MLM and M&Ms - The Fate of the First Network Marketer

There once was a boy named Johnny in a town called Slothville. A spoiled and undisciplined little kid was he. Johnny had a sweet tooth something fierce, and loved to stuff his mouth full of candy. He especially loved M&M's, and he especially, especially loved them when he didn't have to do chores or use his own pocket money to get his hands on them. He couldn't stand the sight of others eating them when his stash had run out. So Johnny spent hours and hours cooking up ways to get the largest possible amount of the candy, with the least possible amount of effort. One way or another he was intent on lining his pockets...even if it killed others (or if it killed him, rather, as he no doubt would've pointed out).So it came to be in the Spring of '76 that scheming little Johnny started a lawn-mowing business. He rounded up 3 of his pals, and recruited them to go around the neighborhood cutting grass. He'd contract out the workers, and the customers would pay him. For every job they did, Johnny was paid 10 M&M's. 8 of these he kept (I mean, come on...the business was his idea after all), and his friends were able to keep 2 for themselves. He hastened to inform his pals though that should they manage to recruit one of their pals to cut grass as well, that he would give them 2 M&M's back for every willing little employee they hired. Bonus! Before long, Johnny's pals were recruiting their pals, and Johnny was bathing in M&M's. He had M&M's for breakfast, sneaked them inside his lunch-box to snack on at school. He was in M&M heaven...living it large off of the sweat of others.It wasn't long before every yard in the neighborhood had at least 2 kids mowing, pulling and even eating grass. Salivating lawn-mowing recruiters could be found in every classroom, locker room and living room across the town. Johnny and his 3 pals would sit in his M&M tree-house and watch the neighborhood slowly turn into a semi-desert. There were fewer and fewer lawns to mow, more and more kids doing the mowing, earning less and less M&M's than the kids before. In the end, the bulk of the kids in the neighborhood could barely put together their own M&M doghouse between themselves, and they even started mowing pets out of desperation. I wish I could say that no animals were harmed in the telling of this story, but a few cats lost their whiskers, while the kids that were recruited into this venture towards the tail-end of the exercise resorted to recruiting anything with a pulse and mowing anything with a few hairs. The scene got ugly.Little is known of what actually became of Johnny in subsequent years. There was the odd rumor or two. Best as anyone could tell, he made his way to Desperado and started his own business. He was reportedly last seen on the porch of the big house overlooking the valley, surrounded by barbed wire and electric fencing...a '76 lawn-mower rammed through the windshield of his Porsche.

Is Network Marketing Legal?

Now, besides me just telling you the quick answer, let me expand upon this question. Of course the answer is yes it is legal. The reason people will give you that it is illegal, is that they will generalize and say it is a pyramid and all pyramids are illegal. Now, yes pyramids are illegal and I would not have anything to do with them. What is a pyramid? It is where someone starts up something and gets you to pay some money do to get involved. So you tell someone about all the money that you will make and you want to share it with them. Now this goes on and on and of course the person that starts it will always make money. Now, as you get into this "scheme", which is illegal, you are putting money in and you get a position to make money. There are no products. The sole and only reason why you get involved is to make money. Now, this is why people call network marketing a pyramid, is that sure you put in money to start a business, but legitimate companies, you make money on customer purchase of the product and not because you got started in the business. Now, lottery clubs and gifting programs are a form of this, because no one is actually a customer and there is no real products that generate the incomes.So let me talk about facts anyone can learn about network marketing companies. The government her and in many companies regulate network marketing companies and they are part of the direct sellers association. You do not make money by someone signing up, you make it off of customer products. Yes, there are companies pretending to be network marketing companies, but fail to comply to the rules the governments set out. Some countries rules are stricter that others, in fact, China is probably one of the most strict to let people start a network marketing company with in their borders.In order for someone to become a network marketing company, they must pay hefty fees to be part of the Direct Sellers Association. You can go to the direct seller association website if you want to find out if a company is what it says it is. Now as a company starts up, in the United States, each state regulates the industry through the attorney generals office. They make sure it complies to all laws.People will think they are illegal when the start with the company, if they are not making the income that they feel they should, and often will tell everyone it is not, because they did not make the millions in 30 days. In network marketing, if they tell you that you will get rich quick and you do not need to do anything, then I will tell you that they are unethically promoting the business. Make sure you are educated on the business before you get started, then invest in yourself and one and only employee. Your education is a key and if you know the tricks that the leaders use, you will be highly successful. I talk to hundreds of people a day and yes you can be successful, but not with out proper training. There is not one company that provides you the training to be successful.

How to Make it in a Down Economy

In today's economic times, many people find themselves having an increasingly difficult time making ends meet, finding a job, or even losing a job in some instances. You could even be a disabled person who could not get out of the house in order to work; a single mother perhaps who could not afford day care, or even a retiree wanting something interesting to do with their time.These events can and do cause considerable stress in peoples lives. Many times people do not even see some of these things coming and when they do, they get confused and do not know where to turn. If you find yourself in one of these situations or if you just want to create a supplemental income for yourself, there are legitimate online jobs to be had. There are also scams out there so you must be extremely careful. The trick is to find real legitimate online jobs.Actually, some people have been able to replace the income of their nine to five job by working an online job; some have even surpassed their previous income. All you need in order to work online is a computer and internet access. If you are fortunate enough to find one of these jobs you would be able to work right out of your own home, decide on which days you would like to work and work the hours that are convenient for you. You would no longer have to commute, no stressful boss to deal with any longer, no backbreaking deadlines and no office politics.You could even work in your pajamas if you chose to. Your life would change dramatically because this would be so different from the way you had been earning a living in the past. With a positive attitude and some hard work and research, you could solve your problems and, in doing so, be proud of yourself for being a strong and self-sufficient person.

