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mcfantazma
Member
Joined: 4 Oct 2008
Posts: 5
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2008 16:23
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I have found that MLM isn't for me. I have tried several different MLM pyramid businesses. For example I did the whole Mona Vie thing and it was just too raw raw for me. I did not enjoy trying to get other people to sell the product for me to make money. I got approached by a family member to do it "as an awesome business offer." How uncomfortable is that that my own family is trying to make money off me. LOL. I wasn't about to turn around and do the same to my friends and family. Another problem I found with was market saturation. I live in South Florida and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't see a car with a Mona Vie sticker with a phone number on it. I'm sure not all MLM businesses are like this but it sure seems to be. If anyone has come across any good MLM businesses I am not opposed to checking them out. I just haven't found one that I like yet, I guess!
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mountainmom5
Member
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 925
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2008 17:47
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mcfantazma: How uncomfortable is that that my own family is trying to make money off me. LOL. I wasn't about to turn around and do the same to my friends and family.
LOL - I know what you mean!
There are some mlm companies that do not ask you to make a list of your family and friends, or tell you to call leads... you will run into them if you hang around on these forums long enough.
Who knows - you may find one that fits you. 
How is affiliate marketing going for you?
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westfam11
Member
Joined: 8 Aug 2007
Posts: 391
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2008 18:27
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Have you considered the "Cooperative Marketing" Business Model? You definitely do not have to bug family, friends, or anyone to buy anything. The company gets the customers and you are able to purchase them. The company follows up 18 times a year to ensure reorder and you are paid the commission from the customers you purchase for life.
Becky
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pcwork
Member
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 1628
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2008 21:40
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Depends on the type of person you are. If you are very "nice" or an introvert, you won't earn much through MLM
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alexa
Member
Joined: 8 Sep 2008
Posts: 98
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2008 06:01
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mcfantazma: How uncomfortable is that that my own family is trying to make money off me. LOL.
Sounds pretty uncomfortable.
Unfortunately MLM is full of briefly-visiting people, they drop out really fast, who are taught that "warm market" and "family and friends" are a good starting point for prospecting! The reality, of course, is that they're the very worst starting point imaginable, because they know you too well (and therefore have difficulty taking your business seriously) and would only join for the wrong reasons.
They're also not usually people looking for a biz op anyway, which makes them useless prospects!
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mcfantazma
Member
Joined: 4 Oct 2008
Posts: 5
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2008 10:18
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Thanks For all the great feedback!!!
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Seashell
Member
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 23
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2008 08:41
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I agree MLM isn't for everyone
Too many people focus on the money and are too impatient with it.
it takes time to build a downline.
The biggest thing is to have a product that you can stand behind.
I am in Send Out Cards and love that cause I use it on a weekly basis for my business. I don't push it that hard - but people do inquire about it from time to time.
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mountainmom5
Member
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 925
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2008 09:04
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Seashell: The biggest thing is to have a product that you can stand behind.
It can help to have a really great product - but the truth of the matter is... they are ALL great products.
I was at a home business expo recently and was looking at booths as if I was a newcomer and trying to find the best business for myself... you know, trying to put myself into the shoes of the 'researcher' again.
It would be reallt tough to make a decision based on products.
I think it is more important to learn about comp plans, business models and to find out how they work. Some of them work really well, the way they are set up and others are just plain lousy comp plans - set up so that the ones at the top make all the money and the other 98% work a few months and then quit.
All of us have different plans of what we want out of a home business, and one business model might work better for us than another...but we will never know unless we learn how they work!
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Seashell
Member
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 23
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2008 09:28
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mountainmom5: It can help to have a really great product - but the truth of the matter is... they are ALL great products.
I disagree - I started out in a mlm that sold voip & calling cards - had nothing but trouble with the service. They would have an outage and the customers i put on would call me all hours of the day - it was a total nightmare!
The truth of the matter - there is alot of crap out there - I've seen sites that claim to turn water into gas and multi vitamin programs that cost three times what they cost at a nutrition store.
Obviously most people here on this site are pro MLM - as i am as well - but it still stands that people must do due dilligence and not get pulling in by the hype alone.
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mountainmom5
Member
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 925
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2008 09:42
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Seashell: The truth of the matter - there is alot of crap out there - I've seen sites that claim to turn water into gas and multi vitamin programs that cost three times what they cost at a nutrition store.
Thanks and you are right - there are some bogus products out there. It reminded me of when I signed up for this stuff you put into water and it supposedly made it 'better water'...
Seashell: Obviously most people here on this site are pro MLM - as i am as well - but it still stands that people must do due dilligence and not get pulling in by the hype alone.
