Intro.

Multilevel marketing has been an opportunity for anyone to join since around the 1930’s, but became a more popular activity around the 1970-1980’s. Since then, companies have been enjoying the fruits that this kind of business model brings them in monetary terms.

I will declare now that I am not a fan of MLM’s, never have been. I’ve had people attempt to lure me into various schemes, with no luck mind you.That being said, hundreds of thousands of people have tried to make money this way, with limited success.

Now that the coronavirus has arrived in a big way, what does that mean for those that have joined an MLM scheme. What happens if you’re an MLM consultant in 2020 and you find everyone has been told to stay indoors?

I’ll touch on what the impacts may be, and advise a more sustainable model for future catastrophes.

The MLM Consultants Job

Boy, am I glad I never joined an MLM company. I know there have been some people who have profited from multilevel marketing opportunities in the past, there’s always exceptions to the normal.

This business model is primarily created for consultants to visit potential customers, and promote the company’s products. The best way to promote is to physically explain how their products work, with actual demonstrations.

House parties are the most common form of meeting point, as they are low cost and easy to access. Usually the consultant will say they are ‘so excited’ to be demonstrating their product, so you can purchase this amazing…whatever. In reality, they are begging you for a sale so they can make a measly commission.

Everyone Stay at Home

We all know that the coronavirus has shut down just about every country, with some taking more extreme measures than others. Borders have been closed, only essential services remain open and we’ve all been told to stay indoors.

This means no parties, no gatherings and depending on your government, no work or school. Working from home is the desired approach currently, so the virus cannot reach us through touch.

I even had a beer with my neighbours on the front naturestrip, and felt guilty doing so, even though we were conscious not to get close to each other. We’re virtually in total lockdown, with only the necessity for essentials luring us from our homes. Does that mean beer? Ah, yep, if they’re open!

It’s really difficult to get our heads around, but at least I can work from home. However, those that have joined MLM companies have reason to panic, and I guess you’ve figured out why

The MLM Dilemma

So, what happens if you’re an MLM consultant in 2020 and your main source of income is through company commissions? Keeping in mind that house parties and meeting people face to face is the main method of selling these products.

No longer will this be the case for probably 6 months or more. It’s not possible for any of these house parties to exist because we can’t have the opportunity for the virus to spread. So where do MLM consultants make their money now?

I do know that some MLM companies provide a sub-domain website that allows for online sales. Basically, an extra fee is usually required to go towards web hosting. This is a farce anyway because it’s just another way for the company to gauge you out of money for a poor single page website.

At least it would be some sort of comfort knowing a few sales could be made, but nowhere near enough unless you worked hard on SEO (search engine optimization). This is what helps rank your website in the search engines such as Google.

So, I’d like you to tell me which opportunity presents a better option.

MLM or Affiliate Marketing

I’ve explained how the MLM opportunity presents, and what makes them vulnerable, especially in times of crisis. Now let’s take a look at how affiliate marketing works and why in my opinion, it’s much more sustainable.

Affiliate marketing works by promoting other people’s products, generally companies items or services. For each sale you can initiate, you will receive a commission.

For example: Let’s say you create a website about technology, specifically laptops or pc’s.You write information that can help your audience use these devices. To monetize your website, you use the affiliate marketing model.

1. This starts by signing up to different companies’ affiliate programs. Let’s go with Dell or HP as an example. Once you sign up with their affiliate program and have been approved, you can promote their products on your website.
2. You will be given a unique affiliate link that you can attach to the product on your website. When somebody clicks on the product, they will be taken to the store to make a purchase. Because your affiliate link has been clicked on, this alerts the company that YOU initiated the sale.
3. If the person ends up buying the product from the online store, you make a commission. In fact if they buy anything else in the store on the same visit, you’ll make commissions on all products.

The potential of this model is enormous as you can get anyone from around the world to view your promotions. The internet has provided everyone with the same opportunity to make money online, including in the affiliate marketing space.

Which Is Better

When I compare MLM opportunities to affiliate marketing, it’s a ‘no brainer’ to go with affiliate marketing. Here’s a few things that need to be considered.

• With MLM’s, you’re stuck selling the same products to people. Affiliate marketing allows for selling from as many affiliate stores as you like.
• MLM’s require you to demonstrate products at house parties. Affiliate marketing lets you work on your laptop.
• You can travel anywhere in the world as an affiliate marketer. With MLM’s you require a more stationary lifestyle.
• You only need to promote a product once to have it online forever as an affiliate marketer. MLM consultants need to show their products at every house party.

Obviously we all have our own opinions, and you may choose the MLM way of life. I do believe only certain people are suited to multilevel marketing, whereas so many more are suited to affiliate marketing.

What Next?

If you’re out of a job and have no idea what to do next because jobs are scarce, you could do a lot worse than learning how affiliate marketing works in detail. The concept is simple, promote products, make sales and earn commissions. However, effort is required to be successful.

Having said that, if you’ve got time on your hands, you have nothing to lose. It’s possible to learn much of the information from the internet, including YouTube videos. However, the correct information can be harder to find. Everyone has an opinion, and will try to promote their product as the best.

I can tell you that there are only a handful of ideal courses around that are worth the money. My personal favorite is where I’m still a member, it’s called Wealthy Affiliate. The reason I find them the best by a long way is because the value for money is insane.

The membership fee includes website hosting, all training, tools, support and the best community of like minded people of over a million. When you consider that you’ll have to pay for web hosting anyway, on top of whatever other course you choose, this is all included in the WA subscription. What is also handy, you can check it out for FREE.

I’ll also give you my second favorite course. It’s called Affiliate Secrets by Spencer Mecham. This course has a one off fee, so the cost is obviously larger up-front. I’ve written a review on Spencer’s course, and it’s brilliant. He really knows his stuff and is pleasant to listen to.

A Few Notables To Take Away

Here’s a few points you may want to take away from this article.

• MLM opportunities will struggle to survive in 2020, and maybe even 2021
• Unless your MLM company has given you a website, good luck.
• Affiliate marketing offers a much better alternative
• Approximately 1.8 billion people purchase goods online
• Over 80% of companies have an affiliate program
• Promote a product once online, and it can make sales for years

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of why so many people don’t like multilevel marketing opportunities. You’ve also got a better appreciation for what affiliate marketing is, and how it works. If you’d like to learn how to get started, read how to start affiliate marketing from scratch.