Why do so people still think Network Marketing is a scam?

I have been in the business for some time now and like many who start out in the first few months, I struggled to convince people that I met how beneficial it can be to start their own business if they give it a chance. The general reaction was one of skepticism or disbelief or "you will never make any money doing that!" of course we know that this isn't true but I know so many people still get put off even today with these objections and quickly give up a great opportunity.

Can people please share some of the juicy objections they have come across and how they have overcome them.

Thanks in advance.

 

I am not doing MLM but I am doing affiliate marketing. I know what you are saying. I don't say anything because chances are if I explain it to them they won't understand it anyway. Even if you show them proof that you are making money online they will still think its a scam. I just don't say anything..Then again if you show them proof then they will ask "how much are you making"? "How are you doing it"? Sure they will try it out but then once reality sets in on how much work is involved then the excuses come "I have no time" "I can't do this" ect.. I'm no millionare but I have made money online so I know what it feels like.. Botton line is I just ignore it..

 

There is two things here I would say...

First, there are two categories in the mlm niche that are both horrible for the profession. One is the hypey mlmer kool aid drinker rah rah session kind of people, these people usually aren't making much of any money and so they're trying to hype people because they have no business skills to really qualify and find people to talk to.

Then there is the anti-mlmer. These people are just as bad, usually they are just as hypey (in the opposite direction) citing totally invalid objections like saturation and people only getting paid at the top blablabla.

Neither of these people are reasonable. Please never bring anyone into your team who is #1, and if someone tells you it is a scam and they are part of group #2, just move on. You might as well being arguing religion with someone, the person is never going to believe because they are so deep into the anti-mlm cult that they're far too invested to say anything else.

Now the second thing...

Some people when they are skeptical are genuinely interested in the business, they just want to know they are getting involved in something legitimate.

The best thing to do in my opinion is to ask directly, "I understand exactly how you feel, I've felt the same way before but what I've found is there is a lot of things this company has done that's proven itself to me. (list your things). But let me ask you this, what would you need research-wise to help you make an informed decision?"

If you can provide it, great, give it to them.

Sometimes you can't, but it's always good to be as direct and as clear as possible (in my opinion)

Hope this helps!
-Gregory

 

I am involved with both MLM and affiliate marketing, the truth is there are more legitimate opportunities than not. I believe that people are so quick to cry "scam" because of poor marketing and previous failures.

There are so many unscrupulous marketers out there, they flash wads of cash on a really cool video, and promise they can have this in a week or a month. Anyone with experience knows this just not the reality, with any opportunity.
They prey on their desperation, and once they start working it and don't make anything right away....they feel dooped by the company, but the reality is it was just poor marketing, rarely does it have anything to do with the company.

Then there are those of us who "keep it real", use full disclosure and make no promise of riches, just the opportunity to make good money with time, hard work, knowledge, and determination. However, trying to combat their previous experience (undo the damage so to speak) is a job in and of itself. If only these "entrepreneurs" would be willing to press on, and yes, leave their "excuses" at the door....there is just no room for those when you want to work from home.

 

The people that you feel a need to convince aren't good prospects for your business. They don't have the right mindset to make it work in the first place. I agree with KB, ignore those.

 

An age old question, and the one big objection we have all heard about MLM is that, Oh, that is one of those pyramid scams, right? How many times have we all heard that one? I simply say, oh, you know what defines a pyramid scheme? And no one has answered correctly, they just take the bad word of mouth that all MLM companies are pyramids. As anyone who has studied this knows, sure, everything is a pyramid, just look at our own government, the IRS is a pyramid, Social Security is a pyramid, fed reserve is a pyramid, so the question is, what defines an illegal pyramid?

I have yet gotten an asnwer from anyone who throws out the pyramid question to me. Heard it all before and how so many have wrong answer to identifying an illegal pyramid, or ponzi which is often used in place of the word pyramid. If you want to try this, you too will see that most are clueless as to answering the question of what is an illegal pyramid verses a legal one. It is amazing how little most know who simply believed another clueless person who they may have heard saying MLM companies are all illegal pyramids.

Success to all,

 

If you need to convince someone to join your business and they tell you that it will not work, just move on and never share it with them. They won't join you and you will waste your time if you try to convince them.

