Two Words That Scream SCAM in MLM

When looking for a business opportunity online, most people are drawn in based on emotional responses to ad copy.  For someone new to the industry, that person may not realize that not all opportunities are created equal and some words don’t really mean what it seems they do. 

With no idea of what the words really mean, these two words have conned more people into joining a business than you can imagine.  This article is reprinted by permission of my friend and mentor, Michael Dlouhy, author of Success in 10 Steps. To get the free book, just click on the link on the right side.

Word #1: probably the biggest scam ever run on people in MLM network marketing is the powerline.

The worst thing you can ever do building your business is to create fear of loss. It’s the worst way to build your business. Oh, yes, it definitely works – to get people in. But you have a totally false business, because you’ve got a bunch of people, and none of them ever does anything.

Word #2: Many companies that do a powerline – or even a binary or a matrix – focus their promotion talk on spillover. Now, I have met people who have gotten spillover, definitely. BUT – none of the people that were spilled over on them ever did anything! Why? Because the promise of "spillover" creates a welfare mentality.

What happens when you tell people, "Oh, get in NOW, and you are going to get spillover!" They’re afraid of losing something for nothing. So they do get in now – and then they sit and wait for all that spillover to make them rich. Isn’t That A Wonderful Business Plan?

It’s like joining a binary because you can get a position that already has $1 million volume in the strong leg. The reality is, you don’t make a dime, unless you build the weak leg, But people get so worked up about losing that "$1 million position", they join – and never do anything, and never earn any income.

So never forget those words, powerline & spillover. Anytime you see them, their purpose is to promote the welfare mentality. Something for nothing, something for nothing, something for nothing.

The fact is, you are in network marketing. Network marketing is a business that takes work. It’s net-work marketing, ok? It’s not net-free marketing. It’s not net-spillover marketing. It’s not net-zero marketing, it takes work. Anything you do that promotes the "something for nothing" mindset will not work. End of story.

But you will draw in a bunch of couch potatoes who are convinced that you are going to build it for them. Matter of fact, you can even give them your bank account number, and you’ll just pass the money directly to their account. They don’t have to leave the couch. They can stay on the couch, drink their beer and watch a football game. No problem.

Use Those Two Words As A Tip

Whatever company or whatever distributor is saying them to you, that is not the company or the person you want to depend on long-term. They will not be successful. Keep on looking. There are lots of good companies & MLMers out there as well as mentors. Keep looking, and you’ll find the right fit for you.

~Jennifer Fisher

Related posts:

1. Bikini Brasil Advertising a Work At Home Scam?
2. “Heart” Decisions vs. “Head” Decisions
3. Using (SCAM) as a Keyword in Network Marketing – Fact or Fiction