What's the Best Online MLM?

I, think SendOutCards is the best, but if you follow Mike Dillard, etc. your MLM is not as important as the process you use in building leads and monetizing your list. Ultimately, MLM is about making money. The funnel process of using the internet to make money is the same regardless of what MLM you are involved in.

PM me and I will show you the system that I am talking about.

Charles

I love the author or rich dad poor dad, but i definitely will not recommend MLM, reason being ? I was a victim of a MLM and lost $10,000 USD as a result...

Hi James,

Well, those who have seen my posts on MLM know where I stand. I am firmly against them in almost all cases.

However, I don't want to discourage you either.

Instead, I'd like to point you to a link that offers a differing view of Robert Kiyosaki. I am sure Mr. K. would want people to open their minds to his advice, so all I ask is that you read the following analysis with the same open-mindedness.

Here is the summary directly from the site... Not sure if it's covered on that page, but it's interesting to note that Robert's book sales dodn't take off until an MLM organization latched onto it (which may expalin why he recommends MLMs now).

Anyway, the link is...

John T. Reed's analysis of Robert T. Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad, Poor Dad

I am not telling you what to decide, but just want to give you a chance to see an in-depth analysis of some info that may do more harm than good.

As far as earning money online with an MLM company, some people will define afifliate programs as MLM because money may be paid at more than one level. However, when Kiyosaki and I talk about MLM that is not what we are talking about.

In other words, I am for legitimate affiliate marketing (it can make you a lot of money), but anti-MLM (real money is made, but not where you think).

Finally, I was in the MLM world for many years, and learned a few things along the way. I am not bitter, but do my best to warn others.

Wishing you every success,
Michael Oksa

Sorry, I sort of hihjacked the thread in my previous post.

Just in case you don't get a chance to read the info in the link I sent, you mention that "Rich Dad, Poor Dad encourages people to get involved with MLM's". It also encourages them to commit felonies, so be careful.

Which one do I think is best? One that has a free option to start (without high-pressure to buy in at a higher level), has truly competitive prices, focuses on products (as opposed to recruitment), has a product you would buy anyway (for example, if you normally wouldn't by the latest "exotic fruit elixir", then why do it now?). By the way, if anyone finds one that meets all of these criteria, let me know.

All the best,
Michael

Micheal's comments lead to a good point:

In MLM many of the big earners make their money
selling books and CDs and coaching. The MLM is
often a front-end to a "guru" business model.

Your MLM company will usually demand you buy from
$50-200 per month of product to "qualify" to earn
commissions... to prove your commitment to the
program. In addition you will be asked to purchase
training materials and maybe go to pep rallies in
distant cities.

Work out the numbers. Is MLM the best way to achieve
your goals financially?

Do you enjoy selling?

Do you think you would enjoy/be good at training and
motivating a sales team?

You could enjoy it and be good at it. It's a matter of
what type of person you are and how you want to
earn your income. You could be pretty successful
as an information publisher too, or even as a consultant
with the same output of energy.

I know what Gary Halbert thought of MLM as a concept. And what J.F. Straw thinks.

Merchants of deception. Read it.

MLM could be a good business model if you had good sales chops and there were no competing distribution channels with better logistics. As it stands though if you've got the sales chops you'll see greater returns if you get into one of Jim's suggestions - buy pallet closeouts/overstocked goods and resell them individually, for example.

The worst thing to happen to people that want to earn another source of income. I thought MLM stuff was banned for this forum.

99% of the people that will never make any money online are using mlm and other recruiting people crap.

All the owners of the programs are doing is taking advantage of people's need for fast, easy, do nothing money - which never happens.

You've been warned. Please acknowledge it.

TL

MLM is a mine field of good and bad. The best one for you is not the best one for someone else.

Its a bit harder than affiliate marketing in my opinion because of the various rules , compensation, and hard products. Some have found it really rewarding however. Some love the feeling of belonging and others make fantastic money. Many more make nothing. Just like anything else it is what you make of it.

Realize that when you recruit online that you are in competition with everyone else in that company that recruits online too. That being said, many are not savvy so you probably have an edge.

