In case you, by some miracle, don’t know what an MLM is, allow me to enlighten you: MLM=multi-level marketing, and encompasses companies that basically involve home parties. When I graduated from a small, liberal arts college, seemingly all of my classmates were peddling eye cream, essential oils and vitamin packs. While I am most certainly not a hater when it comes to an entrepreneurial spirit, the way many people went about “building their businesses” was in very, very poor taste that I thought I would address.
While I am a firm believer that you CAN do well in an MLM without being that person, it does take some finesse, which I’ll share here. I hope you enjoy!
I’ll also note that I’m an Arbonne consultant, loud and proud mainly because I’ve used the products for years and it made sense. That is why you’ll see images of Arbonne on here :).
Don’t put all of your resources in to your MLM
While this may sound cynical, it’s a proven fact that your chances of becoming a millionaire through an MLM is roughly .001%. That being said, you are going to want to have something to fall back on if it doesn’t bring in the dough immediately. This way, you won’t feel like you have to beg people to join your team/buy your product in order to put food on the table.
Use social media judiciously
Absolutely, positively no one works 24/7, and MLMs are no exception. You can most certainly post about it, but don’t be excessive. You have a life, right? Post about that. Celebrate that. Then, maybe 20% of the time, you can post about your MLM. Any more than that and you’re sure to lose friends and followers.
In fact, if you’re smart about it, social media can be a great way to grow your MLM, but be smart about it.
Do not bash other ways of making a living.
If you have found some success in your MLM, any good friend would be happy for you. This does not give you license to talk about how awful the 9-5 is. Some of us happen to like working in a traditional sense and your superiority complex is helping precisely no one. This is something that’s work being relativistic about. Many people genuinely enjoy work, putting their kids in daycare and being busy. It’s not all bad.
Only reach out to people who you genuinely talk to on the regular.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more annoying than getting a “HEY GIRL” Facebook message (because the sender didn’t even have your email address) from someone that you sat next to in freshman bio and had maybe two conversations with. It’s insulting to the receiver and embarrassing to the sender. Don’t do it.
Remember that your MLM is not a charity.
My post-college years were interesting. I took a fairly traditional route of… (wait for it) working immediately after graduation. Several of my contemporaries from my (very) conservative college got married and had babies right out of college. While this was all touching, it made it very difficult for these ladies to work in the traditional sense, thus resorting to MLMs. To put it bluntly, I did not (and still don’t) feel as though one couple’s lack of financial responsibility (see point #1) was my responsibility. If someone was peddling something I genuinely used and needed, I’d buy it, but I certainly did not buy anything I didn’t need just because the seller was a financial idiot.
For people that you do talk to on the reg, do NOT exploit your friendships.
Friendship is a precious gift. Under no circumstances may you look at your friends at potential clients. That being said, a good friend will support you and your business, but if they choose not to, that’s OK too. If a pal says no, let that mean no. You can occasionally mention it again, but you need to be genuinely cool with your friends who don’t want to support your MLM or can’t afford it.
Utilize your mom’s connections before you own.
No matter how you spin it, many MLM products are almost always expensive. Typically people from the Baby Boomer/Gen X generations have way more money then Millennials/Gen Zs. That being said, you mom’s friends often love you and want to support you. Let them, but don’t exploit them.
Anyway, that’s all for now! Have you had a terrible experience with an independent consultant? I hope not, but I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below. Happy Mardi Gras, friends!
