Are All MLM Companies Created Equal?

There are many factors that you must consider before joining any network marketing company.  These 5 critical requirements can determine whether your company will have longevity, profitability, appeal, and most importantly whether you can make any significant income with it.  I cannot stress how important it is that all these factors are in place.  There are others, but today I will focus on these five.

1. Company Management/Experience with Integrity.
First you must check out the founders, officers and policy makers (administration) behind the company. Also, are there many complaints or litigation against the company? A good place to start is the Better Business Bureau and Hoovers.com. Google is even easier. I usually start from backwards when I do a Google search because some big companies just buy the top spots to keep the bad press at the lowest ranking pages. If you already in the company, or even considering joining one, definitely get your hands on their policies and procedures, the first thing you want to check on is the termination policy. One major red flag policy is when they state they reserve the right to terminate the agreement between the company and distributors for any reason or without cause. I have to wonder why in the world they would want a policy as such. Most distributors never see the policies and procedures until after they have joined up with the company. One should always request to see this critical document before even considering the company.

2. Timing in Company/Industry
 Of all factors you must consider before joining any company, this one is crucial. Timing isn't everything, but it’s key. If you join a me–too company you are not going go anywhere. First of all the market, is demand driven. If there are many similar companies with the same products as yours then you have your work cut out for you. You can forget it if you join a company whose product time has gone or is all ready in saturation. You are going to go around in circles. If you’re in an industry that has no viable future, again you're not going to see any growth. So with regards to timing and the industry, make sure you do your homework on this matter. You definitely don’t want to join a network company that been around longer that you. If your grandparents were involved in the company, take their word when they tell you to bypass this one. It’s definitely, well most likely at saturation. Saturation is at the point where that are more distributors/customers than prospective customers. People are joining and leaving faster than you can say Jumping Jack Flash. Make sure they have a remarkable product or products not readily available elsewhere.
Do a bit of studying about the industry they represent. For instance, you would not want to join a company selling long distance phone cards, for the simple fact that there is not a market for that product. Why would someone buy that from you when they can go to any corner store or convenience store and purchase one for less than 5 bucks? Would you start a company that sells products VHS/cassette tapes in the DVD/CD era? No, because even though VHS and cassette were once hot items the trend is no longer applicable.

3. Remarkable Product 
(The Illusive Purple Cow)"In his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, Seth Godin says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out--to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. Godin himself may be the best example of how this theory works: The marketing expert is a demigod on the Web, a best-selling author, highly sought after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger. He is uniquely respected for his understanding of the Internet, and his essays and opinions are widely read and quoted online and off." Forbes.com

Here’s what you must to do be successful. You must not settle for a me-too product or company. Do your research and due diligence concerning this matter, BECAUSE this is one the most important factors concerning your success. This is also relative to timing. Your product can be considered a purple cow, if it is the first to market or has strong marketing campaign behind it. If know one know about this product, the first company to launch an effective marketing campaign turns their product into a purple cow (something different, remarkable). For example, Company Alpha for example, was the first to bring to market the noni drink to market on a large scale. Now, there are other companies that market noni but Company Alpha has the market share. This is the same with Company Bravo and the mangosteen product and Company Charlie and the Acai beverage. Actually, I gave these companies a serious look but had reservations when the me-too products started popping up. For some reason, I didn’t like the fact that now the Big Boys and SELL’MO were now competitors with very similar products.

4. Compensation Plan That Pays Part-timers.
 One of the first things that you have to look at before signing a distributor application is the compensation plan. The plan should be fairly easy to understand and not majorly complicated. The more complicated the plan, the more likely the company is trying to hide something. Also you want to peruse the company’s policies and procedures. There are many different types of compensation plans. They run the gamut from overly complicated to incredibly simple. The plan should be fair and compensate both the company and the distributors. Also the plan should pay both Part-timers and the heavy hitters for the efforts fairly. Some compensation plans are guilty of doing either one or the other. The ideal compensation does both. A balanced plan reduces the level of attrition. Attrition in network marketing is defined as a simply as the ratio of people leaving an organization verses those that stay. There can be many factors that attribute to the effect. Competition is the biggest cause for this. When a me-too company copies the original company, they usually will attack the weakness or vulnerability of the former and highlight the flaws of the distributor’s present company and present their company as the solution. Now this might seem cutthroat, but it’s really just a matter of survival of the fittest. If company A did their homework or was at least actively communicating with all levels of its distributor base, it would be able to defend and go on the offensive against such attacks. OK. Let’s get back to the basics.
One of the best ways to reduce attrition is to get your distributors making money as soon as possible. This is addressed in the next step, the system for success.