Check out various companies at http://www.onlinemlm.com in the directory there. There are many bad ones, but many good ones too.

Consider doing affiliate marketing first, but if that is not your cup of tea, pick an MLM that at least has products that you believe in and have passion for. It helps a ton if the price point of the products is not sky high and the compensation plan for the company is realistic.

Realize you are building somone else's business for them. You are as well with affilate marketing but are not so vested in it that you can't move quickly away. With MLM you build a downline and they are yours as long as you remain in the company and play by the rules. I've seen such strict rules in some companies that people have lost their entire downline by going on vacation.

There is nothing except time and resources that says you must only do MLM. You can do that and create and sell your own info products too. Many here do that even some very well known people.

The big problem is people confuse pyramid schemes with the real MLM opportunities.

They can't seem to make a distinction between the two even after joining a company.

Fabian

Hello James,

As someone who has had a great deal of success in MLM. And as someone who has been involved with a variety of companies, I would simply advise you to do your homework.

There are so many companies out there right now, that it can become over whelming trying to decide which route to go.

I will tell you this, look for certain things when you're doing your evaluating:

1. The product. Make sure there's a market for it.
2. Make sure the product is something you believe in.
3. Check the management of the company.
4. Disect their comp plan and make sure you understand it fully!
5. Check to see what kinds of complaints have been filed against the company. And when I say complaints, I don't mean the kind where the person signed up, didn't do a thing to build their business, but expected a million dollars simply because they signed up.

These are a few things to take into consideration. If I can help you further please don't hesitant to ask.

Much Success,

Anthony McNeil

What's the Best Online MLM ?

Simple answer None of them.. Use your time and money wisely and create your own business and sell your own product and keep 100% of the profits (unless you have affiliates ofcourse).

James

I agree with you in principle, James. I still think Mike Dillard has created a good market for his affiliates. It is a different kind of affiliate marketing; but it is affiliate marketing, and I have made money from his system. What is more is it did not cheat, gyp or fool anyone on the front or backside. It puts all of the cards on the table.

I think also, that if you can be your own Mike Dillard, you can create a good business. It is very possible to do just that.

CTHarper

One of the better ones is LifePath Unlimited. Has a physical product. You get paid directly by your customer and forward one the wholesale price to the company. So you get paid first. And if the customer wants their money back at any time after the 72 hour grace period. (and there is a 56 day guarantee) the company gives it to them, but the commission YOU keep. They deal fairly from what I see. And the product is very very good.
The key I think in ANY MLM is to look for those people who will use the product and continually advance themselves.

That way, you've got real customers and not opportunity seekers.

That's how I see it for that one anyway. I'm not involved, though I do have one of their products.

A few things to look for when evaluating a MLM:

1. Can you earn a living retailing the product/service without having to recruit others into the program?

2. What is the customer-to-distributor ratio? (Look for companies which have at least TWICE as many customers as distributors.)

3. How long has the company been in business and what is the background of the owner(s)?

4. Does the product/service require someone to spend "new money" or is it something they are presently buying already in which case your customers will be using "old money"?

5. Does the company train its distributors to lead with the product/service or the opportunity? (Ideally, the company's product/service should be "hot" enough in which case you should be taught to lead with it first.)

6. Does the company have a system in place to make it duplicable to the masses without requiring a lot of manual mundane processes which are difficult to duplicate?

7. Does the company offer unlimited levels of residual commission payout or an infinity bonus? (This is very important so you don't lose out on the volume your downline organization produces way down deep.)

8. What % of the company's sales revenues for the past year represent sales to retail customers? (The FTC has stated publicly that they prefer to see 50% or more of a MLM company's revenues come from the sales of its product/service to people who are NOT in the compensation pay plan and are only end consumers of the product/service.)

9. Will the company allow you to be involved in other MLM's? (A lot of MLM companies nowadays prohibit their distributors from participating in other MLM opportunities regardless of whether or not they are in direct competition with one another or not.)

10. What % of distributors within the company earn at least $300 per month in residual commission? (A reputable MLM company will provide you with a document which breaks down the % of distributors at various levels of compensation within their compensation plan.)

