Author Topic: No, I won't buy into your MLM  (Read 639510 times)

robartsd

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #300 on: August 03, 2017, 01:39:29 PM »
Did he say: "In the corporate world 5% of the people make 95% of the money. So unjust. Come to us where less than 0.5% of the people make what would be a decent corporate salary".
Of course they didn't emphasize the contents of the income disclosure statement. I wonder if any of then had even analyzed it. The prevailing attitude was that if you worked hard, with the help of TEAM, you would do better than average MonaVie distributors.

KodeBlue

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #301 on: August 03, 2017, 05:30:41 PM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

bunchbikes

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #302 on: August 04, 2017, 09:24:52 PM »
Of course they didn't emphasize the contents of the income disclosure statement. I wonder if any of then had even analyzed it. The prevailing attitude was that if you worked hard, with the help of TEAM, you would do better than average MonaVie distributors.

Did you read the income statement?

I could make $429,259.


That's all the analysis I need.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #303 on: August 05, 2017, 12:21:22 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

Goldielocks

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #304 on: August 06, 2017, 08:02:08 AM »
Did he say: "In the corporate world 5% of the people make 95% of the money. So unjust. Come to us where less than 0.5% of the people make what would be a decent corporate salary".
Of course they didn't emphasize the contents of the income disclosure statement. I wonder if any of then had even analyzed it. The prevailing attitude was that if you worked hard, with the help of TEAM, you would do better than average MonaVie distributors.

Interesting, that they are saying that the average distributor does not work hard, but the whole pitch is usually about working hard and recruiting.

hops

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mustachepungoeshere

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frozen

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #307 on: August 06, 2017, 08:44:32 PM »
A long, depressing read:

https://qz.com/1039331/mlms-like-avon-and-lularoe-are-sending-people-into-debt-and-psychological-crisis/
This is really eye opening. What a business model - to sell women leggings with ugly patterns.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #308 on: August 06, 2017, 10:12:21 PM »
Is anyone but me reminded of the old "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Gonna Buy Me A Condo" in which the speaker talks about all the luxuries he's going to be able to afford as an Amway distributor?

jinga nation

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #309 on: August 07, 2017, 07:50:33 AM »
Is anyone but me reminded of the old "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Gonna Buy Me A Condo" in which the speaker talks about all the luxuries he's going to be able to afford as an Amway distributor?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztCrH4ZwySc

Bonus: Reggae beat, my fav!

TGS delivers yet again. This should be the theme song for the Antimustachian Wall.

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #310 on: August 07, 2017, 07:55:48 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.

robartsd

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #311 on: August 07, 2017, 08:04:11 AM »
You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
Sure there's the CEO of your supplier, but you've built your own "business", so you're the CEO of that.

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #312 on: August 07, 2017, 09:56:24 AM »
You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
Sure there's the CEO of your supplier, but you've built your own "business", so you're the CEO of that.

Your business that you have no personal control of because the company regulates it so tightly.

Want to set your own prices? Can't do that.  Want to carry other goods? Can't do that. Want to advertise with a different color scheme? Can't do that. 

Goldielocks

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #313 on: August 07, 2017, 01:06:06 PM »
This CEO idea is kinda funny.   The owner of a Subway doesn't say that he is a CEO, he  or she says that they are an owner.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #314 on: August 07, 2017, 03:19:32 PM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.

It's a hobby of mine to peruse Linkedin accounts and see how many people call themselves CEO or owner of their MLM or self-employed-but-has-no-income-or-clientele business.

BeanCounter

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #315 on: August 08, 2017, 07:28:33 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

prognastat

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #316 on: August 08, 2017, 08:06:14 AM »
Unfortunately most of the MLMs use manipulative phrasing like that to try to manipulate people in to joining because it makes them feel good about themselves(at least at first until they start to find out they are unlikely to make any money and worse yet are far in the hole).

I'm a red panda

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #317 on: August 08, 2017, 08:25:19 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.

prognastat

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #318 on: August 08, 2017, 08:31:32 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.

