If you are an affiliate marketer who
can build a large 2nd-tier, you can profit from (leverage)
the work of others. That IS essentially what I do as a
JV broker. JV partners are essentially 2nd-tier
affiliates with me earning a commission off their sales.

If you own your own product, and use an affiliate program,
you leverage the efforts and assets of others. You also
shift the risk and heavy lifting to others.

I personally find more similarities than difference between
IM and MLM lately.
Both are evolving... due to things
like regulatory pressures (FTC oversight), and economic
conditions (recession, more product launches, etc.).


Where I see them BOTH falling down is in supporting new
people
brought into the industry. Some of us sell the
dream without providing the HOW.

I personally believe that most failing internet marketers
do so because they aren't properly trained. You don't go
into many jobs in the offline world without proper,
sufficient training... yet people jump into internet
marketing as if the training is not needed.

Yanik Silver interviewed a guy making MILLIONS from
selling his product on Clickbank... not too long ago, and
what I got most out of the interview was the importance
of training affiliates. He did this masterfully!

Jump over to the world of network marketing and one of
the biggest reason that most fail is... lack of proper
training.

People are often signed up for MLM programs by sponsors
who disappear. I talk to "orphaned" MLM'ers all the time
who tell me that they haven't heard from their sponsor
in months... even YEARS.

I've had enough of these orphaned MLM'ers come to me
that I actually set up a blog addressing their needs!

I TRY very hard not to do this... using what I am taught
by true MLM experts... but also using my IM training as a
"force multiplier."

As I've built my MLM business over the past year, bringing
some BIG IM'ers onboard, they all expressed the same
concern... at least those with integrity and consciences
did.

They all worried about how much time they would have to
spend training and supporting their downlines. They'd
heard the horror stories of people who built and failed
to support huge downlines. The guys at the top raked in
fortunes, and the guys on the bottom were left hopeless
and penniless.

Frankly, the way that I recruited those big dogs was by
assuring them that they wouldn't personally have to spend
100 hours per week providing that support. I showed them
support already in place and how they could easily assure
this for members of their downline many levels deep.

Internet Marketers DO Have Knowledge That Gives Them
Unique Advantages In MLM... and as many have rediscovered
lately, that knowledge is even of very high value to local
offline businesses.

I find it very refreshing when I talk to friends and they
share with me that they WON'T round up a downline from
their contacts, feed them to the wolves, and then go
vacation on some exotic island until they need to stir the
pot again, and recruit a whole new flock of unsuspecting
people who are just looking for an honest way to make a
living.

Internet Marketing And Network Marketing Are Both Evolving
In A Positive Way. We can keep things moving in that
direction, bringing respect to our industries, positively
impacting lives, AND profiting... which IS why many of
us got into this business in the first place!

Since I'm not sure where I was headed, I think I'll grab
my 4th cup of coffee this morning, and jump into the
bunker for protection from the incoming rounds

Willie
#internet #marketers #network
  • Profile picture of the author Jack Bastide
    Great Post Willie

    I'm probably going to get in trouble for
    this on an IM forum but ...

    Your Traditional "Launch Marketer" doesn't give
    a crap if their customers have any success with
    whatever they are selling them. It's all about
    making a Sale and a one time profit and then moving
    on to the next "launch"

    With MLM your success depends on helping others, The
    more successful your team is the more successful you
    are. So it behooves you to work with and coach the
    people you bring on-board.

    Yes, there is a lot of Hype and Empty Promises in
    MLM ...

    But its probably even worse in IM with those
    Photo-shopped Clickbank Statements

    In Affiliate Marketing many Affiliates will promote
    a product that they have never used

    This is less common in MLM where most people will
    use the product they are promoting


    I guess the best way to Explain MLM to an IM'er
    is this:

    It's a Multi-Tiered Affiliate Program with a
    continuity program and Unlimited coaching program
    built in

    IM and MLM are both viable ways of making money. The
    important thing to to have integrity in whatever you
    do

    Jack Bastide
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    • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
      Originally Posted by Jack Bastide View Post



      Your Traditional "Launch Marketer" doesn't give
      a crap if their customers have any success with
      whatever they are selling them. It's all about
      making a Sale and a one time profit and then moving
      on to the next "launch"

      With MLM your success depends on helping others,
      I would change that from "traditional marketer" to "unsuccessful marketer".

