There is absolutely no doubt. Network marketing or MLM is now attracting a new type of person. The wave of new style network marketing is having an unprecedented appeal to professional business people.

In the past, MLM has been dismissed by business leaders as an inferior sales distribution channel. Today, Fortune 500 corporations flock to do business through network marketing channels with industry sales approaching $25 billion in the US and $100 billion worldwide.

The industry, once tainted by the image of the hard hitting, face to face salesperson, compelling you with exaggerated promises - is growing up.

Some MLM groups have evolved into sophisticated business systems put together with the skills of savvy corporate leaders who have become disillusioned with the traditional forms of earning a living.

Here are a few aspects of the 'new style' approach to network marketing that is attracting successful business professionals to leave their six figure incomes.

Attractive business model. Network marketing no longer has to rely on a face to face approach to your potential customer. With the explosion of the internet, the business can now be accomplished through effective internet marketing techniques. The internet provides access to potentially millions of people and you do not have to deal with a totally cold prospect. A situation most people actively avoid!

It's now possible to reach a highly targeted audience around the world! Better still, it's possible to attract highly targeted traffic to your website who initiate contact with you!

Many people see this as a comfortable environment in which to do business because the prospect of rejection is significantly reduced.

Enhanced training and communication. New technologies such as voicemail, email, internet, cable TV, videoconferencing and teleconferencing have enabled leaders to provide exceptional training, product knowledge and coaching to a geographically dispersed group. It also has provided a vehicle for business leaders to use their leadership skills to develop and motivate their distributor networks. Communication is now relatively inexpensive and almost instantaneous, speeding up response times to market demands.

This has launched the industry forward dramatically because it is now possible to effectively manage a vast network of thousands of distributors across the globe from your home. This is a leverage previously only dreamed of.

A trend towards corporate disillusionment. Managers in their forties and fifties who have given their best efforts during their thirties to their careers, are now looking for alternatives. Having spent a lifetime building someone else's business, they are ready to build their own and reap their own rewards. Network marketing opportunities provide an inexpensive entry to establish your own business. When worked consistently between 5-10 years the return on a modest investment can be exceptional.

Work-life balance. Baby boomers (40-55year olds) are searching for quality of life. Despite the promises this is not usually found behind the desk in a corporate office. The large corporate incomes usually come at some expense to spouse, children and friends who also contribute through the sacrifice of quality time, family memories and missing parents. The importance of building a life - not just earn a living; demands a new way of earning income.

Lack of job security. As a senior HR manager turned MLMer I can testify from first hand experience: the higher you are in the corporate world, the harder you fall when you are retrenched. Don't be beguiled by the six figure incomes of the corporate giants. The larger your job, the more rare they are and finding a new one can take more than twelve months. Job insecurity plagues all levels and most people are searching for diversified forms of retirement planning. A solid MLM opportunity can do just that.

Flexible hours - choose your own! Because a network marketing business can be built around an existing schedule, it is a perfect vehicle for busy professionals to get started in developing an alternate income stream. Once established the business can provide a residual income that can release you from the job market altogether.

A trend towards an aging society. Many people are looking ahead and realizing that government hand-outs will not be sufficient security for retirement. In several western countries the number of retirees are increasing a greater rate than the number of workers entering the workforce. In these countries, there is a diminishing pot of funds available to fund retirees. Network marketing offers a residual income stream that can continue long after people have stopped working.

The power of e-commerce. Income streams from a few hundred to tens of thousands per month can be built over the internet. It is possible to combine internet marketing skills and work your network marketing business entirely over the internet. There is almost unlimited potential in combining both viral and network marketing business principles to quickly build a solid, residual income stream.

When considering a MLM opportunity, your diligent research may lead you to a vehicle to provide income AND lifestyle!

(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore