I’ve been asked that question a lot lately. Here is my take on it:
There is no perfect MLM company. All network marketing companies have issues. Look at it like this…my husband is the perfect spouse for me. But…he may not be the perfect spouse for someone else. We are a perfect fit for each other. When you are looking for a network marketing / MLM company, you should look for the perfect one for YOU. Not because someone else said it’s the best, but because it’s a fit for you.
Here is what I feel are the things to look for in a company:
1. A product that is reasonably priced in the marketplace.
I spoke with someone the other day who had a very high priced product. I asked her why the product cost so much and she said “Well, first of all, it’s better than anything on the market and second, it’s sold through an MLM company so they have to charge more in order to be able to pay commissions.
WHOA!!! Stop right there…MLM companies can afford to pay commissions because they do not have the traditional costs of advertising that the average product has. All advertising is word of mouth. The price does not need to be jacked up to pay commissions.
Next, there is one question you should ask yourself in relation to your product. This is a question the government will ask if the company ever comes under scrutiny by them. Here it is… “Would you buy your product(s) for the price you are paying IF THERE WERE NO INCOME OPPORTUNITY ATTACHED?” That is the million dollar question. Think long and hard about that one. Answer honestly. There is no income opportunity. Would you still be buying the required monthly amount of your companies product(s)?
2. Low barrier to entry.
Can the average person join your opportunity? Remember, average people are living paycheck to paycheck and most have under a few hundred dollars they can get their hands on. Many opportunities out there cost anywhere from $250 on up to $5,000 to join. That is a CRAZY amount of money to ask the average person to come up with to start an MLM / network marketing business.
3. Products that appeal to the masses
What percentage of people use your products? Think about this for a minute.
Let’s say you sell a nutritional drink. Now, what percent of people in your neighborhood do you think use a nutritional drink? Maybe 15% or so?
What about candles? Maybe 20% or so?
What about diet products? Maybe around 35 to 40%?
What about things like toothpaste, shampoo, household cleaners, laundry detergent, etc… I’d say 100% of the population are already using these things on a daily basis. That is a product line I, personally, am interested in. I would rather have 100% of the population already using the same type of products that my MLM sells rather than any other percentage. Here’s why…all I have to do is help people buy the products they are already buying at a new store. I don’t have to try to convince the other 50 to 90% of the population to start using these types of products.
4. Company History
This, to me, is very important. Most companies do not make it past the first 3 years. I, personally, would never join a start up MLM. You don’t know what is going to happen to a company less than 5 years old. Once a company makes it past the 5 year mark, it’s a good indicator that they will be around a while. Some people claim that you shouldn’t join a company that is older than 15 or 20 years. That is ludicrous. If you have a good company, it SHOULD grow to be over 15 or 20 years. It should continue to grow indefinitely.
So…where does your company fall in this short list of criteria? Notice I really did not address compensation plans? That is on purpose. I believe that if these things are present in your company, obviously you have a company that is creating paychecks for it’s reps or it would not still be in business. There are a few more things on my list of criteria that I took into account when looking for my MLM company. If you are interested in hearing what they are, email me at roxanne at roxannegreen dot com and let me know when we can spend a few minutes on the phone and I will be happy to share the rest of the criteria with you.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. What will you do with it?
