As more and more MLM companies keep sprouting up, I often wonder just how many millions of people around the world are "shooting for the stars" with some bright, new MLM start-up only to end up wallowing in the mud a few short months later - poorer than when they started and completely disgusted with network marketing altogether.

It's really too bad. In many ways, multi-level marketing is a terrific business model and really does provide a fairly simple and straight-forward road to success. Problem is, most people getting into an MLM (for the first or FIFTY first time) are taking so many little detours they don't even know how to get back to the main road to success.

You see, the road to success with MLM is really quite simple. It's all about the numbers.

Now, before you start tying the noose to hang me from the nearest oak tree, please allow me to explain that seemingly dehumanizing statement.

I am not, in any way, suggesting that MLM is not about people or relationships or mutual support and respect. It is about all of those things and more. But, quite frankly, if a person is really going to make any serious money with network marketing, all of that has to occur on the "backend". On the "front-end", it's really all about the numbers and how you work them.

In simplest terms, the more people you can present with your products and opportunity (in an effective way), the more people you're likely to sponsor into your organization and the more money you're going to make. Simple as that. So, every member of your MLM downline has to have an effective way of introducing their business and products to the largest audience possible (with the least amount of time/money requirement - since most of them will start their MLM business with very little of either to invest).

THAT is the key. It doesn't really matter how great your dealer training system is, how pretty your replicated websites are, how efficient your email autoresponder system is, how nice and helpful your downline members are or how good your products are IF you don't have a steady flow of new people to introduce to the business and the products. There is just no getting around this fact of business. Without a continuous stream of potential new customers and distributors ANY business is dead in the water. MLM is no different.

Of course, once people are IN your group, then comes all of the relationship stuff. You have to make sure that new people coming in feel connected to the group, and personally connected to at least one or two members of the group (preferably, their sponsor first). There should be plenty of encouragement and training available (online, via conference calls, possibly via a start-up kit of some sort and through email/phone communication with the sponsor). Most new dealers in your group will not be successful without those things in place.

BUT, you still have to focus on the numbers. Get your product and business opportunity in front of as many people as possible. If you can target specific groups that may be more likely to have an interest in your products, great. If not, it's not the end of the world. At the end of the day, it's about how many new people you can bring into your downline who will actually purchase product and promote the business. Whether it requires you to present your products and/or business 1000 times to some generic group of prospects, or 100 times to a highly targeted group of prospects doesn't much matter unless the costs and/or time investment is significantly higher with one or the other.

Just remember to focus on the numbers. Design a system or join a system that makes it possible to get your products and/or opportunity in front of lots of people without having to break the bank doing it. Obviously, advertising costs money, but it doesn't have to put you into debt up to your eyeballs. Be careful how much you spend, be consistent in what you spend and always track what you spend vs what you make so you can weed out bad marketing and focus on the productive marketing.