Network Marketing Scam – Just Play the Lottery

A guy named Tom decided to get involved with a network marketing scam – at least that’s what he called it after all was said and done. Here’s what happened to Tom. Do you think he really got cheated?
One of Tom’s friends was involved with a network marketing opportunity that sold a premier line of nutritional supplements, including some that were targeted toward bodybuilders. This was intriguing to Tom, because he enjoyed working out and taking care of himself, and had lots of friends at his gym.
Tom’s friend presented the opportunity and shared some very persuasive figures illustrating the income potential. When Tom saw the dollar signs, he didn’t hesitate. He signed up on the spot.
Tom had twenty people in mind as prospects, most of whom were workout buddies. He enthusiastically presented the business to them, and three of the twenty signed up.
Three months later, all three of Tom’s recruits had dropped out, and the other seventeen had long since decided it wasn’t for them.
Tom didn’t make a dime, and in fact had invested $350 in products and literature. Obviously, this is one of those network marketing scams, I was stupid to sign up for this….Tom thought.
In his mind, this network marketing opportunity was a total scam because:

• he talked to twenty people and only three signed up

• of the seventeen who didn’t join, five warned him that he was getting sucked in to a “pyramid deal”

• the three people who did sign didn’t make any money either, and decided to call it quits

What happened here? The truth is, Tom never understood that network marketing was a serious business that would take time and effort. He had what we can call the “lottery mentality”. He signed up believing he could get several people he knew to join, and presented the business to the twenty best contacts he had. At that point, he waited to see what the three who joined would do, and hoped some of the other seventeen would eventually come around.
Tom felt with this small effort that he should make some decent money. When he didn’t, he called a perfectly legitimate business opportunity a “network marketing scam”, and to this day believes that he did nothing wrong. In his mind, he did his part and the opportunity failed him.
Never mind that Tom never worked with his new associates…didn’t make an effort to learn the success system his upline had in place…all he did was sign up a few people and wait to see what happened.
Have you seen a similar situation in your world? Things like this give network marketing and MLM a bad name. No wonder some people think it’s a joke.
We as network marketing professionals always need to be on guard to make sure our prospects and new recruits understand that they aren’t buying lottery tickets, but investing in a business that (with proper work ethic and application of basic success principles) can make them lots of money and provide a true long-term residual income.