Network Marketing Scam

Have you ever been approached with one of those network marketing scam offers? You know the type. Somebody you haven’t heard from in years all of a sudden just can’t wait to meet up and see how you’re doing. But when you get together, it’s to pitch you on their latest and greatest business opportunity.

So many people are tired of these network marketing scam pitches that they won’t even look at them any more. I wanted to find out how network marketing got such a bad reputation.

Personally, I’ve made my living with network marketing, full-time, since early 2000. I raised 5 kids and have lived a fairly enjoyable lifestyle with plenty of freedom in terms of how and where I spend my time. Still, so many people I talk to respond with a fairly severe aversion to learning about network marketing. Even some of my so-called friends act like I’m involved in some “network marketing scam” when I talk about my businesses. I wanted to know why they felt this way, so I started asking.

One of the big complaints I got was that people felt they shouldn’t be asked to invest any money to get in to network marketing. When I ask what business they know of that they could start with no capital, nobody ever has an answer. Franchises are expensive. Solo ownership of any restaurant, store, or service business is expensive. But when we look at a solid network marketing opportunity, many of them can be started for a few hundred dollars at most. Is that really a network marketing scam?

Another complaint I get is when people don’t want to talk to someone else about their business. Prospecting is a real requirement in any business. Whether you want to sell food, cars, clothes, services, coffee, or anything else, you are going to have to participate in some form of prospecting. This might be online, offline, business networking, etc… but if people don’t know you’re in business, they can’t do business with you. So, prospecting doesn’t mean it’s a network marketing scam.

Another complaint I hear is when folks say things like, “Only the people at the top make the real money”. I see their point. So, I ask what their options are for reaching that CEO level income in their current job. They laugh and say, “I wish”. The reality is that they have NO chance of achieving that CEO level income in their regular job. If they really learn and apply successful network marketing business techniques, they can dramatically improve their income. Network marketing has created some amazing income stories. It has also allowed a lot of people to supplement their income to a level that removes their stress about paying bills, retiring, traveling, etc… 

If I could encourage you to do something the next time you are asked to review a network marketing business, it would be these things:

1. Listen. Take in the information as if it might be true. You can always decide to say “no”. Just try to avoid saying “no” before you even know what you are rejecting.
2. Apply a little bit of business sense. Is there an actual market for the product or service you are hearing about? Do you know of anyone that would be interested in the product or service regardless of the opportunity?
3. Decide if you want to make a decision as a consumer or as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs identify and pursue opportunities. Customers purchase products and services. Both are fine. If you want to simply use the product or service, become a customer. If you want to create some additional income make a business decision.
4. If you decide to get involved in the business, be prepared to go through some training.  You will have some things to learn. You will have to walk before you can run. Partner up with a good teacher, team, and system. 
5. Commit to your success. If you want to build a business. Be prepared to spend some time. I can almost guarantee you that most of the complaints you hear are from people who didn’t get the training and then didn’t spend the time to actually build a business.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are more than happy to help you identify whether you are looking at a potential business or just another network marketing scam.