If one were to get on the net and start a forum on the topic, the forum would be inundated with negative criticism on the subject. This is mainly because this is the most misunderstood of all marketing concepts. Misunderstood as well as misused marketing techniques one would say.
MLM is a misunderstood technique because it is a concept that has been advertised and demonstrated all over the internet. This has led to millions of people trying to jump on to the band wagon in the hope of making quick money online. Some have even been sold the dream of making millions overnight while they slept, and all through MLM. It was only too bad for these people that they bought into a system they never fully understood the potential of or were not able to exploit to the fullest.
While the MLM programs they took part in may have been ideal to make a few thousands the sales pitch of the promoters made them expect more – much more. They expected so much from the program that they were disappointed with their meager earnings. If they were disappointed think of the way the people who took part and never recovered any of their investment?
Unfortunately these people form the majority of internet and brick and mortar MLM programs. Because the sheer number of these people with disgruntled feelings of MLM have contributed a great deal to maligning a technique that, if managed in a scientific manner, would yield profits of mammoth proportions. However, this is not the case. MLM has more adversaries than friends. However, the few people who have ventured into the world of MLM and have put in their all to a program they were confident in, have managed to reap great fortunes. This has, however, been possible only with hard work and consistency of labor.
These people are not entirely to blame. They may have lacked the will power or the dedication to carry their program through, however, there is a lot to be blamed on people pushing an MLM campaign just to get their investment out. These people single out vulnerable prospects and sell them a dream of becoming rich without having to raise a finger. Well sloth is one of the five deadly sins! If these people failed to understand that earnings are directly proportionate to the efforts put in they would have understood that investing money and sitting back hoping for the profits to roll in was nothing but a road to loss.
So, does MLM really work? The answer is Yes, but the players must be carefully chosen to build a successful and hardworking down line of people who are dedicated to making a success of a program where everyone benefits.
Every program needs to have a good leadership if the program is to achieve its target goal. This is as true to MLM as it is to any business. Just because most of the affiliates of an MLM are working from the comfort of their homes does not mean that they do not follow what the leaders are telling them. Deviate from the leader and you go astray. If you jump into an MLM program that has an incompetent leader you are in deeper trouble than you ever expected.
It is also important to understand that there can be no compromise on honesty and hard work. If anyone thinks that wealth and success will come by sitting back on a sofa and watching some MLM software automatically do the work, they are doing nothing more than just waiting for failure to slap them in the face.
All successful MLM programs have been successful only because of good leadership. Good leadership in MLM means to mentor your down line in a manner that will be mutually beneficial for you, your ward and the entire down line. Good MLM leadership means to be in a position to help out people in your down line by giving up one of your recruit and placing the recruit in their down line to help them along the way. Just being able to recruit members in an MLM is not the main aim of a good leader.
To begin developing MLM leadership skills one must begin with oneself. If you cannot lead yourself in the right direction you will not be able to lead others. Then there is the need to develop group leadership qualities and also individual mentoring qualities. All three qualities when present in an individual will make a great MLM leader. To sum it up MLM leadership takes discipline to begin, conviction to continue and resolve to complete.
MLM leadership requires one to hold out during times of hardship, unfortunately this is where most MLM leaders jump the ship and swim to safety rather than take control and captain the ship to calmer waters and wait it out. These people do not have the conviction to continue what they started and as a result the whole MLM collapses. If the MLM leadership is weak, like that setup by upstarts who just want a fly-by-night business to keep them busy until the dream job comes by, the MLM is doomed from the very first day.
This is why it is important to research the MLM’s leadership and owners before opting to be a part of it. If the leadership is strong you have a good chance of making a success of your part of the MLM.