Network Marketing - Multi Level Marketing: a definition

"Multi-level marketing (MLM) (also called network marketing (NM) or matrix marketing) is a business model which utilizes a combination of direct marketing and franchising. Typically, independent business owners (IBOs) become associated with a parent company in a contractor-like relationship. IBOs receive remuneration for shopping within their own business, for selling products and for expanding their network of people ("downline") doing the same. ...

Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a business model that combines direct marketing with franchising.

Multi-level marketing businesses function by recruiting salespeople (also called Distributors, Independent Business Owners, IBOs, Franchise Owners, Sales Consultants, Beauty Consultants, Consultants, etc.) to sell a product and offer additional sales commissions based on the sales of people recruited into their downline, an organization of people that includes direct recruits, recruits' recruits, etc. This arrangement is similar to franchise arrangements where royalties are paid from the sales of individual franchise operations to the franchisor as well as to an area or region manager, but in some MLM programs, there can be seven or more levels of people receiving royalties from one person's sales."

Reproduced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Marketing