      A successful IM marketer depends as much on the success of his customers as an MLM marketer. Those that cannot understand that, just move on to the next thread.
      Signature

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      • Profile picture of the author Jack Bastide
        Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

        I would change that from "traditional marketer" to "unsuccessful marketer".

        A successful IM marketer depends as much on the success of his customers as an MLM marketer. Those that cannot understand that, just move on to the next thread.
        I guess it depends on how you define "Successful"

        There are unscrupulous people that make a lot of
        money in both IM and MLM. There are people that
        are "Takers" and people that are givers

        In MLM there are unscrupulous people that will take a
        ""Deal" from a company, bring in a lot of people and then
        move on to the next deal.

        In IM there are "Launch Marketers" who live from launch
        to launch promoting whatever the hot deal of the week is,
        often without even using the product themselves

        There are good people and bad people in all kinds of
        businesses

        IF you want to develop a long term business and a good
        reputation you have to treat people right

        Jack
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  • Profile picture of the author kjimeno
    Interesting comparison....refreshing to see someone integrate instead of tear down and bash. Nice share
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Benjamin
    I've seen it all, Mr.Crawford.

    I've been in Network Marketing, Direct Sales, and Internet Marketing.

    And ALL of them have one thing in common: MARKETING.

    No amount of pushing will make any of those business models work if

    you don't understand "marketing" or the skills required to make money
    doing it successfully consistently.

    Marketing grows downlines. Marketing sales high-commission products
    through direct sales. Marketing sells information through IM.


    What people tend to forget, is that all three industries are like siblings
    ...but hate each other like common next door enemies.

    And the argument is always the same: Listen to a IM'er talk and he or
    she will say
    , "But look at how SHADY xyz company is. They recruit all
    these people who never had a shot at success because they're at the
    bottom of the pyramid...or what about when their sponsor leaves them
    hanging out to dry after taking their money -- that's SHADY! Or what
    about how they pressure people at those fake mixers to recruit me...
    that was a horrible experience"

    Listen to a networker or Direct Sales guy or gal talk and they' would
    say
    , "Look at all those FALSE promises those so-called SAINTS are
    feeding to their customers. They LIE about their success and feed off
    the desperate. Post FAKE checks. Are likely to refuse responsibility
    once the sale is made because they have no further commitment
    except looking forward to the next sale..."

    Than you have the rare people like myself and Willie who UNDERSTAND
    both are one in the same with a different personalities and different
    faults.

    You would think people in this forum would take the side of Internet
    Marketing as being the BEST of the 3 ways of making money, and they
    are the same people who COMPLAIN about fake clickbank checks and
    16-year old girls posing as successful when there's really a 32 year
    old man behind the operation -- regardless if the product helps people
    make money or not -- it's the way it was PRESENTED that gets under
    their skin.

    And they talk about "ethics" and a "moral compass".

    I've been in all 3 industries DEEPLY (Direct Sales, Network Marketing,
    IM) -- and internet marketers are the biggest hypocrites they don't
    know about.

    Of course, it's hard to admit you're apart of something where someone
    does something that's a bit "off" or "misleading" that creates a lot of
    negative press...but what does that have to do with YOU and running
    your business the way you BELIEVE is full of integrity and honesty?

    Not that one shouldn't BE honest or have ethics, but some people use
    ethics, morality, and honesty as a REASON WHY they don't market to
    people because it's evil to sell something they can get for "free"
    ...any
    where (not knowing that a packaged product helps people sift through
    what works and what doesn't -- building confidence -- and adds value
    because they have a plan someone has, hopefully, proven to work they
    can follow)

    Bottom-line, it's a tightrope. You can either do some really shady things
    to make money in EITHER industry, or choose to do nothing at all
    --
    neither of which will help you in the long-term live with the decisions
    you make.

    Personally, I have more RESPECT for those who do things WRONG and
    face criticism than those who AVOID everything that COULD go wrong
    and do nothing.
    But, that's just me.


    The whole IM vs. Network Marketer debate is "silly" and childish...maybe
    because I know the benefits of BOTH industries and those who are avid
    supporters of either side do not. I love them both for what they DO that
    is good and right, and even what is done wrong -- we are only human
    and no industry is perfect -- that's why we are here, to learn from our
    mistakes.


