Yes, I love MLM which to me stands for Make Life Meaningful, Make Lots of Money and Meet Lots of Mentors!
There are two sides to a coin, so what is the ugly side of MLM or network marketing? It is a people business and you are constantly dealing with people and not all will want to play by the rules.
There are top leaders who use “proxy”, a five-letter dirty word in network marketing where network marketers will manipulate the positioning of members to take advantage of the compensation plan at the expense of others, in short, not playing by the rules and doing the wrong things!
This is where the unethical leaders make themselves uplines over their uplines and switch downlines from their downlines to their downlines!
It really is complicated for those who are honest and play by the rules but these unethical leaders love to play these dirty games!
So how can you avoid the ugly side of MLM? First you got to lead by example and work with the universal law of cause and effect – what you sow you shall reap – what goes around comes around in your business and your life. Do the right things and stay away from unethical leaders. Obviously these unethical leaders are ignorant of this universal law or do not believe in it and think they can get away by doing the wrong things and deceiving their uplines and downlines!
It is a very shameful thing to do and words do get around, there are no secrets! People talk and many people are not able to control their mouth or know about the Rotary 4-Way Test. Loose lips sink ships! They share negative information that will hurt other people and it can really be messy! And once people lose respect for the leaders, they will not be enthusiastic about the business and most probably have their Plan B or working on other sources of income.
It is very important before you join a company, you got to do your due diligence to check on the track record of the company and the leaders, it is like committing to a marriage, it is a long-term relationship and you want to know as much as possible the character and integrity of your business partners.
Here is a checklist:
1. Is the management doing the right things and making sure that their top leaders play by the rule?
2. Is the management and leaders providing the right marketing support for new members or there is no weekly product and business training to support them and many members are left on their own and are clueless to what is going on and what they should be doing?
3. Are the leaders co-operating with each other and do they have a simple and duplicatable system to support you?
4. Are the range of products very attractive and supported by a good R & D team with great testimonials from doctors and scientists.
5. Are the products on the shelf fresh and have good expiry dates or the company is trying to push close-to-expiry products (going to expire in 6 months, 5 months or 4 months) at full price? This is an indication of poor management and poor cash flow.
6. Is the office centrally and conveniently located for the members or is it at some forsaken industrial place where it is not easily accessible or people will find it difficult to locate it?
7. Is the management good at marketing support and staying competitive or doing what the competitors are not willing or not able to do? Do you have a competitive advantage?
8. Are the leaders constantly supporting the group with monthly seminars or quarterly seminars to create excitement and add momentum to the business?
9. Do you have good training and prospecting materials such as CDs, DVDs and colorful brochures?
10. Do you feel good about the company, the leaders and the marketing support you will be receiving?
After you have done your due diligence, listen to your heart and if possible seek an honest and experienced network marketing coach who will give you a good benchmark on how to choose the right company, which I have done at this website, click on the “The Right Company” on top of the website.
You must know the ugly side to avoid it and experience the beautiful side of network marketing which is financial freedom, a great team, having fun and living your dreams!
Remember to order your special ebook “How To Make Your First Million in Network Marketing” that comes with a free bonus: “108 Success Tips on Network Marketing”
Love, Learn, Leverage and Live Your Dream!