Many people have an aversion to Multi-Level-Marketing. They think that it only works for a select few at the top, those who were lucky enough to get in early. They think it is a pyramid scheme or it flat out doesn’t work. They may have had experience with one company and base their opinions of all MLM companies upon that one exposure … but are MLM’s a scam?
A couple days ago I was reading someone’s post on Facebook. When this person started out in doTERRA, they were in the hole and barely scraping by. Yet, with sheer grit and determination she has reached Blue Diamond rank in 18 months and shows no sign of stopping. You can rest assured that her life has changed. With the income she makes now, she doesn’t have the same stress and worries as when she started.
I bring her up because someone started asking on that post “how many people did you have to fleece to get there?” And “MLM’s are a scam” and several other things of that nature. And to be honest I had many of these same thoughts and questions about MLM’s.
My understanding and opinion has changed since joining doTERRA. I never joined doTERRA for the business and I wasn’t interested at all in an MLM company. I only joined to get wholesale prices on their pure grade oils.
But once I got involved and started using the oils and products daily in my life I experienced the value that they brought into my life. Still, without wanting to be involved in the business, I started sharing the products with others simply out of my enthusiasm with my great results. Little did I know that I would “accidentally” become an MLM business woman.
I started learning about the business, about the compensation plan and how it compares to other MLM’s out there.
Here really is the key (in my opinion) to whether an MLM is a scam or not …
- Do they have a product or service that people need, use and consume?
- Will people continue to buy these products even if there is no compensation plan?
- Can people out rank (pass up and make more money) people above them in the organization?
- Can a person still purchase and use the product without having to purchase monthly?
- Are there people in the company that are only product users and is that okay to do?
If the answer to these questions is yes then it is a viable product or service centered company with a Multi-Level Network Marketing plan. Which means they pay the consumers to spread the word -VS- paying TV, newspapers, magazines or a marketing company advertising fees to spread the word. It’s just a different approach to marketing.
So are MLM’s a scam? No, not inherently. Are there MLM scams out there? Certainly.
Are people being fleeced? Not as long as there is a consumable products and there is no pressure or demand to continue purchasing. I doubt anyone would say someone who buys a CostCo membership and shops there is being fleeced.
Just like the person I mentioned above, who reached life changing rank(s) in less than 2 years … some will choose to build a business and change their life, while the majority of others will simply be consumers, using the products they love. In a good company, both are perfectly acceptable options and it works well for all parties involved.
If you want to learn more about Essential Oils and/or building your own network marketing business be sure to follow and get in touch with us, we will do all we can to help you on your journey.
