Multi Level Marketing (MLM) has been around for a long time—Tupperware pioneered the concept way back in the 1950s. Things have changed a lot since then, but the basic MLM sales model remains the same, which is to say outdated. One would think that there has to be a better way—and there is. The old school MLM approach revolved around selling a product of some type through an ever-expanding downline of distributors. To build the downline, a MLM old school marketing participant had to find and cultivate leads—more often than not friends and family—and then convince them of the parent company's value and its products. If it sounds difficult and a bit uncomfortable, it was.

Today, almost 60 years later, things haven't changed all that much in the MLM universe, except that now there are a lot more MLM companies competing for the same demographic target—the money-motivated entrepreneur looking for a better life. It's still hard to recruit friends and family, and sometimes, quite frankly, the products don't really work all that well. The downline comes and goes, people who were excited lose interest, and the whole pyramid, from the company on down, gets a little shaky. In most cases, there is very little the MLM marketer can do about it, because from the very beginning, the customers are buying the company, not the person.

One thing that has changed, however, is that the Internet has spawned a whole new MLM model. People can communicate more effectively, marketing messages can be literally promoted to millions of prospects, and products are evolving from supplements and soaps to sophisticated and useful informational tools. The name has even changed—properly executed, MLM should now be called attraction marketing. Attraction marketing is based on two things—selling yourself as a leader first and then selling your system. In attraction marketing, you don't build a downline so much as a core of loyal followers, who also happen to be your customers.

Attraction marketing is about leadership, because in the attraction marketing model, people don't join your opportunity, they join you. Which means that if you are promoting an information product, to be successful, you need to be committed. Your customers—your disciples if you will—are depending on you for training and leadership. You on the other hand, need to be selective about who you work with, by choosing only those who prove to be serious and motivated about making money online.

Attraction marketing is not necessarily any easier than MLM, but for the right person, it's a lot more effective and rewarding. It's about believing passionately about what you do, and then leading people to share your vision. Not everybody can do that well. But for those who can, success is right around the corner.