VIII.27.2019 - Does An MLM Work for You?
We have all received that attractive, cryptic message. It offers a life changing opportunity to work from home, have flexibility in your workday and achieve a better than average lifestyle. You likely rolled your eyes, hit delete and moved on (if the message survived your spam filter). But many people are intrigued by this vision of the future. They pay the initial start-up fee and launch their own business. Did they have stars in their eyes? 
In 2015, Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) added $36B to the economy. Considering that the average "drop out" rate is 90%, that is impressive.
The people who dropped out were likely reaching for the proverbial brass ring hoping to do next to nothing in return for a six-figure salary. But, wait, there’s more. The pitch says that you can reap upper middle-class income and receive incentives such as Caribbean vacations, car allowances and other luxurious perks. Maybe.
If more than a third of a trillion dollars is the key measure of a successful capitalist endeavour, it does seem highly probable that you can embrace entrepreneurship, work hard and make an MLM opportunity work for you. Attraction Marketing is highly effective in recruiting new team members and it’s a foundational component of every MLM program. The skill to retain a team and achieve the dream — for all team members — is not as easy as it appears in the MLM advertising.
People I have known who have been successful in MLM enterprises are natural leaders. They are not juggling a “day job” while doing MLM on the side of their desk. They are committed and are able to separate the hype from the reality. They recognized the opportunity, embraced the challenge, struggled through the ups and downs and made it work for them. They understand the mechanics of the MLM business — beyond the hyperbole of the offer. They know that attraction marketing and cold messaging are just small pieces of the puzzle to building a business. They invest their time to nurture, train and encourage their teams to do the work that is necessary to be successful.
It’s not that MLM enterprises are modern day snake oil, they are disguised opportunities for people who know how to make them work. When considering an MLM, treat it the same way as any other career opportunity. Do your research, network with people who have direct experience with the MLM that you are investigating and get to know that market space. With that done, consider the fit of the MLM with your skills and your lifestyle. It is very possible, even moderately probable that it can work for you.