If you are a regular visitor of my site then you know that before I found success with affiliate marketing I was also involved in many other make money online opportunities with MLM (Multi Level Marketing)being one of them. I think I’m more than qualified to talk about this subject and today I want to share with everyone why I feel that affiliate marketing kicks MLM’s ass any day and 5 solid reasons to back these claims up.
1. There’s Absolutely No Selling Involved With Affiliate Marketing
I think this was one of the main deciding factors that made me want to get involved in affiliate marketing when I first got started in this business. You don’t need to know how to sell things or have any previous experience with sellings things to be successful in this business.
You simply connect people with the information they’re already searching for online and provide them with solid facts that will help them make a sound purchasing decision. That’s It! After that, you send them over to a store like Amazon or Walmart and they take care of the rest.
Sounds pretty cool doesn’t it?
This May Seem A Bit Confusing To Some People So Check Out This Screenshot Below To Get A Better Idea Of What I’m Talking About!
I have made plenty of sales from this review and it only took me a couple of hours to write it. Also, take note that this was about 2 years ago and it still resides on page 1 of Google. I didn’t have to call people up and convince them why they should buy this headset. My website did all the talking for me.
On the other hand, with MLM, it’s a whole different story. Not only will you need to have some strong salesman skills, you’ll also need to be good talking on the phone (Cold Calling) and convincing other people to buy products (Which are usually overpriced)
Back when I was with Ameriplan, I remember I had to memorize phone scripts and practice what I was going to say to people before I called them only to get yelled at and have a bunch of people hang up on me. Not my idea of a dream job what about you guys?
2. The Costs Associated With MLM Companies Are Downright Ridiculous
I still remember to this day, all the fees I had to pay and the overpriced products that were required for me to purchase each month if I wanted to remain active and continue to get paid every month. When I was with many other MLM’s it seems like I always ended up putting more money into them then I made so I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever made any money from them.
Some MLM fees can get pretty expensive and you could easily end up paying anywhere from a couple hundred a month to a couple thousand. When you compare this to the costs associated with running an affiliate marketing business it makes me wonder why anyone would even waste their time or money on MLM programs.
How much does it cost to start and maintain an affiliate marketing business a year? The only costs you would incur would be hosting and the cost of your domain name. Depending on which hosting package you decide upon will determine how much you pay for hosting.
Typically you can get a pretty decent hosting package for anywhere from $6-$10 a month. If you can find a coupon code you can snag your domain for as little as .99 for your first year and only $15 a year after that. That’s It! Your maximum yearly cost is well under $200.
Aint That Crazy?
3. MLM Tells You To Target Your Warm Market (Your Friends & Family)
The only way you can make money in most MLM schemes is by recruiting other members into the scheme. This usually involves harassing your friends and family and being held responsible for getting them mixed up in another pyramid scheme all so you can get paid.
I have lost many friends back when I was pushing these kinds of schemes, and as I look back at it now, I regret ever getting involved in them. After a while, you get sick of continuously recruiting other people and having to sell ridiculously overprices products to your friends that they can buy at the convenience store down the road for a whole lot cheaper.
With affiliate marketing, instead of harassing people you will be helping people find the information they’re looking for on the web. You’ll get paid a commission when they buy something for simply pointing them in the right direction. Which would you rather do, help people out or harass them? I think it’s pretty obvious that you would go with the first one.
4. Make Money Doing Something You Love Vs Promoting Something You Have No Interest In
Most MLM’s don’t allow you to choose what to promote, they already have it picked out for you. 9 times out of 10 this is usually something that you have no interest in, and the only reason you are with the company in the first place is to make money.
If your hearts not in it and you don’t enjoy what you’re doing you’ll like end up quitting. With affiliate marketing, you’re the one who decides what you promote. It’s your business so why wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you much rather make money doing something you enjoy vs being told what you were allowed to sell?
5. You Aren’t Truly Your Own Boss With MLM
Even though this is advertised as a “business opportunity” you’re clearly not really your own boss when you join any MLM company. Why not? You don’t own the website or the business. The only thing you own is the product. If you think about it like this that would mean you are only a distributor, not a business owner.
Unlike in affiliate marketing where you truly are your own boss because YOU own your website and you are creating your own brand and a following. When I hear many people who’re in MLM tell me that they have their own network marketing business I just wanna laugh.
Guess what happens to your so called business once the company gets shut down or you get tired of people telling you they aren’t interested? Your business goes out the window and all of your hard work goes down the drain.
Instead Of Hustling People Why Not Start Helping Them Instead?