If in doubt, ask Rod "MLM Watch Dog" Cook: MLM* Watchdog+MLM IS Good - Scams BAD! MLM Consumer Protection* Network Marketing news - MLM Detectives (Rod is a personal friend of mine and someone who has personally earned $1M+ in MLM only to see his commissions stripped away when the company he was with chose to go public and eliminate their MLM marketing arm. He has written compensation plans for many MLM's, one of whom now has more than a million distributors, and he knows more about the industry than anyone else. Tell him Shannon sent you.)

Wow I never thought there was discussions about MLM here haha
Well I've personally been in a few of them (Melaleuca, Nutronix just to name a few), now I personally stay away from any "monthly" commitments to get "paid" LOL..

So I am interested in ones that are more passive with no monthly "autoships" and if you work at it you earn more.

That is why I'm with this one called ICF world homes, its my 2nd month and I've already got some money direct deposited =P
Of course if anyones interested in viewing my side of this business feel free to ask.

There are a number of companies that use MLM to present and sell their online services ranging from hosting companies, autoresponder companies, telecom services, internet service, lead generation, training, etc...

As for which one is the "best", anyone involved in any MLM is going to tell you theirs is the best. That's why they joined it.

The reality is that there is no "best".

There is simply the one YOU will choose to put your effort in to.

When you start getting those checks, that will be the best MLM for you.

I'd say the best MLM's are any that one doesn't join.

hey, got this article from ezine that you might be interested upon Choosing the Best MLM Opportunity for You:::

There are two very important decisions to make in the life of every entrepreneur: is it time to go into business for myself, and what business will be best for me and best for my future clients? The decision to go into business for you is one of timing and of commitment. To be your own boss, you must be comfortable with your own work ethic, driven to succeed, and knowledgeable about what it takes to run a business. Self-reflection and research will enable you to determine if you are ready to take the kind of career risk that can pay off in a wealthy salary and time enough left over to enjoy it. When you have decided that the corporate world of making someone else money is no longer for you, you must then consider which business venture best suits your personality and style. Multilevel Network Marketing businesses, or MLMs, are often top choices for individuals who want to utilize their personality to enable them to be their own boss. There are many interesting and unique assets to owning an online MLM, and there are many factors to consider when choosing the best MLM opportunity for you.
An online MLM is the perfect venue for the self-directed and motivated business enthusiast. An online MLM challenges you to be as dynamic as possible with the added challenge that you will seldom be face to face with your customers. For this reason, it is up to you to make the most of your communications with them, to optimize your web site for maximum appeal to potential customers, and to get as much internet exposure as you can. An online MLM allows you to be your own boss and set your own schedule. Many aspects of the work associated with an online MLM can be completed in your time frame - if you work better at three a.m., you can update your site at three a.m. This freedom allows you to live your life, the life that does not begin and end with your job, to its fullest. With an online MLM, you can travel with your work. A Laptop and an internet connection plug you in to the innermost workings of your company from literally any destination. An online MLM is your ticket to financial success and the freedom to enjoy
it.
While an online MLM sounds very romantic and freeing, it is necessary to choose the best online MLM to invest your time and energy into. The best online MLM will have several qualities that set it apart from the rest of the pack. First, the best online MLM will be soundly established, with more than five years of MLM business success to speak for its experience. A company that has been around for five years has met with its share of tough times and challenges, but has worked through them to have made the five year mark. A company with five years or more of experience has an ear for market trends and obviously can stay afloat no matter where the winds of commerce shift to. Associating your MLM with an web hosting service such as those offered by Kiosk affords you piece of mind that you are working with a company with experience and success, but also with a company that has products people are interested in. MLM businesses only work if you are actually marketing something people would be interested in. With web hosting services, you are offering your clients the opportunity to launch their own internet businesses, while also benefiting from their success.


cheers!

I would have to say the best one is The Infinity 800

www (dot) forcedintoprofit.com

Hello everyone...

