Duplication MLM Myth

The concept of ‘Duplication’ is a widespread idea in MLM and Network Marketing.

Unfortunately, it’s a bad idea.

Duplication is taught because it makes sense logically to most of us. They teach us, “All I have to do find about 3 people myself, then help/teach others to do the same, then help each of those 3 do the same again, and eventually I’ll grow a large organization.”

We can see how the math works here. …and it looks great on paper (or on a PowerPoint). It makes sense to us logically, and then we can rationalize it out mathematically because that’s what works in manufacturing: Make 1000’s of widgets and ‘duplicate’ them to all be the same and perfect.

Then, we get excited because we see how this whole ‘Duplication’ thing works in network marketing, and we start thinking about the money, and this is where the whole ‘residual income’ concept comes from. We say to ourselves, “…and I’m gonna get paid from the activity of all those people!”

Duplication is an illusion. A fairy tale. It’s not real.

The entire Duplication concept has FATAL FLAWS:

  1. Duplication is based on HOPE-marketing. This falls to several levels. First, if you’re new to network marketing, you have no personal experience even ‘getting one, who gets one, who gets one.’ So, your anticipation of getting three times that many is purely on, “I ‘HOPE’ I can get 3 people, and I ‘HOPE’ I can help them get 3,” and so on. Second, if you are experienced and have successfully recruited many people, that does not guarantee each person you recruit will, in turn, ‘Duplicate’ what you’re doing. Oh, sure, it would be fantastic if they did, and, in THEORY, it will ‘supposedly’ work out that way. But, again, if you’re experienced, you know this NEVER happens in real life. It’s a fairy tale. You ‘HOPE’ each person does the same. The reality is… most never will.
  2. Duplication is the OPPOSITE of marketing. Marketing is about being unique, standing out from the crowd, and being different. The more different, the better! You get someone’s attention by doing/creating something that makes them stop and say, “Hey, what’s this?! I haven’t seen this before…” Duplication is copying what someone else is doing. If all 200,000 people in a small MLM business go out and put up that company-provided web site about making money from home, how do they stand out from the crowd? How is that different? It’s NOT. Do a simple Yahoo! or Google search for “make money” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. We’ve all been inundated with so-called ‘opportunities.’ It’s time for everyone to come up with a different angle. Be different. Unique. ‘Duplication’ is actually a VERY BAD idea in marketing.
  3. The TOP leaders in any MLM company are not using ‘Duplication’ methods. Many current TOP leaders in any given company came from another company with a “book of clients” or a down-line they just moved over. This happens all the time. Open any MLM company-specific magazine and out of nowhere someone just appears with their picture at the top of the list. Outside of this, you’re being taught to do manual ‘grunt work’ marketing …bringing the leaders the names and numbers of everyone you know. Just ask the very TOP money earners who they used for 3-way calls when they got started …did they call the CEO with every new prospect they had. No.

Think about this…

If the idea of MLM ‘Duplication’ actually worked, everyone in the world would be an Amway distributor, nobody would be reading this article, and we’d all be sitting on our private beaches on our private islands.

So, what really does work in MLM? Something known as ‘Positioning.’

Positioning is a very powerful technique in marketing that separates you from your competition. Using proper positioning techniques, many people can be marketing the same products and services and never interfere with another because it incorporates the true ART and SCIENCE of marketing.

Please read my article on ‘Positioning’ where you will learn how to stand out from the crowd. Be unique.

Be different.

Mike Lewitz
Phoenix, AZ USA

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Mike Lewitz is a professional marketer and international speaker who has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners across the globe create abundance in their business through practical, proven marketing techniques. Mike holds two Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Phoenix and is currently working on an MBA at Western International University.

This article may be freely distributed, copied and shared with acknowledgment.

7 Replies to “Duplication MLM Myth”

  1. Hey Mike…thank-you so much for being there when I needed someone the most..your much appreciated..this is great stuff!

  2. I need to ask you how a deaf distributor can make a success without the use of phones? Do you have any ideas how deaf distributors can encourage people to learn exciting information about products such as Xocai Healthy Chocolate? I am a lipreader and I speak. I have no problems with communication with people, it is that I can not talk on the phone vocally. Most people do not care for relay operators. I’d appreciate your input and ideas. Thank you, Valerie

  3. Valerie, you can create a script, have it recorded by a professional, (I can give you contact information for this)and voice broadcast it to thousands of prospects. After they view your website, you may communicate with you by email for the rest. Don’t call people on the phone, let the “system” do it for you. I can call thousands of targeted leads per day for very little money and I rarely talk to anyone personally. I sell Xocai also, and the work for you is already done. I can show you what I mean. Contact me and I can help you. You can be voice broadcasting tomorrow, and never be concerned about the phone again.

