Despite the immense potential of the MLM industry, according to Gitnux, 90% of new network marketing projects struggle to attract partners and cease operations within the first two years. The most common reason for such failures is a poorly developed marketing plan. But what mistakes in marketing hinder the growth of an MLM business?

What is a MLM marketing plan

An MLM marketing plan (bonus plan or compensation plan) is a reward system that outlines how and for what network company partners receive their income. It clearly defines the percentages and conditions for earning commissions from a distributor’s personal sales and the sales volume of the team they’ve built, criteria for achieving higher ranks or qualifications, and bonuses for reaching these milestones.

In network marketing business, the bonus plan serves several vital functions, including:

  1. ensuring the company's profitability – it maintains a balance between payments to distributors and the income of the MLM business, ensuring its financial stability and fostering long-term growth;

  2. expanding the partner network – the terms of cooperation and bonuses laid out in the marketing plan play a key role in a person’s decision to become a partner of the MLM company;

  3. supporting partner activity – it motivates distributor's to seek new clients, increase sales, recruit new members, and develop their structure to achieve higher profits.

Accordingly, the compensation plan of a MLM company serves as the foundation that shapes its appeal to potential partners, the ability to build a productive distributor network, and successful scalability. Therefore, even small mistakes in its creation can lead to the failure of your MLM business.

Common mistakes in calculating a bonus plan MLM

At first glance, calculating a marketing plan may seem like a simple task: you just need to determine the percentage of returns to the network and allocate bonuses for activity. However, in reality, it's not that simple, and many entrepreneurs make common mistakes when creating a compensation plan for their MLM company. Among these mistakes are:

  1. Incorrect bonus distribution

In an attempt to combine as many different bonuses as possible, entrepreneurs often create an MLM plan where several bonuses are paid for the same activity, such as personal sales. In such cases, distributors focus solely on sales, neglecting the development of the partner network - an essential component of MLM business growth.

A similar imbalance occurs when bonuses are improperly distributed among different levels of the structure. For example, a company allocates 50% of total sales revenue for partner payouts, of which 30% is given to newcomers to demonstrate earning potential right from the start. This leaves very little for experienced distributors and MLM leaders, causing their motivation to wane, making it easy for them to switch to another company.

Any imbalance in the reward system creates a sense of unfairness among partners, undermines trust in the company, and negatively impacts the stability and productivity of the network structure.

  1. Mindless copying of another MLM project's marketing plan

Copying the compensation plan of a well-known company may seem like a quick and easy solution, but relying on the same level of success is not realistic. Every network business has its own unique characteristics: product or service margins, strategic goals, corporate culture, and cost structure. Therefore, by copying someone else’s MLM marketing plan, you risk facing a mismatch between your actual capabilities and the expectations of your distributors. This can lead to decreased partner motivation or financial difficulties that could potentially ruin your business.

  1. Lack of market analysis

Some entrepreneurs begin creating a bonus plan without researching market trends, analyzing competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, the needs of the target audience, and the legal regulations of the country where they plan to develop their MLM business. However, without considering all these aspects, there is a high risk that the marketing plan will not attract potential partners, and your partner network will not grow. Additionally, failure to comply with laws regulating network marketing in your region can lead to serious legal issues.

  1. Excessive requirements for partners

A common mistake, especially among companies aiming to rapidly increase sales and grow their partner network. For example, requiring the recruitment of 10 partners or generating $1,000 in sales to receive the first rewards can deter newcomers without experience in MLM, causing them to quickly leave the business. The same applies to demanding that MLM leaders build a large number of partner branches - these are nearly impossible to manage effectively, leading to a decline in productivity. As a result, overly complex conditions for receiving bonuses or achieving higher ranks become the cause of mass distributor attrition and a drop in activity throughout the entire partner network.

  1. Lack of break-even calculation

When entrepreneurs ignore break-even calculations while creating a bonus plan, they jeopardize the financial stability of their MLM company. The break-even point helps determine the income level required to cover all expenses related to product manufacturing, storage, logistics, technological infrastructure, and partner payouts. Without accounting for all these costs, you may set bonuses and commissions for your distributors that are too high for your MLM business to sustain. As a result, this can lead to inevitable financial collapse.

Summary

In conclusion, the marketing plan is the foundation of success for every MLM business. However, as practice shows, creating a well-thought-out compensation plan is not that simple. To avoid mistakes, you need to deeply understand the specifics of the MLM industry, the different types of marketing plans, consider the legislation of the chosen region, and take into account the unique features of your product and business as a whole.

The FlawlessMLM team has been creating flawless marketing plans for 20 years, tailored to the unique needs and goals of each client's MLM project. Contact our experts for consultation, and we will develop the best MLM marketing plan to ensure the successful growth of your network business.