Copyright © Laura Shapiro, Your Home Business Guide

You’ve heard them, right. . .? The unflattering statistics about the industry that we know as network marketing, mlm or multi level marketing. . .? It’s unfortunate that the most famous MLM statistics are negative. Some of these are true and some of them aren’t. But that’s what people hear. And that’s what people talk about. We’ll talk about them here too just on the off-chance that you haven’t yet come across these numbers. But this article will mostly feature the positive MLM statistics, the ones that aren’t famous or talked about. . .except in circles of successful network marketers.

Let’s start out with the biggie. . this is what most people will focus on. . .

. . .the failure rate for network marketing is estimated to be anywhere from 97 – 99%.

Good, we got that one out of the way. Yes, that happens to be true and the reasons for it thus far are 1) those who enter the business aren’t trained correctly or given the right information by their uplines 2) those who enter the business cannot afford to put in the money and/or time necessary to become successful.

And just for the record, you don’t necessarily need to be pouring tons of money into your network marketing business to start getting more customers and team members. But you will need to put in consistent time and effort. Many people who join network marketing are told that they need no experience and/or that the business just sells itself. When they don’t see that happening. . .they drop out (usually within the first year) and contribute to the 99% failure rate.

Just to give you an idea of what you need to be doing to be making money in this industry, I’m going to show you these MLM Statistics: my network marketing company’s relationship between how many people need to be sponsored in order to get a certain annual salary.

Obviously, the numbers will vary from company to company, but take my word for it. . .you will not become a millionaire by sponsoring 3 people. I was given the above information right from the get-go. And since then I’ve been following a plan that allows me to achieve my goals. And it’s one of the first things I bring up with new sponsors as well. Some may find this kind of information intimidating. I see it as something to set goals around.

And now for a breath of fresh air. . .some MLM statistics that shed a positive light on the industry!

Did you know that there are over 56 million people operating MLM businesses in over 100 countries around the world? And 13.3 million people in the US alone run MLM businesses.

In 2008, network marketing companies earned over $100 billion in sales.

Almost 80% of MLM representatives are females.

And here’s one of my favorite MLM statistics. . .

. . .the network marketing industry has grown by 90% globally in the last ten years.

Can you think of any other industries that can say the same? So how is it that such an industry with such a bad reputation is seeing that much growth?

It’s because people are tired of working for someone else. They are tired of working harder and longer hours and getting paid less. They are tired of not being able to spend time with their families. And when they do have time to spend with their families, they are tired of not being able to do the things they would like to do because of financial problems. They are looking for a way to start their own businesses without investing huge amounts of cash or keeping inventory. And they are finding ways to share exceptional products and services with other people to make the world a better place.

Those are the MLM statistics that I see every day. And those are the ones that count!

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Laura Shapiro is a Home-Based Business Owner and Consultant in addition to being a full time Mom. Is a Home Business your Dream? It doesn’t have to be – let me help you make it a reality. . .