Downline building groups are generally groups that are organized for the purpose of building the downlines of its members. These groups usually start out with an individual announcing to the general public that a new business-building or downline building group has just started and if you join, they will build your downline for you. These kind of groups are extrememly popular on the Internet.

What they really mean is they will give you an opportunity to recruit for the good of the group with the hope that everyone will benefit including yourself. There are different types of downline building groups.

One kind simply lets all new members go in a general pool as they join. In this case, the people who benefit the most are the ones who are lucky enough to hear about the new downline building club because they will be the first ones in the chosen business opportunity. This can be a tremendous boost to a new MLMer because even though he/she has not made the necessary contacts yet, he/she is in position to do well in the chosen business simply because he/she was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

In one sense, it's a lottery mentality, however that does not mean downline building groups are bad. It simply means you need to be on your toes and be able to discover these new groups when they first come out. The owner or leader of the group benefits the most and rightly so because he/she is the one who is doing the work .... and work it is! It does provide a jump start into a chosen business.

Some downline building groups will join two companies by reversing the order of entry into the second business so the first in benefit in the first business and the last in benefit in the second business. Pray you are not in the middle! I would say the downside of this kind of downline building group is they tend to be "welfare state" oriented. People tend to join with the hopes of getting something for nothing thus they attract dreamers rather than business motivated workers and entrepreneurs.

Another type of downline building group is one in which each person is responsible for his own downline building. I know of one group like this set up a point system that rewarded the biggest recruiters by putting them in the chosen business first. Although these kind of groups are not as popular, they are the most fair by rewarding those who work hard with the best opportunity to benefit.

Actually, all downline building groups end up this way even if they start out differently. Once the members sign-up in the chosen business, each person is on his/her own and the downline building group then becomes a downline support group (IF THEY ARE GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO).

BUSINESS-BUILDING SUPPORT GROUPS

Business-building support groups are just that. They support their downline members by providing tools and support so their members can better build their own business.

Generally, these groups already have a chosen company/business opportunity and rather than building downlines for people, they provide their members with necessary tools so each can build his own downline. These kind of groups tend to be more successful because they tend to attract doers rather than "do for me'ers." From the very beginning, they are seen as a group that is there to help and people go in it based upon the support and the business opportunity. The advantage is people are not going blindly into something. They can make an informed decision based on the provided information.

Invariable, you will find many of these group members earning large sums of money simply because they are motivated workers who have been given special tools for them to use to grow their business. These support type groups will last for years due to continued group growth while downline-building group membership tends to reduce in numbers over a period of time unless you very strong leadership running the show! Another factor is commitment. Members of support groups tend to be more committed to their business and to the group that those who are in downline builder groups.

By the way, generally there is no charge to be a member of either type of group, but there is a cost to participate in the chosen business opportunity . . .which comes in the form of purchasing products on a monthly basis which produces commissions for its members.

I mentioned earlier that I am a managing partner for TEAM 2000. The reason I was willing to take on that kind of responsibility is because TEAM 2000 is a business-building SUPPORT group and not a downline building group.

As a former educator and administrator, it is right up my alley to educate people and provide them with knowledge and tools to better their lives. I can feel good about being a support group leader because I know that ultimately it is up to each individual person to utilize the support and tools we provide for building their business.

The difference: if I became the leader of my own downline building group (which I have had many opportunities to do) I would make a few friends . . the ones who joined my group first, BUT I would make a whole lot more enemies because there would be more people at the bottom of the group than at the top.

On the other hand, as a leader of a business-building support group, I have the opportunity to teach thousands of others how to build their business and as that is done I gain many friends because they can take that knowledge and use it over and over again. I can feel good about that!

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Published by Lon Lindsey Free Master Networker Ezine Subscription ..
The Art of Building A Business http://www.masternetworker.com