How To Get The Hell Away From Network Marketers
This has been bugging me for a while now, and somebody needs to finally say it: Network Marketing is not a worthwhile endeavor, stay away from it!
The number of people who are caught up in this stuff is staggering and it seems like at least once a week I get contacted by someone trying to get me to join some program.
It’s really annoying, and there is no quicker way to ruin your reputation among your friends and contacts then trying to get them to join this stuff. Smart, respectable business people stay away from network marketing like the plague and it will INSTANTLY kill your credibility if they get even a whiff that you’re trying to get them to join one of these things.
I’ll probably piss off half the readers of this blog by posting this, but thats fine because it needs to be said. For some reason the “home based business” industry is surrounded by this stuff…get rich quick schemes, network marketing, and all sorts of shady offerings…and that bothers me.
Even the Google ads which show up automatically on this site seem to come up as network marketing type stuff half the time (haven’t figured out how to change that, if anyone knows leave me a comment)…which means they are targeting people who want to start their own business. Being a network marketer is not starting your own business!
If you want to break free from your job…you’re going to have to do it honestly, ethically, and with hard work. You’re not going to do it by selling some herbal supplement or lower electric bills or energy drink to your friends. And you’re certainly not going to do it by pissing off every contact you’ve ever made trying to get them to join you.
If you can’t explain your business in one sentence, you’re either hiding something or don’t know what you’re doing
I was in an elevator the other day and struck up a conversation with the elderly woman next to me. I asked her what she was up to and she said she was going to a meeting for XYZ (I can’t even remember the name). When I asked her what it was she gave me the most cryptic reply…”well, we do a lot of things really, but mostly…we find ways to help people.”
Right away the little alarm bell is going off in my brain…the same one I get when telemarketers call or Jehovah’s witnesses come to the door…damnit, she is a network marketer.
If you can’t explain clearly what your business is in one sentence…you’re either hiding something or you haven’t figured it out yet either.
Sure enough…her next words were “why don’t you give me your card and I can tell you more about it some time”.
“Well is it network marketing?” I asked.
“Sort of”, she said, “but not really…we really just help people. Let me get your card and we can talk more some time”.
“No offense”, I said, “but if its anything related to that I really don’t want to get involved”.
Her mouth hung open for a second, and then she stormed out of the elevator, visibly shocked.
Why You Shouldn’t Do It
Does network marketing even work? I certainly haven’t researched it extensively…the thing is every network marketer will tell you they KNOW someone who is super rich from doing it, but I’ve never met that illusive person.
On the other hand, I HAVE met dozens of millionaires who are legitimate business owners or are involved in real estate. In fact, EVERY rich person I’ve ever met either owns their own business or owns lots of real estate (or both).
That’s just my personal experience and not conclusive proof, but look at your own personal experience and see if it matches up.
That brings me to an important point. Even if network marketing DID make lots of money (which I don’t think it does for 99.9% of people), I STILL think you shouldn’t do it.
Why? Because in the process of making that money you would have pissed off all your friends and family hustling them to sell your vitamins!
What good is it to have all that money if your family hates you and the only friends you have left are other network marketers?
Does It Feel Like You’re Helping People?
The only way to make a ton of money is help a bunch of people. Period. If you give a bunch of people a tremendous amount of value they will gladly give you some money for that.
I know, I know…your network marketing program is different from the others which all give it a bad name, etc…and the intense motivational weekend you went to made it sound like you were helping people who love the product.
Just be honest with yourself for a minute and forget all the delusional bullcrap, and ask yourself how you feel about what you’re doing. Maybe it REALLY IS a good product that helps people…if so why the tactics to get people to buy it. If it feels dirty get out.
Its the same as people who bring fraudulent slip-and-fall lawsuits or don’t disclose the patch repair done on their transmission when they go to sell a car.
Of course its possible to make money in slightly unethical ways in the short term…there is no doubt about that. But I think ultimately the biggest person you end up hurting is yourself…both in terms of your pocket book and self-esteem.
Stay away from network marketing, and if you’re in it already…forgive yourself (we all make mistakes) and get the hell out!
What has been your experience with network marketing and dealing with network marketers? Please post a comment below…
Want to get 3 of the top 10 books ever written on building wealth for FREE? Think and Grow Rich, The Richest Man In Babylon, and The Way To Wealth are yours for free when you subscribe to get updates from StartBreakingFree.com!
RevolutionProfits.com said,
Wrote on June 20, 2008 @ 9:32 pm
Hey Brian. I love reading your blog, pro- or anti- mlm. I’ve been making a fulltime income in network marketing for the past 5 months or so. And before you judge this reply and just skip over the rest, know this - I really do actually appreciate this post…
The former company I was with was all about harassing, err, “meeting” people in malls, bookstores, whatever..
The people that were usually the ones doing it were probably sponsored 2 weeks ago and just “really excited about something they saw”, but have no real understanding of what it was or what they need to do.. they just think they need to “get people”.. Hence 1 of the many reasons people HATE mlm.
Other reasons are that some companies are “cult like” or that they use “pressure sales tactics” to close people into their businesses.
