In today’s post, I want to share 10 winning strategies for MLM.
Let’s face it, everyone wants to win.
No one wants to be second place, and no one wants to be last place.
Can you relate?
A lot of people fail in our industry.
I was one of them for many years.
It sucks to lose.
It’s a tough industry, and most people will not make it to the top.
Most people will quit, long before they ever even get started.
That might sound weird coming from a guy who loves the industry, but it is the truth.
You see, in capitalism there are winners and there are losers.
It’s reality.
In any business model, some people win and many people lose.
Yes, some business models have higher success rates than the others, but every industry is unique.
The businesses with the highest success rates (franchises) typically have the largest start up costs.
And businesses like MLM, which are relatively inexpensive to join, have some of the highest failure rates.
I believe the reason we have such a high failure rate in our industry is people don’t have any money in the game.
Since they have little invested in their business, they don’t do much.
I can tell you one thing.
If people spent six figures to become a MLM Distributor, they would work a LOT harder.
What do you think?
10 Winning Strategies for MLM
In the rest of this post I’m going to share 10 winning strategies for MLM.
These are different “mindsets” about building the business, or different “blueprints” or “paths to success.”
There are people who have succeeded and people who have failed using ALL of the strategies I list below.
Individual results will always vary.
Ultimately, you want to figure out what works best for you and do that.
My only goal today is to educate you about these different strategies so you know what options are available to you.
Strategy # 1: Retail to Recruit
This is one of my favorite business building strategies.
It’s something that few people ever talk about, but it works like hotcakes.
Most companies and sponsors just want you to recruit, recruit, and recruit.
There is little, if any emphasis placed on customer acquisition or product movement.
No one is ever taught to GET CUSTOMERS.
This makes absolutely NO sense to me, but it’s the truth.
In my opinion, the “recruiting only” mindset is the cause of most of the problems in our industry.
Every business needs customers.
This type of business is no different.
If the only people using the products are distributors, your company will NOT last for the long-term.
Even if you follow any of the strategies listed below, you should still commit to maintaining at least five to ten loyal customers personally.
As I see it, every distributor should be required to do that before they could recruit any distributors.
The retail to recruit method works.
Many of my team members use it with great success.
It’s simply the process of leading with the products first, rather than the business opportunity.
If the products work, and are priced fairly, many people will be willing to try them out.
Assuming they like the products and are a happy customer, many folks will upgrade to a distributor to get a discount, and some of those folks will even become business builders.
Here’s another thing you need to know: EVERYONE likes to buy and MOST people hate to sell.
People LOVE to spend money and buy new stuff.
Don’t you?
I know I do.
Yet, most of these same folks are VERY reluctant to go out and sell something.
That’s a fact.
Retail to recruit makes sense if you are in a product driven company.
That means the products must be good, offer a great value, AND be competitively priced.
If they’re not, you will struggle to find customers.
I would argue that if your products aren’t a good deal for the customer at the suggested retail price you are working with the wrong company.
This strategy works best for someone who enjoys selling products to family and friends, doing events, home parties, etc.
Strategy # 2: The Retirement Plan Strategy
This is my view of our industry, and my own business.
I take the long term view.
I understand most people can’t think past their next pay day.
Fortunately, I’ve never had that problem.
I look at my network marketing business as part of my retirement portfolio.
It’s one of several assets in my portfolio, not the only one.
I simply believe in consistently sponsoring 2-5 people per month, every month, for as long as it takes to reach my financial goals.
Yes, many people will rank advance quicker than I do.
I am the tortoise, not the rabbit.
I’m cool with that.
I just chug along.
My business grows every month.
I don’t set any records.
But, I am consistent: very consistent.
I work my business an hour a day, NO MATTER WHAT.
No excuses.
I am the most serious part-time network marketer you will ever meet.
But I will never ever do this business full time, regardless of my income.
I simply have no desire to do so.
This strategy is great for someone who is in their 20s to 40s, has a good primary income source and wants to diversify their investment portfolio a bit, and enjoy the tax advantages our industry has to offer.
I should also tell you that MOST Americans do not have much (if any) retirement savings, so building a part-time network marketing business would be a great idea for most people.
Strategy # 3: The Take Massive Action Strategy
This strategy is for the person who wants to be all in, right from day one.
For 99.99% of the people in our industry, I do NOT recommend this strategy.
This works best for the person who already has the skills required to build a successful network marketing business.
Most people do not have these skills.
This is for someone who is willing to work their MLM Business 8-12 hours a day, or more, seven days a week, for their first few years.
I admire people who do this.
I’ve tried it before, but it led to burn out.
I simply could not maintain the pace.
Plus, I almost starved.
People using this strategy will need to sponsor 20-30 people a month and work the business full-time, right from day one.
The major downsides of this strategy are that it takes a while to build up a substantial residual income from your business, even if you ware working full-time.
Also, it’s extremely time consuming and it often leads to burn out.
Most people set a pace they cannot maintain and give up in 30 to 180 days using this strategy because they haven’t earned a full time income with their business yet.
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Strategy # 4: The Multiple Streams of Income Strategy
I love this strategy, but it’s not for everyone.
This is one of the strategies I use myself.
This strategy works best for people who are building their business online, but it can work for other people as well.
