MLM (Multi Level Marketing)

NigeWick

I have been involved in MLM, referral marketing, or whatever else you want to call it for a few years now and I believe that a thread on the generic subject may be worthwhile so that sound advice can be given and best practice shared.

Anybody interested?

cambsgirl_2

What does it involve?
Tanya

Quentin

Starting a thread on multilevel marketing, and using it to advertise in your sig you are a rep for a named MLM company does break the site rules.

Uw reps are well known for breaking forum rules on advertising.

NigeWick

cambsgirl wrote: »

What does it involve?

MLM is a form of direct sales. One should remember though, that most people do not like being sold to. Old methods included some form of hard sell but are outdated now, although still used by some people who know no better. I find the method with least pressure on me is to look at it as passing on information. I let people know what is on offer and if they are interested, they will ask "what's it all about?"

At the end of a presentation, I will ask something like "What do you think?" or "What do you want to do now?" Most people will not buy and a lot of people see that as a personal thing. It isn't, they just don't want what is on offer.

geordie_joe

NigeWick wrote: »

MLM is a form of direct sales.

Or to put it another way, a way of making money from other people's efforts.

Recruit people below you and cream off a portion of their earnings.

max2009

Nigel you were touting this about in 2005 and you still have blatant intentions of recruiting with a smoke screen.You sig is so blatantly obvious.

NigeWick

geordie_joe wrote: »

Or to put it another way, a way of making money from other people's efforts.

Recruit people below you and cream off a portion of their earnings.

Absolutely. Isn't that what all companies do?

However, with MLM, the person signing up a new associate/distributor/whatever name the company gives, must help them to become successful otherwise they get no remuneration from them. With the likes of say a bank, there is no financial incentive for a manager to help a cashier. Also, any new recruit can end up earning more than the one who signed them up. Almost universally speaking cashiers do not earn more than managers.

NigeWick

max2009 wrote: »

Nigel you were touting this about in 2005 and you still have blatant intentions of recruiting with a smoke screen.You sig is so blatantly obvious.

I have to use such a signature for the Utility Warehouse thread in Gas & Electricity to declare my involvement with the company. I have sent a message to TPTB asking for advice on how to declare an interest without provoking a "you are advertising" reaction. I am not concerned with people joining any particular company, I just thought that in these more uncertain times, people may be looking for a way to make some extra cash and MLM is a reasonable way of doing that.

Quentin

None of the uw reps who contribute to that thread have ads in their sigs - as you know!

Though some of them do have warnings inserted in their sigs from MSE about them having their sigs edited to comply with site rules.

It's just cynical to set this thread going and advertise your own MLM connection.

And your answer (post #4) to the inquiry hardly described "what it involves".

You seem to have just described what a salesman does!

geordie_joe

NigeWick wrote: »

Absolutely. Isn't that what all companies do?

Nope, every company I have worked for has "If you do x amount of work for us we will pay you Y amount of money"

Every MLM company that has tried to recruit me has said "You work, you earn the money, and we will cream off a percentage for our selves"

Not quite the same thing.

NigeWick wrote: »

However, with MLM, the person signing up a new associate/distributor/whatever name the company gives, must help them to become successful otherwise they get no remuneration from them. With the likes of say a bank, there is no financial incentive for a manager to help a cashier. Also, any new recruit can end up earning more than the one who signed them up. Almost universally speaking cashiers do not earn more than managers.

We all know that MLM companies have to continually recruit new mugs to replace the ones who leave. If any one them actually worked and lasted a year every person in the country, over the age of 16 would be a member. But none of them do!

NigeWick

Quentin wrote: »

You seem to have just described what a salesman does!

MLM is a form of selling.