Makeup, jewelry, crafting supplies, kitchenware, essential oils…for just about any product you can think of, there’s a company out there that sells it through a multi-level marketing arrangement. You’ve probably thought of giving it a try – everybody else is doing it – but don’t know enough about it to take the plunge. Here’s what you need to know:

Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a business arrangement where individuals sell a company’s products directly to other individuals, often during a party at someone’s home. (Mary Kay and The Pampered Chef are two of the best-known MLM companies.) They get a commission on everything they sell and, if they recruit new salespeople for their “downline” chain, they also get a commission on what those people sell. MLM is different from a pyramid scheme in that you’re actually selling a real product with real value (instead of, for instance, a mailing list of potential contacts). And, with legitimate MLM programs, you don’t have to recruit anyone else. You can just sell your own products and be happy with your commission.

So…you’ve decided to take the plunge? The first step is to choose a product and a company.

Choose your product first

To be successful at MLM, you have to be selling a product you”re passionate about. But there’s a catch – your social network has to be interested in it, too. If you love nothing better than whipping up recipes in the kitchen, The Pampered Chef may sound perfect. But if everybody in your social network is a young, single professional who eats out all the time, you’re not going to get very far.

Choose your company

Some companies, like Tupperware, have been around for…well, forever. Then there are others that pop up and disappear seemingly overnight. A new company isn’t necessarily a bad company, but it’s safer to go with one that has an established reputation. Other things to consider include:

If you know someone who’s already a distributor for the company you’ve selected, she’d probably appreciate it if you signed up through her. Or you can just sign up directly on the company’s website. Do a little research to find out which is better for you (is the commission different, for instance?).

Each company has their own tools and systems, and most will give you some pretty clear training on how to get started. There are, however, some general tricks to being successful with MLM, no matter what you’re selling:

Make no mistake – multi-level marketing is a good business. If you want to be successful, you have to treat it like one. It takes work. But there are many people involved in multi-level marketing who are far more successful than they ever dreamed they would be, and they’re having fun doing it. Could you be the next MLM success story?

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http://www.careeraddict.com/13975/how-to-make-the-most-of-multi-level-marketing