I became curious about the topic of network marketing again after receiving a subtle recruitment email on my MySpace account. The email came across as genuine discussing one of the movies I had listed in my profile (the movie was Boiler Room) and went on to say that since I like that movie I am probably into sales or at least motivated by money. It ended saying more or less that this person is someone I should get in contact with. I’ll say it was put together well enough to make me click on the person’s profile instead of sending the message directly to the trash.
After viewing the person’s profile, I realized that he was a network marketer and using MySpace as a way to make contacts. I replied back asking about the company he was working with and wanted to know if it was indeed an MLM business but never received a reply. Maybe I wasn’t a good lead? Who knows, either way, it wasn’t a big deal but it got me curious about the network marketing business all over again.
Why Network Marketing?
Network marketing remains one of the easiest ways to start up your own business. After signing up with a network marketing company you have an instant business. There are many advantages such as small business benefits (tax write-offs), training by your sponsor, being able to work it part-time or full-time, and being able to run your business from a home office.
It has its disadvantages as well. If you have no sales experience you may struggle convincing people to purchase products as well as recruiting people for your downline. It’s hard work in the beginning as you will need to find new customers and prospects regularly.
Is Network Marketing a Scam?
In my opinion, network marketing itself isn’t a scam but it has received that reputation throughout the years due to scammy companies. You could just as easily call internet marketing a scam but it isn’t. You just have to know the difference between the scammers and those who are offering a genuine product.
I see network marketing as a great opportunity to earn extra income or create a full-time business but it just isn’t for everyone. For instance, I tried network marketing many years ago but I didn’t have the motivation or training to do anything with it. If you can’t picture yourself giving presentations, generating leads, and public speaking in general, then it probably isn’t something you would enjoy doing.
There are tons of network marketing companies to choose from now a days. If you’re considering it, I suggest finding a product or service that you would enjoy using enough to promote to other people. Network marketing thrives on word-of-mouth advertising so if the product or service is truly great in your eyes, convincing other people of its value won’t be difficult at all.
I will probably be devoting a few more occassional blog posts to the topic of network marketing as I still find the business model fascinating in terms of self-employment.