Secrets of Multilevel Marketing’s Top Sellers

From Racked:

We’ve all known at least one. That friend who wants to tell you about the new company that changed her life or the one new product you just have to try.

Multilevel marketing companies know them, too, and they count on their army of sellers to turn their friends, family, and social networks into buyers. And it’s worked — MLMs like Avon and Amway have been around for decades.

In general, this is how multilevel marketing (sometimes called direct marketing) companies are structured: Aspiring sellers (often referred to as consultants or stylists) buy into a company either through purchasing inventory they then have to sell or through an educational program after which they are required to meet monthly, yearly, or quarterly sales goals. Most also have “team leader,” “coach,” or “mentor” aspects to the business, whereby consultants build teams of sellers and a percentage of their team’s profits trickle up.

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But with for some multilevel marketing companies — those with relatively low buy-ins, reasonable sales requirements, and financial motivation to help sellers succeed — there’s a real chance for participants to see that promise of more money, more freedom, and more fulfilling work come true.

We spoke with a handful of women (and one man!) who are killing it at some of the more popular and rapidly growing direct-marketing companies to get a sense of who they are and how they became top earners at their companies.