MLM Leadership - How They Fail You

The success in your MLM career depends to a great extent on your sponsor and the quality of leaders in your MLM organization. More often than not the leaders bury the distributor even before the business failure can kill them.

Now this is a shocking statement to make but the quality of leadership in the network marketing industry is extremely poor. The industry which is touted as the future of enterprise - and I fully subscribe to this view - accounts for 99 % failures among all new entrants. This kind of failure rate is not conducive to the growth of the industry. For such high failure rates, the leaderships in MLM hold the main responsibility.

Take a look at how the leadership is failing in this business.

MLM Leadership Failure #1 - Playing the Numbers Game

The moment you are recruited into a network marketing opportunity, you are asked to create your list, list of warm circles and all the other people you know. The leaders insist that you to speak to everybody with a view to recruit them into business. Many get recruited just because they cannot refuse you, but never put enough time or effort into the business.

Every person you recruit is part of your business team. Would you recruit an employee in the same manner if you are in any other business? Would you choose anyone as your business partner just because they said yes? Or would you apply certain standards, assess their interest levels and their ability to contribute effectively to your business.

MLM Leadership Failure #2 - Dumping Stocks

Most leaders are under pressure to achieve certain business volumes to sustain their own monthly incomes. In the guise of helping their distributors achieve higher positions they motivate them to invest on stocks to attain higher commission levels or positions in the hierarchy. Most distributors are unable to sell off the stocks as they lack the direct selling skill. Leaders blame the new distributor as not putting enough efforts and move on to another distributor.

The process gets repeated. Most distributors fail or hang on in the hope of making good their losses and keep losing more money. Leaders often justify their actions by showing the rare success as an example to all other distributors. This further plays havoc with the self esteem and morale of distributor accelerating their failure.

MLM Leadership Failure #3 - Not Focusing on Training

Most leaders call some motivational pep talk and fiery raves as training. The quality and ability of the leaders to train their down lines in the skills necessary to succeed is questionable. The leaders themselves more often than not have become leaders due to chance heavy hitter in their team and collective volumes of their down lines. They lack the cutting edge leadership abilities to groom more leaders. The ability to inspire, facilitate and show how to achieve success is sadly lacking. They hide behind clichéd and oft repeated MLM jargons.

Leadership failure #4 - Not Allowing Originality and Dissent

Any creativity, originality and innovation is struck down in the name of systems which mostly favor the company or the top leadership. Dissent is viewed as disloyalty. Questioning the marketing plan is tantamount to revolution and you may be put down with a heavy hand. More often than not the leaders are insecure and are jealous of rising stars in their teams who take the spotlight away from them.

Leadership Failure #5 - Being Elitist

Leaders are treated as god themselves. MLM organizations too support this kind of behavior with special front row seating based on hierarchy. Lowly Distributors are not allowed to occupy front rows. Many Leaders also make it a point to arrive late not respecting the time of other distributors. Organizations too try to create a super star aura around the leaders. Distributors are made to rush to their leaders with autograph books and requesting photo opportunities. Some organizations have even qualifications (dump more stocks) for photo opportunities and special dinners with leaders where non qualifiers are not allowed creating a major divide between the leadership and distributors.

Final Views

The leadership must look down and distributor must stop looking up except when they require the genuine guidance of true leaders. In this business the leaders require the down lines more than the down line requiring the leader. It is an independent business where you are the boss. The hierarchical leader can be dispensed with if he does not add value to your own growth.

The network marketing/MLM industry must learn to create true leaders who can inspire with their vision, coach, and mentor to make sure of 99 % success rather than 99 % failures. The leadership must take the responsibility for such huge failure rates and made accountable as in other business organizations. Then and only then will this industry gain respectability and show healthy growth.

R.G. Srinivasan is a Certified Trainer, Writer and Author with more than two decades of managerial experience. He also writes a regular blog on home-business resources which you may check out at http://www.home-businessresources.blogspot.com for online marketing tips, resources, business opportunities and online promotional strategies