5. System for Success
This pillar is considered the most important. This factor is what creates leverage and allows you to take full advantage of leverage. Picture in your mind a table with 4 legs on the ends and a center leg piece in the middle. This table is considered very sturdy and secure. This is what the system does. You can jump in right away and plug in to a successful system already in place. Now, if you are starting the organization from scratch you will have to develop this system on your own. This is referred to as the “school of hard knocks”. You will have to try different techniques and tweak them to fit your organizational needs. Once you develop your system, it will be able to create growth even if you are not actively working in it. That is the power of leveraging and true duplication.

WARNING:
DO NOT JOIN A NETWORK MARKETING COMPANY UNTIL YOU LISTEN TO THIS.
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The Truth About Quixtar - Let Me Apologize Ahead of Time

Since I am a former IBO/distributor of both Quixtar and Amway I will make an extra effort to be objective. I have been a fan of network marketing concept for years. I like the idea that you can leverage your time and money by using such principles inherent in MLM such as time compounding and residual income. Here come the but.... what if these principles don't pan out no matter how hard I try. I was never a pushy type of person, and I don't like rejection, so what the hell was I doing in network marketing? Well for one I am truly an entrepreneurial spirit, even from my high school days. That is the caption under my high school yearbook photo.
So let me get to the point. I signed up for Amway during my first term in the Air Force under a good friend of mine. Quixtar pretty much became my life. I drank and ate the "business"; the filtered water and even the disgusting Shaq bars. OMG, those things tasted like wood, but they were from my "business". I have to say I loved going to quarterly conventions. Man, did you get fired up going on those road trips with your up-line, cross-lines, and down-lines. It was like being with family. People who shared your dreams and hopes for the future. You know what, now that I think back that's why I stuck it out in the "business" even though I never really made any money. Was it a cult? I would not say it was a cult, but the higher up-lines did use some brainwashing techniques even though some might not have realized it. For example, the no negative media, or staying away from dream stealers, were an isolation techniques used by numerous cults. If someone even question the viability of the business they were consider dream stealers. That sound so corny now in retrospect.
I left the Air Force and went back to the islands where I continued to run my "business" out of the spare efficiency from my mom's house. I do have to say people loved the soap and the scrub pads. LOL. After a while I lost communication with my up-line and didn't bother renewing. I quit. I guess I let the dream stealers snuff out my dream. No not really. I stopped going to the function and that main dynamic was missing. The "system" and the "tools" where no longer doing the job of keeping me motivated. Later on, I moved back to the main land and I had a little side hustle selling mixed tapes and video games and movies. I was wrestling with the idea of joining another network marketing company and I had been monitoring what Amway was doing. I heard there was a new kid in town called Quixtar, actually it was just Amway reincarnated. I had been doing some research on it and I have to say I was kind of impressed. It seems Jay and Rich had handed the reins of Alticor over to the young bloods in the family. They decided they would modernize Amway and through the internet Quixtar was born. The company was affectionately referred to as just the "Business". This was what I had been saying Amway needed to do. I hated having to place my orders through my direct distributor and getting my checks from them. I hated with a passion. Now, I was my own man. I controlled my destiny. OK, I was back and I was going to be successful. Well, if revenge is a dish best served cold, I am assuming success was best frozen. I stuck around in the "business" for years, having minimum success. I guess I blamed my lack of success on my wife's negativity. Eventually I can to see this company for what it was. An opportunity that was saturated and designed to keep the heavy hitters wealthy. I probably could have been successful in the "business" but I found out some things along the way that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Also I watched my up-line almost on the verge of bankruptcy, and how the group abandoned and talked bad about him and his wife when he stopped coming to the meetings. All the hoopla and hype gave me a bad attitude at work. I want as they chanted at all the meetings, rallies and convention to "flush that stinking job". Yes that job that paid for my products and all the other tools I needed to build my "business".