I took it as them talking about the culture of #girlboss and not your post. To me it seems the #girlboss from companies duping women and women being duped and not actually an owner, CEO or boss in any shape or form is quite degrading to someone who has actually achieved such things.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #319 on: August 08, 2017, 09:33:47 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.

I took it as them talking about the culture of #girlboss and not your post. To me it seems the #girlboss from companies duping women and women being duped and not actually an owner, CEO or boss in any shape or form is quite degrading to someone who has actually achieved such things.

Well, there are two separate pools of people that don't overlap.

A person who actually responds to advertisement such as #girlboss or any ad that talks about "brekkie", "tummy", or other infantilizing terms *is* their target market. They're looking for someone who wants compensation and status grossly out of proportion with their actual achievement. Such people don't mind being spoken to, or about, in degrading terms because in order to feel degraded you first have to feel as though you're worth something.

Show me someone who doesn't mind being called a "girl" when her male peers are called "men", or who doesn't mind fake terms of endearment like "hon" or "babe" directed at her but not at others, and I'll show you someone who doesn't have much in terms of marketable skills or business savvy. That person is the *perfect* MLM candidate. She's not too bright, but she wants to be treated as though she is. She wants to be treated as an equal, or even a superior, without having done the actual work. In her mind, the time she's spent watching soap operas about business or fashion leaders have qualified *her* to be such a leader.

People who object to being infantilized are generally the same ones who actually have the education, drive, and initiative to run their own business or to reach a management position in someone else's business. They have a very good idea as to what their time is worth and what services they can provide others in exchange for money. Typically they have at least a few specialized skills that other people are willing and able to pay for: skills and credentials that require effort to obtain. They also wouldn't be caught dead in a MLM because they have the reading and math skills to understand why a pyramid scheme provides them with a very poor return on their invested time.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #320 on: August 08, 2017, 09:47:01 AM »
We've focused too much on the negatives of MLM. What about the positives? Like how it's now possible to get a lifetime supply of vitamins for nearly nothing at garage sales after someone's MLM dreams are crushed.

prognastat

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #321 on: August 08, 2017, 09:53:29 AM »
We've focused too much on the negatives of MLM. What about the positives? Like how it's now possible to get a lifetime supply of vitamins for nearly nothing at garage sales after someone's MLM dreams are crushed.

Positive for those smart enough to take advantage rather than being taken advantage of. But not something I would wish on any friend or family member.

BeanCounter

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #322 on: August 08, 2017, 10:19:36 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.
No IowaJes, not your post. The culture of #girlboss.
Should I post on my FB page "hey just closed the books for July, and we're favorable to budget by $7M because volumes are up and I had the foresight to have everyone slash OT and travel! #girlboss". Or maybe my boss should do it followed by #boyboss?
It's ridiculous.

BeanCounter

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #323 on: August 08, 2017, 10:22:26 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.

I took it as them talking about the culture of #girlboss and not your post. To me it seems the #girlboss from companies duping women and women being duped and not actually an owner, CEO or boss in any shape or form is quite degrading to someone who has actually achieved such things.

Well, there are two separate pools of people that don't overlap.

A person who actually responds to advertisement such as #girlboss or any ad that talks about "brekkie", "tummy", or other infantilizing terms *is* their target market. They're looking for someone who wants compensation and status grossly out of proportion with their actual achievement. Such people don't mind being spoken to, or about, in degrading terms because in order to feel degraded you first have to feel as though you're worth something.

Show me someone who doesn't mind being called a "girl" when her male peers are called "men", or who doesn't mind fake terms of endearment like "hon" or "babe" directed at her but not at others, and I'll show you someone who doesn't have much in terms of marketable skills or business savvy. That person is the *perfect* MLM candidate. She's not too bright, but she wants to be treated as though she is. She wants to be treated as an equal, or even a superior, without having done the actual work. In her mind, the time she's spent watching soap operas about business or fashion leaders have qualified *her* to be such a leader.