    That's all we CAN do. And that's all that really matters.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jack Bastide
      Great Post

      I'm on a few MLM sites where they make fun of
      Affiliate Marketers

      And I'm On a few Im Sites where they make Fun
      Of MLM

      I say do Both .. Multiple Income Streams

      I make a Full Time Income with one Particular
      MLM company .. But I'm also getting into list
      building and marketing Affiliate Products

      Why Not?

      Jack


      Originally Posted by WhoIsBenjamin View Post

      I've seen it all, Mr.Crawford.

      I've been in Network Marketing, Direct Sales, and Internet Marketing.

      And ALL of them have one thing in common: MARKETING.

      No amount of pushing will make any of those business models work if

      you don't understand "marketing" or the skills required to make money
      doing it successfully consistently.

      Marketing grows downlines. Marketing sales high-commission products
      through direct sales. Marketing sells information through IM.


      What people tend to forget, is that all three industries are like siblings
      ...but hate each other like common next door enemies.

      And the argument is always the same: Listen to a IM'er talk and he or
      she will say
      , "But look at how SHADY xyz company is. They recruit all
      these people who never had a shot at success because they're at the
      bottom of the pyramid...or what about when their sponsor leaves them
      hanging out to dry after taking their money -- that's SHADY! Or what
      about how they pressure people at those fake mixers to recruit me...
      that was a horrible experience"

      Listen to a networker or Direct Sales guy or gal talk and they' would
      say
      , "Look at all those FALSE promises those so-called SAINTS are
      feeding to their customers. They LIE about their success and feed off
      the desperate. Post FAKE checks. Are likely to refuse responsibility
      once the sale is made because they have no further commitment
      except looking forward to the next sale..."

      Than you have the rare people like myself and Willie who UNDERSTAND
      both are one in the same with a different personalities and different
      faults.

      You would think people in this forum would take the side of Internet
      Marketing as being the BEST of the 3 ways of making money, and they
      are the same people who COMPLAIN about fake clickbank checks and
      16-year old girls posing as successful when there's really a 32 year
      old man behind the operation -- regardless if the product helps people
      make money or not -- it's the way it was PRESENTED that gets under
      their skin.

      And they talk about "ethics" and a "moral compass".

      I've been in all 3 industries DEEPLY (Direct Sales, Network Marketing,
      IM) -- and internet marketers are the biggest hypocrites they don't
      know about.

      Of course, it's hard to admit you're apart of something where someone
      does something that's a bit "off" or "misleading" that creates a lot of
      negative press...but what does that have to do with YOU and running
      your business the way you BELIEVE is full of integrity and honesty?

      Not that one shouldn't BE honest or have ethics, but some people use
      ethics, morality, and honesty as a REASON WHY they don't market to
      people because it's evil to sell something they can get for "free"
      ...any
      where (not knowing that a packaged product helps people sift through
      what works and what doesn't -- building confidence -- and adds value
      because they have a plan someone has, hopefully, proven to work they
      can follow)

      Bottom-line, it's a tightrope. You can either do some really shady things
      to make money in EITHER industry, or choose to do nothing at all
      --
      neither of which will help you in the long-term live with the decisions
      you make.

      Personally, I have more RESPECT for those who do things WRONG and
      face criticism than those who AVOID everything that COULD go wrong
      and do nothing.
      But, that's just me.


      The whole IM vs. Network Marketer debate is "silly" and childish...maybe
      because I know the benefits of BOTH industries and those who are avid
      supporters of either side do not. I love them both for what they DO that
      is good and right, and even what is done wrong -- we are only human
      and no industry is perfect -- that's why we are here, to learn from our
      mistakes.


      That's all we CAN do. And that's all that really matters.
      Signature

      If you can drive Biz Op Phone Calls .... I'm Buying

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  • Profile picture of the author makingiants
    Always great to see posts by one of
    the Superstars like Willie Crawford!

    That's why I looove this forum, folks.
    Vince aka makingiants
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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    Originally Posted by LD Carter View Post

    I'm into MLM as well. I find it funny how most IM'ers and MLM'ers don't want to join forces and get paid together. In my opinion, both fields go hand-in-hand.
    I think part of it is a scarcity mindset, and fear that if you get
    the customer's order than he can't buy from me.

    I was trained that if you get the customer's order I should
    approach you and ask you to offer that customer my related
    product on the backend.

    The two models do often require different methods. For example,
    most MLM's do require more direct contact, so a person who wants
    to automate everything and never have to interact with customers,
    probably should stick with IM.