Please go easy on me, this is my first post. I have been involved in mlm for about 7 years. Personally, I find that mlm is far more time consuming than what the average person is willing to commit. You need a huge customer base to make any real money. And, the commissions are low.
The flip side of the coin are "top-tier" companies. For the most part, these companies offer high commissions, residual income, all the training you'll ever need to be successful, and an automated sales process. In my opinion, the best companies are the ones that use the funded proposal sales process. A couple that come to mind are Carbon Copy Pro and The Reverse Funnel System.

William Cook

Walmart should start an MLM.

Sell a discount member card and distribute tiny commissions down 10 levels of an unlimited width matrix.

I'd rather earn pennies per purchase on all levels from an established company than big dollars from a start up.

Hand out free trial membership cards that offer discounts on already low prices and watch the money ladder climb in a year.

I'm already salivating....

And dreaming...

I'll wake up in a minute...

Mo

The best one is one where you get in close to the ground level and which becomes very popular shortly thereafter. Shouldn't be too hard to find! :-/

I have been reading a LOT of financial books lately.

While all of them are different, they still have a few common themes running through them.

The RD/PD books are radically different, IMHO, and while I loved them in the past, I am not getting the same fuzzy feeling I used to from them.

I have not found any MLM I am 100% comfortable with. I would rather create and develop my own IM biz and get 100% of the profits instead of working my a$$ off to promote and sell someone else's products.

That is just me. Sorry to not be of more help in your MLM search.

The concept of multi level marketing is in fact an ingenious one, the problem with the concept is that it can also be manipulated and twisted. Which is why you've seen thousands of companies come and go over it's long history.

I have a long and heated history in MLM, worked hard and went into big time debt trying to build a business. I never built a monthly commission check bigger than $1500, that's not purely an indictment on the industry, but it's also a reality check for those that get sucked into the get rich quick hype.

I simply burnt out on the industry, but I learned so much about marketing and relationship building that I would not erase the experiences. But I wouldn't touch the industry again, unless I was blown away by an unbelievable product or service of great value.

The problem with most online based MLM's is there based on overpriced quasi products that have zero value, and create zero demand. What's sold is the comp plans, and people simply sell the opportunity with no emphasis on the product or service. These programs mostly fizzle out and eventually go away, until the next great opportunity pops up and the pack movers can make more commissions for another 1-2 years.

MLM can work, there are plenty of people that are proof of that. But it has to be based on high value products or services that are priced competitively with comparable products and services in the marketplace. And the compensation plan has to be lucrative enough to reward the part timer immediately. Part timers make up 95% of the industry, and if someone can't make a commission their first month, guess what, their gone. You also have to be an expert in lead generation and marketing, it's just not gonna work if your riding the edges.

For the enterprising individual that wants to create their own venture from home there are much easier ways to do it than MLM.

Whats the "best" online MLM? Simple: The one that has a product you are drawn to and USE. If the company is in an area that you feel passionate about and you USE the product, then GO FOR IT. I am big on personal development and use among other things a program called Holosync. Have been doing so for about a year and have noticed definite positive change. I LOVE the product and recommend it whenever I can. Am I an affiliate? No. I just love the product and use it consistently. If you have that, then that is half the battle.

The other half is when first starting out, look for product users. Those that the product fixes a problem for. Those are the ones that will ultimately help you build the business side of it as (if the product is good) they will use it and recommend it.

The sheer negativity of the above posts demonstrate why MLM doesn't work for most people - because most people are so damn negative.

How would you like an MLM company/system that:

Does NOT involve selling directly to other people

But you DO sell products, very regularly

You DO NOT have to ask people to join, they ask you.

Where almost any idiot willing to put the work in CAN and WILL make money

Is perfectly legal

Well-established, over 30 years I think.

Many people have retired from it as they made enough to quit.

Sound good?


As far as I know it is only available in the UK and it's not online.

It's not for everybody though and I repeat it's not online. You have to actually get out there and do the work.

I would LOVE to start either a franchise or my own company here in Malaysia but you know what? So many dumb goatloving morons have

A. ripped people off with scammy MLM
B. been such negative nellies that they slur the entire concept without even looking

that the entire MLM industry is actually illegal here, meaning I couldn't start my own company or anything else like it. Bummer eh?