My wife still lovingly tried to convince me that I was hypnotized and that I was involved in something way too creepy. She just didn't get it. I was going to be free. I was going to be one of those people on stage talking and she would be by my side. That's if she played her part of course. I can't lie. I did have fantasies of replacing her with one of those wives that were so loyal and helpful to their husbands in the business. WOW. I remember her telling me about this glassy eye look I had when ever I talked about the "business" or any of the leaders. I would get on a rant about Bill Britt and how much of a godly man he was. Oh yes. Christianity and conservativeness was a very strong trait in any of the leaders that got on stage. I can't really remember seeing any leader on stage that openly admitted to being a democrat. These guys knew how to spin religion and politics to sell their wares. I didn't realized but I was starting to assimilate and become like everyone else in the group. Their views became my views. It wasn't instant but over time. I started dressing like them and talking like them. We were emulating success. I watch others come into the fold with their own style and carrying on. It was just a matter of time before they became assimilated also. If only I could get my wife to come to one of our rally, she would see what I saw. Not quite and I thank God.
It was after a meeting, and a late night rally, I came home. Before I left, my wife was nagging me about me being so focused on the "business" and how I was neglecting my family. She said I was to wrapped up in this thing. So.... I gave her the ultimate challenge. I dared her to find any thing negative on the on our godly leader and I would quit. Word of advice to all you men out there, don't challenge any woman unless you are certain about what you are talking about. She had opened up on the computer that "60 Minutes" piece. I seen that piece before; that didn't faze me. So you have critics. I wasn't ready for the piece "Night Line" had just done. That's not all. She had more. It was like finding out you're being cheated on and you're the last one to know. By this time my direct up-line who was one of my closest friends in the business was pretty much out of the business trying put back together his life financially. I had no choice but to face the hard facts. What I was involved if it wasn't a cult, it sure did act like a borderline one. I was involved in this business for going on 3 years and didn't have much success to show for it.
I still was not going to just quit. I decided I would build the business my way and not take advantage of people just to get ahead. I was really going to help people reach their dreams. It wasn't until I discovered a better opportunity which I won't name here did I completely sever my ties. After doing some of my own research, I read "Merchant of Deceptions" by Eric Scheibeler, Former Amway Founder's Emerald.That's when I closed the book on the "business. I shunned any MLM opportunities for over 4 years after that.
So is Quixtar a viable business opportunity and is it relevant to today's entrepreneurs? I would have to honestly say from my experiences the answer is a resounding NO. However I challenge you to be objective and be armed. Perform your due diligence. Know the five pillars of success. You will not go wrong if you have this information. You can find this information for free on my blog.
Before you join any opportunity there are some litmus test you can use to tell whether you should join or run. To find out these secrets, you can visit http://mlmsteroids.com/
For more helpful tools to build your MLM business sign up for free updates.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Anthony Laurent has been involved in network marketing from the age of 19. He is also a Non-commissioned officer in the Air Force. Anthony has an extensive military and entrepreneurial background. His book, "The Low Down Dirty on Network Marketing" is due to be released as a e-book in August-September 2009. He is mentored by some of the leading trainers in online network marketing, including Mike Dillard, Tom "Big Al" Schreiter, Michael Dhouly, and Ann Sieg.

Anthony Laurent
813-380-5918

Article Source:

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In Closing & Call to Action (PART 1 OF 2)

6.1 Live, Breath, Eat, & Sleep Network Marketing

One of the best ways in which you can understand a topic or a business is to completely inundate yourself in it. Spend so much time working with your topic or your business that you understand every single facet; that you rave about it like a madman in conversation whenever you talk to one of your friends; that you dream about it whenever you go to sleep.