    A person who enjoys making phone calls doesn't want to
    make a living selling $17 ebooks, although many buyers of $17
    ebooks will call or email (or send snail mail) asking you to
    elaborate on something in an affiliate product that you sold...
    and they may not understand that the $17 didn't cover the
    telephone support.

    People who are purely in one arena or the other very often
    don't understand the other. I think part of that is due to
    leaders in their industry deliberately misinforming them at
    times to keep them loyal to their way of doing business. I
    don't think that it's all malicious though... I think part of it
    is due to not understanding.

    Willie
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Willie: I think at the grassroots level -- where newbies are starting to get involved -- Network Marketers focus on the relationship first and struggle to get to the sale, while Internet Marketers focus on the sale and struggle to get to the relationship.

    I find it somewhat funny when IMers tell me that Network Marketing sucks and vice versa, because in the end, we are all shooting for the same goals, albeit we take different paths to get there.
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Willie: I think at the grassroots level -- where newbies are starting to get involved -- Network Marketers focus on the relationship first and struggle to get to the sale, while Internet Marketers focus on the sale and struggle to get to the relationship.

      I find it somewhat funny when IMers tell me that Network Marketing sucks and vice versa, because in the end, we are all shooting for the same goals, albeit we take different paths to get there.
      Nice encapsulation Bill... it matches my observations :-)

      Willie
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by Willie Crawford View Post

        Nice encapsulation Bill... it matches my observations :-)

        Willie
        Damn Willie. Don't you ever sleep?

        It is 3:42am where you are...
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        Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
        Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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        • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          Damn Willie. Don't you ever sleep?

          It is 3:42am where you are...

          Sleep is for mere mortals and sane people
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    • Profile picture of the author kakaboo
      MLM and internet marketing are 2 different things altogether, you can't compare them just like that. It's like comparing an apple to an orange... that's why whenever someone tries to recruit me into MLM using the example of businesses, I cringe.

      MLM only shares the same similarities IF the internet marketing niche you are talking about is internet marketing or making money online. Apart from this niche, the world of internet marketing is a completely different one from normal traditional MLM.

      The problem with MLM is that the flaw lies in the business model itself, because no matter how good the company's products are, people will always end up selling the 'opportunity' rather than the products itself, as it is the 'opportunity' where all the money lies. In MLM, it is when you build a massive downline where your income starts to grow and of course the natural and fastest way to do this would be to recruit downlines rather than the selling of the products itself.

      This is where everything grows wrong, because as much as people would not like to admit it, NOT everyone is cut out to do business, nor do everyone want to do business. It hurts when you know that you are going to recruit someone whom you know will never be able to make it in the business...in the end, you are just pushing and selling dreams and hopes rather than the products itself.

      And this is where the similarities and differences both lie in MLM and internet marketing. Only in the niche of making money online, are dreams and hopes being sold and peddled, just like MLM.... but in other niches like dating, golf, etc, they are completely different. Also, in internet marketing, you can make people COME to you naturally (SEO, etc) whereas in MLM you have to go out and target people manually.

      Plus, in MLM, most of the times you have to make sure the person you teach is able to duplicate what you have done in order to achieve wealth, whereas in internet marketing you do not neccesarily have to do that.. as you can develop a system for yourself which at most need 2-3 more people (and the difference here is these 2-3 more people do not need to find another 2-3 more people to be able to do well)
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      • Originally Posted by kakaboo View Post

        MLM and internet marketing are 2 different things altogether, you can't compare them just like that. It's like comparing an apple to an orange... that's why whenever someone tries to recruit me into MLM using the example of businesses, I cringe.

        MLM only shares the same similarities IF the internet marketing niche you are talking about is internet marketing or making money online. Apart from this niche, the world of internet marketing is a completely different one from normal traditional MLM.

        The problem with MLM is that the flaw lies in the business model itself, because no matter how good the company's products are, people will always end up selling the 'opportunity' rather than the products itself, as it is the 'opportunity' where all the money lies. In MLM, it is when you build a massive downline where your income starts to grow and of course the natural and fastest way to do this would be to recruit downlines rather than the selling of the products itself.

        This is where everything grows wrong, because as much as people would not like to admit it, NOT everyone is cut out to do business, nor do everyone want to do business. It hurts when you know that you are going to recruit someone whom you know will never be able to make it in the business...in the end, you are just pushing and selling dreams and hopes rather than the products itself.