People who object to being infantilized are generally the same ones who actually have the education, drive, and initiative to run their own business or to reach a management position in someone else's business. They have a very good idea as to what their time is worth and what services they can provide others in exchange for money. Typically they have at least a few specialized skills that other people are willing and able to pay for: skills and credentials that require effort to obtain. They also wouldn't be caught dead in a MLM because they have the reading and math skills to understand why a pyramid scheme provides them with a very poor return on their invested time.
Yes. And not only would I never buy into a MLM, I won't buy their products or host a party. I've even stopped attending all associated parties. Unfortunately I've realized that the ladies in my neighborhood just see me as deep pockets. They know where I work and what my title is. I don't get these invites because they want to have meaningful conversations with me over a damn glass of wine after work.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #324 on: August 08, 2017, 10:24:24 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.
No IowaJes, not your post. The culture of #girlboss.
Should I post on my FB page "hey just closed the books for July, and we're favorable to budget by $7M because volumes are up and I had the foresight to have everyone slash OT and travel! #girlboss". Or maybe my boss should do it followed by #boyboss?
It's ridiculous.

#Fortune500boss (or something similar) would be a good mic drop

BeanCounter

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #325 on: August 08, 2017, 10:25:10 AM »
I also have this hanging over my desk.

Apples

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #326 on: August 08, 2017, 11:30:36 AM »
I also have this hanging over my desk.

THAT IS AMAZING!  I've never seen it before.  That makes my whole day!

Goldielocks

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #327 on: August 08, 2017, 11:51:00 AM »
So I get to work more for less money? Sounds great, where do I sign up?

But...Freedom...and calling yourself a CEO...and setting your own hours....and other intangibles that are equal to actually getting paid.

You mean lying to yourself about being a CEO.  All these MLMs have CEOs and the #girlboss on facebook isn't it.
As a female executive I find this so degrading.

My post? Or the culture of #girlboss?

If it was my post, I apologize. It wasn't meant in a way to degrade.
I am not an executive, and am currently not on a people-management track (I'm climbing the development project management ladder though), but I have more executive decision in my position (basically because I've been empowered by good leadership to make decisions) than most people in MLMs who call themselves "business owners" and "CEOs" do. MLMs strictly control their brands.
No IowaJes, not your post. The culture of #girlboss.
Should I post on my FB page "hey just closed the books for July, and we're favorable to budget by $7M because volumes are up and I had the foresight to have everyone slash OT and travel! #girlboss". Or maybe my boss should do it followed by #boyboss?
It's ridiculous.


Oooooh

I awesomely like this post.  +1000

Warlord1986

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #328 on: August 09, 2017, 07:42:50 AM »
There has been another sighting in the wild. Rodan and Fields has taken an acquaintance of mine. She is now flogging 'life changing' skincare and the comments keep mentioning how the products are great and the business pays the bills. She's hoping to channel her inner 'BOSS' like her friends. There is lots of noise about how 'exciting' this is.

Frankly, I don't much like this woman. She wasn't a particularly good sgt., I very much doubt she and her husband make enough to cover their lifestyle as they portray it, and she goes on and on about how important patriotism is to her too often. This might be what gets me to de-friend her. But until I make that weighty, life-altering decision, I'm going to low-key hate and watch the financial train wreck. 

FireHiker

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #329 on: August 09, 2017, 11:52:30 AM »
I thought about this topic recently when my cousin who's currently hawking LLR (formerly hawked Plexus) went to some LLR conference thing and posted all about it. I think everyone was wearing LLR in all the pictures. I don't get the appeal. And, it just makes me sad. She has three small children and wants to do what's best for them, but she has no education and her husband doesn't make much (don't think he is educated either, has done some menial job hopping from what I understand). I hate that MLMs prey on people like her. I hate to think what their financial picture looks like.

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #330 on: August 09, 2017, 12:39:53 PM »
I thought about this topic recently when my cousin who's currently hawking LLR (formerly hawked Plexus) went to some LLR conference thing and posted all about it. I think everyone was wearing LLR in all the pictures. I don't get the appeal. And, it just makes me sad. She has three small children and wants to do what's best for them, but she has no education and her husband doesn't make much (don't think he is educated either, has done some menial job hopping from what I understand). I hate that MLMs prey on people like her. I hate to think what their financial picture looks like.

You'd be surprised, but some very well-educated, professional people get involved in MLMs. I don't know why. I used to think it was only people who were less educated, no skills, couldn't hold down a job. But I was wrong. It's a wide range of people from different backgrounds.

