CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH MLM?

We hear so much negative remarks about MLM from people who are ignorant or just do not understand how it works! The media and it seems journalists tend to focus on the negative experiences of those who joined the wrong MLM companies or companies in the disguise of MLM. We know there are lots of companies promoting money games and scams and disguise themselves as MLM companies! You do not call a wolf in a sheepskin a sheep!

Let's be honest once and for all, especially for those who are ignorant or do not understand MLM. This article is written for them too. I would like to ask them to stop their negative remarks on a business they do not understand or have no experience of it at all! You know there are good doctors and bad doctors but just because of a few bad doctors you will not condemn all doctors! Just because of a few bad MLM companies, you should not condemn the whole industry!

You also know from time to time there are incidences of recall of drugs that have caused hundreds of people to die, but you will not condemn the whole pharmaceutical industry, would you? You've heard of food poisoning at restaurants but that is not going to stop you from going to good restaurants to enjoy good food, isn't it?

What's wrong with buying direct from a manufacturer to save time and money. Dell, the world renowned direct seller of computer make billions of dollars out of this great idea! It is not something new?

Millions of people are buying direct from the manufacturers every day! There are thousands of MLM or network marketing companies worldwide making a positive difference to millions of lives by offering them a simple business to earn some extra income to help pay their bills or to live a better life! Why pay retail when you can pay wholesale? Why pay more when you can pay less? Every dollar you spend, someone makes money - why not you?

There is totally nothing wrong with MLM, it is the abuse of it and the "black sheep" who launch money games and scams and use MLM as a disguise that is causing so much misrepresentation, confusion and negative feelings about it!

MLM is simply a very effective way to distribute products from the manufacturer to the customers! Instead of doing it the conventional way and spending a lot on advertising, the manufacturer decides to distribute its products through a network of independent distributors or independent business owners! That is MLM in the business sense, nothing more than that!

On the people aspect, it is a wonderful business and Robert Kiyosaki, Entrepreneur and best-selling author, wrote a book about it and gave it a very appropriate title: The Business School for People who Like Helping People. Stephen Covey, business consultant and the best-selling author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." endorsed this wonderful business and said: "Network marketing has come of age, it's a way to independence for millions."

Zig Ziglar, world-renowned author, speaker and trainer, defined it very well: "My whole career has been built around the concept that you can have everything you want if you will help enough people get what they want. Network marketing, more than any other structure I've ever seen brings that concept into manifestation."

I speak from over 14 years of MLM or network marketing experience and I defined it as: "A simple, profitable and duplicatable home-based business without the headaches, heartaches and stress of a conventional business!" I love this business so much, I've written 10 books and over 200 articles on it!

I always use this simple approach of asking people to just "come and take a look at it" In this business, either you see it or you don't! MLM or network marketing is not for everyone, it is for those who are business-minded or able to see and appreciate this powerful yet simple business model where ordinary people can earn extraordinary income!

What do you think the answer will be for most people when I ask them this question: "If there is a way to achieve your dreams, to earn as much as you want, to enjoy happiness, good health, a wonderful lifestyle and to achieve all these while helping others to achieve their dreams, would you be interested?" You will think most people would answer "Yes" won't you?

Why would someone answer "No" to such a good proposal? There could be various reasons and usually it has to do with their beliefs or mindset. Many had bad experiences because they joined the wrong MLM companies! There are many MLM companies that did not get their act together or have a much lower standard than the good companies. A good comparison is the three star hotels and the five star hotels, they have different standards of operation!

All companies will not function well if they do not have good management and MLM is no different! So to do well in MLM or network marketing you must choose a good company with good management, good products, good compensation plan and good support system. I called it the "four good wheels" of your "money-making vehicle". If any of these wheel is not right, you better look for another "vehicle" right away! Many MLMers or network marketers make this common mistake of waiting too long for the company to get one of its wheels right! And one of the reasons that many people have bad experiences with MLM is because the management is not doing the right things! So in a way it is like the stock market, if you invest in the wrong company most likely you will lose your money!

The media will blow it up when there is a company promoting a money game scheme or obviously it is a scam but they claim themselves to be an MLM company! The public got the wrong information that these companies are MLM companies! That is why some people do not grant interviews to some journalists because they distort the information and do not present the truth! I am very disappointed with the way the media presents MLM and some of the distortions created by unscrupulous journalist who did not present the truth!

I hope many journalist will read this article too and I want to make it very clear to them! Let's be very clear right here and right now. If it is a money game or scam it is not MLM. MLM is simply an effective way to distribute products from the manufacturer to the customers! They can help the public by educating them on what is MLM and to warn them of these "black sheep" that disguise themselve as MLM companies to cheat people of their hard-earned savings! Usually these money games and scams will offer a get-rich-quick scheme and promises high returns with little effort!

These money games and scams usually ask for large sums of money ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 or more! Most MLM companies only require you to start with a few hundred dollars! There are MLM companies that practiced front-loading where customers are told to buy lots of products and this is definitely against many direct-selling associations' rules and regulations.

A good way to check if the company is following the direct-selling association's rules and regulations is to call the local association for a list of their guidelines and use that to see if the company is following these guidelines which are there to protect the consumers from money games and scams!

If you are tired of working for others and do not have the capital to start a conventional business or a hot franchise, a MLM or network marketing business is definitely a great option for you to look into if you qualify for it because it does take time, commitment, effort and a positive attitude to be successful in MLM. It is a wonderful business based on universal laws especially the law of cause and effect, what you sow, you shall reap!

To do very well in the MLM business, it usually takes lots of commitment, time and effort and most likely you will need three to five years to build a strong and sustainable business. It is definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme!

About the Author
Bruce Seah, Asia No.1 Home-Based Business Coach, Bruce loves to help people make money offline and online to achieve their dreams. For Bruce's free ebooks on how to make money offline and online, go to: http://www.BruceSeah.com Please include the author's name and web site when you share this article at your web site, ezine or email.