Paypal me $5 and I'll spill my guts with the hidden secrets that.. etc etc.

Or just PM me nicely



B.

I just don't how people make money from MLMs unless you are at the top. I know some people who are doing GDI. But, I don't think that they are making much money from it.

Nope, the one I'm thinking of doesn't require you to have an outgoing personality.

You can be positively shy and it still works.

Hey I should start a new niche - How To Make Money Offline


I've had no PMs, proving my point really. When offered the real thing peeps assume a scam or 'doesn't work', hence my comment about negativity.

If I were back in the UK I'd certainly look this company up and probably get back with them.

My "upline" has been doing it for a few years and had already retired from his job as a teacher, because he was earning more money from this.

A genuine UK MLM, offline, real products, no sales skills required, serious earning potential, make money in your first week, repeat customers.. what more do you want?

$5 and I'll spill my guts etc.



Hey have I been here long enough to do a WSO?



B.

Bigsofty...

Are you referring to Klene-eze? (or something like that name)

Tsnyder

*sigh* there go my dreams of WSO riches..

Yeps

You just stick catalogues out in a couple of streets, return the next day or so and pick em back up.

It takes awhile to develop a good system for yourself, such as just how many can you carry at a time before you get shoulder ache, best spots to park the car for next time and so on. You'll also lose quite a few catalogues at first (you have to buy them, it's a business after all) but again if targetting a regular area you get to know the houses or even entire streets where people will bin it instead of leaving it out for you to collect.

Take a notepad or voice recorder and makes notes, very important.

Once you're convinced it works, buy more catalogues and expand your area. Tip - don't just make it larger, try completely new areas. Why? Because on the back of the catalogue is the little advert - "Want to make some part time cash delivering and collecting catalogues?"

Yep, those who do are your downline. You don't even need to mention the MLM element - but boy it's fun to watch their eyes widen when you explain you're making 140 and the guy above you is on 600 a week...

It was a loong time ago I was into it. I dropped out because having moved up North to be with some silly bint who turned out to be an abusive fruitcake I moved back down south. I easily landed my old job again and just didn't get back into it but I know Terry, the guy above me, ended up on over 3000 a week by the time I left the UK. Nice guy and he deserved it.

I can't remember all the figures but they reckoned for every 100 catalogues you put out you'd make some figure in commission, 20 quid or something. I was pretty sceptical but sure enough, you get a lovely warm feeling when you pick up a catalogue and there's a pink order slip in the plastic sleeve... and another... and here's another one..

They have all sorts of stuff in the catalogues, mostly fairly cheap impulse purchases but good quality.

100 catalogues sounds real easy but remember you have to:

Pay for them and the order forms etc etc

Stuff em with order forms, in a little sleeve, throwing out any that are noticably damaged

Deliver em, checking your notes as you go

Pick em up again, losing a few in the process. Don't be shy to knock on the door and ask - if they don't want you doing this, make a note.

Send the order through to the company

Take delivery, arrange items by customer then go deliver em


100 catalogues is a lot more work than it sounds - but 500 is nothing like 5 times the work.

If you stay indoors because of the weather you won't make any money - and it's strangley true to say that being regular in an area improves your earnings. If they know you'll be back every month they're more likely to order.

Does it work and make money, after expenses? Absolutely, IF you do the work.

Will you grow a network? Yep, people ask you if they can join - your mags do the recruiting.

As I say I'd deeply LOVE to start something like that here as there are so many little villages without much in the way of shops - but alas it's forbidden, because you know, that MLM thing is a scam...


Not always.


As for any online MLM, dunno. Any multi-tier affiliate program comes under that heading I guess.



B.

Kleeneze | Earn extra money, work from home, part time income, shop from home

There ya go.


B.

Doncha just love it when people read closely?


B.

My simple opinion...

There are no real "online" MLMs.
Some offer online products, but
none of them can be effectively
run behind a computer only.

The question you should ask
yourself is, "What MLM's are IM
friendly?"