I've had a Plexus person hounding me, for over a year now, to become an Ambassador with Plexus. Meaning, she wants to recruit me so she'll earn money. Other than that, she takes no interest in me at all, as a person. We're going through job loss right now with young children at home to support, and I don't have money to get involved in this type of business.

FireHiker

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #331 on: August 09, 2017, 03:29:49 PM »
I thought about this topic recently when my cousin who's currently hawking LLR (formerly hawked Plexus) went to some LLR conference thing and posted all about it. I think everyone was wearing LLR in all the pictures. I don't get the appeal. And, it just makes me sad. She has three small children and wants to do what's best for them, but she has no education and her husband doesn't make much (don't think he is educated either, has done some menial job hopping from what I understand). I hate that MLMs prey on people like her. I hate to think what their financial picture looks like.

You'd be surprised, but some very well-educated, professional people get involved in MLMs. I don't know why. I used to think it was only people who were less educated, no skills, couldn't hold down a job. But I was wrong. It's a wide range of people from different backgrounds.

I've had a Plexus person hounding me, for over a year now, to become an Ambassador with Plexus. Meaning, she wants to recruit me so she'll earn money. Other than that, she takes no interest in me at all, as a person. We're going through job loss right now with young children at home to support, and I don't have money to get involved in this type of business.

I can think of one acquaintance who falls into that category (well-educated, professional person, who used to sell Melaleuca). It would really surprise me to find others but I'm sure they're out there as you say. The one I'm thinking of is one of the more gullible people I know who will buy anything from anyone selling door to door.

My cousin who's now wrapped up in LLR used to be incredibly hard core about Plexus. She switched very abruptly to LLR. She lives in a tiny little town; I can't fathom how she's able to find enough people to buy these things. I guess that's why it is the only thing she posts about on facebook...

I've actually found my current neighborhood to be largely free of MLMs, but we have a large foreign population with a lot of engineers and tech executives, so I think that experience skews my perspective. Watch now that I've said that I'll get inundated with them...I sure hope not.

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #332 on: August 10, 2017, 12:02:09 PM »
I thought about this topic recently when my cousin who's currently hawking LLR (formerly hawked Plexus) went to some LLR conference thing and posted all about it. I think everyone was wearing LLR in all the pictures. I don't get the appeal. And, it just makes me sad. She has three small children and wants to do what's best for them, but she has no education and her husband doesn't make much (don't think he is educated either, has done some menial job hopping from what I understand). I hate that MLMs prey on people like her. I hate to think what their financial picture looks like.

You'd be surprised, but some very well-educated, professional people get involved in MLMs. I don't know why. I used to think it was only people who were less educated, no skills, couldn't hold down a job. But I was wrong. It's a wide range of people from different backgrounds.

I've had a Plexus person hounding me, for over a year now, to become an Ambassador with Plexus. Meaning, she wants to recruit me so she'll earn money. Other than that, she takes no interest in me at all, as a person. We're going through job loss right now with young children at home to support, and I don't have money to get involved in this type of business.

I can think of one acquaintance who falls into that category (well-educated, professional person, who used to sell Melaleuca). It would really surprise me to find others but I'm sure they're out there as you say. The one I'm thinking of is one of the more gullible people I know who will buy anything from anyone selling door to door.

My cousin who's now wrapped up in LLR used to be incredibly hard core about Plexus. She switched very abruptly to LLR. She lives in a tiny little town; I can't fathom how she's able to find enough people to buy these things. I guess that's why it is the only thing she posts about on facebook...

I've actually found my current neighborhood to be largely free of MLMs, but we have a large foreign population with a lot of engineers and tech executives, so I think that experience skews my perspective. Watch now that I've said that I'll get inundated with them...I sure hope not.

I only have a basic bachelor's degree and have never worked in a highly professional career, but basic economics tells me that these are mostly saturated markets and in MLMs, you recruit your own competition, which doesn't make sense. Also, in a recession most people aren't going to buy the products being sold by MLMs such as jewelry, essential oils, kitchen gadgets, cosmetics, etc. And lastly, although they claim it's their "own business", it's not. They are under a contract and it's someone else's business, not theirs.