I share your hatred!
And, sure, I could probably argue back and forth here… but the fact of the matter is - when you consider “traditional” old-school network marketing - you’re absolutely correct.
Alot of companies now actually train their people to sell their products online. They learn internet marketing just like a newbie affiliate marketer.
I don’t consider myself an “mlmer”. I consider myself like a ’sales or marketing trainer’.
Just like how some people hate Cutco knives, though - it’s a 100% commission job. And there’s alot of people that just don’t cut it…
Sure, I could just blame it on the people… but let’s be honest here. If mlmers didn’t market their business like “earn $30K/mo” and actually used a more realistic “earn an extra $1,000/month”… and if mlmers actually set an expectation of “you’re probably going to lose money your first 2-3 months” it would probably suit the whole industry better..
well, that’s my 2 cents.
Adam Holland
[Reply]
Brian Armstrong reply on June 22nd, 2008 3:36 pm:
Great point Adam…if it was done honestly it would probably work better. I imagine if there ARE some honest MLM companies out there they’d quickly get lost in the sea of junk. It’s hard to imagine why anyone who really wanted to do an honest business would use MLM, given the reputation it comes with, but I’m sure there are a few.
[Reply]
Carlo said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 3:57 am
I’ve had my fair experiences with network marketers myself and boy do they piss me off. The “old school MLM” model comes across like this:
- Pay me some money
- I make money from your payment
- I make money from all of your efforts
- You pay money to get the opportunity to “hire” someone to do exactly what you’re doing so you can make your initial “investment” back
I just can’t help but feel like I’m getting taken advantage of. Why am I paying so I can essentially work for you?
But Adam above makes a great point — in some ways, network marketing is similar to affiliate marketing. And shedding some of that snake oil sales tactics would improve everyone’s image by lightyears. The whole concept of vaguely calling it a “business” without having a concrete explanation for what you exactly it is that you do… That’s pure BS.
[Reply]
gfourmoney said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 6:31 am
I agree with some of the aspects of this post. Particularly if you can’t explain the business your in. But it’s a sad state of affairs for any business your involved with if you can’t explain it. Thats the same with it’s a business you run or when you buy shares in. Let’s look at the technology crash. People buying shares in “nextbiginternetcomoany.com without knowing a thing about what it did.
my point then is this, the crux of the matter for me is your point if you can’t draw a picture of what the company does with a crayon then don’t get involved. That applies to all businesses including those peddling snake oil ebooks on the internet.
If you can draw it then you can continue your research. it is not important what the marketing or sales model is provided the above is adhered to. the same goes for investment.
[Reply]
Ambiory said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 10:17 am
I disagree with what your saying. Network marketing itself isn’t a bad thing it’s the people who do it who you should stay away from. Some of the Milionares you talk about in this website like Donald trump and Robert kiyosaky have said that If they had to do it all over again they would do it through network marketing. Personally I joined a Network marketing company, and I hate the people who work there cause most of them lie and instead of trying to help people are just in it for fast money. The Idea of NEtwork marketing is that it is the best experience that you can get for starting your own business, it is like boot camp. The best way to approach network marketing is to sell the material as you would sell any material, but never pressure anyone to join your company, you should only talk to them about that if they ask you, which would never happen because most people never think about starting their own business like we all know.
[Reply]
RevolutionProfits.com reply on June 21st, 2008 2:09 pm:
i like what you said about it being a ‘boot camp’…
i didn’t know anything about business and would never have known how to even get started marketing online if i didn’t have that first “push” from Network Marketing.
[Reply]
Ambiory reply on June 21st, 2008 11:49 pm:
exactly, I would have never known about this website either. Network Marketing gort me out of the work for a living mentality. I’m greatful for that.
[Reply]
Freddie said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Thanks for the post. I was in an MLM group back in college. Got excited, told everyone I knew, didn’t unerstand why people didn’t want to get involved, didn’t make any money, and lost all my money I put into it.
Conclusion: Don’t approach me with network marketing.
I avoid this crowd like no bodies business. Nothing personal, but the business just isn’t for me. Sometimes that is hard to get across to someone in MLM because in their mind, they just want you to take a look at someting. Usually, it is a DVD or website presentation, or the dreaded meeting.
To all you MLMers, good luck! Just please respect people when they say they are not interested. There are a million ways to make a million dollars and for some people, MLM just isn’t one of those ways.
Here’s to business!
[Reply]
Marcos said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
Hi Brian
I´m Marcos, from Argentina. I like your blog!
I{ve been involvede in MLM the last 15 years. I have aresidual income of 25.000 US$ per month, which in Argentina is more money than in USA. I have retired at 42, and do not need to work any more. What else can I say…. MLM did work for me!
Seems to me that you have a kinda “allergic reaction” to this business. I understand you, as I know many people invoved in MLM are quite annoying. As annoying as spammers or telemarketers.
But you should not jump to the conclusion that internet business is crap just because there are spammers, right? Or that all sales activities are bad business because of the telemarketers….
I think that in any professional activity ther are good, mediocre and bad people… doctors, salesmen, blog writers and network marketers.
