ARE MLM'S DEAD?

Hello Everyone,

I would like to open by saying I am an advocate for the Direct Selling Industry (Internet Marketing, NLM, MLM, RM).

I was involved in MLM's and am now a full time Internet Marketer.

I hold no bad or indifferent opinion of MLMs to say making a list of 100 friends and family is grinder old school marketing.

Essential Question: Are MLM dead?

As an Internet Marketer I hear peoples complaints about MLM's all day. They don't have the time to run from here to there; they can't afford the autoship the list goes on and on.

Many MLMers are jumping ship and or taking a serious look at Internet Marketing opportunities.

YOUR THOUGHTS...

A fusion of the two would seam best. Online MLM which is more or less what i am involved in. MLM's still will hold weight in the "real world" only because MLM's will always be around, But much like every other industry MLM's are now and have been for quite some time going digital.

Dead??? No.
Evolving? Absolutely.

The problem with MLMs is that people who join later are at a disadvantage.

New MLMs pop up every day. I'm not a big MLM fan but I have joined a small handful over the years.



Newbie Shield

I've never been a big fan of MLM's either, but I must admit I am about to join one in a few months time as a joint venture type of thing with a friend of mine who has been involved in a health related mlm for about a year.

My side of it is going to be to sign up under her and then build a content based website relating to not only the products but also related conditions. She is going to do most of the one-on-one follow-up with the individuals.

I like the products and she is really keen, so it may make for a good opportunity for the both of us. I'll get the income generated from the site, and she will get a good % because I will be directly under her. She seems quite happy with that, even though I offered to make it more equitable.

I will be the one doing most of the work in the beginning building the site, but then the tide will turn and she will have to do most of the work with the follow-up. Who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind and get involved in that side of it eventually, too.

We'll see how it goes. I really don't think MLM's are dead. There seem to be an awful lot of them everywhere you look.

MLM is definitely not dead.

The problem with so many mlm companies is that they pay money for recruiting more than they pay for sales.

Also, most MLMs are selling products that not many people actually want to buy...they only buy them so they can make their monthly quota to receive their check that month.

And there is a fee to join most MLMs.

The company I'm associated with came up with an intelligent way to promote what everyone (not just a few) people do and is continuing to do online more and more every year as the computer age advances. And we are doing this without requiring any money to join.

Actually, it's neither a true MLM nor a true Affiliate program because there are differences from this company and the Fee Based MLMs and it pays 9 levels deep unlike the Affiliate programs.

So, if a company is harnessing the power of the internet to sell products that everybody buys anyway...and if there is no fee to join...and if all the training is free...and if all the tools are free...then I say...NO, MLM is not dead...but, hey, this is not true MLM.

Thanks,

Mike Pressnell

I don't think MLM's are dead. You just need the right marketing approach. I do believe the "old"ways of seling are dying off.

People are getting wiser about mlms. They've joined the high priced ones on the promise of making money and after a couple of months with no results, they quit because they can't afford to continue. Companies are being forced into making payplans that favor the reps. People are getting smart as "mlm consumers."

I don't think MLM is dead, it's just that so many people complain so loudly when they don't get any where. Of course there are a number of MLM opportunities that base their comp plan on recruiting, and I don't agree with that.

I think it's important to look at how quickly the company rises, the percentage of members actually making sales, AND the quality of the product. Upper management should also be considered, but sometimes you aren't privy to that information.

I've heard from a number of well known online marketers that it's just as easy to sell a high ticket item as it is to sell small items. That being the case it makes sense to go for the big commissions if you have confidence in your marketing abilities.

There are two types of marketers these days. The old school - face to face (or one on one over the phone) type. And then there's the Internet marketer who gets involved in forums like this and other online discussions. I personally prefer the later

The trick is to find an MLM that is honest, ethical, and that offers and excellent product or service. Oh and one more thing it helps if you believe in it!

Well said netbiz. If you believe in the company and in the product/service and are passionate about it, you chances of success are much greater.

Mike

Well since I really feel life is a balance I do think MLM as we know it is dying off. With the new technologies we are discovering everyday, some of the old ways must "die off" or be replaced and the new ways take over.

Quoting: dreed
Well since I really feel life is a balance I do think MLM as we know it is dying off. With the new technologies we are discovering everyday, some of the old ways must "die off" or be replaced and the new ways take over.
That's why the old way of getting in your car and driving all over town to do your shopping is dying off, too.
That's why the merchants are willing to pay a commission for the customeres some drive to their sites instead of having to pay the bukoo buks's for the media advertsiing.
That's why inovative mlm companies who can adapt to the change will still grow and even thrive...especially when they find ways to maximize the commissions the merchants pay.
Consider this..the merchants pay a certain % commission and a gift certificate/card company pays a certain % for the certificates/cards purchase from their site for the merchant cards. Put the two together and what do you have?....You have the highest % being paid out by combining both.
hmmmm....
Check it out....I did.