Absolutely agreed - that is why it is so important to learn HOW to think - not WHAT to think.
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My Site - and journey WAH Stuff that works. I actually have something other than zeros in my clickbank acct. now!:)
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robertduffy
Member
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2008 14:36
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There is no need for bugging your warm market anymore. Why not use video marketing to get people into your funnel. Just do something once and it works for you 24/7.
Bugging friends and family does not work anymore if it ever did.
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IdahoGal
Member
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2008 17:57
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Mountainmom5 posted: "Absolutely agreed - that is why it is so important to learn HOW to think - not WHAT to think."
I am new to MLM and have been trying to figure out how to think for sometime now. Could you please explain to me HOW I am suppose to think. I keep being told to market to "my warm market", sorry - I dont want to loose all my friends! I truely believe in the company I am with - I just know my friends do not want to get involved with any MLM and I dont see why I need to twist their arm just to hear them tell me no.
There are people out there looking to join an MLM, how do I find them? How do I market to the people who are seriously looking? I have read thru this forum and got some really good ideas from it. I am just curious about the difference between HOW and WHAT.
Thanks for the help!
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Empower
Member
Joined: 9 Oct 2008
Posts: 3
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2008 20:23
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The problem is, your sponser will usually not know how to market the business except for, "talk to people you know", yet I built a residual income of over six-figures with different marketing methods that brought people I didn't know to me instead of pestering friends and family.
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stardreamer
Member
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
Posts: 9
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2008 15:04
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I totally agree with Seashell, love that handle by the way, that product is oh so important. But, also important to have support, training, and an organization that will be there for you.
I joined one, good product, but never heard from my sponsor. I still order the product wholesale, but that's not the business I'm building.
The one I'm building has the quality, unique, and consumable product, one that I would purchase anyway, AND an AWESOME support structure. In the end, it's a people business, and it takes people skills and leadership as well as product to build a successful business.
StarDreamer
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Charlene Sheldon
Women with Dreams . . .
Creating Extraordinary Lifestyles for
Ambitious Women
Website: [url=www.womenwithdreams.com/star4z[/url]
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MyOwnBoss
Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 86
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2008 15:45
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It all depends on personality (as stated before). I'm the type of person that I get really unhappy when somebody 'wants to share an opportunity with me'. Seriously, if I just had an accident with gasoline and was going up in flames and a guy came through my door at that moment offering to sell me the perfect fire extinguisher, I'd probably slam the door in his face (but I might grab the extinguisher first )
I spent years churning through various biz-ops and friends ask me for advice when they find themselves part of someone's warm market. I'll usually tell them this:
Don't worry about the business opportunity. If the product isn't worth buying at the price it's being offered without any 'business building' consideration, then stay away from it.
If the product is garbage, the bottom layer of the pyramid (and let's face it, all MLM's are a pyramid on some level) will be nonexistent.
If the product is good and the program sux, people won't stick with it. There are several programs like this (like Melaleuca) - where virtually everyone likes he product, they just can't stand the required purchases. I know many people who are lifetime customers of Melaleuca but they order from the website at retail prices because they don't want to be bothered with the program.
Some programs have a token product and a pay program everybody loves, but these are closer to pure pyramids and tend to explode and leave a lot of pissed people in their wake. This is like the programs that take $50 gold pieces that their members then buy for $100 and after a 'cycle' they get paid $125. If there is no reason to buy the product BUT the payout, stay away.
Bottom line, if you're a convincing person who doesn't care about what you're promoting as long as you're making money, you can make money from ANY program around.
If you're an honest person, you should stick to something that you actually believe will benefit your customers. If you're convinced that participating in the program benefits someone it's much easier to convince them of that, too.
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getagrip
Preferred Member
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 1394
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2008 16:06
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I can totally relate - MLMs are usually about trying to recruit people into the system, rather than trying to sell products, and selling an MLM product is a challenge in itself. Usually, people can get a similar product at a grocery store for about 1/2 the price of the same type of product from an MLM, which is another reason why MLMs are a turn off for many people.
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alexa
Member
Joined: 8 Sep 2008
Posts: 98
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2008 16:14
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getagrip: Usually, people can get a similar product at a grocery store for about 1/2 the price of the same type of product from an MLM, which is another reason why MLMs are a turn off for many people.
I don't know about "usually", but sometimes, certainly. And those are the MLM's whose distribs have a real uphill struggle, of course.
If you're selling products that have direct equivalents in stores, you need to be competing on price to make regular sales. No point in making quick one off sales, you can't make a living that way, you have to get re-orders.
Companies whose products are not available in stores have much better long term chances, as long as idiot distribs don't start making health claims about them which so often gets the whole company closed down.
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