Over the years, my husband and I have dabbled in many kinds of business, including Network Marketing or MLMs.Unfortunately, MLM has been given a bad name and frankly, for the most part, it wasn’t the Parent company at fault but the distributor organizations or more precisely individual distributors that have been the source of trouble.

Oh, sure there are those few pyramid schemes that were the black hat version of their legal cousin.  They never last and, yes, they have sullied the name of Network Marketing as a whole.

But the main issue with the legitimate MLM is that distributor training was not treated as seriously as it should have been. 

You see, MLMs have been accurately portrayed as the “average man’s business opportunity”.  But that is where it stops.  Simply because the average guy has no idea how to market, much less sell, anything.  The old way to sell in MLMs is sell to everyone who will listen to you.  Uncle Joe gets all excited about some new elixir bound to cure all ills and make tons of $$, too.  So he tells his neighbor, his doctor, his pastor, his brother, the guy at the gas station, the waitress at Denney’s, etc. etc. etc! 

No doubt that the elixir will do what it says, too.  But Uncle Joe’s zeal overrides his sensibility and spreads the good news all over creation.  And soon everyone learns to run to the other side of the street when they see old Joe coming.  Most of us have seen this all too often. 

MLMs get a bad name due to these over zealous, under trained salesmen and women.  We have come to suspect every MLM when really what needs to happen is EDUCATION of the sales force.
But some of us see the virtue of Network Marketing and really believe there is something there worth keeping alive.  Promoted properly, MLMs are still the perfect vehicle to get the word out about a superior product.  And also offer to the few who do see the opportunity to sell the products as their ticket to financial freedom.

So what does the new model look like?  Simply this.  No more hitting up strangers in malls.  No more boring sales talks masquerading as a potluck.  The new, old way is to make your product available through sales, like any sales (door to door used to work just fine).  Send out post cards, fliers, ads in the paper.  Giving samples  or trial periods.  With the advent of the Internet, ads on Google or Craigs list.  The key is to establish a kind of positive rapport or relationship.  Not clubbing someone but more like courting them.

Doesn’t it make sense to offer the opportunity to folks who are looking for it?  Perhaps write articles to educate others on the virtue of a secure second income.  Not pie-in-the-sky millions (although this is possible, realistically most folks will do the average several hundred dollars – and be content with it).   Put the idea of a home business in front of the group that is looking for it – not Cousin Sue who is happily working for $15 an hour as a bookkeeper.  Why waste her time and yours?

MLMs will have to adapt to this more sensible way of securing leads or the whole MLM model will die - tarred and feathered!! 

The average guy still has a chance to do it and make his fortune but with the ideal model he will have the respect of his neighbors and family.  He will go to his computer or mailbox and pick up his new leads who are “ready” to hear about his product or business opportunity.  He’ll head to the telephone, talk for a few minutes with the new contact, get an appointment to call again and everyone is positive.  NO pressure. No gimmicks. No hype.  Just educating and then asking permission to call again.

This will be the way of the new MLM salesperson or they will go the way of the tin peddler and sandwich boards.  It will be a sad day, too.  For the true average man’s opportunity will have gone with the wind.