[Reply]
Brian Armstrong reply on June 22nd, 2008 3:33 pm:
Thats impressive, assuming this is true you are the first person I’ve talked to who is actually wealthy from network marketing. nice work!
[Reply]
Emily said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 8:34 pm
My favorite MLM phrases came from a “friend” who invited me to a meeting to find out how to save a lot of money on groceries using the internet. When I asked how exactly that worked, he said that trying to explain the process right then would be like giving a haircut over the phone–it just wouldn’t work!
Of course, it was an MLM system, and I stayed away, but the “haircut over the phone” is now one of my favorite sayings for any fishy business idea.
On the other hand, we did just post about an interview with a really successful MLMer at butlerproject.com. He is really on the up and up, and runs a great business. I think it takes a special kind . . . .
Love this blog!
[Reply]
Adam Teece said,
Wrote on June 21, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
I have been involved with 5 different network marketing opportunities, and hardly made any money at any of them, but I am still a big believer in it. The key is to find a good product that can stand on it’s own and make sure you understand the payment plan. If you can make money solely by selling the product, then it is potentially a good network marketing company.
The way I look at them is as if you are buying a franchise. The problem is, the way almost all of them are presented is that you have to get your friends in and then they get their friends in etc… If you look at it and treat it like an actual franchise business, odds are you will be successful. The majority of people don’t treat it like a business though. The next time I decide to get involved in an MLM though it will be through and entity such as an LLC or S-Corp and will seriously treat it as a business. For now though, I am building a real estate business and will focus on that until it is a passive income stream for me.
[Reply]
Ambiory reply on June 21st, 2008 11:54 pm:
You hit the nail on the head, and this is what Brian needs to clarify. If you apprach it the way you said, then you will be succesful, and if not atleast your sales skills have improved, at a very low risk. I guesss the problem with Network marketing really is that t it’s really like the blind leading the stupid, but if you can just find a good company with a real product and aim for a residual commision, I guess If you r really goo its all fair game. Great COmment!
[Reply]
Brian Armstrong said,
Wrote on June 22, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
Great comments all around….glad to see this post struck a chord with everyone and prompted some discussion.
[Reply]
Lucky said,
Wrote on June 23, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
I believe Adsense has a new feature where you can either approve or block certain advertisers from your site. I remember reading about it recently but I have never used the feature so I am not 100% about it.
[Reply]
Brian Armstrong reply on June 23rd, 2008 10:08 pm:
Hi Lucky, yep I looked into that a bit…you can block up to 200 urls in your adsense account. There are some tools like http://www.adsblacklist.com/ to help you find ones to block but it doesn’t seem to them all….thanks for the tip tho!
[Reply]
Lucky said,
Wrote on June 23, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
I’ve never done any network marketing but I have researched a whole bunch of companies, on my journey to breaking free. I found that a lot of them are scams but some of them are really legit, they’re just not as good as they sound and they require a lot of looking into before joining anything.
When doing any sort of network marketing, they suggest selling to family and friends first because it is easier to practice your pitch on people you are already comfortable with. I wouldn’t suggest selling to these people but I do agree that people should be able to use their friends and family for practice (like we all did in college when practicing a speech). That doesn’t mean pissing everyone off. I would suggest finding one or two friends and practicing your pitch until it is good enough to go out into the world. Tell your friend that you’re not selling to them but you would appreciate if they listened to your pitch and gave you feedback.
Now, the annoying part. it is incredibly annoying for people to stop you in the mall, the street, in an elevator and try and sell you on their business. But it is just as annoying as other outdated marketing tactics such as pop-up ads. The marketing world is learning to adjust and figure out how to get through to people without pissing them off too much. That is how affiliate marketing works. You have a blog and publicize a product that you love and people that respect your opinion listen to you. You win, the company wins and the person who buys the product through you hopefully wins too.
The problem with network marketing is that it is too easy to get in and too many people who don’t know what they are doing join, piss people off and give it a bad name.
There is plenty of room for a smart businessman to get into network marketing, use creative sales tactics and make a living without pissing people off. The important thing is, they have to be creative and not use the old door-to-door approach that worked in the 50’s.
I agree that the best way to break free or become wealthy is to start your own business. Look at the people who started many of the network marketing companies, they’re loaded.
[Reply]
juan reply on June 24th, 2008 12:48 am:
Great point about not telling your family and friends, but that’s a simple mistake with any business. And NEtwork Marketing teaches you not to do that. Even Brian Armstrong says it in his book. It’s not just network marketing that’s gonna piss people off, it’s any business. And NEtwork marketing teaches you tahat. That’s what sales is all about. And althoug most people never make a dime in Network marketing, they always learn how hard sales can be trhough it. And anotherthing. DOn’t you think TV commercials and Spam and banners everywhere isn’t annoying too from the big companies. That’s what marketing is all about. The Point that everyone has to understand is that NEWtwork marketing is great network marketing teaches you not to care what the hell anyone thinks about you, and that’s what it takes to become a good sales man.
[Reply]
top home based businesses said,
Wrote on July 12, 2008 @ 9:02 am
top home based businesses…
…