Eldon Beard: What Comes to Mind Right Away When I Say “Network Marketing” or “MLM”?

November 16, 2008 by Eldon Beard

What is the first thing that people think of when you mention the word “network marketing” or “MLM”? My suspicion is that many still think of this business in terms of “the way it used to be”.

To illustrate, let’s take a look at my first experience with MLM and network marketing. I believe that many others have been introduced to the business in this way.

A few years ago I had a job selling welding supplies to local industries. One of my co-workers was a really nice, outgoing guy who never met a stranger.

Not long after I started working with him, he began to drop hints about a “side business” he was developing. He implied it was a big deal, but offered no details.

A few weeks later, we met for lunch. He openly discussed a “consumer products business” he was involved in, and invited me to attend a presentation where I could learn more about it. When I asked for more information (such as the name of the company), he cleverly dodged the question and urged me to attend the meeting.

I felt some reservations about the deal, but I attended the meeting because he was my friend and I had come to respect his opinions on things.

At the meeting, everything looked really intriguing. The first presentation was a video of Tom Landry (legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys) talking about this type of business and how wonderful it was. Instant credibility, I thought. Later on, after a lot of hype and vague references to such things as “working directly with Fortune 500 companies”, the veil came down.

This was…. Amway!

Not knowing any better at the time, I decided to give it a spin and signed up.

Then I found out what I would be asked to do. None of this was revealed prior to signing up.

• recruit people blindly by getting them to presentations, while artfully dodging any questions they asked in advance

• conduct in-home opportunity meetings virtually every night (if I wanted to be successful)

• put Amway first in my life (even before family) for 3-5 years, and enjoy the rewards later

• dump all friends and shun all relatives who were negative about “the business”

I could go on, but you get the idea. Kind of a cult-like atmosphere. This is the picture that many people have when you mention “MLM” or “network marketing”, because they either had an experience like this or heard from someone who did. To be fair, Amway was not the only opportunity whose distributors had this attitude, they were just the most prominent and well-known.

Thankfully, today, there is a new attitude in the network marketing and MLM industry. Thanks in large part to the Internet, it is now possible to build a strong and lasting income in network marketing from the comfort of your home, without old fashioned hotel and in-home meetings. Without having to hassle your friends and relatives (unless you just want to). Without being deceitful and manipulating others. You can attract prospects to you, and work with people who are ready to do something. No more chasing people who just aren’t interested in a home business.

The opportunity to build a real income with a network marketing or MLM business has never been greater than it is today. If you’re interested in starting a profitable home based business with minimal up-front cost, this just might be what you’re looking for.