I hear list-building MLM are pretty popular now. They remind me of the old snail-mail chain letter MLMs. Sign up, pay $2 to 5 people, get your name on that list, and then send some traffic to your affiliate page. Hopefully, someone will pay YOU $2 and so forth.

But not only that, you now have a downline to email to. I don't know about that though. Listlotto comes to mind. *shivers*

No .... I don't mean to tell you that 100% of my organization never speaks to anyone on the phone.

You said:

I said:


As for being on the phone, I would lump that in under the category of "behind the computer".

Perhaps we simply have a difference in how we are interpreting "behind the computer."

I think it's safe to say that a phone call could also be considered as "online" and can certainly be done from behind a computer with programs like Skype and others.

I'm not making an argument for method being better than another. I prefer working online. My system can be operated 100% online via email, web site, etc... (and I'm including phone calls).

That being said, we're getting ready to move in to doing live seminars and presentations to show offline businesses how they can benefit from email marketing, list building, etc...

There will still be those Affiliates of ours who operate 100% online and we'll gladly continue to pay them commissions for the sales they refer.

Hello James,

GREAT question. You know, what I believe is important is that you look at specific critical factors before you go into any MLM company.

1. How long have the company operated online?

2. Does the product add true value to there affiliates?

3. Company mission statement and vision statement. ( Long term strategic planning )

4. Management experience and background.

5. Compensation plan.

What I beleieve is the most important element is that you identify and implement a plan for yourself to develop your skill set to become a professional online marketer.

As there are a number of mediums to drive quality traffic, my recommendation is to identify a specific marketing medium you want to fully master. Once you have mastered one marketing medium, then you move on. The reason I say this, is that is is easy to become overwhelmed and paralyzed with information overload. One step at a time is always the best approach.

Once you know how to professionally market online and once you have a proven system in place to funnel your traffic and build relationship with your leads, you can make money no matter what company you choose to be part of.

Personally, I am passionate about personal development and how self development can help you to develop your character and mindset. Most importantly, is that you find a fit between your current desire and the right team to work with.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Keep on going. The more you seek, the more you shall find.

Eirik.

My experience with MLM.

You sign up, the opportunity gets old on the market, and your upline switches to a new opportunity, and emails you to follow him and spend more money. The problem is, you have not made any real money with the old one.

There is a very successful MLM online marketer that I have been following, and making a ton of money. He's almost at cult status. The problem is, if you look at his history for the last 16 months, he's switched from one MLM (where he made his true infamous start), to 5 others now. People buy into his process, but still, you are still getting your list and downline to spend more money, and the guy at the top makes it all because the biz opp ceases to have staying power.

That is my summary.

Mark

How would you like to save hundreds of dollars each month on items that you already use? If you said yes then "my world plus" would be one of the best mlm companies on the internet.

I would concur with the idea that a MLM must have a good product.

Is it not illegal to have a MLM without a product?

The BEST MLM is the one that YOU launch.

I would NOT join an MLM unless:
1) They focus on selling a product to people and do not focus on selling people (friends and family) to the company
2) The product has a huge ready-to-buy market
3) The price and quality of the product is better than what customers can get anywhere else

I haven't found any that meet this criteria.

This one DOES look interesting with no recruiting or investment required: ezspiderweb.ws
(looks like some small investment is optional) Maybe it's too good to be true?

I have just recently found a company that just started a new product line 7 months ago to their already 15 year old company. They have great online store that seems high quality and lots of good information about the business, company and products, easy to navigate and a great business plan.
Yes I may be a little on the prejudice side toward them as I just joined the company just last month but see really great things possible in the future with the program that they offer.
I am not sure why so many people are against MLM / Network Marketing. I know that I use to think the same, until I realized that corporate America operates on the same premise, that is, the people on the bottom make less money and must do more for each customer as do the supervisors, asst managers, managers and as do the district people have less to do with the customers in front line sales and in some cases do absolutely nothing toward the actual sales process.
Now, I ask how is that different than the MLM or Network Marketing?

MLM is a business...plain and simple. You will get out of it what you put into it. There is no magic to it. The reason, in my opinion, that it gets a bad rap is because of the way the independent distributors try to sell the product and then the distributorship. For the most part they are so desperate and scared that they say anything to make a sale or get someone to join them. When that does'nt happen people get upset.