I've found many people will stay in an MLM for years. They'll never admit they're losing money in it. Maybe they get a new set of MLM friends in the business and don't want to leave this lifestyle. Maybe there should be an MLM recovery group for people who want to leave these businesses, while getting social support at the same time.

solon

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #333 on: August 10, 2017, 12:21:07 PM »
Found this on facebook. It takes aim at many awful things people post, many of which are MLM-related.

https://scontent.fapa1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20245358_1506526459408144_6689382242845722145_n.png?oh=44e2e3e5894a34fb3a8ddad9e4382728&oe=5A266A33


KodeBlue

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #334 on: August 10, 2017, 03:04:09 PM »
I've found many people will stay in an MLM for years. They'll never admit they're losing money in it. Maybe they get a new set of MLM friends in the business and don't want to leave this lifestyle. Maybe there should be an MLM recovery group for people who want to leave these businesses, while getting social support at the same time.

Maybe folks trying to get out of MLMs should use cult recovery groups. It seems the MLM mindset isn't different from most cults.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #335 on: August 10, 2017, 03:23:39 PM »
I keep getting Facebook invites to a friend's Rodan + Fields (skin care products) "launch party." Apparently she's becoming one of their "consultants" and wants everyone together for a party.  This is the same person who invited me to some kind of book exchange last Christmas that also felt like an MLM invite.  She had the following conversation with another friend:

Other friend: What is Rodan + Fields?
R+F consultant: It's a dermatologist developed skincare line. Rodan + Fields is redefining the future of anti-aging skincare. Founded by Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, it's a premium skincare brand built on a legacy of innovative dermatology-inspired skincare products backed by clinical results. sound suspiciously like an advertisement brochure?
Other friend: Cool. Is this a store or Is it a pyramid sales online thing?
R+F consultant: Not a store, it's sold by consultants. Set up as multi level marketing.


Are you kidding me? She understands the term "MLM," but apparently doesn't understand what it actually means if she thinks "pyramid" and "MLM" aren't the synonymous.  Her up-trace even posted on her FB page that she's sad to be losing a customer, but happy to be gaining a business partner. I'll bet she is.  My friend is an active duty Army officer who also sells horse riding equipment through Etsy.  She's probably coming to this new gig with a larger customer base than her former supplier.

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #336 on: August 11, 2017, 08:19:56 PM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #337 on: August 11, 2017, 08:22:03 PM »
And Solon, that is a great quote (above).
I am in a Facebook group the other day, we were talking about how to save money on prescription drugs. Someone with an essential oils MLM told everyone "don't take drugs your doctor prescribes you; essential oils should be used instead and they will cure anything!" And then she said for anyone to PM her, as she apparently has all the answers to anyone's medical problems.

RWD

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #338 on: August 11, 2017, 08:42:05 PM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Gullibility?

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #339 on: August 11, 2017, 08:54:10 PM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Gullibility?

Yeah, that and poor financial literacy.

the500millionaire

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #340 on: August 11, 2017, 09:01:52 PM »
A few years ago, while I was still in college, my folks were looking for some extra streams of income to help make ends meet. Lo and behold, they heard about an MLM scheme that revolved around selling utility contracts to local small businesses. We bought it hook line and sinker.

The worst part is that they were very careful, but were sold by people who were "friends."

MLM schemes always, ALWAYS get people hooked when they are desperate. Why? Their promises are incredible. This is why not only do I discourage people from seeking them out, but I actually find them to be immoral.

Explain to me the difference between MLM programs and predatory lending? People who are in a pinch are offered "a way to make life better," and instead of finding their way out, they find themselves out a few hundred bucks, and in a deeper hole than they were in the first place.

Your BS meter should go up around them.

frozen

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #341 on: August 13, 2017, 10:14:32 AM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."
I got a call out of the blue from someone I worked with over 10 years ago. I assumed he wanted to catch up or was calling to network with me. I was shocked to find out that he was calling to try and recruit me to work for the MLM Advocare! I politely told him I am happy with my current role and am not looking for a career change.