Hello, MLM's are not dead. However I believe the traditional marketing approaches that the majority of MLM companys teach are not that effective. Tell me if this makes sense to you? Most people who want to do a business like MLM are told it doesn't take much time and they can work part time/spare time and make a lot of money. After this they tell them about the 3foot rule and how everyone needs your product/service or business opp. If network marketers are beating the bushes sharing and trying to recruit at random how long do think it will take the average person to build up enough business to pay their bills much less break even? I will tell you that I have tried it all, I worked for a year and a half in my company doing the traditional marketing approaches. I need to set the record straight. The traditional approaches work, and I made money, the only problem was I couldn't make money fast enough to offset chargebacks, autoship, cellphone bills, internet marketing bills, membership fees, tools, events, gas, food, etc.

The good thing about MLM is it is not as expensive to run as a traditional business but it still takes "Money". At least $500-700 a month. I could never earn 700 in one month while working full time at my day job. The sad thing is most people are not able to either.

MLM is not dead, we as an industry need to teach new recruits better marketing principles. We need to teach new recruits how to target market and how to set up funded proposals so they can stay in business long enough to produce the profit they are looking for.

this reply is my two cents. Hopefully this helps.

Sincerely,

MLM Librarian

Hey All,

I do not agree that MLM's are dead or that they are dying, in fact I only see them as growing. I have been in MLM for around 5 years now and they growth is going through the roof, more and more people are wanting to stay at home and work instead of going into the office every day.

I also do not think that getting into an MLM late is a disadvantage.. it only is if you are not willing to build which is vital to being successful at MLM. People drop out for a number of reasons, but the biggest one is that they are NOT making any money, why? Because they don't have anyone under them, WHY Again I ask? Because they fall for the hype of uplines that promise to give them spillover and they are never taught how to actually build, how to recruit, and that the biggest mistake that people make in MLM is NOT calling their leads and working the system and instead they sit on their butt all day and wait for handouts and when they fail they blame the system, the product, the upline, but not themselves.

To me MLM is alive and doing very well and I only see that gaining!

Pax et Lux,

Michael

Whether you call it Network Marketing, or MLM, or Multilevel Marketing... it is alive, and well and growing.

Consider this, with the advent of the computer and really inexpensive telecommunications, it's now possible to work from home in a network marketing business.

You still do "belly-to-belly" but you do it through web conferencing, or by telephone. You don't have to physically go anywhere.

The tactics are changing... and that is because people are tired of being lied to... they're tired of being conned.

More and more, people are looking for ways to save money, save time, get healthier, gain financial freedom, or security. The products offered by most network marketing companies fill those needs.

As a network marketer, it's my job to identify your needs... but tap into your wants. Today it may be a product, tomorrow it may be the opportunity.

I have noticed that many MLM's as of late, try to redefine themselves as ANYTHING but an MLM.
The most recent example I have run into is MELALEUCA, which refers to its business as "Consumer Direct Marketing".
Interestingly enough, Consumer Direct Marketing is a Melaleuca trademark!
One rep. has said that Melaleuca is the ONLY Consumer Direct Marketing company, in the world I guess, since this rep went on to say that they have 'no competition' (no other CDM companies exist!).

So here are my questions:
What is the definition of an MLM?
What defines a company as an MLM (and what is the source of this definition)?
Is Melaleuca itself an MLM?
Is Shaklee an MLM?
Is Liberty League an MLM?

Has anyone ever heard of 'Consumer Direct Marketing'?
What company do you know of that calls itself a Consumer Direct Marketing company?
What companies do people know about that are in fact MLM's but try to define themselves differently?
What kind of terms have they come up with to redefine themselves?

Anyone, any questions.
Any comments...

Hi there,

MLM works, there are millionaires globally in the industry.

The No.1 obstacle to success in MLM is "YOU and ME". If we work on ourselves and get our heads in the right space we will succeed.

The way we promote is constantly changing, this applies to MLM or whatever you are doing.

Take the "You Tube" and "Bebo" phenomenom.

What we need to do is take it all in assimmilate it and get into action with the next thing in our marketing strategy.


Aaron Riddell

Quoting: AaronbizMLM works, there are millionaires globally in the industry.

Nobody denies there are millionaires in this industry.
That only means it works for them!

The issue seems to be that MLM's do NOT work for MOST of the people who try to become 'millionaires' via MLM.
Most people don't even seem to become 'thousandaires'!

Hi there TJamMoneyMan,

Have you got any statistics on people who become millionaires doing a 9 to 5 job?

I believe you will find 5-10% of salary earners become financially independent and the rest are still working after age 65.

At the end of the day we all need to push out beyond our comfort zones if we are ever going to achieve anything.

It is so so easy to give up, but it's our "strong" WHY and desire that will keep us going through the good and more interesting times.

Happy New Year


Aaron Riddell