MLM is a good business model but, it has to be treated as a business. If you can do that you will have some success.

There are some good ones out there. Go to npros dot com to search through some of the MLM's out there. Might be a good place to start. If you find one the 'resonates' with you get involved and put some effort into it...you will make it happen...if you want it bad enough
Just my 2cents

I would have to say Mike Dillard's Magnetic Sponsoring would be one of the best. That is perfect for brand new marketers and teaches the law of attraction marketing. Good stuff.


-Earl

For me the best mlm, is the one i am involved with. Most mlm products and/or services, are overpriced, and have no outstanding quality, or no quality at all. People get in, for the money, and after a few month´s the mlm business usually go down. The one i am involved with, is about a products millions already use, in a weekly basis, and the service allows to do it better, for a reasonable price. It is about playing lottery with syndicates, allowing the player to have better winning chances, and when the sysdicate wins, always wins multiple prizes. A quality mlm, should have this characteristics:
- reasonable price
- quality product/service
- used by many people, in a regular basis.

If you want to know more about my mlm, check my sig.

I think what attracts people to MLM is one of two factors:

-low barrier to entry
-leverage potential

People who don't have much money to start a business
like MLM because they also tend to assume other people
won't have much money to get started. This isn't true
of course, but we all tend to operate within our comfort
zones. If you only believe you can get people in who will
pay less than $100 you wouldn't ask for more, would you?

The problem there is a lot of people would actually be
more committed if they had more skin in the game -
so you get a lot of attrition with a $100 MLM because
it wasn't a committed decision anyway. The average
recruit is quickly distracted and moves on to another
opportunity.

Thus duplication is rare... because commitment is as
well.

SO - the problem is?

Not enough commitment.

Solution? Make sure your team members have more
skin in the game. I suggest a minimum of $1000 to
keep them interested.

Of course many people who don't have $1000 will go away
because they don't have the discipline to save up the
money to start with such an investment. The lead-pool
shrinks.... but as a sponsor you will spend a lot less time
and energy trying to motivate people who aren't invested.


This dovetails into leverage potential too - because
leverage comes from people going out and building there
own group - not from the payplan. MLM and direct selling
compensation models make leverage possible, but it is
only a possibility. For most people it does not happen.

The problem here is that with MLM you can usually only
make real money if leverage DOES happen... ie. "duplication" -
which is very rare unless you have business builders.

How do you get a business builder? One solution is to
position what you do as having a higher perceived value
and prestige than just another MLM bizop.

I've figured most of this stuff out in my own business.
I don't do MLM right now. I think it has merit but if
you want to do it with IM the best strategy is to build
a large list of people who LOVE you and then promote
the MLM to them.

It is not frequently said, but MLMs are just continuity
programs - and the average continuity subscriber quits
after 3-4 months.

So much for lifetime residual income.


Solution? Get more power behind what you do with network
marketing.

If you want to make big money in MLM ... start your own company. Not easy, but that's what will build wealth and you have something to sell in the end.

The best MLM online...is the one that DOESN'T EXIST.

Any product that's reliant on other people promoting its compensation plan to help sell it, is probably CRAP.

And when people get bored with it, and move on to the next MLM...the product falls, and so does everyone who was reliant on it for their income.

Seriously MLMs suck. They're programs from the Devil if you ask me.

Whoa! Now we have a lot of negativity here about it.

Do you guys despise Frank Kern too? No, I doubt it. He's
cool. Did you know he likes network marketing and does it?

Halbert didn't like scams. Halbert was funny but not always
accurate in his thinking. He treated many people with
disrespect. He had a lot to give and I respect him, but
his name-calling was not an endearing quality.

Some MLMs are crooked. I don't even think the MLM model
is particularly useful for the internet market anymore.
That doesn't mean network marketing isn't - it just means
that there are so many Multi-level programs promoting
on the internet makes it a challenge to develop a committed
salesforce because there are so many distractions for them.

