Why is it worth delving into MLM’s past? Understanding network marketing its evolution helps us better appreciate the achievements and opportunities of the industry. In this article, we will follow the path of network marketing: from its first steps in the late 19th buy phone number list century to the digital revolution of the 21st century. We will talk about key stages, outstanding personalities, and how modern solutions, such as MLM software development, open new horizons for business.
Stage 1: Prerequisites for the emergence of MLM (late 19th century – 1930s)
Network marketing has its roots in the era of direct selling, when enterprising salespeople went door to door selling products and then began using what is the difference between google ads social connections to expand their customer base. The model that would later evolve into modern MLM emerged in the United States in the late 19th century. This was a period when traditional retail had not yet dominated and personal communication remained the main way to promote products.
One of the first companies that laid the foundation for the future
MLM model was the California Perfume Company, founded in 1886 by David McConnell. McConnell initially sold books, but noticed that the women he talked to were more interested in the perfume samples he offered as gifts. This observation network marketing inspired him to switch to perfume and create a direct sales system. He began attracting female agents who sold products to their acquaintances, bypassing stores.
By 1906, the company had 10,000 salespeople, an mobile lead impressive number for a time when telephones were not yet ubiquitous and advertising was largely limited to newspaper ads. For example, one ad from the period read, “Agent Wanted for California Perfume Company. No experience required. Call 418-R.” The model offered women, often denied career opportunities, a chance to make money by using their social networks—family, friends, neighbors.
At the same time, other companies
Were developing that reinforced the idea of network marketing direct sales. In 1905, the Fuller Brush Company was founded, whose “Fuller Brush Men” went door to door selling cleaning brushes. The company relied on product quality and personal contact, which allowed salespeople to gain the trust of customers. Their approach was so successful that by the 1920s, the “
Fuller Brush Men” had become a cultural symbol in the United States, representing persistence and entrepreneurship.
also on building a team.