Multi Level Marketing Done Right

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There had to be over 150 people from all ages and backgrounds crammed into this room, all of them here for their weekly multi-level marketing (MLM) meeting. There was great energy in the room which had a mini-trade show atmosphere complete with people manning booths and performing product demonstrations.

This Must Be Working

If I were completely new to MLM, and I had never experienced anything like it before, a well-attended energetic environment like this would lend to something called “social proof”. In other words, “If all these other people are here, and having a good time, then there must really be something to this.”

The Five Things I Learned

Sure, the session was part infomercial and part rah-rah session, but I still could not escape these 5 key things that I learned:

1. Mentoring.  I research new entrepreneurs and what they experience while starting a business.  I can tell you that support is a big deal. From my first 15 minutes in the room I could tell that the culture here was different than other sales organizations I had visited.  People here really cared about the long-term health of the people they recruited into the business.
2. Legitimate.  This was no scam.  There were no slick talking salesmen taking your wallet out of your pocket.  The entire program was presented with a money-back guarantee, and there were no “If you sign up tonight…” pleas from the front of the room.
3. No Hype:  Several times I heard phrases like “This is going to take a lot of work,” and “It took us about 3 years before we were able to scale back at our day jobs”.
4. A Great System:  The company that I visited has been around quite a while and has a very good track record.  If their claims match what they say, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then it is quite possible to make some serious money here.
5. Recruting:  If you really want to have a lasting career with this organization, you are going to have to recruit people to your downline. No surprises here. It was good to see this spelled out very clearly in the proposed compensation model that they showed.  From day 1 you know what is expected of you — buy product yourself, get a few customers, recruit others to do the same.

A Smarm-Free Environment

Before my meeting I have to admit that I was a bit of a skeptic.  I had been recruited in the past, and I left those recruiting conversations feeling slimed.  I even showed up for a “job interview” once only to learn that 8 other people were showing up for the same “interview”.  Most of us felt duped into believing that we had a legitimate chance at a full-time job only to learn that we were being given an MLM pitch.

However, I experienced nothing smarmy at all during my MLM visit this past week.  I have to admit that I’m a believer now.

The Big Question for You

I would like to hear from you!

Don’t you think your organization does a good job of helping you grow your business?