This is when you build a YOU, Inc. business where your MLM Business is just one of several income streams.
Maybe you build a blog and promote your MLM Company as one of your income streams.
Maybe you build a newsletter and recommend affiliate products, along with your MLM Company.
Maybe you create a YouTube or podcast channel and promote different things.
The options are endless.
Lots of folks who have studied attraction marketing have followed this approach.
That’s how I learned about it.
It’s not easy.
Many people struggle with this method because they try doing too many different things at once.
It can work, but it isn’t easy.
For most people, focusing on just one thing at a time would be a much better use of their time.
This strategy works best for someone who is good at time management, can focus on a variety of things and be successful, and has the desire to create several income streams.
Just to clarify, this strategy does not mean promoting multiple MLM Companies at the same time.
Strategy # 5: The Pre-Launch Strategy
This might be the riskiest strategy on this list, but it does offer plenty of opportunity if things work out for the distributor.
This is for someone looking for the newest shiny object, trying to find a new pre-launch company that will eventually make it big.
Get in early, build it big, and ride the momentum wave is the mindset of the folks who use this strategy.
If you pick the right company, and build it big, it can pay off immensely.
However, just because you get in early doesn’t mean you will make money.
You still have to build it big.
That’s what most people don’t understand.
Then there is the fact that MOST new MLM Companies don’t even make it past their first two years.
You can put in a lot of blood sweat and tears and end up with nothing but broken dreams (if the company doesn’t survive).
This strategy works best for the experienced network marketer who has the skills and contacts.
Strategy # 6: The Professional Blogger
This strategy is gaining in popularity and I definitely see it as the wave of the future.
This is when you pick a niche that interests you and you build a blog focused on that topic.
It doesn’t have to be about network marketing.
You could choose any niche you want and let your network marketing business be one of several income streams on your blog.
For example, if you are passionate about jogging, you could create a jogging blog and then offer your network marketing company’s products for sale.
A good blog generates leads and provides multiple streams of income.
This is the strategy I use to build my own business.
Strategy # 7: The Party Plan
Contrary to what you might think, the party plan is still alive and well.
No, it might not be a good fit for everyone, but it does work.
Millions of people, especially women, use the party plan to make sales, find new customers and find new distributors for their network marketing business.
It works really well if you have a product such as food, beauty products, skin care, or something people can touch, taste, feel or smell.
Strategy # 8: The Video Marketer
YouTube® is here to stay.
Millions of people view YouTube every single day.
Setting up your own YouTube channel and creating new videos each week would be a great strategy to grow your network marketing business.
I highly suggest you do not make a channel (or videos) about network marketing.
There is too much competition in that area.
Instead, find a niche you like and understand and focus on that, and then build up a list.
You can offer many different things to your list, including your MLM business or products.
As an example, if you sell essential oils, you could talk about different ways essential oils can help your health.
Check out more of my video marketing tips.
Strategy # 9: Online Newsletter
You could create your own newsletter about any subject that interests you.
You could send out a weekly newsletter via email.
You could promote your network marketing business as one of several income streams in your newsletter.
Let’s assume your passion is small business marketing.
You could provide different marketing tips for small business owners in your newsletters each week and have a link in every newsletter that points to your MLM website.
Your newsletter could provide multiple streams of income and position you as an expert.
Learn more about how to use a newsletter to build your MLM Business.
Strategy # 10 Be a Life Coach
The life coaching business is BIG business.
Millions of people are looking to hire someone who can help them navigate their own lives.
If you feel called to do this, you can get certified as a life coach for about $1000 to $2000.
You can make money from your coaching business and you can offer your network marketing business opportunity to some of your clients.
I think this is a great way to build your network marketing business.
What I Do
So what do I do?
I use a combination of these strategies. I do:
- Blogging
- Podcasting
- YouTube
- Online Newsletter
- Multiple Streams of Income
- The Part-Time, Long-Term View
It won’t work for everyone, but it’s a good fit for me.
What I Recommend
You know yourself better than anyone else.
I would think about each one of these 10 winning MLM strategies and figure out which one best matches your temperament, personality and goals.
Once you do that, you will know which one is best for you.
Don’t let someone else decide that for you.
Final Thoughts
There you have it folks.
These are my 10 winning strategies for MLM.
What do you think?
Which one is your favorite and why?
Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a great day.
Sincerely,
Chuck Holmes
Network Marketing Professional (21+ years)
Top Recruiter & Top Rep
mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
Great post Chuck
Thanks for this great information Chuck.
Personally, I am a firm believer in Retail to recruit. Your best distributors started as customers because they have used the products and are able to provide truthful testimonies about their advantages. I also know that no company will survive if they do not have customers. If you have too high of a percentage of distributors to customers, you have a problem.
I am also firmly for multiple streams of income. When you are have slow stages in one stream, another stream is normally flowing fast. I also use this method, but it does mean using time management to a perfection.
I must say that if network marketers will follow your tips, they can be winners. Thanks again.
I’m glad you liked my article Greg.
Yes! low price is one of the disadvantage to our industry..because where your treasure is…there will your heart be!!!
I also use strategy 2, with a little bit of strategy #1 and just started strategy #4 with providing content and doing videos to brand myself and not just my company…
Thanks for the information and education..