    Bill Harris

  4. Bill, unfortunately your “solution” for Valerie is not a real solution to her situation. Growing a successful MLM or Network Marketing business is about learning marketing and understanding how people respond to certain actions. It is not about buying tools promising to be “quick fix” solutions. While you may be providing a valuable tool that can be useful in certain specific scenarios, the correct and effective application of that tool is critical.

    For example: How can she hear the proper inflection in the voice of the person producing the telemarketing broadcast? How can she know that the people the presenter attracts will be the kind of people she wants to attract into her business? Just because your “upline” and the owners of the iBuzzPro MLM business opportunity say so? And they are a multi-million dollar company so therefore it must be true, right?

    Unfortunately that’s not good enough -and the true answer is: she can’t. So, she needs a better solution. There is no shortcut to success and anyone who claims to have one …run far away. Most of the people in the MLM industry who are supposedly teaching about how to be successful in MLM and network marketing are the blind leading the blind -often promising that “quick fix” shortcut to success.

    If they all really had the real secret, why do over 98% continue to fail in this business over and over by doing what they’re told? This failure rate hasn’t changed for over 40 years.

    Everyone who receives my newsletters and MLM training lessons (sign up at: http://www.mlmultrasecrets.com ) knows that to have success in MLM and marketing requires taking actions that are creative and unique …doing things that others are not doing. Anyone who offers any type of a so-called “system” is offering something that others are already doing. This completely defies the whole concept of marketing because it is the clear opposite of ‘unique.’

    Being that your referring URL is a replicated web site draws skepticism and concern to anyone with a marketing background. It is certainly not unique even though it does have some marketing merit (one of the few).

    Please note that your second post was deleted because this MLM training BLOG is not a place to recruit others into your downline, be it Xocai, iBuzzpro, YTB Travel, or any other MLM company. The purpose of this MLM BLOG is to share and teach principles of marketing that work to effectively grow MLM businesses. I surely do not want people to visit this MLM BLOG and have sift through 100’s of posts of: “Hey -come join my MLM company, we’ve got the perfect system!” People will quickly leave because posts such as this are certainly not unique -it’s what everyone is doing (and it’s annoying to the masses). That’s the “system” MLM companies teach -and precisely why over 98% of people in MLM companies will never earn more than $100 a year. Your first post is borderline, but I will allow it.

    This MLM training BLOG is for people to learn to create opportunities for themselves. Posts with the intention of recruiting will continue to be removed (I’ve deleted many).

    Thanks.

    -Mike Lewitz

  5. Mike, thanks for the insight on positioning. I’ve had great results just sharing videos. By embedding or sharing the videos over at [spam URL removed], I’ve been able to open up discussions with prospective partners with ease. Keep up the good work with your site.

    1. Dear ‘Healthy,’
      Clearly you do not understand the concept of positioning. How can you ever position yourself as an expert and the exclusive source of something if you’re using videos that are positioning someone else (ie: the name of your parent company and its product)? People who continue to propagate these same tactics as you are completely missing the whole point of marketing.

      As Al Ries & Jack Trout stated so perfectly: “Marketing is a battle of perception, not products.” Your biggest obstacle is that you think your success is based on your product and that your fantastic product is what will make you successful. Success in business in about your MESSAGE, not your product.

      I’ve said it 100’s of times: The greatest product in the world will NEVER sell itself, but mediocre marketing will ALWAYS be able to sell products that don’t even exist.

      Here’s a perfect example I love to use to demonstrate success is about the message, not a product. Most of us have seen those lame commercials with “smilin’ Bob” for the Enzyte male-enhancement pills. The owner of this company has made $ MILLIONS $. Yet, the product has zero evidence it does anything. Additionally, the owner and creator of the product is now serving 25 years in prison for fraud. Granted, it would be better if he had a decent product (and some ethics), but selling a bogus product he made $ millions. His success was based on his ability to create an effective message, not a spectacular product.

      So, if you believe you will achieve success because you’ve picked the ‘perfect’ product and are telling everyone about it and convincing them to watch your videos about the company and their great product, eventually you will begin to scratch your head thinking you need pick another company and you’ll start making excuses about why it isn’t working for you, such as the product is too expensive or the economy prevents people from buying, etc, etc.

      You need to position yourself as the expert at solving the problem your prospect seeks and them demonstrate you are the exclusive source for that solution. Positioning is NOT: ‘Here’s this great product X and it’s made by company ABC and here’s all this scientific research on why it’s so great. You can get it anywhere, so go buy some, but will you please buy it from me? Pretty please?!” This is the subliminal message of so many in network market: ‘groveling’

      Learn positioning and you’ll be able to market sand.

      P.S. The purpose of this site is to educate people on what is proven to work in marketing and to stop doing what doesn’t work. It’s not here for you to sell your stuff or promote (read: position) your parent company and its trade-marked products.

  6. Positioning is indeed much better than “hoping”. In positioning you have a goal and you worked for it to make it happen. Hope marketing is like aiming on the bullseye with your eyes closed or blindfolded.

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