The Perfect Business

I've been staring at this blank page for over an hour now. For the past one 1 hour or so, I've been contemplating quite a number of things. I couldn't decide what to write in this post, so I've decided to post a video instead.

This video is about the network marketing business. The speaker is Robert Kiyosaki, a successful entrepreneur, investor and best selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He calls the network marketing business as the perfect business. Watch the video and you will see why this is the perfect business opportunity for me and maybe it is for you too.

Been through it all before....

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."
- Arthur C. Clarke

I know I’ve said before that there’s so much I feel like writing about the 4Life Research business opportunity, but somehow today, I’ve hit a brick wall. I can’t seem to think of any particular topic to write about. So be warned, this might end up to be just ramblings with no direction and no point made.

If I remember correctly, I did that once in another blog. I wrote a whole post without making any kind of point. I got smacked in the head for that. The post was pretty long and one of my friends read it. She read the whole post before finally realizing that I wasn’t actually saying anything or even trying to make a point. I’ll try not to do that here.

MLM Junkies

I think what I’m going to do in this post is to tell you about my previous experience in MLM and network marketing. There are some members of my family who are MLM junkies. They go from one MLM company to another every 6 months or so and make money by recruiting people. I don’t think they believe in the product or the company much. But they do make money recruiting people.

At first, my aunts and uncles, the MLM junkies couldn’t really figure out how to rope in my siblings and I into the MLM business. We were a bit sceptical about the whole thing. But then one day, one of them talked to my dad about their latest MLM program at that time, and he bought into it. So he joined and made a few of us, his kids join too.

The first MLM business I joined was a local company selling daily household products. Some of the products were quite good, so I thought since I was already in, might as well give it a try. So I did the business. I managed to recruit a few people, make some money on the side, all this while working a full time job. After a while, I was following my uncle all around the country on weekends on his recruiting talks. He was a pretty good speaker and he did quite well in the business.

Jumping From One Program To Another

But one of my aunties wasn’t very happy with the way things were going. She wasn’t earning much so she decided to move to another MLM program and she managed to convince her downlines, and some of ours to join her in the new program. I lost quite a considerable income. After she had done that, she convinced my dad to do the same, move over to the new MLM program and he brought us with him. So that’s when we started to move from one MLM to another.

I think in the space of 6 years, I probably joined and left more than 10 different MLM programs. Some of the programs I followed my dad (after the 3^rd program I was already very reluctant) and a couple of them I joined on my own (Amway, via Network 21 and Enrich). Some of the programs I joined were quite good.

Had Enough

In 2003, I had enough. I had been to probably a few hundred talks on MLM programs. I realized I wasn’t building a business of any kind. I was just earning from the recruitment. In fact, when I think back, probably more than half of the products weren’t any good. We just made money from recruiting. That’s when I decided to quit. I didn’t want to be a part of this industry anymore. I wanted to build a business, watch it grow, earn from the hard work and contribute back to the people and the society that helped me build my business.

So I guess you must be wondering why I decided to join 4Life Research after 5 years being out in the cold. I can’t really say why. I looked at the product, looked at the company and the rewards plan, and thought “Hey, this is something I can do.” I’ve done it before with crappy products, built networks selling junk, this should be much easier. It’s a superb product. The rewards plan is great and we’re partnering up with a company with lots of potential. I guess it was time for me to start building my business.

Making A Comeback

So here I am, back in the network marketing industry, a new program and a new product. I haven’t spoken to anyone from my old networks about it yet. Most of them have become sceptics and wouldn’t go anywhere near another MLM program. I will talk to some of them one of these days and explain to them the business, but only after I’ve proven to them that it could work. I know a couple of them are watching me, wanting to know how I progress. If I do well, then I know they will join me and bring their network with them.

As for now, before I can bring them in, I’ve got a lot of recruitment to do and a lot of translations too (Very inconvenient to have most of the literature and materials in English).

P/s: Sorry I haven't got any photos again. I'll try and find something and paste it her in the some other day

The MLM system...

I know I said I wasn't going to write anything until I joined the business. But then I thought since I already have this blog, I might as well write something. It might not even be related to the 4Life Transfer Factor business. It just might be my own personal thoughts.

Thus, that was what happened with the last post. I wrote that last week. I don't usually post anything that personal on any of my blogs. In fact, it took me a whole week before I decided to post that. I wasn't too sure if I wanted anyone to know my most intimate thoughts. But since I already had it written, and I didn't have anything else to say, I thought I'd just post it.

Now that that's over, I guess we can get back on track. By now you'd probably have guessed that I haven't joined the business yet. I have however attended one of their presentations. This presentation was by a group within the 4Life organisation called Platinum Networkers. They are mainly based in Malaysia but I think they will expand internationally pretty soon.

Platinum Networkers is led by Cheanu Chew, a veteran of network marketing. He's been with 4Life for about 3 years and and has been involved in network marketing for 7 years. He was formerly an accountant who just got sick of counting other people's money and making them rich. So he ventured into network marketing to make money for himself. I guess he's one of the top network marketers in Asia.

Most of the 4Life Transfer Factor business in Malaysia follows your standard multi level marketing model. This standard MLM model basically requires you to recruit people on your team. These people will then in turn recruit others to be under them, thus making your team a reverse christmas tree. Those who join the MLM progam, will be required to maintain a certain number of points every month. This is done by purchasing products from the company.

In order for you to earn commissions, you will have to recruit other people to join under you and these people will have to recruit more people under them. All these people who join under you will then have to maintain their points requirements and so will those who join under them. Only then will you earn commissions which is usually a percentage of the points accummulated by each team member (I'll explain in more detail when I explain the 4Life Transfer Factors business compensation plan).

This MLM system has made a lot of people a lot of money. The system works. The only problem most people have in this system is that they are required to do a lot of talking, they have to meet a lot of people, and in some cases, they even have to sell the products, i.e. direct selling, in order to succeed.

In my opnion, there are 3 important factors which make up a successful MLM system.

1. Any product can be sold using the MLM system, but having a good product is the biggest factor that will determine the success of the MLM system. People join MLM systems because of their potential earnings, but if the product promoted through the system does not meet their requirements, they will leave.
2. The compensation plan is also an important factor in determining the success of the system. People who join an MLM system would want a reasonable return within a specified time frame. If they do not get what they think is worth the effort they put into the system, then they will also leave the MLM system.
3. Finally, teamwork is also an important factor. In any MLM system, if people don't get the support they need to make the business work from their uplines or even their fellow teammates, they will leave the system too.

These 3 factors are very critical when it comes to deciding the fate of the MLM system. The success or failure of the MLM system rests on peoples opinion of the product, the compensation plan, and the support they receive from their upline, teammates and the company.

What Platinum Networkers has done is to take this system, and put it on the internet. So rather than the members having to do all the talking and the selling, the internet does it for them. This isn't a new development in the MLM industry. There are a lot of other products out there using the internet to promote their MLM system. But what's important is that this method works, and most of those who use this method doesn't really have to do much. Everything is automated. I'll explain how this works in another post.

As for now, suffice to say that the MLM system works. Millions of people out there are making a comfortable living through the MLM system. Most are earning a residual income from the system while holding on to a full time job. Some are earning from the MLM system from the comforts of their own home.

P/s: I hope Cheanu doesn't mind me using his photo. I hijacked it off his website www.cheanu.com