Where is the best place to promote MLM Opportunities

[danasurvey]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a bit newer to MLM and was wondering what are the best sites, forums, social networks, and other areas to promote MLM opportunities?

Thanks.

[Yuliya Mironova]

Hi Dana,

The best places to promote MLM opportunities are all offline.

Online, it's much easier to sponsor people, and that's its downfall: just as it's easier for you to sponsor them, it's easier for others to sponsor them, after you, into some newer, flashier, more hyped-up opportunity after you, so it's terribly difficult to retain them.

The majority of people one can find online whom one can sponsor into an MLM company have been in many MLM companies before and failed to make a living in them (while some others in those companies typically were making a living in them): in other words, to put it very bluntly, you can end up dealing with people with a long history of not succeeding at MLM, but jumping from company to company.

This can be incredibly dispiriting and frustrating, and it's not duplicable.

I'm firmly convinced that the proportion of people who try to build an MLM business primarily online who ever actually make a living from it is far less than 1% - in fact I strongly suspect it's probably less than one in a thousand.

In the offline world, it's relatively easy to build an MLM business, simply because a significant proportion of the people one can attract, especially in this economy, are already looking for a decent home-based business opportunity, and the path is much clearer, easier and less competitive that way: now that so many are trying to build virtual businesses from virtual "leads", those concentrating on building real businesses from real people are having a relatively easier time of it.

At the Network Marketing Forum two successful US-resident network marketers (in different successful companies) both of whom I respect greatly have recently told me (quite independently and spontaneously) that they've eventually and reluctantly taken the decision to concentrate on building internationally, and no longer to sponsor any internet-derived domestic US leads at all, because they're fed up to the back teeth of putting time, effort and energy into training people almost all of whom drop out of the business within their first 3 - 6 months.

All the people in my own company who have tried using the internet to generate leads (and we have no rules against it at all) have found that what they have ended up with is a collection of people who have been in many MLM's previously, never managed to make a living in any of them, dropped out of them, and moved on to another company, probably thinking that "this will be the one", without ever quite making the connection and realising that the unifying theme in all their previous experiences was that they tried to build their businesses online exclusively.

My belief is that "internet leads" who do express interest in a home-based business opportunity have usually expressed interest in many, over long periods of time, and the reality is that they're very high risk for continuing to do so after you put your time/effort/energy into getting them started in your business. Some (perhaps many) will inevitably be lured away to the latest, most hyped, most flashy new "pre-launch". This very rarely happens in the case of offline-generated leads, whose retention-rate is therefore much higher, partly perhaps because they're so much less likely to be continually exposed to all the hype-promotions.

My feeling about this is that it's a bit like dating a philanderer rather than a man who's actually looking for a long-term partner: whatever their apparent intentions on joining you, quite often their behaviour-patterns will subsequently repeat themselves.

Please excuse my negative-sounding tone, in places: I'm hoping that some very realistic and honest thoughts will be helpful to you. Statistically, though, I can't do better for you than by urging you to think about offline promotion, if you're acquiring an interest in MLM - that way you can have the deck stacked in your favor instead of firmly against you!

[enspyrdinc]

While I agree with a lot of Yuliya's suggestions, I believe there are also other points of view.

While I do a lot of off-line marketing, I do tons of marketing on-line. MLM is a relationship business, so meeting people face to face is absolutely key. But, for some folks, it just can't be done due to their particular circumstance ie: where they live, physical handicap, small sphere of relationships

I believe that if you can successfully provide enough information about yourself, your beliefs, and your values, then you can connect with people online or offline.

The task then remains to get that information out there for people to find, and that means anywhere and everywhere.

[fong47]

I think its all trial and error. I would do some online and some offline. I do know someone who just use offline and was able to build a huge downline. I guess everyone's different. I would suggest trying both and see the result.

[Angela123]

interesting replies, I think I will channel more effort into my offline activites for a while and see how that goes
thanks
Angela

[Kim_Ward]

Originally Posted by danasurvey

Hi Everyone,

I'm a bit newer to MLM and was wondering what are the best sites, forums, social networks, and other areas to promote MLM opportunities?

Thanks.

Hi Dana, I have found that sites that come up high in the search engines when typing in my company name have done well for me.

Sometimes adding other keywords helps too, like review, scam (people checking out if others are
talking about it being a scam or not) or even just forum added with it, because when people are
doing their research, they look (and go) at what others are saying about it during the process.

Hope that helps,

Kim

[careforyoursuccess]

Dana,

The best places to promote your MLM on social networks, and anyone online, are in places where you can put up an ad about your business(facebook, ezines, myspace, etc). The thing is. EVERYONE is doing that, and its not gonna get you anywhere.

The best way to win a person is to give them VALUE. Since most people in MLM are failing... how about teaching them techniques and marketing skills. By doing this, you will add value to them, and they WILL like and trust you over time.

Not knowledgable on online marketing? Get with someone who is, and educate yourself. What's better:

1) Talking to 5-10 people a day about your business and be a salesman that everyone hates

or

2) Let your system run on auto-pilot, pitching your SOLUTIONS to 100s a day?

You will say that YOU want the latter, and you can get the latter if you educate yourself on attraction marketing. And get this.. attraction marketing can work online AND offline. Get with someone who's doing these things and educate yourself.

The fact is that people do NOT join business opportunities. They join PEOPLE. Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.

The best perfume in the world is not the best because it "smells" good. It is the best because it makes you FEEL good. Feeling is GREAT value. PERIOD

[jennster]

Are you talking Products/Services or Recruiting?

Personally when first getting started I always take my products/services to people I already know. This has always been the easiest route for me personally. I know my family and friends will always try them out for me because they care about me and want to help.

On the recruiting side... That is kind of a hard question because there are quite a few people that will say online. I actually found that recruiting online is much harder than it may seem. It seems like online everyone is very cut-throat with competing there is a lot of things to learn. I am not against online marketing but I don't use it as much as I use my Phone.

My phone has been the medium that has brought me so many Awesome Friendships and business partners over and over again. If you can get comfortable on the phone and tell yourself before the person answers "My Only Goal in this conversation is making a new friend". You will find more people to join you on your journey then you can imagine.

The Saying, "People join People not Companies" is so true. I even still talk with people that left the industry because I made solid friendships with people. Just remember you are in "Network Marketing" not just "Marketing". If these companies wanted a bunch of advertisers they would go hire some but they didn't they are smart enough to realize that "People are Loyal to their friends" and "Word of Mouth" are both far more powerful marketing then placing an ad that costs $50,000 per year.

So my advice is make your phone your friend when it comes to recruiting and use your personal network and word of mouth locally for products/services. JMHO

[Donna_Baker]

Hmmmmm. Really good question Dana. In a recent training session I went we were asked to raise our hand with regards to whether you were recruited by someone you knew or were a lead. In an audience of around 120, I think that there were only about 5 who were leads.

In a more later session, a leader talked about the success he is currently having online rather than offline and he is definitely doing really well.

I agree, with the comment about the importance of creating value - whether offline or online.

Good luck

[Edwine]

Ever wonder how a given MLM Opportunity really stacks up against the competition? Once you get past the MLM hype, the MLM marketing sites. Don't be afraid to order the products from multiple MLM opportunities to evaluate if they are right for you.