Personal Finance : How Not To Make A Million Dollars In Network Marketing

From A to Z--which in the world of network marketing would be from Amway to motivational speaker and writer Zig Ziglar--successful promoters of this form of home based business point to their own humble selves and promise,

"If I can do it, anyone can do it."

As a one-time millionaire producer myself, I call B.S. Yeah, I did it. That's true. Happily hustling a mighty fine nutritional product called Km, I grossed more than a million bucks during a five year period from 1988 through 1992 and close to as much again in fifteen more years with a the manufacturer, Matol Botanical.

I did it...but unless you're both highly fortunate and insanely committed, you can't do it. Unless, that is, you have going for you what I had going for me...or the equivalent thereof.

However, that doesn't mean you should never become involved with any network marketing company. It's often possible to obtain extraordinary products at a discount that way, even to make that oh-so-helpful bit of extra residual income to bolster the family budget. Over the years, having launched six or seven such ventures and seen one succeed wildly, I developed a simple test. Applied to any company under consideration, it can easily tell you whether signing up for that starter kit is worth it or not. The test:

The company must provide a product you need, cannot obtain via other sources (such as the Internet) and will actually use. All the rest is smoke!

When I was introduced to Matol's Km product in August of 1987, all the factors necessary to make a lot of money in a hurry with the potassium mineral supplement fell into place like well ordered dominos doing their thing. If you have all of these (and/or some helpers I did not have) going for you, then hooray! You, too, may successfully beat the odds. Otherwise....

THE FACTORS

1. I was desperate to prove myself. Not just to make a living; I had a fine job as an Underwriting Supervisor for a California insurance company. But to show the world, dang it, that Mommy, leave me alone, I can do it myself. At the age of 44, I was motivated.

2. Km helped my health from the first day I used it. I was what they call an "instant winner". It was easy for me to enthusiastically sell the product to everyone I met anywhere because I believed in it absolutely.

3. There was only one product. That's all Matol had at the time. Because of that, I was able to laser-focus on selling bottle after bottle after bottle after....

4. My fiancee (later my wife for a number of years) provided awesome backup. There were times I couldn't have moved nearly as fast in the business without her, and when it comes to building a new network marketing business, speed is everything.

5. The first distributor I sponsored ended up making more money than I did. Some (jealous?) folks said I only made great money in the business because I hit the Lottery when I sponsored her, and that's at least partially true.

6. That Superstar and I shared Km success stories and discussed marketing challenges daily for at least the first six weeks. It helped both of us rocket off the pad big time.

7. I laid everything on the line. When my bosses understandably called me in to express their concerns over my selling Km right in the office, I put my job on the line, told them I believed this product was that important for people's health.

8. I worked harder than I've ever worked before or since. Period. For the first couple of years, getting four hours of sleep a night was a rarity. From the time I"d finished shaving in the morning until I fell into bed the next morning, I was hammering the business, go, go, go, go, go. GO!

That gives you some idea. Ah, and before you ask, no, I don't use Km today. After about twelve years of taking a sip morning and night (and sometimes more often), I realized the product was no longer seemed to be helping me out that much. Initially, it had really sharpened my brain power in the afternoons. After all that time? Not so much. Whether or not the secret formulation had been changed, I've no idea. It could as easily have been my own system that changed.

Bottom line: Network marketing can be a fine tool for making minor adjustments to your personal finances. It'snot a pyramid scheme no matter what the haters say. (Well, some are; the better companies in the field are anything but.) However, unless you have all your ducks in a row, it's a great way not to make a million dollars.