MLM Business Opportunity Cutthroats:
How To Spot Them A Mile Away
MLM business opportunity cutthroats are the people that give the network marketing industry a bad name.
These are the people that will do anything and step on anyone to make a buck... And there are an awful lot of them out there.
In fact, my first MLM business opportunity experience in the early 90's was with one of these nasty people, who I've since nicknamed "Carol the Shark."
She recruited me into an "Herbal-business" when I was very green behind the ears and didn't have a clue about what it really takes to earn a living in network marketing.
Carol the Shark convinced me that I needed to buy into several different "team tools" and spend hundreds of additional dollars each month on top of a very large monthly autoship.
Every step of the way she would tell me things that would keep me strung along:
You've got to be "teachable" if you want to make it and that means buying the same tools that the rest of our team uses.
You're about to make it big, I can feel it.
I can't help you if you don't use the same tools (leads, marketing materials, etc.) that the rest of the team uses.
And whenever I'd balk at buying something else, she'd accuse me of not being "coachable" or "teachable," which would hurt my feelings and keep me on her little profit treadmill. I ended up thousands of dollars in the hole before I realized what a scam Carol the Shark was running on me.
I could put everything that I learned about successful network marketing from her on the end of a pin.
She was never really interested in teaching me ANYTHING because she was earning money from every one of those "team tools" that she talked me into buying. In fact looking back at it, I don't think she really knew anything about how to really make it in network marketing -- she only knew how to scam her recruits.
And those are the kind of sponsors that you've got to look out for.
They're a pervasive piece of the MLM business opportunity puzzle that you've got to be able to spot a mile away in order to really earn a living in network marketing.
How Can You Spot MLM Business Opportunity Cutthroats?
Frankly, it's getting harder and harder to spot the MLM business opportunity bad guys out there. They've gotten very good at hiding their true nature.
Luckily, Carol the Shark DID teach me how to spot other sharks... so here are some tips.
1. If you can't Google them, move on.
In the internet age, it's easy to Google just about ANYONE. Search for their name or their name in conjunction with their MLM business opportunity to find out more about who they really are.
This can be an extremely enlightening exercise.
If you don't find your potential sponsor's name in Google, then they are probably a newcomer to network marketing or internet marketing. Although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it should throw a caution flag for you... especially if you're new to network marketing and internet marketing yourself or your potential sponsor claims to be an expert.
You may also find out that they aren't the person you thought they were.
2. Research the "team."
In many different MLM business opportunities, you can also research the "team" that you're thinking of joining by Googling the team name and the network marketing company.
Although you can't always find information about different network marketing teams, it's definitely worth checking out.
3. Steer clear of sponsors who talk in hype.
Many MLM business opportunities work really hard to get you excited about the opportunity rather than giving you the details of the business.
This is a HUGE warning sign.
If your potential sponsor can't talk to you without spouting off a bunch of hype about the company, the opportunity, or the money to be made, then you're better off to cut ties with them immediately.
This is not the kind of person that you want to be in business with.
4. Avoid sponsors who view you as a number.
It's not uncommon to find network marketers who view every prospect that they talk to as just another number.
In other words, they know that they have to talk to a certain number of people each day in order to recruit the number that they need for the month. Many MLM'ers get down right mercenary about their prospects and don't even see them as people.
In addition, some MLM business opportunities have very high attrition rates. That means that hard-core recruiters try to sign up as many people as possible to compensate for attrition. They don't care if any of their recruits find any success in their own home businesses... they just want their sign up fees.
I've actually heard some MLM'ers talk about their recruits as "dead wood" that they kick to the side of the road when they don't do well.
You've got to avoid these types of recruiters like the plague.
They will take you for as much money as they can get from you, fail to train you for your own success, then make you feel like it's your fault when you can't make it.
It's pretty easy to spot these types of sharks... if you listen to your instincts.
You want to find a sponsor that truly cares about you, your goals, your needs, and whether their MLM business opportunity is right for you.
They should listen more than they talk, show a genuine interest in you, and not rush you to make a decision to join them.
5. Stay away from needy sponsors.
It's not hard to figure out that a potential sponsor that you're talking to is needy and desperate... You can hear it in their voice, the way they word things, and the amount of effort they put in to chasing you down to talk to you.
Needy sponsors are desperate sponsors because they don't have a successful business.
They really NEED you to join their MLM business opportunity so that THEY can make it.
It's very unlikely that one of these needy sponsors will have the ability to coach and mentor you to your own network marketing success if they haven't found any success of their own.
You want to find a sponsor that doesn't NEED you because this is a sponsor that has found success in their MLM business opportunity and knows how to help you find it too.
Follow Your Gut
In the end, it's most important that you follow your own instincts before you dive into network marketing. This business, although VERY lucrative, just isn't for everyone.
If you've got little yellow caution flags going off in your head, then you need to listen to them.
Even if you like the network marketing company that you're checking into, there's nothing saying that you can't interview several different sponsors before joining. Remember, this is someone that you'll be working closely with to develop your business... You've got to trust them.
MLM business opportunity cutthroats are a part of the business, so do your homework and find a GOOD sponsor that genuinely cares about your success.
Arvada Yates