If you spend a lot of downtime watching TV, think about whether or not you could do something related to network marketing instead. Think about it: is there some way in which you could spend your time reading about network marketing instead? Or is there some other substitution that you could do instead?
I personally suggest that you find ways to spend time recreationally that involve learning about network marketing—or viewing case studies of successful networks. You could check various sources for DVDs, downloadable movies, books, tapes, and MP3s. No matter how old the information is, much of the tactics will still apply to today.

Additionally, even if you aren't able to focus your free time around network marketing, it is a good idea to at least consider the amount of effort you put into it from time to time. As someone who is in charge of her own schedule, you will want to consider whether or not you are really putting in as much time as you could be. For instance, do you actually have an extra 2-3 hours each day that you could spend doing organizational work for your network? Could this extra time make you more efficient in the long run? If so, you will want to consider using it as time to work on your network.

Another thing you will want to consider is whether or not the time you spend “on the job” is actually accomplishing anything. Are you actually gaining new members each day? If not, why isn't that one of your priorities? If you're Internet-based, are you spending a lot of time aimlessly browsing unrelated sites? If so, you need to rethink your schedule and habits.

Part 1 of 2

5.2 Top 5 Mistakes Made by Top Network Marketers

By now, you've heard about all the reasons why “average network marketers” fail; however, what you may not realize is that top network marketers fail in many ways, too. It may not mean that they're failing in the sense that average marketers are—that is, failing to make any money at all. But many of them make bad mistakes, too, which also prevent them from accomplishing goals. Below, I've listed some of the more common mistakes they make:

1. They Fail to Communicate Well with Prospects. Many successful network marketers have massive networks; and, as such, they have less time to communicate with prospects. This often causes them to lose new members who might otherwise provide an excellent contribution to the network.

2. They Fail to “Dumb Down” Material. While most prospects aren't “stupid”; they are often new to the business, which means they wont understand complex concepts. Many top network marketers simply fail to bring their program down to the level of new prospects; and instead approach them as if they are marketing professionals.

3. They Fail to Realize that Network Members Have Limited Resources. Often, when people have much higher incomes, they fail to realize that not everyone can afford to take as much risk. To a successful network marketer, purchasing a new product might not be a big deal; however, to someone who is just starting because they lost a job, it might simply be too expensive and risky.

4. They Fail to Delegate. In general, this is one of the biggest mistakes that every business owner fails to make: they fail to send assignments to those who can specialize in that area of work. Instead, they try to do everything themselves. This limits both their time and the quality of the work they do.

5. They Fail to Expand Consistently. This is yet another deadly flaw for top marketers. They are amazingly talented, but they can't seem to organize things well enough to consistently expand. Instead, they constantly find themselves overwhelmed with work—and with very few solutions in mind.

So don't despair. If you're a new marketer, you don't have to worry about being perfect; no one is. And if you're an old-timer with a lot of experience under your belt, there are always new ways to improve how you build your network; and how you then manage it from there.

PART 2 OF 2

Who Am I & Why Should You Care?

My Name is Anthony Laurent and I have been involved in entrepreneurship since I was a child. My dream was to be a business tycoon. I am an avid network marketer and love the industry of Multilevel marketing. What I don't care for is all the hype, BS, and lies that are rampart in this industry. It is my goal to expose those lies and build this industry up into the power house it it capable of being. I am not saying that Network Marketing sucks, its just the image that is tied to it. In my everyday life, I interact with so many people who have a negative view of Network Marketing because of all the misinformation and bull that is perpetrated sometimes by unknowing participants. It is the mission of MLM Steroids to destroy all these negatives and build on the strong foundations that are inherent in this industry. During this recession, this industry is really the only bastion of hope left that anyone can become a part of and truly build their dreams. With that being said, everyone has a responsibility to themselves to be armed with knowledge and educate themselves before joining any network marketing company. Such information can be found on these pages. God Speed.