Network Marketers Learn a Harsh Lesson From the iLearning Global School of Hard Knocks

Not too long ago another company called XLR8 closed down it's MLM portion of their company and now another well-known company, known as iLearning Global, has done the same thing.And that's just it -- this is not the first time something like this has happened and believe you me, it's also not the last time.This is why I always advise Network Marketers to be mindful when joining these new or new'ish programs out there. I don't care how hyped up they make it sound...I don't care how they claim there is "no other MLM company doing or offering what they're doing or offering"...and I certainly don't care what "big name" they are tossing around who endorses it!You have to use your head and make a decision based on facts and good sound information rather than emotion and hype.So here are some things to keep in mind when you are trying to decide on a company to join so that this doesn't happen to YOU:1. Do Your Homework! We have been somewhat "programmed" since school age to hate homework, but when it comes to making a decision about something that will affect your finances and possibly even your family then you'd better make darned sure you get over the "I hate homework" syndrome and study up on whatever company you are looking into joining!2. Find Out If This Company Is Solid Across The Board. While doing your homework make sure that the company is built on a strong, solid foundation, that the compensation plan is going to allow you to make the type of income you desire to make and that people are achieving what you desire IN that company! You also want to find out how long they've been around...if less than 12-18 months, fugget about it! Also, make sure they are not going to be banned across the globe! Another well-known company is getting all kinds of heat because they are being banned from doing business in certain states, but that's for a different post. But make sure that everything is on the up and up.3. Get With A Solid Team. Make sure that whatever company you join, ESPECIALLY if you are new to Network Marketing, that you get with a team who is making things happen and can help you to do the same. Can you succeed without one? Of course if you are willing to MAKE it happen on your own. But it's just so much nicer and easier when you have that support system in place. And speaking of system...4. Make Sure There Is A System In Place. There is nothing worse than getting into a company and having to just figure it out as you go. That is one of the reasons so many end up quitting this industry because there is no SYSTEM (Save Your Sanity Time & Energy) in place to use and teach their new reps to use. So find out if there is a proven-to-work system in place either in the company of your choosing, amongst the team you partner up with, or both.5. Position Yourself To Still Make Money Even If The Unthinkable Happens! One of the things I know of a few of the folks who were left MLM homeless is that they are not sitting at home worrying and sweating bullets over this. Many are...but some are not. Why is it that some of these people are still cool as a cucumber and still making money? Because they learned "the secret"...they learned the importance of:a.) Branding THEMSELVES and not a company and... b.) Positioning themselves in such a way that they make money whether someone joins their business or not and whether they still HAVE a business or not. That is what you need to do as well.

How to Achieve MLM Success - Use These 6 Daily Actions

"Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it." ~ Author UnknownAchieving success in any endeavor requires action and consistency. Have you put together your plan of action? Are you working this plan consistently? I am going to share 6 Daily Actions to put into place that will allow you to build a successful business.Jim Britt, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and peak performance specialist, shared his 6 Daily Actions (in a high-definition video on iLearningGlobal) that changed his business after enduring months of struggle. Jim is the expert in Network Marketing and states you WILL build your business if you apply these actions every day. So, let's get started!Action #1 - Use your product and share it with others."Be a product of the product". This appears to be so simple to do, but people do not do it. Why? You need to be aware of other people's needs and wants; these people might want and need what you have to offer.Action #2 - Share the business opportunity.This sounds simple, doesn't it? People share the product but are scared to share the opportunity. Share your opportunity with as many people as you can. Do not pre-judge people. You do not know where they are at in their life. You are the messenger, not the message. Use your tools (presentations, webinars, live events, DVDs, 3-way calls, etc.) to tell the story.Action #3 - Follow up.This is the one thing that most networkers miss. I know I have heard... "The money is in the follow up!" You should always keep these two words in mind... "What's next?" You introduce someone to your presentation, what's next? You sign up a new team member, what's next? You share a product with a new customer, what's next? There should always be a "What's next?"Action #4 - Build a team.When you first get started in network marketing, it is just you and you are working on building something. As you start building your team, you create what Jim Britt calls your "success unit" (your success unit is what you need to maximize your compensation plan). For you, maybe it is having 3 people. You will then really start to take off and have a "power unit", which is when you have 3 people, who have 3 people, who have 3 people, etc.Action #5 - Look for and develop self-sustaining leaders.Jim Britt shared a discussion he had with one leader who stated he recruited one person every month for 5 years (so he recruited 60 people in total). Of those 60 people, 5 leaders were developed and from these leaders, this individual was earning $50,000/month. So, here is the question... Would you be interested in earning $50,000/month? Find people with spark, interest, drive, and ambition to build a business. Work with these serious people until they become self-sustaining and self-motivating leaders.Action #6 - Apply "Self-Management".This is extremely critical. There is not a lot to manage in the network marketing business. The accounting, warehousing, product development, R&D, etc. is all done for you! So, what is there to manage? YOU. Your attitude, your vision, your goals, your time. It is important to stay in "self-management" mode all the time.Then, before you go to bed each night, reflect back on your day and the 6 Daily Actions:1 - Did you use your product and share it with others?2 - Did you share your business opportunity?3 - Did you follow-up?4 - Did you work on your team building?5 - Did you find or help develop leaders?6 - Did you manage yourself?Incorporate the 6 Daily Actions into your day and you will build a successful business. Even if you do not do it well, keep doing it. You will achieve success because you have worked hard at it!To your success and transformation,Andrea Petoskey