We've all heard the stories - I tried MLM and it didn't work. But unfortunately most companies don't teach you how to market, how to have a plan, how to attract the right people for what you offer. They tell you to talk to your friends, family and neighbors. As soon as they get a few rejections, they don't like that feeling and they quit. Maybe because they don't know what else to do, maybe because they want to be invited back to Thanksgiving dinner! What they were told to do doesn't work like they had hoped it would. They may go to a meeting and get all hyped up, but the next day they hear a no again. Then they think - this isn't working for me. I'm not cut out to do this. Sound familiar?

The problem could be because there was no plan; no strategy; you didn't know what to say to people, etc... You didn't know how to reach outside of your immediate sphere of people.

My story - old MLM model vs. new model:

When I started my business, I was told to make a list of everyone I knew - about 100 people. Meet with people one on one and have in-home parties. I truly loved the manufacturer I worked with and what they stood for. I really loved the products. I really had a passion for making a difference - having a positive impact on the planet. So my desire drove my success in the beginning of my business. But then I hit a plateau. What happened, I thought. Through my desire to succeed, I talked to other successful people to see what they were doing. I learned the art of asking questions. Wow! What a concept. Instead of dumping information on people, I learned to ask questions. This helped a lot. But I still didn't have a clear business model to follow. So I asked more questions, met with people, had parties (which I didn't like to do) and networked (which I did like to do). I was good at networking. I liked meeting people, so I did more of that than I had parties.

A couple of years go by and I have a stable business. I have a child, quit the corporate rat race and coast my business for quite a while because I was pulling in a decent income. Although, not where I wanted it to be.

Then by a stroke of luck, determination, desire or searching, I found this business coach and marketing strategist. I hired her. She told me things I hadn't learned before. Things about business and marketing that I hadn't even learned when I got my Master's degree in Business!

She taught me a business model - a professional business model. Something that was totally me. I am a professional and I want to be seen as a professional. I want my business to be seen as professional.

I learned about standing out in the crowd: being unique, remarkable and intriguing. I learned to have a specific focus - a target market. I learned that I don't have to do things I don't like. I don't have to get out of my comfort zone. I can do what I enjoy.

I learned how to market without having to talk to friends, family and neighbors. And I teach that model to business partners for their success. We all love it!

I learned how to work with a team and not alone, so we can all help each other be successful. Wow - we are so powerful as a team. We all love our professional business image.

The biggest thing I learned was to market by means of attraction in my community and on the Internet. With the Internet, there is no cost. With my marketing plan, I attract the right customers and business partners. I teach my 5 step strategic professional business model for their success. My business partners always have a plan and they know what to do every day.

Yes, if you have a strategic marketing plan and a professional image and some tenacity, it sure does work!