More on MLM in the 21st Century

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It was the summer of 1976.

Yes, that's it. A pharmacist friend invited us over to his house 

to find out about a business opportunity. He couldn't tell me much about it over the phone, but we went.

It was my first exposure to Amway. We joined.

Between 1976 and 1996 I got involved in multi-level marketing -- three times.  It turned out that I could sell. Recruiting was a problem.  At that time, the company I repeatedly joined was enamored with the“mystery approach.”  Over the years, I think they may have moved away from that method of recruiting. It later became known as "network marketing." Now, it's on the Internet.  No matter, many people around the world have made fortunes not only with this organization, but with the many hybrids it spawned.

Though I never “made” it big in MLM, the concept still intrigues me and so when I wrote my first novel, The Tourist Killer, I chose MLM as a vehicle for one of the characters. It served Julian F. Thibaut as a teenager in two ways.
 
It established a solid financial base for his future.

It helped him build a world-wide network of personal contacts.

In this second article of a series on multi-level marketing, we are joined by guest blogger, Joseph "Marty" Miles.

Here, in his own words, is a bit about him:

Born and raised in the small river town of Parkersburg West Virginia.
After a tragic event at the age of 5, I was left without my mother. This deeply affected my awareness and trust with the world. I served a three year term with the United States Army from February 1998 to February of 2001 and was stationed in Fort Hood Tx with 1-8 Cavalry Mustangs!

Now I focus on being as vulnerable as I can -- to undo my past conditioning. I now reside in the town of Sahuarita Az  spending most of my time with my family and working on building my financial independence, education and leadership development business. I am a personal development advocate and entrepreneur at heart.

I asked Marty, "Does the opportunity still have the same potential today?"

Miles: Multi-level marketing has even more potential than it ever did back in the 70's. As you know, the world is a lot more connected. The new economy will be a global one. Social Capital will be the currency. Network Marketing when utilized with the right business model can be pretty amazing. However choosing the right company in the sea of MLM can be a very frustrating task if you don't know what to look for.

Professional Network Marketers know exactly what criteria it takes to produce the kind of residual income that makes you smile. Beyond MLM, the personal development journey you have when starting your own business is the real gem. In a sense you have to become a better person to succeed in your business. This is the industry that has and will continue to change the world in a positive way. Personal Development is doing what many organizations struggle to accomplish. That is... making better people.

Multi-level Marketing in the 21st Century

Between 1976 and 1996 I got involved in multi-level marketing -- three times.  It turned out that I could sell. Recruiting was a problem.  At that time, the company I repeatedly joined was enamored with the“mystery approach.”  Over the years, I think they may have moved away from that method of recruiting.  No matter, many people around the world have made fortunes not only with this organization, but with the many hybrids it spawned.

Though I never “made” it big in MLM, the concept still intrigues me and so when I wrote my first novel, The Tourist Killer, I chose MLM as a vehicle for one of the characters. It served Julian F. Thibaut as a teenager in two ways.
 
It established a solid financial base for his future.

It helped him build a world-wide network of personal contacts.

To confirm the relevance of my book in today’s marketplace, I asked several online and MLM veterans, “Does the opportunity still have the same potential today?”

I’ve known Mattias Kroon via the internet for several years. He’s done quite well with online variations of MLM.  Mattias is a native of Smaland, Sweden.  He is a musician [trombone, keyboards, synthesizer] and an entrepreneur.  A background in telemarketing developed skills to become useful later in his own business.  

Mattias Kroon is my guest blogger this week and will be the first of several to address this topic.

Julian F. Thibaut is a man who succeeded in the multilevel marketing industry before the internet was available. He wasn´t born into a wealthy family. He took the knowledge from the principles of MLM to other areas of business in his recruiting.

What conclusions can we draw from this?

Can we use the same principles in the internet business? I would say, not as copycats but if you are an internet marketer you can use some of the principles.Many founders today have revised the first old MLM models and completed them with multiple income streams into one program.The big difference is that you can earn without recruiting at all in many of them but on the other side, where you can get benefits in form of referral commissions on every member that upgrades in the program you invited them to.So, the best of them work, with or without recruiting.

You can also purchase advertising shares in those programs where you get, say a 2% growth on every such share or position in that program.Of course, they must have some kind of a real product or service connected to the program in the design of it.I am earning a regular income from my online business.It has its ups and downs but it works.The measure of shares or positions together with referral commissions, will then decide how much you will earn.

Creating opportunities like this makes a psychological benefit in comparison to the older, typical MLM-schemes where you were forced to recruit  and where you were forced to fill a matrix to begin to earn at all.

Shares, that sounds like a little like funds in the stock market?

Besides my affiliate marketing I am investing in fund shares.The stock market was the second area where this Thibaut succeeded to make a very good profit.If you combine your affiliate marketing with investments in stock funds with a high Morningstar Ranking, you definitely have the ideal combination to make a profit online.Nothing happens “overnight” but with one step at the time moving forward, you can succeed.Diversifying your portfolio is the key in the stock market.Buy low and sell high.Read articles, invest in funds where they invest in typical growth areas.Nowadays you see growth in The Central and Eastern Europe and especially in Poland.

Always keep the long term perspective!

I would like to welcome you to my blog where I am recommending the best programs and tips to you.Sometimes I need to update the list of opportunities.

You are invited to: Creative Marketer.