Network Marketing has been around for years and is often misunderstood. Many people take what they have heard about a handful of direct marketing companies and apply it to all of them giving the entire industry what seems to be a bad reputation.

I started in this industry 10 years ago and fortunately, I was not tainted by any bad experiences, as many people have been. I decided that I would study this business model to see what successful million dollar earners in this industry were all about. Wow, was I surprised! - I discovered a whole new world of amazing people and, a phenomenal way to earn income! 

Here are the top 4 myths about Network Marketing which paint a bad picture of these companies. Today, I want to share with you why they hold people back from evaluating this income diversification opportunity and what you may be missing out on because of them:

Myth #1 – Network Marketing is all about selling - The reason people feel this way is because they have been introduced to Network Marketing in an irritating or dishonest way and feel mislead. They may have been spammed, experienced high pressure sales tactics or felt alienated.

The Truth – I am here to tell you, that is one of the biggest myths out there!  It’s really about teaching and training a duplicatable business system.  I think of it as micro-franchising.  When I was a retail store franchise owner in my early 20′s I experienced the power of a system to make your business more effective by saving you time and money.   The only difference is that in network marketing , you don’t have overhead and the high cost of the franchise.  This is when I get excited!  A System - Saves Your Self Time Energy & Money!  And then you can be the CEO of your team/organization and help others do the same with teaching and training them to reach their success goals.  We are here to provide information and then it’s up to the individual if they want to join your team or not. 

Myth #2 -  You have to work extremely hard and long hours - Many are under the misconception that the only ones who get ahead in Network Marketing companies are those who work more than 40 hours a week at it and give it all of their focus.

The Truth – By all means, this is true in many business building environments whether you have a big, medium or small company. This is also true as a self-employed entrepreneur. However, in network marketing, you start out as a self-employed entrepreneur , then take it to new levels in a short period of time because of the compensation structure. Here is the beauty of this income stream - it works simply (because of the system) and the free coaching you get from your team leader. If you do it right and professionally, you will spend less time and earn more!  

Myth #3 – You have to invest tons of money to get a return – Unfortunately, it has long been thought that in order to make money from Network Marketing, you must invest thousands of dollars.

The Truth - This is one of the most frequent misleading comments on Network Marketing. While becoming a self-employed entrepreneur in any business does require an investment, Network Marketing does not require you to empty your life savings to get started. Reputable companies have structured programs that offer several different options to meet your initial investment abilities and your team leader can help you to plan the best strategy for beginning your business. 

Myth #4 – Not enough people that want it – Most people think that products from Network Marketing companies are low quality, scams or otherwise undesireable.

The Truth – Wow! I sure found this myth interesting! According to the latest Direct Selling statistics, 16 billion people just in the US alone are in this industry.  And, according to Businessforhome.org, there are hundreds of network marketing companies that are extremely profitable with distributors making significant incomes right up to multi-million dollar incomes. They can’t make money if the products aren’t selling, and the products will not continue to sell if they are poor quality or scams. Obviously, not all of the products fit into those categories!

As I’ve said before, Network Marketing can be whatever you want it to be, from a part-time secondary income source to a full-time career. You can make it fit your needs. The key is to research the companies that you are interested in and do your Due Diligence (click here for a copy of my FREE Due Diligence Guide)! What I find most attractive about this business model is that you are working towards your own goals, but it quickly becomes a win-win more than any other business opportunity out there!

Have you had a great experience with a Network Marketing endeavour? Do you have questions about the business model or what it takes to get started? Please leave it in the comments – I would love to hear about it or help you out!