Multi-level Marketing Business Opportunities: One Woman Talks About Her Experience

I have joined multi-level marketing business opportunities many times over the course of my life from selling health products to legal plans and lingerie and cosmetics in between.  I joined these on and offline businesses for one major reason: the promise to make money without having much to do!  They go by various names network marketing, internet marketing, multi-level marketing, and simply business opportunity.  They are very easy to spot since usually they have a long list of what you don’t have to do to join and what kind of business they aren’t which is usually listed on their sales pages such as:  “We aren’t a pyramid scheme. We don’t require you to attend meetings.” A mother who is already busy caring for her children but needs extra money, a student who is overwhelmed with taking classes but is seeking ways to make extra cash, and someone unemployed who isn’t quite ready to return to the rat race but isn’t busy enough not to make money will all fall into multi-level marketing business opportunity at some point in their lives!  I remember thinking if I could just help yet another company market their product then I would reap a long-term residual check.  However, there were some problems with multi-level marketing business opportunities that I will advise you about in this article.

The first problem with this money making opportunity was found in the fine print.  The more I read the more I learned that I would have to pay into the company with my own money to make money! At first it seemed easy enough, buy products I already use to become familiar with the company’s product line before I tried to sell it.  However, a lot of these products I didn’t need and didn’t feel I had to spend hundreds of dollars on them before I could make any money.  I have spent from $10 to $499 joining a network marketing business and I can honestly say that I never received more than a couple hundred dollars in commission (and the money didn’t come as fast as I thought either since many people already “been there and done that.”) 

In the 9 to 5 world, if a company wants your services they are not going to tell you to give them a fee before you work with them this point is what separates the multi-level marketing business from regular employment.  Even though I knew this, I still thought that I should have received something for free if they wanted me to tap into my contact list for them which was primarily made up of family and friends.  This is how they stay in business getting someone who already knows many people to spread the word and in exchange you are supposed to get a piece of the pie.  However, sometimes your piece of the pie isn’t worth the plate that it is in!  You will also find that some of the so-called “free” things they give you come with a price if you intend to be your own “business owner” which they so affectionately throw around.  Those free brochures, business cards, videos, and anything else that may have been given to you by a recruiter initially you will later have to buy if you want to recruit some people yourself or sell your products!  Speaking of recruiting people, everyone knows that is where many “business owners, members, recruiters, independent sales representatives, network marketers”  (whatever the company may call you) receive the bulk of their income.  Selling the products usually gives you a profit anywhere from pennies on the dollar to a few hundred dollars depending on what you are selling and how frequently you sell it. 

There wasn’t anyone coming to my home to teach me how to market or sell the products in some of my experiences; however, there were other businesses that had trainers that didn’t know how to stop calling and inviting me to meetings.  One internet multi-level marketing business provided online company literature which stated I had to log into a site that would answer my questions about the business and how to effectively market their products.  So that is what I did.  Once I reviewed the products and seen what techniques I would use to market them, which seemed easy enough, I was ready to begin.  However,  I couldn’t get pass the discomfort I felt that I would have to register to buy a company product each month in order to be entitled to any commissions that I would receive from a future recruit.  So in order to maintain a certain level of company benefits (like higher commissions and discounts on products,) I had to keep a product with the intent to purchase on file each month.   Some multi-level business associates will advise recruits to get others to join the business and pay for monthly memberships to avoid having to make a monthly purchase.

So there I was just like I did with affiliate marketing, posting my links everywhere I could, within policy of course, to get someone to join.  I refused to buy advertising and found every way to share with the public my efforts for free.  At first the results were going well until I realized that the people who registered were not buying anything.  They too wanted to collect a commission check without doing much too!  However the top level executives said that it was up to us to encourage new recruits to buy products each month in order to be eligible to get commission checks.  When I got my first check of $21 in commissions, I was disappointed because I spent more than that to purchase products just to get my executive level position.  I quickly learned that I would not be keeping any purchase on my account so that they could automatically bill me, because that is what they were doing and at times I would forget and have to scramble to put money in my bank account to keep from having insufficient funds!  Unfortunately, when I did this I was repositioned in status meaning I was moved further down the list when it came to collecting a percentage of the commissions in the upline. 

I finally received a check many months later for a commission less than $10.  I didn’t buy one single thing and only promoted my links and I still got something out of it.  However, it was months later and the money wasn’t enough for a decent meal at a local restaurant!  I also noticed that those that seemed to be doing well were investing a lot of their own personal money to make it happen!  They were using gas and hotel money to attend offline events and paying for various advertising methods.   They were getting copies of fliers made.  They were hosting elaborate events to get others to join.  They were also putting their reputations on the line as well by exaggerating personal stories to gain sympathy.  Stories like not having rent money and then someone coming along and getting them to join the business were frequently told.  The others could afford to do all the extras in marketing the business, because they had additional income coming from their jobs.  I didn’t have an additional job to draw monies from to promote the business.

I also found that when I would feel like no one was really answering my questions about the business, someone would be appointed to me that was about my age, race, and gender with a similar life experience offering me something for free or taking time out with me to do something nice.  Can I tell you that if someone does something great for you in a multi-level marketing business it will obligate you to do something for them in return?  I also noticed that when I did well I had many friends and when I didn’t do well I didn’t hear from them.  I found that many relationships between family members and friends were strained because people just didn’t want these business owners/sales reps/multi-level marketers coming around them asking them for just one more product to purchase or even worse to join the business with a so-called minimal investment.

Do I recommend anyone join a multi-level marketing business?  I would say no unless you don’t mind investing your own money to grow your business and you will still have to weigh the pros and cons.  I don’t like the pressure that the more popular ones put on the sales representatives to buy products each month and even more pressure to get others to join!  I also don’t like the fine print that is sprinkled here there on websites and on pamphlets and by the time they have your credit card number they have already made more profit from a few sales then you will make in months trying to obtain commissions.  I am angered at the secrecy that goes on amongst the top level sales people yet we are all supposed to be a part of a team but they won’t share enough with you to help you become a success.   

Multi-level marketing businesses often use techniques similar to that of churches to pull on your emotions to get you to donate!  They want you to feel good about giving money you know that you don’t have!  If you allow yourself to be pressured to reach sales goals using your family and friends, then you may not be able to reach your personal goals.  In time those that you know will look the other way when they see you coming.