What is MLM?

What exactly is MLM? If you want to know the truth, it's basically a Personal Development Business disguised with products & services. I recently heard someone say that, and thought it was one of the most brilliant statements I have ever heard on the subject of MLM. This may lead me to what the master Jim Rohn says, "Nobody really ever fails in MLM".

I personally believe that everyone should have an MLM Business if nothing less for the tax write-off and the training you will get. In Robert Allen's book "Multiple Streams of Income", he says everyone should have a network marketing business in their portfolio along with Real Estate, stocks, bonds, etc.... Not to mention the psychology you will learn about human beings in this business is amazing. Did you catch that last part - BEINGS. Yes, we are beings. So with that being said, I wish you all the best this week and say that if you are frustrated in your MLM Business or not sure what MLM really is, go back to my first sentence. You might have a moment of clarity or what I like to call a "Breakthrough".

Hot Affiliate Marketing Program

The truth about MLM is that it can take many months or years to build any sustainable long term residual income. So a great way to build your business and following online is through affiliate marketing. As you can make immediate cash, and if your going to do MLM, your going to need it to survive over your first few months in the business. My 2 most recent favorites have been Bill Crosby's "Twitter Traffic Machine", and Mike Dillard's "Magnetic Sponsoring".

Recently I came across another program that I think is top notch called The Clickbank Code. Just the pay per click training alone was worth every penny. It just surpassed "Twitter Traffic Machine" as the #1 Affiliate program on ClickBank. To check it out and learn how 1 guy is generating over $50K per month online within 30 days go to http://www.bigmoney4you.info

I couldn't believe my eyes until I saw some of this guys videos on the product, absolutely mind boggling.

How Many People Do You Need To Sponsor?

That is probably one of the biggest questions in network marketing? How many people do I need to sponsor to be successful? Bob Schmidt who was probably one of the most successful network marketers of all time said you just need to find one strong leader a year to make a fortune in MLM. Than we got all these internet network marketers running around today saying you need 15 to 20 a month to be successful. After spending almost 2 years of my life in MLM, my thoughts are that if you could find 2 or 3 per month that would be very good. That would require talking to people daily, interviewing them, and sorting to find those that are ready. Think of yourself more as a talent scout who is looking for those individuals who you believe are qualified to do the job. Don't be a pushy sales guy. Pretend you are independently wealthy and you won't make any money unless someone stays with you for a long time. Try to keep in mind if you had to work with 15 to 20 people a month that would be challenging for even the top networking pros. I did it a few months ago and almost everyone quit, because I didn't have the time to work and develop everyone in my group. That was a good lesson for me, it taught me that in this business you need duplication, not alot of recruiting. If your just going to recruit a ton of people, my recommendation would be to just go become a salesperson, because most of your people are going to quit if you don't support them. This business is more about duplication, teaching, mentoring, and personal development than just signing people up to see what happens.

Business Language

If your in sales or network marketing and you enter the world of prospecting you are going to find that everybody has a preference of how to communicate. For example you may leave 3 or 4 messages for someone and they won't return your calls, but send them an email and you may hear back immediately. Just because one person responds well to the phone doesn't mean that another person will. I have one business partner who primarily only responds to email. I have a business client who only likes to talk on the phone. My personal preference is email, or chatting, but just because that is my preference doesn't mean that will be your prospects, clients, or business partner. Some people will only do business face to face, they are rare, but they are out there. So the next time you are prospecting or training, start to pay attention to how your clients, prospects, and partners respond and learn their business language.

Attraction Marketing

Well I am going to blow the lid off on a few people out there who are really fired up on attraction marketing. Let me just say before I do that, that I am currently consulting with a few businesses and many students on how to do Social Media. Yes people, Twitter and Facebook are different. If you don't yet know the difference, let me just say I have never made a dime on Facebook. Let me also say that, Social Media should just be one tool that you use for your business - BUT A VERY VERY BIG ONE. I have spent the last year focusing more and more on online methods for marketing, I have read, "The Renegade Markerter", taken online classes, read books, most recently picked up a copy of "Magnetic Sponsoring". They are all great and should be read, but what you will discover is no system, no amount of advertising is going to be more important than YOU simply becoming a leader. Or at least someone that people look up to and go, "Hey I want what he has".

Now, with all that I have learned on this subject, I could write a book. But why re-invent the wheel on blogging, and pay per click. When the next phase of attraction marketing is all going to happen in the world of Social Media, its already happening through Web 3.0. What worked 3 years ago online, or even 12 months ago, probably isn't working so well today. Also in network marketing if you purchase leads or participate in pay per click, where someone doesn't actually make out who you are when you contact them, your closing percentage will go down by 90%. In their minds you are just another salesperson or telemarketer. Unless someone contacts you directly about your opportunity you are always in a weaker position. And if you aren't a born salesman, it will be a grind, I can promise you that. I can also promise you that by just throwing videos or blogs on the net, people are not just automatically going to jump into your business. They need to get to know you first, and that can take months and in some cases years. I just brought a girl in on Friday who I have been talking to off and on for at least a few months. On the flip-side I've also had people call me directly and say they want to join my business before they even know about my business. You see you brand yourself and sell yourself and you don't need to worry about chasing people, they will chase you, but it will take many months before this will start to happen. This is also very challenging to duplicate for most. Out of all of the people I have sponsored in the past year. I have just a handful of students who are really getting the attraction marketing down. It's a bit complex and isn't for everyone.

Reflecting back on my MLM Career so far, it hasn't been a bed of roses. I spent 12 years in sales before getting with my first company back in 2006, and to this day have never closed 1 pay per click lead. I've also never closed 1 purchased lead. I have personally sponsored over 50 people in the last year, not customers, business builders and the majority have all come from Social Networking sites, MySpace, Facebook, and most recently Twitter. I still am not sure if I have even brought in anyone from any of my blogs? I have brought in a few from Craigslist, but that took me awhile to master.

I personally think that online marketing is a better fit for certain individual types, but I know many network marketers who are still doing it old school who are making a ton of money. Old School Networking still works and to be honest if you have the gift of gab and are a born salesman, I wouldn't even go into online, I would just talk to everyone like you always have, people are still buying. Just keep in mind if your going to do network marketing old school and teach people those methods, you will have to find others who have the gift of gab to work under you. As old school is really tough for the non-sales types, unless someone comes into your group with a huge sphere of influence.

Remember Network Marketing is a contact sport. It's all about you. Are you a leader? If your not a leader, you will struggle in attraction marketing and offline marketing. The great thing about network marketing is if your not a leader or not making a huge fat paycheck, just partner up with someone who is, and just be the messenger for the first few years and work on yourself. That way you won't go broke and will have a lot less pain. TAKE THEM TO YOUR LEADER. You can't enroll people effortlessly until you become one anyhow, whether your offline, online, uptown, or downtown. The average networker only enrolls a couple of people into any given program. In my first company, I just had customers and didn't get one business builder under me in 8 months. Most of the people I sponsor today bring in 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, it is rare to get anyone who sponsors 20 or more. Believe me, I am looking for them everyday, but they don't grow on trees. Most of them are already playing on other teams, I have to wait till their contract expires - ha ha.

In closing, at the end of the day, this business has always been about relationships and it always will be. The internet has just evened the playing field a bit.