A-Z Systems Marketing Blog

Posted by Alexei Zoubov, November 4th, 2008

Let me start with a simple statement:

You really can make money, lots of money either in Direct selling or Multilevel Marketing - or in combination of both.

One of these methods should become your main focus, even if you use a combination of both (like I do).

I won’t pretend to be objective. I really like and enjoy MultiLevel Marketing more! Please understand, it is my personal preference, there are lots of people making lots of money that prefer Direct selling.

Here is why I think that Direct selling, in  not so clean hands, can become a close relative to a con game.

You’ve probably heard or read the kind of praise for a great salesman that goes: “He can sell ice to an Eskimo!”

So, in that sense, act of selling is an act of persuasion. Oh, yes, when you study sales manuals, there is always a mention somewhere, that the product or service you are selling should be good and worth the price. But, most of the time, it is just a footnote, something that your sales guru is obligated to say.

From then on it is just a series of technics of making the prospect feel that he/she is buying something of a tremendous value, something that is impossible to live without and will create heaven on earth for a buyer.

As a seller, especially if you are marketing on the Internet, you are advised by all manuals to create a favorable image of yourself, “brand” yourself, establish trust and confidence with your prospect. That is a very good advice to a honest seller.

But… don’t you think that this is also a very good advice to a con man?

And, in my opinion, if you want to sell ice to eskimos, you definitely should be one. The ability to sell the stuff that has no worth to a prospect is definitely a trait of a con man.

I don’t want to create an impression that all sellers on the Internet are con men. But some definitely are. See, for example, my post on pricing the offers.

Everything goes:

• The price will go up soon or even tomorrow
• We discounted the price for a short time
• This is a one-time offer (see my post)
• Pre-launch system (building excitement by several emails before the sale starts)
• A load of free bonuses
• And lots more - you will encounter all the tricks of the trade on the Web.

In short, they advise, it is the best if the prospect has a real need for your product, but if he doesn’t, you have to create an perception of this need.

You may wish to have a glance at another post of mine: Seller vs Buyer.

What I really wanted to say is, that the methods of selling are basically the same when selling a great product to a prospect that needs it, or a lousy product, or a good product to a customer that in reality has no need. The technics of persuasion are the same.

And please, don’t take it that I’m trying to convince you not to sell on the Internet. ¬†I ¬†shouldn’t and I can’t, I’m a seller myself, hopefully not of the con man kind.

For me, the difference with multilevel marketing is that MLM, if it is done it a correct way, is not about selling. It is not about making a customer out of the prospect, It is about creating a partner whom you to train and help and start working together with.

It is about people and relationships - something that just fits my personality better.

My main money-making MLM company now is GDI.