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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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentnewhall/ / CC BY 2.0
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Just because Billy Mays’ method doesn’t fit into your particular sect of the marketing world, doesn’t mean you have to bash him.
The man was very talented and a hard-worker. Not to mention unbelievably successful.
It was in a bit of poor taste to use his name to push YOUR point of view.
Next time you want to give a set of tips, try just letting them stand on their own merit.
These tips aren’t too bad in themselves but the context with which you present them is a bit… strange.
A good tip for you would be to stay positive and give respect where it is due.
I love the idea of being clear on the time it takes to be successful. I too like many people fell victim to this false claims. I had high expectations that led me to frustration when my goals weren’t met.
Thanks for a great post.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your opinion. I appreciate that. I don’t agree with you, but that’s what is great about blogging … different strokes for different folks. Actually, I wasn’t bashing Billy Mays, but I was pointing out a few things about him that were true:
1) he sold via the volume of his voice and a loud personality
2) he advertised products that did NOT perform as advertised (Google a few reviews and you’ll see that the numbers speak for themselves)
3) he has been labeled as an ‘infomercial whore’ by others online, not by me. Having said all that, I don’t deny that the man was a hard worker or very successful.
I have no problem with either of those aspects. But he is a shining example of what a lot of people in MLM can’t do. Not very many people can overpowering like Billy Mays and get people to buy things … and many people are talked into joining MLMs or buying when they don’t want to by people who are very much like Billy Mays. My goal with this blog and website is to promote authentic MLM marketing that everyday people can do, and that are generally not found to be overly loud or obnoxious by others.
And no, I wasn’t using his name as a “red herring” to push my point of view. He’s just a public figure that a lot of people know, so most people know what I’m talking about when I use him as an example. So it’s a free world and I like that. You find my tip in poor taste and I find Billy Mays in poor taste. So that means what? We each have an opinion. Luckily we live in a free country where that is not only permitted but encouraged. So while I appreciate your tip to me, I, respectfully, don’t agree with it.
Cheers,
Stephanie Valentine
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