5 beginner mistakes in MLM that I came unstuck on myself

When I look back at my beginnings in network marketing today, I have to smile. I did almost everything I now warn newcomers against.

They weren’t tragedies. Just ordinary mistakes that I came unstuck on. They cost me time, energy and a few needless disappointments.

Beginner mistakes in MLM repeat themselves again and again. That is why I’m writing them down openly here. Maybe they will save you a few months.

What mistakes do beginners in MLM make most often?

Beginners in MLM most often go wrong by preparing for too long, acting too little, overwhelming people with information, pushing for a sale and working without a system. I came unstuck on all five myself.

5 beginner mistakes in MLM and what to do instead

Mistake	How it shows	What to do instead
I want to know everything before I start	Weeks of studying, zero conversations.	Learn the basics and start talking to people.
I don’t take action, I’m an introvert after all	Putting things off under a good excuse.	Find a style that suits me and work in it.
I overwhelm people with information	The other person gets lost and stops listening.	Say little, ask and listen.
I sell instead of giving value	People feel pressure and pull back.	Help first, then offer.
I have no system	Occasional work, occasional results.	A simple plan for every week.

Mistake 1: Do you have to know everything before you start approaching people?

You don’t. A beginner in MLM needs to know the basics about the products and about how the cooperation works. The rest you learn along the way, in conversations with real people.

I wanted to know everything. Every product, every rule, an answer to every possible question. Only then did I want to start approaching people.

But that moment never came. There was always something more to study. Preparation turned into a comfortable hiding place from what I was afraid of.

Today I know that people don’t expect an encyclopaedia. They expect honesty. The sentence “I don’t know that, I’ll find out and get back to you” builds more trust than a learned answer to everything.

Mistake 2: Can an introvert take action in MLM?

An introvert in MLM can and must take action, just differently from an extrovert: more personal conversations, fewer big events and more writing and listening. Introversion is a style, not a reason to do nothing.

I’m an introvert. And for a long time I used it as an excuse. “I’m just not the type who rings a hundred people.” I was right, I’m not. But I drew the wrong conclusion from it and did nothing.

What helped me was to stop comparing myself with loud leaders and to find my own way. I write more about the fact that a leader doesn’t have to be the loudest person in the room in the article A leader in network marketing doesn’t have to fit into the tables.

Mistake 3: Why shouldn’t you overwhelm people with information?

Don’t overwhelm people with information, because the more you say at once, the less the other person remembers and the more they feel it is complicated. Interest is awakened by questions and short stories, not lectures.

When I finally did talk to someone, I wanted to tell them everything I had learned. Products, the company, the plan, the options. I thought the more information I gave, the better.

The opposite was true. People got lost in it and I didn’t notice, because I kept talking.

• Say one or two things that really interest the person.
• Ask what they think about it.
• Give more information only when they ask for it themselves.

Mistake 4: Why give value instead of selling?

In MLM give value first, because people buy from and cooperate with someone they trust, and trust is built by help, not by sales pressure. A sale that comes from trust also repeats.

At the start I didn’t see people, I saw opportunities to sell. I wanted to push every conversation towards an offer. And people felt it.

Value doesn’t have to be anything big. A useful tip, a recommendation, an interest in what the other person is dealing with, or simply time. I describe how to approach people without pressure in the article How to approach people in MLM without annoying family or friends.

Mistake 5: Why do you need a system in MLM?

In MLM you need a system, because without it you work only when you are in the mood, and the results come just as erratically. A system is a simple plan of what you do every week, even when you don’t feel like it.

I didn’t have a system. One week I was full of enthusiasm, the next I did almost nothing. I didn’t know what worked, because I neither measured nor repeated anything.

Today my week as a newcomer would look like this:

1. A fixed time in the calendar. A few hours a week just for the business, on the same days.
2. A small weekly goal. For example three real conversations. Not a hundred messages.
3. One thing to learn. One product or one skill a week, not everything at once.
4. A short look back. Ten minutes on Sunday: what worked, what didn’t, what I’ll change.

A system is also the basis of a solid team. More about it in the article Building a team in MLM: why the foundations nobody sees decide everything.

What would I advise myself today as a newcomer?

As a newcomer I would advise myself to start sooner, talk less, ask more, help before I offer and have a simple weekly plan. And above all not to be afraid of mistakes, because without them you won’t learn it.

Mistakes are fine. Only one thing is worse: never starting at all out of fear of making them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest beginner mistake in MLM?

The biggest beginner mistake in MLM is waiting to act until you are perfectly prepared. Preparation is important, but without conversations with people you learn nothing and nothing moves. Start with the basics and learn along the way.

Can an introvert succeed in network marketing?

An introvert can succeed in network marketing if they find a style that suits them: personal conversations, writing, listening and a smaller number of deeper relationships. It is important not to use introversion as an excuse for inactivity. Results always depend on your own work.

How much do I need to know before I start approaching people?

Before you start approaching people, it is enough to know the basics: what the company offers, who it is for and how the cooperation works. Feel free to ask your sponsor about the rest. People respect an honest “I don’t know, I’ll find out” more than learned answers.

How do I set up a simple system in MLM?

You set up a simple system in MLM by putting a fixed time for the business in your calendar, setting a small weekly goal, learning one thing every week and, on Sunday, briefly looking back at what worked. Regularity is more important than quantity.

What will I come unstuck on next?

I don’t know. But I definitely will. I just laugh more about it now and get up faster.

If you are only at the beginning and want to do it without needless tumbles, get in touch for a private presentation. We’ll go through it together.

Tom