        And this is where the similarities and differences both lie in MLM and internet marketing. Only in the niche of making money online, are dreams and hopes being sold and peddled, just like MLM.... but in other niches like dating, golf, etc, they are completely different. Also, in internet marketing, you can make people COME to you naturally (SEO, etc) whereas in MLM you have to go out and target people manually.

        Plus, in MLM, most of the times you have to make sure the person you teach is able to duplicate what you have done in order to achieve wealth, whereas in internet marketing you do not neccesarily have to do that.. as you can develop a system for yourself which at most need 2-3 more people (and the difference here is these 2-3 more people do not need to find another 2-3 more people to be able to do well)
        lol not completely true.

        I started off being mentored by someone who taught me both Internet Marketing and Network Marketing and how to combine them.

        The Internet Marketing was taught in order to keep up sufficient funds for advertising, subscriptions and bill paying, whilst I did my Networking.

        Just like Internet Marketing, the way in which you are successful in Networking Marketing is duplication, that is, you have a system that funnels your leads through, turns them into members and trains them up to duplicate your success using the methods you use to be successful (no top MLM'er makes it big without these in place as there wouldn't be enough time for he/she to recruit and train his current and new members).

        These new recruits are taught via back-end systems, recommended courses, e-books, personal 1-to-1 coaching and live webinars.

        Not only that but in Network Marketing it is also recommended you go to the live events and network with other successful Network Marketers.

        The difference is the level of contact can be different from IM to MLM depending obviously on the niche, as MMO in IM can also be a very contact heavy niche.

        But your also wrong about the dream, as there are plenty of niches in IM that sell "a" dream. For example the dating niche, "20 sure ways to have women crawling at your feet", I'm sorry but most guides are sh** and if they are good, if you look like bigfoot etc you have to be either lucky to find a girl who is genuine or have deep pockets.

        That to me is selling a sort of dream, which in the customers eyes is the dream of having girls crawling at his feet, something which most likely will not happen.

        Your right though, the downside to MLM is the fact that in order to be successful you have to sell the opportunity, and not the product. As no one ever cares about the product, they only care about how you can help them succeed.

        But a lot of what you say is ignorant, both are very feasible Business Models, only that it has a few differences.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonmorgan
    Willie, I'm diggin' your stuff.

    All I have, it's generally a good practice when writing an article to use the full wording first before using an acronym to remove confusion from those who may not know what those acronyms mean.

    Never make the reader think... well, leave them thinking about what YOU want them to think about and not left hanging wondering what MLM means.

    And yes, sleep is for the weak.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    Great post, Willie. The truth of the matter is that this doesn't need to be an "either-or" proposition, and one can benefit greatly by combining both forms of marketing instead of segregating them.

    I admire what some marketers have done by using a hybrid of both forms of marketing, and some great examples that I can think of off the top of my head are Daegan Smith, Jonathan Budd and Mike Dillard.

    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Erica Leggette
    This was a very insightful post Mr. Willie.
    I am also into mlm as well as affiliate marketing and I have seen people bash mlm and praise the other internet business models.
    MLM-we make money but helping others build businesses
    AM-we make money by building someone else's business by promoting their products/services.

    It's all money & relationships- and we are all building businesses
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    Be easy.


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    • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
      Originally Posted by Erica Leggett View Post

      This was a very insightful post Mr. Willie.
      I am also into mlm as well as affiliate marketing and I have seen people bash mlm and praise the other internet business models.
      MLM-we make money but helping others build businesses
      AM-we make money by building someone else's business by promoting their products/services.

      It's all money & relationships- and we are all building businesses
      I agree with much of what you say but you can't leave out the
      end user... the customers.

      An MLM that doesn't sell mostly to the end user, making most of
      their money from selling overpriced supplies to distributors will soon
      be put out of business by the FTC.

      An IM product that does not deliver on it's promises (whether how
      to make money or other topics) will soon be driven from the
      marketplace if it doesn't really work. That's not to say that
      shoddy products won't be soon replaced by other shoddy products.

      Shoddy product ARE also sold in niches outside of MLM and how
      to make money... as has already been pointed out.

      Long-term success in both MLM and IM requires taking care of
      your end customers... and properly training your affiliates and/or
      downline.

      Willie
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