I believe that those that succeed quickly are the ones who take the extra step and go out of their comfort zone. I'm not a high pressure salesman, but I make decent sales.
I think you have to be a good salesperson. There are some people who excel at MLM because they are really outgoing and like to "sell" it to everyone they meet. So these people get success quickly. These type of people also attract similar like-minded individuals who are also "sellers".