Joining multiple MLM marketing and affiliate programs and promoting them all at the same time under one umbrella - is this really the best way to achieve long-term residual income and success?
There are quite a few MLM marketing programs out there that are based on the concept of "multiple streams of income". The idea is, you should not put all your eggs in one basket. Rather, you should promote several different MLM and affiliate opportunities under one umbrella. This way, you have several sources of income and don't lose as much if one of them goes out of business.
These programs may be described in many ways. Some examples are "mlm marketing portfolio", "plug in and profit", "turnkey affiliate site" and many others. These programs offer a variety of MLM opportunities and affiliate programs that you join and promote from one site. This website is a big selling point for the program, and is usually provided for "free".
The whole concept is very appealing. The sales pages are a mile long and the pitches are very persuasive. They focus in on how you can make big bucks because you have something for everyone. Just drive traffic to your site, and watch the cash flow in. Is it really that easy, though?
One such program that has been around a while offers to give you a free web site already set up with several business opportunities you can promote. These are a mixture of MLM marketing programs and affiliate products. The first catch is that you have to have pay for web hosting through a specific company - but you'll be selling this company's web hosting services through one of your affiliate programs, so you (in theory) should recover that cost quickly.
The MLM and affiliate opportunities can be joined for free, but you soon learn the second catch. As a free member of these opportunities, you can only make a limited commission on sales. To really make the top commissions, you must upgrade to a paid option. This option includes required monthly product purchases to get paid. Hmmm.... starting to spend some serious money here, but this is a business after all, and it takes money to make money, right?
At this point, you begin going through the training. The sales pitch in the beginning implied that you could be successful and make money with just a small investment. As you go along, you will be advised and encouraged to purchase additional products and services. The pitch is: "you don't have to buy these things, you can use the free tools we provide, but if you are serious about making big money...."
What does the average participant in these turnkey plug in and profit programs do? If they can possibly swing it, they buy in to as many of the upgrades and "optional" products and services they can. This is a common trap that new, inexperienced Internet marketers and MLM marketers fall into.
Who ends up really making the money here?
These programs teach the standard ways to advertise online - buy "solo ads" in ezines, advertise in newsletters, use Google Adwords, and so on. Oh, and don't forget, if you are serious about marketing your business with ezine ads, you really must purchase a membership to this great site that teaches you how to be a master of ezine marketing. Learn the secrets of the pros. On and on.
For advertising, you are provided with tired, overworked ad copy as an example of what to use. So, what do most people do? They spend hundreds of dollars in advertising, and copy/paste the same old tired ads that thousands have used over and over. Then they wonder why their advertising doesn't work. They did listen and take the advice of the program guru, right?
When all is said and done, a few people with lots of money to spend and considerable patience can eventually have some success with this type of "multiple income stream" program. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that many of these deals are set up to take advantage of new Internet marketers and MLM'ers who are sincerely looking to make money online, but don't know how to do it.
The best thing to do is find one solid MLM opportunity, focus and work hard, and stick with it. Do your homework carefully and choose a solid company and upline team that will support you and help you get started successfully. Build a strong and serious business that will stand the test of time.
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