Multi-Level Marketing or MLM as it is usually referred, is a complex business, not in terms of its concept, which is fairly simple, get somebody to buy a product or service, give the person who sold it a commission or profit and then also give that person a commission each time they get somebody else to start selling that product or service. There, that's it, no problem, go away and make a fortune, after all don't we see ads every day telling us how this or that person made a killing after only selling a product for a couple of weeks. Live on the beach just answering the odd email, new car expensive yacht never wanting for anything. But wait a minute how come most of us are still living the same life, with the same unfulfilled dreams, so there must be a catch.

Some people do get a flash of inspiration and create a product every one on the Internet seems to want and hey presto instant millionaire. As Thomas Edison, one of history's greatest inventors said, "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration", and so it is with MLM, to be a success you have to work at it or have a product that does most of the work for you, no matter who does the work effort and energy are required.

So if you want to try and produce an extra income or even go full time working at home using a Multi-Level Marketing product or service you need to understand what type of person you are and what you are looking for. For the benefit of this article I'm talking only about MLM on the Internet and not about famous MLM companies in your local area or city, although most of those are on the Internet now.

MLM can be split roughly into two groups, those selling a product and those selling a service. Products can include just about everything from vitamins, books, gifts, porn, cars. Those selling services are mostly concerned with selling 'how to' use the Internet, they teach about marketing, producing websites, emails, copy writing etc, all the information that you might need to conduct a business online. The companies selling products tend to teach people how best to sell their product, the information learned on the services group can be applied to many other forms of business on the Internet.

In both cases it needs you to believe in the product you are selling, you undoubtedly at some stage will have to try and explain to somebody the benefit of your product, both in terms of the product itself, as in vitamins or a marketing service. How it will affect their lives, all the options available and eventually the bottom line, what it will cost and how can they recoup those costs.

Where eCommerce is concerned, that it is selling a product from an online shop, such as health goods or gifts, many of your customers may only buy once or if they like the product they may order on a regular basis. But where a service is concerned such as Internet Mentoring, that is teaching people how to use and benefit from the Internet, you need your customers to signup and become 'downline' members. This may involve having regular contact with your members, to help them understand and progress or if you are new to the Internet yourself, then you need support from your 'upline' to help your members. A good MLM mentoring company will give such support and help. But in both cases of a product or service if you want to go forward and really succeed it will require energy on your part. Before you jump into the MLM bandwagon look at both these areas carefully before deciding which route to take to those riches and lifestyle change. And remember you take out of life what you put into it.

Gerard Bulger is an IT Consultant who has been studying the work at home Internet business market for several years, he also writes on self-help and the esoteric sciences. He is a sponsor for the Internet Mentoring system Empowerism and can be found at http://www.empowerism101.com and http://www.ok101.com