When people are recruited into a network marketing company, they are often told that all they have to do is share their opportunity or their products – no real selling will be required. This is not true… in fact, it’s total crap. To be completely honest, I will admit that I bought into this line of thinking in the beginning myself. I even perpetuated this “sharing concept” with others before I realized what a mistake it was.
The fact is, if you’re a network marketer you are in a larger industry known as Direct Sales. Here is the definition of “direct selling” from the authority website, DirectSelling411.com:
Direct selling is the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, marketed through independent sales representatives who are sometimes also referred to as consultants, distributors or other titles. Direct sellers are not employees of the company. They are independent contractors who market and sell the products or services of a company in return for a commission on those sales.
Doesn’t thats sound like what you’re doing in your network marketing business? It sounds exactly like what I’m doing! 
You see, the main thing that sets a network marketing or MLM company apart from other direct sales companies is the multi-level compensation plan. You not only get paid a commission for the sale of your products (or services), but you also get paid a commission for every new person that you bring into your business (i.e. those you sponsor). Some direct sales companies pay on a single-level compensation plan where you do not earn by bringing new people into the business. With independent distributors from these types of companies, the emphasis is on selling the products rather than selling the opportunity and the products.
Perpetuating MLM secrets like this creates the following problems for network marketers (especially new distributors):
1. This MLM secret reinforces the negative belief that the act of selling is a bad thing. The truth is, sales is a profession that has the potential to provide an income without limits. Tremendous incomes are made every day through the act of selling and it is sales that are the at the back bone of our economy.
2. This MLM secret increases the chance of failure for new distributors. When someone first joins a network marketing company, they may actually start out “sharing” their business with their friends and family. They might not need to “sell” them and the new distributor may even find some moderate success with simply sharing their excitement for their new opportunity with the details of how to join. However, there will come a time in every distributor’s business when they run out of warm-market leads. This usually means that they have to start selling their opportunity to people they don’t know personally. Selling can be difficult without some level of skill and training, which can mean failure and disappointment for a new distributor. This is one reason why many distributors end up feeling defeated and potentially give up.
3. This MLM secret creates an industry void for proper sales and marketing training. Most of us have had our network marketing upline tell us to create our memory jogger lists, contact our warm market, and to practice the 3-foot rule. Now, I’m not saying these things don’t work.. but they are hardly sufficient training for marketing your new business and selling your company’s products. The sad truth is many network marketers have no idea how to market this business and, with that, they have no idea how to sell their opportunity and products to others. I’m willing to admit that selling isn’t always easy, but it’s important to remember that great sales people are made – not born. It is through training that the craft of selling is learned and through practice that the skill is perfected.
To Your Success and Prosperity,
I’ve been into blogging for quite some time and this is definitely a great post. I signed up for your newsletter, so please keep up the informative posts!
Good luck on your blog, and feel free to comment and subscribe to my blog as well when you get a chance: Earn Extra Cash Online with Dino Vedo. Also my blog is open to any guest posting and I would love if you would review some of my products I have and we could easily make each other some extra cash!
All the best,
Dino Vedo
PS: Like my Facebook fan page and follow me on Twitter and I’ll do the same for you!
Mikayla
Don’t waste your time and money on MLM. Are you making money NOW? Are you loosing money NOW ? It will not change. The only people who make money in MLM are the small ( less than 0.1%) number at the very top ie the ones who originally created the company and a few of their friends and the real money is for those who are part of the ‘shadow industry’ of creating and selling motivational material. Those seminars, workshops, books. DVDs should be free or close to it. Instead they cost you real money. The REAL industry you are in is the motivational goods and services and you are not a seller but a consumer. The product you sell is a veil. It is the least important part of the business.
Get out before you loose even more. Not to mention your relationships and your sense of ethics.
michele
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Hi Michelle and thank you for your comment! First let me offer my apologies for taking so long to approve and reply (I’ve been bombarded with spam!). Let me also say that you’re certainly entitled to your opinion and I’m sure there are others who might agree with you… but I’m just not one of them
I AM making money in business, though I am the first to admit that there is always room for more growth. The products that I sell include a greeting card system, a premium antioxidant beverage, and protein powders… and although I don’t sell them, I think “motivational goods and services” have tremendous value. Thanks for stopping by and I’m wishing you tremendous success in all of your endeavors!
Thanks for this blog post. Interesting stuff. My site is fairly new so I’m always on the hunt for important and fascinating blogs and internet sites that can help me. The interent is so enormous now that infrequently it’s hard to know where to start. Anyhow, I will get going now. Thanks
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Thanks Carroll!!
What a writeup!! Very informative also easy to understand. Looking for more such writeups!! Do you have a myspace?
I recommended it on digg. The only thing that it’s missing is a bit of speed, the pictures are appearing slowly. Nevertheless thank you for this information.
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Hi Sonny! I do have a MySpace page, but I rarely update it… I’m on Facebook much more often
BTW-I agree with you about the load speed and plan on working on that! 
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Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Much appreciated!
Hiya, Are you going to be posting a follow-up write-up? My partner and myself have squandered some time exploring over your web pages and funnily enough you highlighted one thing i was referring to just the other day with our accountant. We very often notice ourselves quarrelling on the smallest of issues, isn’t it silly?
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
I’m not sure whether I’ll be posting a follow-up to this post or not…. perhaps sometime in the future
Thanks for your comment and your interest!
Giving a blog talk to beginner bloggers in the not-too-distant future, I’ll be pointing people in the direction of your efforts. Nicely put together dude.
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Thanks dude
just posted this page on facebook account. it is an interesting read for everyone.
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Thank you, Leanne! I appreciate you sharing