The fact that you can work your business from home yet have the support of an established company has huge advantages and as a result direct sales opportunities now dominate the home business arena. It is estimated that in the UK alone around 500,000 people are now involved in some form of direct sales business whether it be catalogue based companies like Avon or Kleeneze, party plan businesses like Ann Summers or Likisma, service providers like Tiscali or TelecomPlus or newer concepts like the successful Virtual World Direct e-Lottery.

Of course not all direct sales companies are multi-level, a few like Betterware still operate with an area based structure and it works for them, but most have gone wholly or at least partly to a MLM commission system.

Global Expansion

Many network marketing companies are international, so you can sponsor people in other countries around the world and yet still earn a percentage on the sales they and their team make. Quite literally earning money whilst you are asleep!

USA, South Africa, Australia, Japan and most of Europe has seen a rapid growth over the last ten years in both the number of companies starting or moving over to Network Marketing and as a result the number of people joining these companies. Newer trends in places like Russia, Indonesia and Malaysia have added to the worldwide expansion and today even Vietnam, Mongolia and Peru now have Network Marketing.

An Accepted Concept

One thing that has changed in recent years, particularly in the older markets like the UK and USA, is that more people now know someone who has made money from Network Marketing. This combined with household names using this proven method of sales means the hesitation many people once had with this "new idea" has largely gone.

What Next for MLM?

The great thing is no one really knows, MLM has never been an exact science (a lot of people believe it wouldn't be as much fun if it was!) and if someone told you ten years ago that millions would be buying their phone service from a Network Marketing company, or even their gas and electric you would have thought they were mad.

The industry, for that is what it has effectively become, has attempted many things, some products and services work, others didn't (anyone remember the one selling just toilet rolls!). Others surprise us, a network lottery syndicate business, surely not, but Virtual World Direct did work and is still working very well indeed.

For any new company or those looking to grow one thing is for sure the global economy, the internet and other technological developments have changed MLM and the way we network for good and opened our eyes to far more potential opportunities than ever before.