Network marketing can be worked into a bigger business
building strategy for online marketers. If you have skills and
can teach them, why not establish a position where you can
earn in partnership with the people you teach?

Of course mlm isn't the only way to do such a thing, but it
is one way.

Personally I don't care for health product mlms, which is most
of them I think. I don't care to promote any product in general
that pays only a 5-10% profit on personal sales. I like
the 50%-100% profit model. I like to get paid for what I
produce.

The big myth is that a dumb guy can get lucky and recruit
some heavy hitters. While the dumb guy stays dumb and
clueless the go-getters "under" him make him rich.

Dream on, dumb guy.

Success in sales comes with professional skills development.
If you can learn sales skills network marketing is a viable
choice, as is selling yachts, cars, houses, vacuum cleaners,
ebooks, services... the list goes on.

People who don't learn to sell anything will suck wind and
lose money in any business. Duh!

Admittedly there is hype and deception in the industry. Products
are sold at vastly inflated prices to support the commission needs
of several layers of distributors.

I prefer the uni-level model. It is used in the insurance and mortgage
industries too. With some network marketing companies the
sponsor serves as a sales manager and earns over-rides on sales
made by people he or she trains. In some this goes on for as
long as people are active, in others it's a certain number of sales
are passed-on to the manager and after that the new person
is trained and begins to operate as a sales manager in his or
her own right. Kinda cool. It can be lucrative too.

I don't think MLMs are bad. Just mostly not profitable. Some
unilevel programs can be worked effectively however and
create good results for people who have what it takes to
run a business.

I agree. Most people fail in network marketing because they were not the right ones for this business in the first place. MLM is not for every one as most companies would like us to believe. This is because of the way most companies recruit. They excite people, promise them all the nice things but never mention how to get there.... once Pepe get started, they wait for what they were promised in vain.

That said, I believe that mlm is a wonderful model. I agree with Robert that mlm is one of the best options for the average person. You just have to have the right training, right mindset, good company, good mentor. With the Internet today, it is very easy to set up systems that will attract qualified prospects.
PS: This is his video from

I regularly see people posting videos on Youtube promoting MLM companies where there doesnt seem to be any actual product. Its just all about paying a one time fee, usually anywhere from $10 to $50, and promoting it and getting others to sign up. There seems to be a huge amount of these type of companies out there.

Has anyone any experience with these type of companies?

Are they scams?

Many of these comments confirm why I don't use MLM...too many negatives although I know there are some legit ones...find what works for you and do it...

There are so many ways to make money online...you will know when you find what you feel comfortable with..

I guess it would depend on what you are looking to get out of it personally. I have never gone down that road so cant give an informed opinion.

Best wishes

The last time I was involved with a MLM opportunity was in 1997 - 2001 and I owned the company. I can tell you that for the last 20 plus years, the one that makes the most money in any company is the owner. I have not found anything worth looking at in the last 8 years until 2 weeks ago and even though I am pretty established with my own stuff, I could not resist this simply because they are bringing too much money to the table. Do you want to have very small piece of a wanna be ("oh no not another so & so company) or do you want to have a small piece of a company that is catering to what 40% of internet surfers are looking for but 99% of people are too afraid to touch? I joined and set up a splash page that is converting about 8% in the last 2 weeks and I haven't even gone to my back office yet or even looked at the the companies products. All I can say is what do you need and how hard do you want to work competing with hundreds and thousands of others in the same industry?

I am extremely amazed at ALL the people that think MLM is bad. Not trying to offend anyone but did everybody that put down MLM have a bad experience? I mean was it really that bad?

The truth of the matter is this (just like in anything) you will have legit companies and some bad ones.

Most MLM companies are legit BUT they just may not appeal to you for whatever reason.

A lot of distributors from these companies are looking to go online to generate leads. However they run into issues with their company not providing the right internet marketing training. Hence you have a bunch of distributors SPAMMING their biz.

With that happening that can make MLM'ers seem like used car salesman which turn people off and say I hate MLM (lol).

Anyway I would suggest a Direct Sales company. You get paid more upfront and you don't have to worry about building a huge downline. Just make sure whatever company you get involved with provides EXCELLENT online marketing training.