If you're like me you'd like to figure out exactly how to make money in MLM. The problem is that there are more people claiming that they are making money than there are people who are really making money!
The problem with the MLM industry today is that it has a bad name. Most business professionals today think of MLM as a "sleazy" or "cult-like" business. I once thought that way myself.

When I first got into MLM I left all my common sense and my business degree at the door.My reasoning was simple. If I wasn't a millionaire in my own business and these MLM guys are, then they know something I don't and are doing something different than me. Unfortunately that is where my mistake began. I left my head at the door and led with my heart. I believed everything I read, heard and listened to that I could get rich overnight by being in a MLM company.

Here's what I learned in my first two years in MLM (after I spent $5,000 and about 1,000 hours of my extra time):

If you get caught up in all the hype and don't ask for the details on how to exactly make money (a business plan) then your chance of spending more money than you make is about 99.99%!

In other words, if you don't treat your MLM business like you would a $100,000 franchise then you re headed for failure--or you'll stay in until you run out of money!

This isn't to say that some people haven't made money in MLM without applying true business principles, but what I wanted to know when I joined a MLM is how to SECURE my income so I could develop a walk-away residual income!

The problem was that NOBODY could tell me how to do that. I seemed to be the only businessman in the whole company who asked sound questions like:

"How do you sign someone up?"
"How much does it cost to sign someone up?"
"What percentage of people order every month?"
"How many people actually sponsor someone?"

These are just a few of the questions that when asked, everyone looked at me like I had just passed gas at church. You see the real problem lies not with the intention of your MLM Company or even with your upline. Most that I have run into are decent, hard-working and energetic people.

Most I would even trust alone for an hour or two with my wife and daughter.

The real problem in MLM today is that NOBODY is telling the WHOLE truth about how to go about making money is this wacky business!

When I took over the monthly payment of $1500 from a printing company at a bank auction back in 1989 I asked a lot of questions. Especially this one, What happens if I don't make the payments on time?

You guessed right; I'd loose my printing company! You see, I don't mind hard work and I'm a real teachable kind of guy. I know I don't know everything that there is to know about business and I'm willing to learn HOW TO from someone who is where I want to be.

My problem in MLM came from trusting people who weren't making any money! And that they weren't telling me the WHOLE truth-- just half of it.

So, if you're a frustrated networker like me, here's the WHOLE truth about what I know about making money in MLM--or guaranteeing that you make money.

Rule #1

You have to get your downline to order your product or use your service EVERY month!
The best way to ensure this is to get your new recruit to sign up on the Auto-Ship or Insured or Standing Order program with your MLM Company. This is where your new downline member joins and orders a pre-determined amount of product. And, they have these purchases drafted every month from their checking account or credit card.

Now what if they don't want to do that? Well that tells you something about the person. Either they're paranoid or they really aren't committed to making money. This doesn't make them a bad person; it just helps you categorize them as a recruiter. You see, as a MLM businessperson you have to learn how to know who you're talking to--not who's talking to you! In other words, don't believe their signing up and will do anything until the order with a canceled check or Visa number is in hand!

One such example I have personally experienced is with one of MLM companies called The Gourmet Coffee Club. What I did wrong in this program was to let people sign up for free or let them buy a $10 sample pack--HOPING that they would take the initiative and sit down, fill out the insured order and mail or fax it in to the parent company.

After working my butt off for a year I found that I had 1817 people in my downline with only 352 of them on the insured order!

So, in reality I didn't have 1817 people in my downline, I only had a downline of 352! And of the 1465 that were left over 90% of them hadn't ordered anything in six months!

This is where I learned the value of having people join on the insured program. I lead with the insured plan, if my prospect hesitates or I feel resistance I don't push, instead I offer for them to try the product or service for 30 days and if they like it, they can join on the insured program then.

With this technique I have found great success. It helps me understand my prospect more. You see, I don't know 100% of the people who answer my ads. The only way I know that they are serious about making money is for them to show me the money! If someone digs down deep into their pocket book I know they're serious! My studies over the last 8 years in MLM tell me that if someone doesn't order anything their first month in the business that there is a 95% chance that they NEVER will!

So, encourage your newest prospect to join on your insured program. Tell them that their downline will only do what they do. And would they like a group of 100 people buying product or not buying? I think they'll get the message!

Rule #2

You must have some sort of recruiting System or have a method where you and your downline are getting a consistent flow of NEW prospects to talk to! How many times have you joined a MLM and once you got the start-up kit, maybe called a few friends you quit? Once, twice, or how about a dozen times. Well that was me, too. What scared me to death after I found out about my 352 insured distributors in the Coffee Club, was that less than 10% were trying to do anything at all to recruit others. So, in reality I had a dedicated group of 35 distributors out of 1817--a whopping 19.26% of my group was actually duplicating my efforts! Cancun here we come!

So, how do you get your group to get going? Simple. YOU must offer some sort of duplicable recruiting system that they can participate in.

Out of self-defense I have created a system of self-mailers, post-cards, recruiting tapes and advertising co-ops. Why did I do that? Because I found that over 80% of my group--although they were buying product every month--they weren't doing anything to sponsor anyone!

When I developed a duplicable recruiting system of marketing materials and ad co-ops my group began to grow a consistent rate of about 10%! It wasn't the kind of growth you hear about on all the hyped up tapes that I had received in the mail, but a more realistic growth that you would expect in a traditional business.

By using these simple rules in MLM I was able to increase my income from $10,000 to well over $100,000 a year. I give all the credit to my system. I'm no star salesman. Instead, I stopped listening to all the hype and started over--simply by applying true and sound business principles!

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Robert Blackman is President of Diversified Enterprises Inc. A printing and Direct marketing company. He is also President of The Profit Network, a Voice Mail & Fax-On-Demand MLM company. Not only is Robert successfully making money in 7 different network marketing ventures, he also provides a discount printing, writing, designing and ad placement service!
Want to know how to make money in any MLM? Now you can! Robert Blackman's two cassettes & book entitled, "How To 100% Absolutely Guarantee That You Make Money In Network Marketing & How To Sit Back & Get Rich In Any MLM" is now available. For complete details on how to get them today; contact Robert Blackman via email at: robert1mlm@aol.com or call him at: (918) 335-3726

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