Billy Mays has always been a pet peeve of mine. I know that he’s no longer around, but he was a prime example of how MLM business builders should NOT be. He was the perfect example of someone who sold products through the sheer volume of his voice. He was so bad that some online reviewers called him “the infomercial whore.” My significant bought several products pushed by Billy Mays, and the results were far, far less than promised.
But this post isn’t about Billy Mays, alone. It’s about how to avoid being the Billy Mays of your online MLM marketing campaign. This post is really about how not to be to get people to join your MLM business by sheer overwhelming screaming or overrated claims. Here are some ideas of how NOT to be Billy Mays online.
1. Make Claims in Context
One of my very successful upline sponsors likes to say, “Be realistic. Do not make pie-in-the-sky claims.” A lot of people in the online MLM world make claims that are “true,” but out of context. For instance, here’s a claim that’s often made out of context: “My monthly check from this business is $50,000.”
That amount of money, $50,000, is a big number, and would be a big incentive for someone to join the MLM. But the statement is out of context because it doesn’t tell the prospect how much the person netted in profit. A lot of “big earners” in the MLM industry get a $50,000 check every month, but they spend $45,000 to get that check. What do they spend the money on? Lots of things, including advertising, promotion, product volume to maintain their title, and the big shiny Cadillac that makes it look like they are rich. So if you are going to make earning claims, make sure you do it in context. Tell people what you really net, if you want, not just the size of your check.
Personally, I find telling people about earnings is a little tacky, but sometimes necessary in one-to-one conversation. If you feel the need to disclose this information, you can always say something like, “My monthly profit from my business covers my car payment and mortgage.”
2. Be Clear About the Time it Takes to Be Successful
A small business is a small business, whether that business is an MLM or a dry cleaning business. It always amazes me that people think an MLM business should generate huge profits in the first three months, while they intuitively understand that a dry cleaning business might take years to earn a profit. The misconception that MLM is a “get rich quick” scheme occurs not only because people in MLM promote that concept, but also because MLM has such a low startup cost. While people understand that a dry cleaning business has a high overhead and startup cost, an MLM can be run out of a Starbuck’s or your living room. That gives people the idea that money should just roll in.
Not so. Most people who hit their income goals in MLM build their businesses up gradually over time, which means that it can take a year or more to really show financial progress. So do everyone in MLM a favor: when you talk about the business to your prospects, give them a realistic timeline for reaching their income goal. The timeline will depend heavily on the amount of time, money, and effort the person is willing to commit to their business on a regular basis, not to mention the number of skills the person already has that will help grow their business.
3. Make Promises You Can Keep
Billy Mays doesn’t do this, but you should if you want to run an online MLM business that has integrity. When someone signs up with your organization, be clear about how you will and won’t help them grow their business. Will you offer training calls or will you bring them to training calls given by your upline sponsors? Will you give your newbie one-on-one coaching or even do a joint-venture website with them? What will you do for them, specifically? Again, don’t make pie-in-sky claims. Also be clear with your new signup about what you expect them to do to grow their business.
If you haven’t already realized it, NOT being the Billy Mays of the online MLM world is all about clarity and realistic expectations. If you do that, you won’t become a personal pet peeve for your newbies or prospects.
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