Plain and simple MLM companies try to turn you into a hustler. You’re that pimp standing on the street corner with your jacket full of energy drinks trying to solicit the latest scheme to other people. You’re that guy or gal selling discounted health plans that nobody has even heard of.
You’re that dude that keeps harassing your friends, family, & neighbors to buy into the latest weight loss fad and hottest diet pills on the market. They tell you to get out there and hustle, tell everyone how great their product is and spam your social media networks with this garbage.
We have all likely had our fair share of MLM schemes in our time in the online world. Does that make you a bad person? Absolutely not. I have been involved in many programs like this in my time in the online world as well so I know what it’s like to be on both sides of the fence.
Instead of hustling your friends to make a living why not try and help them find what they’re looking for instead? Affiliate marketing offers you the opportunity to do just that and I have been doing this for 3 years now. I really hope this post has opened your eyes and has given you some insight into how MLM companies work and why it just makes sense to start up an Affiliate Marketing Business.
Are you involved in an MLM business right now? Maybe you have a question about something I didn’t cover in the article above. I would love to hear about it below and answer any questions or comments you may have about either of these 2 business models in the comments section below.
Until Next Time!
Your Friend, Scott
Keith Hinton
Scott, I respectfully disagree with you.
I am proudly (and I hope you note the word) proudly, associated with the Amway corporation, have been since July 27th 2014, and have been having a blast operating an e-commerce retail shop, and some folks actually have not only enjoyed, but have happily reordered the products time and time again.
I don’t honestly care what people think personally one way or the other.
So your opinion about affiliate marketing being “better” is something you and I will never be able to agree on, however, I do respect you for it my friend.
I would like to provide you with my more or less, open minded perspective if you don’t mind so that your readers may comment if they wish.
I believe that these are both two excellent business models that both have strengths and weaknesses. Some folks will like one or the other, some will like both, and some people Scott may not like either one of these.
People are different, my friend, in personality, and in every other way. I don’t expect people to agree with me, but again, my perspective is that both of these models are great and that they both, have strengths and weaknesses
And by the way, I’ve read your other article on MLM) and just so you know, maybe you haven’t made money.
But I’ve managed to make some for sure.
How much I refuse to disclose, that’s not anybody’s business but my own.
If you always quit though no matter the business model preference rather than sticking something out, you’ll be an automatic failure. Period, guaranteed.
I can say this is true of anything in life.
Quitters never win at all.
I would like to say that through the Wealthy Affiliate platform, (and possibly some other programs that I don’t know about though) at least we have choices, Scott. That is what matters. But I disagree with you however that one business model is better than the other.
Again, my point of view.
One further thought my friend.
If people want to learn how to do Internet marketing to sell any product (be it an MLM products or similar) though, I think that Affiliate marketing might be an awesome way to learn, and provide an income at the same time.
Scott, my friend, thanks so much for letting me comment!
All the best, Your Friend, Keith
Scott Newkirk
Hi Keith,
I don’t expect everyone to agree with me and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. 98% of all MLM companies out there are set up like a pyramid scheme and you’ll usually end up losing more money than you make. Trust me, I was involved with several of them and I lost thousands of dollars to many of them. This is not something I would feel comfortable recommending to other people.
However, Amway has been in business since 1959 and they are one of the very rare MLM companies to have lasted this long. I don’t have any personal experience with them myself, but I’ve heard you say nothing but good things about them. They are setup like a pyramid scheme as well, but apparently they’re doing something right for them to still be operational today.
Everyone is different Keith and like you said everyone will have a different opinion about which business model is better and that never will change my friend. I’m simply sharing my personal experience that I’ve had with both of these models and recommending the one that I’ve been the most successful with.
Many people like yourself, have been successful with MLM and that’s great, I’m really happy for you Keith. I know many, many, people who despise MLM and they have a very good reason too. I do agree with you that quitting will get you nowhere and no matter what business you get involved with it’s going to require hard work on your part or you’re always going to be looked at as a failure.
Quitters will NEVER get anywhere in life and that’s the main reason why so many people fail to make money online. It’s a work of progress and something that requires lots of time and hard work which is something that most people don’t want to do.
You’re absolutely right Keith, we do have lots of choices out there and I try my best to only provide people with the absolute best ones on this website. Unfortunately, MLM doesn’t happen to fall in this category. You quite possibly could use affiliate marketing to promote MLM products if you wanted to and I know of a few people who have done this before and that’s perfectly fine.
I do want to thank you for stopping by Keith and sharing your thoughts on these 2 business models as well as sharing your experience with Amway with everyone here today. It’s greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott