h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Multi level marketing on the whole is NOT a scam (as I see it) and indeed telecommunication companies in the UK agree with me, although I believe they would argue the companies they support are involved with "network marketing".

Affiliate programs (so popular on the internet) are on the whole a way for large companies to exploit individuals trying to avoid MLM because of its bad image.

Someone offering the chance for you to become a millionaire "overnight" or indeed within a year should be avoided but building an MLM business can be rewarding.

If one person can create a few income streams through MLM and be financially secure to the extent they can go and work at what is really important in their lives, then why not?

MLM has a bad name because most people do not seem to understand it, I realise that there are many people promoting schemes that do require the sales volume that equals the GNP of some countries, but these are "get rich quick" schemes.

MLM, Network Marketing are on the whole the same thing, one has a better image. This goes back to "Pyramid selling" where all that was commented one was the people at the top get paid off everyone else’s efforts. What are shareholders? How do companies make money? The people at the top employ others the do the work they cannot. They leverage other peoples skills. An engineer, for example will earn a set income and this will not go up by much throughout his or her lifetime. Somebody promoting a business using network or multi level marketing may well need to spend money in the beginning, but the more effort put in the more pay received. Lets say I have 10 people promoting a business and they each have 10, I'm earning from the efforts of more that 100 people, what if I then decide to stop working but one of the people I "recruited" carries on referring people to a companies services? that person will end up making more money that me, he/she is being paid for the effort put into the business.

Why is this so wrong?

If an adult cannot work out the total sales volume needed to become a millionaire through MLM is greater than the GNP of some countries, is that not their own fault?

People will always try to "rip you off" why has this so heavily attached to network marketing? It is possible to gain an income from network marketing.