4 Misconceptions About a Network Marketing Business

Reading time: minute(s)

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 15 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 misconceptions 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:

Misconception #1 – It’s 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 misconceptions 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. Think about it this way – 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.

Misconception #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!

Misconception #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. 

Misconception #4 – It’s not reputable

Most people think that products and services from Network Marketing companies are low quality, scams or otherwise undesirable.

The Truth – I sure found this misconception interesting. According to the latest Direct Selling statistics, 18 million people in the US alone are in this industry with over $34 billion in sales.

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 and services aren’t selling, and the products and services will not continue to sell if they are poor quality or scams.

After years of experiencing proven results, I highly recommend the Network Marketing business model as it 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. This is exactly why I wrote my book to educate and help people understand network marketing – the pros and cons, etc.  Click here to check out my book on Amazon. 

What I find most attractive about this business model is that you are working towards your own goals and dreams. The best part, is that it quickly becomes a win-win situation with a low investment and a high ROI (return on investment) so much 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? I would love to hear about it or how I can help you get better results. Click here to contact me.

About the author 

Deborah MacDonald

After almost 25 years as an entrepreneur, I continue to grow my business, my passive income streams and my wealth. And now I mentor others on their wealth journeys by teaching them how to fund their own freedom lifestyle.

FREEDOM GUIDE
7 Secrets To Achieving Your
Dream Lifestyle