The fact is that MILLIONS are succeeding with this business and you only need to FOCUS on that statistic.

 

The mindset of people you meet have been formed since birth by their experiences and environment. They have learned that you go to a business, convince them to hire you, and then complain about your job. That's how you get money. I remember when I was starting out, I would look at different business opportunities and think, "who would I sell that to?" I couldn't imagine making any money selling any product because my mindset was, I wouldn't buy this. (I not a shopper). It took me finding a business where I knew people would be contacting me for the product, not me looking for them. After that my mindset has evoloved, and I have learned about working from home, and marketing, and then social media came to life.

Long story short, find out where they are coming from, try to understand the situation as they see it, and then using comparisons they can relate to, walk them into the new light.

 

I think people are generally too scared to try something new. Especially when it comes to investing money and starting up a business. Most of them are skeptical and are afraid, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Besides, you don't need that kind of negativity in your life, there will always be those who have a pessimistic attitude towards anything.

 

MLM is a numbers game. You have to go through the numbers. Once you get that in your head, and set your sites on that fact, you will succeed. As the old saying goes, "Some Will. Some Won't. So What." You have to move on to the next person. Trying to convince someone to join your business will just cause you to loose your focus. Tim Sales' "Brilliant Compensation" is a great training tool.

 

In the beginning I also struggled - people told me that you cannot make money from home. I live in a community where people believe in working a full time day job and earning a basic salary. I've proved them wrong over and over again - and that's how I got others to become interested in creating their own online or home based income (By proving to them that it's a legitimate way to earn an income, and by proving to them that you can make MUCH more money this way than with a full time day job that only pays a basic salary)

 

Sometimes you have to be the brave one and try something different to succeed.

 

I couldn't have said it better! Some people think that being different is "not okay", but I think being different is what makes me succeed, and a lot of other people too.

 

I am still new to this kind of stuff but feel there are many reasons/answers to your post.

There is always the 'its a pyramid scheme' thing. Or " its a scam its not real". The infamous COLD MARKETING, enough said. But also I think it appears like it is not real ( I think we are all to some degree skeptics until proven wrong? Remember what is was like for you before you got into business, before you even became a customer? I mean how long did it take anyone to get into the network marketing business they are in now?) Plus how long did you stick with the company, when/if you left did you join another? I don't think anyone in business should ever forget that, " where we came from" in a sense. I don't know...but anyway, people could also be afraid, it is a hard leap to take from doing something that is a routine, albeit a not very good or fulfilling one, to one that has so many promises.

Some people put money first when our jobs are to help people and build connections and relationships!

Also some people can come across as too sales-y ( I have experience with this!) and that can be a major turn off, it can make people not only hate the company, but network marketing/MLM/etc. too. Plus, what works for one person may not work for another, there are many different companies and ways of working the business and compensation plans, etc. like shoes you just need to find the right fit. And I think the whole 'be your own boss' thing scares the crap out of people too!

 

Many people have opinions without their own experience so the picture they get in minds could be terrible!!! Just listen to successful people and get inspiration from those who have great experience like Eric Worre, Network Marketing Pro! It takes effort to understand it is a better way to spend your resources and develop yourself as you go! Watch Eric Worre on youtube.com and become powerful and motivated! I am so happy I am going to his 3 day seminar in Vienna, Austria June 26-28 as he is mainly teaching in the USA! If you are interested too - let me know!
Best wishes!

 

I am not a psychologist but i will share my opinion. i think that most people do not believe in themselves. They think that if they spend lots of money to make something and it is not be successful they will regret their option.The best thing that you should do is to encourage them and reveal the basic keys for success. From your part, you could be cheerful and trasmit to them positive energy! I wish you good luck!

 

One very common reply i hear a lot is "if it worked everyone would do it" - If you think about that for a secound, it makes absolutely no sense what so ever...

 

"if you could make money on that type of stuff everyone would do it" is the most common statement i hear. It's such an retarded thing to say if you think about it. there are lots of things people do to generate huge amounts of money. Does that mean that everyone is doing the same thing? ofc not

 

Here's the thing...I don't convince anyone to start their own home business, neither should you. Those are the people that usually end up quitting. This is why marketing is so important so you can work with people already interested in starting their own business. I'm looking for people who are looking for me.

 

Wise Words..