There are several things to ook for in a good MLM program, especially in the current status of our economy. Currently people are focused on what can make them money, and less concerned with the extra unnecessary things. A product that is beneficial and useful is one of the most important things to look for in finding a good MLM program. Earning monthly residual income is based on the necessity of the product and if your network has a ongoing need for the product. You are paid based on continued monthly use of the product by your downline. A reliable company that you can count on to issue monthly residual checks is another very important factor when choosing a good MLM program. Having a product that has not saturated the market to the point that a person has multiple choices to secure the product. Find a product and marketing idea that you can only obtain from a few sources....find a product that is new or it's marketing plan is new....find a product that is useful and needed, and you will have yourself a winner.
I'd say that the best MLMs are those that are free to join and that don't require you to recruit other members to make a good profit - where your income is dependent on your ability to sell the product, not on how many people you bring into the MLM so that the MLM company can make money on sign up fees. Unfortunately these kinds of MLM companies are very hard to find...of course, you can always get a "sales" job in the real world if you know how to sell.
I agree that a good mlm company is one that pays just as good, if not better on the product end than on the recruiting end... if you can find one that pays good on both ends, that is what I call a good mlm program. When I was researching mlms my main question was "How many people do you have to have in your downline to make a thousand a month?"... and you would not believe the huge variety in answers.. Many people don't even know!! They are in an mlm company and have NO idea how many people they need to have in order to make a thousand a month... The less people you need in your downline in order to make a decent income - the better the company is paying on the product end of it...
A good MLM program requires a product that you can "get behind" and sell in good faith knowing that its useful. I've meet many who were in MLM's but didnt believe in their product
Great point getagrip. Most MLMs are based on getting someone to pay a susbstantial entry fee but they want you to believe it's about their product. This is the precise reason MLM is a "dirty word" to many.
I think even verizon and some of the larger companies require you to pay an executive affilliate fee. I don't think paying for a product that you use can really be considered as paying a registration fee. The product itself is an essential and the income you earn is an extra bonus.
I wish I could agree with any of you on what makes a good MLM but I could not do that in good conscious. In the words of one of the Interents leading marketing figures " There Is NO Good MLM" His reason for saying that is that most MLM's are set up like a chain of wholesalers. 1 at the top 2 under that 4 under that 8 under that and so on. Each believing the line above is the wholesale supplier not knowing that they are destined to feed the top until they burn out or get frustrated and quit. It is hard to make money when all your suppliers above you can seriously undercut your prices. i.e. the reason for all the new recruits
As a matter of fact there are still a few good MLM out there. Most profitable are memberships since you don't deal with actual products. As long as the product is unique (which would create less competition), the pricing is right, and the system the company uses in building the team ensures the success of every member, that company is definitely a good one.
When looking for a good MLM company, they should be able to offer three things. Without it, you will no doubt be unsuccessful. 1) A product and company you can believe in. If you don't have one, don't bother with it. 2) Support AND training from your upline. After all, how will you know how to succeed? 3) An easily duplicatable system. One that you can learn and then pass into your downline. Ultimately making your downline successful is the name of the game. That is what makes MLM fun!
I've been in MLM for over 13 years part-time and make a great residual income. I'd say what makes a good MLM is: Good quality consumable products that you believe in - if the product isn't consumable you spend all your time trying to find new customers instead of recruiting - in which case you may as well just join a sales company. Zero or low joining fee - else the company make all their money from new sign ups and aren't motivated to help the distributors build their businesses successfully. A marketing plan that is generous to newcomers, not just the high fliers, else no-one will stick at it because they won't be earning enough in the early days Ethics - look into the background of whoever founded the company. What are the top management all about? Can you trust and respect them? Does the company have debts? - Because if the company goes under you will have lost everything you have worked for. Positive mindsetAre the company geared up to helping and supporting the distributors or just out to make money from sign ups and marketing tools? Other things to look at are the trainings (are there any?), the types of people already in the network- can you relate to them, are they doing well, do they have a good lifestyle or is everyone miserable and struggling? I went with my gut instinct when I looked at MLM companies and got it right, (for me) so I was lucky. I met the managing director and he was such a good guy I knew I was onto a good thing. If the company feels good to you, do your homework then give it the time and commitment needed to build your mlm. It ain't easy and I have only succeeded because I stuck at it long-term. So many people just want a get rich quick scheme which mlm isn't. Best of luck!
I have been trying not to post on threads asking about which are good MLM's because whenenver I see threads like this I really want to shout to the roof top that everyone should know what Cooperative Marketing is vs MLM. I've done MLM's for several years and still am in a couple. I have done exceptionally well and exceptionally bad in them. They do not have the same level playing field where all have an equal chance of doing well, regardless of their selling skills. Bottom line, there are more distributors than customers in MLM's and people drop out that need constant replacing to keep your matrix or binary moving. Many MLM's do not have very good products. Most MLM's do not stand the test of time and rarely last 2 years, let alone over 5 years, or over 9 years. None have the backing of a 36 year old huge multi media company. They do not do all the advertising for you to acquire customers. Most do not do tv and radio infommercials and magazine advertising for you. I've never seen an MLM that does ALL the follow up for you for life on your customers 18 times a year with journals and catalogs, plus once a week with an informational email. When I discovered this with the company I am in with it's Cooperative Marketing model, combined with the team I am in that gives assistance constantly, the company who is more professional and helpful than anything I have ever dealt with, in real or online life, and to top it off, the products are all pharmaceutacal grade and some are patented, I felt a huge sense of relief and happiness. Sure, it will take time to build and to do it right, but I know I will have a lifetime, retirement income for a fact. That amount varies on what people want out of it, but is achieveable to all, not just to recruiters. In fact, one of the biggest earners does not use the internet at all and has no clue about forums, etc. So if anyone has gotten to the point that I did and is really interested in something where you will earn well over time and not at the expense of others, this company that uses Cooperative marketing achieves results. People earn varying amounts depending on how many customers they buy of course, and if they choose to refer others or just want to buy customers, but it is something that can be done at a pace you choose, and you will not loose anything if you stop working it for a while. You will still get paid on customer's purchases. I hope in the future there will be more companies with a Cooperative Marketing model that is successful. It is such a breath of fresh air.