 Now I notice all his posts on Facebook about how they have to have the courage to stand up to criticism of what they do. Other posts seem to center around buying things and winning Advocare trips, rather than saving for their futures.

Travis

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #342 on: August 13, 2017, 11:28:36 AM »
Another Facebook friend (completely unrelated to the last one I discussed) just posted that she's now doing Rodan + Fields and is so excited thanking her up-trace who "gave me the confidence and courage to start MY own business."  Preaching to the choir and beating that dead horse thoroughly, but I still can't stop laughing at the concept of someone else providing you product to sell for them constituting "your own business."  Apparently it is their custom to refer to the next link in their chain as a "business partner."  My first friend's up-trace called her that, and here the new person is calling her up-trace a partner.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #343 on: August 13, 2017, 06:27:45 PM »
Show me someone who doesn't mind being called a "girl" when her male peers are called "men", or who doesn't mind fake terms of endearment like "hon" or "babe" directed at her but not at others...

An Australian female magistrate called out this behaviour in court recently.

Swear in front of me, but don't call me 'darl'

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/opinion/swear-in-front-of-me-but-dont-call-me-darl-a-lesson-in-respect-20170711-gx97rr.html

jinga nation

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #344 on: August 14, 2017, 06:03:44 AM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Gullibility?

Yeah, that and poor financial literacy.
I call that pre-emptive shaming of a future victim.

BeanCounter

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #345 on: August 14, 2017, 10:33:27 AM »
I just offered the SAHM across the street $15 an hour to watch my kids after school. She said she wasn't interested in making that kind of time commitment. Which I understand. (maybe she hates my kids). But yet she is trying to sell Avon (thought they were bankrupt) on FB, and having yard sales for $$.

dude

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #346 on: August 14, 2017, 12:07:31 PM »
My secretary here at work seems to attend an inordinate number of these MLM parties, and almost always buys something "to help her friend out." She's smart enough to resist the siren's song of recruitment, but she has a tendency to rationalize her purchases by saying "it's actually a good product, and I use it all the time." I think she knows the stuff is shit, but she's got to justify the spend.

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #347 on: August 14, 2017, 08:28:36 PM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Gullibility?

Yeah, that and poor financial literacy.
I call that pre-emptive shaming of a future victim.

I am not trying to shame anyone. One symptom of poor financial literacy is when someone can't understand what it will cost to start up a business and run it, and don't research the business first, even though they have internet access. Twenty years ago, I can understand why so many people got hooked into MLMs. But it makes little sense nowadays, with all the information that is readily available online; this includes reviews of the businesses, informative websites like Pink truth (which exposes the Mary Kay business) and even documentaries you can watch on youtube about these businesses.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #348 on: August 14, 2017, 09:36:10 PM »
The worst type of MLM person is the bully recruiter. And when they finally realize it's pointless to keep trying to recruit you, they'll belt out this little gem: "that's okay, you don't have what it takes for this business anyway."

Gullibility?

Yeah, that and poor financial literacy.
I call that pre-emptive shaming of a future victim.

I am not trying to shame anyone. One symptom of poor financial literacy is when someone can't understand what it will cost to start up a business and run it, and don't research the business first, even though they have internet access. Twenty years ago, I can understand why so many people got hooked into MLMs. But it makes little sense nowadays, with all the information that is readily available online; this includes reviews of the businesses, informative websites like Pink truth (which exposes the Mary Kay business) and even documentaries you can watch on youtube about these businesses.

One of the reasons I think that MLMs are a tool of Satan is that they are designed to prey on uneducated desperate poor people. When companies purposefully set out to exploit the most vulnerable, that is simply evil.

Chesleygirl

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Re: No, I won't buy into your MLM
« Reply #349 on: August 14, 2017, 09:49:39 PM »
I just offered the SAHM across the street $15 an hour to watch my kids after school. She said she wasn't interested in making that kind of time commitment. Which I understand. (maybe she hates my kids). But yet she is trying to sell Avon (thought they were bankrupt) on FB, and having yard sales for $$.

I may be wrong, but I don't think Avon is an MLM business. I think it's direct sales.