Is Multi-Level Marketing a Big Deception?

In corporate America everyone is always hoping to build the better mousetrap. For some people they have found it in multi-level marketing. It promises lots of profit potential for a small investment along with a small amount of sweat equity. I have always been a firm believer of the maxim that "if it is too good to be true it probably isn't." Many people have been deceived by the hopes and promises of multi-level marketing.

The troubled economy has made people overly eager to find financial relief. For some multi-level marketing seemed to be an almost instant solution to their financial problems. Multi-level marketing operations were popping up everywhere. Most people were very receptive to this new popular concept because it did not present immediate red flags like many of the typical pyramid operations. Multi-level marketing appears to push products when in actuality it tries to get people to mainly buy into distributorships. For example, a company may say that every person that you sign up residual income would be paid to you by means of a debit card. The alternative product might be getting people to purchase some type of manual that gives advice on how to gain financial freedom. Some of these multi-level marketing operations have some of the signs of a modern day Ponzi scheme. With all of the betrayals of trust that have transpired in the corporate world within the past 8 years we really don't want to experience any more activity like this. Beyond the barrage of conference calls, webinars, and Internet portals the deception that multi-level marketing presents has become quite evident.

I strongly believe that some multi-level marketing programs are using the current state of the economy as a vehicle to convince people that it is the right thing to do. There may be some multi-level marketing programs that are legitimate and have a proven successful track record. Unfortunately, I have yet to come across any that were without deceptive practices. It appears to me that many of the multi-level marketing operations have done more harm than good.