If you’re searching for a MLM/network marketing lead program, you may have run across Robert Blackman’s “MLM Mastermind” system. The program has its merits, which I will cover in this post, but it also has some negatives you should be aware of before joining the program.

First, the Good News…

There are a lot of things I like about the MLM Mastermind program.

• The price is right, and the leads don’t suck. One of the things I’ve come to learn about most network marketing leads is: a lead is a lead is a lead. It doesn’t matter whether you spend $10 per lead, or $1… they’re all the same. (This is not true for self-generated leads, but I’ll save that for another post.) Blackman’s leads only cost $1, and they don’t suck anymore than leads I’ve spent $5 on.
• The compensation plan is great. Most lead vendors don’t offer an affiliate program and, if they do, it doesn’t pay much. The MLM Mastermind program has a great multi-level compensation plan that pays out 60% on your first two levels. Once you refer a couple people and get some duplication going, the program pays out quite well. That’s awesome.
• It fills a huge need for your team. Being able to duplicate yourself is key. And Robert’s system lends itself to easy duplication. Recruit someone from your MLM Mastermind leads to your primary business and, when they ask you how to get started, tell them you use Blackman’s leads. Not only are you developing a culture of people calling leads, but as each member of your team grows their MLM Mastermind team, they have more money for leads and marketing. All of this fuels the growth of your primary business team.

As I said above, there are a lot of great things about Robert Blackman’s program. Unfortunately, not all is well in MLM Mastermind land…

Please Cancel My Account…

I know a significant number of people who found it quite difficult to cancel their account. I don’t think Robert is doing it on purpose… I just think he’s overwhelmed and understaffed.

Regardless, some people keep getting charged for months after requesting cancellation. A good friend of mine ended up having to go to his credit card company for a chargeback after he cancelled (multiple times) and continued to be billed for 3 months.

It’s a shame, because some of those people might have come back to the program in the future. But now, there’s no chance.

What Back-Office?

In a program that pays out on many levels, like Blackman’s, it’s important to be able to see your downline. Most MLM companies out there have this as a basic requirement. Unfortunately, MLM Mastermind falls short here.

When leads signed up for the $7.95 trial, I was never notified, nor could I find them in my back-office. I could see them 30 days later, if they staid in the program long enough to be rebilled. But if they decided to cancel, I never got the chance to speak with them. Perhaps, if I had been able to speak with them during their trial, I could have kept them in the program.

And once I did find them in the back-office, I could only see my front line referrals. No tree, no ability to see depth. I basically just had to trust that Robert Blackman was accounting for everything correctly. Spooky? Yes.

Where’d My Downline Go?

Another good friend of mine has referred quite a few people into Blackman’s program for their MLM/network marketing lead needs. Over time, some of his referrals quit and rejoined the program. It took my friend a while to figure out that, when they were rejoining, they were going under someone else. They didn’t mean to, they just ended up using the wrong link to rejoin.

I could understand if we were talking about six months to a year later, but we’re not. The simple fact is, the 1ShoppingCart cookie-based system that Blackman is using gets easily confused. It was designed to run simple affiliate programs, not track complicated downlines like those in the MLM Mastermind program.

This problem has been solved elegantly in systems like Magnetic Sponsoring, where you “own” your referrals from their first purchase to their last, regardless of the time in between. In a business where relationships are the closest thing we have to assets, losing our referrals to the competition due to a technical limitation is a deal-breaker for me.

Conclusion

Robert Blackman is a good guy, who has his heart in the right place. The idea behind MLM Mastermind is brilliant… build a team of people who are consistently working network marketing leads and you will duplicate faster, and make more money, than you ever thought possible.

Unfortunately, the program’s implementation is not so great. If you decide to join, track your referrals carefully, and make sure you don’t get rebilled if you decide to cancel.

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