Serious MLM question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of spiteful women on this thread. Just bc some of us are running our own businesses whereas you all are just minions at the office.

Awww, you probably say you're an EXECUTIVE with whatever MLM scam has suckered you.

#momboss

#mompreneur

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are a few MLM products I really like. I agree I don't want to see all the crap from my "friends" every time I log in to FB. But yeah I like some of the essential oils... grapeseed (edible) oil....

It's no different though from all the other advertisers that spam you all the time. I guess if the MLM seller is respectful of boundaries then it's OK.

To me the difference is that I have no personal connection with the other advertisers. I don't feel as if those advertisers are capitalizing on - or counting on - us being connected to shill their wares. With MLM I feel more pressure to uphold and reinforce our relationship. Like it's pretty irritating to get a party invitation for a friend - then see that the "party" is going to be that person trying to sell me something. Which I will have to buy, because now they are basically telling me they need money.


So here's where I start feeling a little more ambivalent: I am a book author, and I definitely count on my friends and family to turn up at readings and to buy copies of my book. All authors use their personal connections to fill readings and sell books. I'm sure many of my friends and family would be interested in the book even if I didn't write it - but many others would not, and are basically buying the book only because they know me. (My book sells to other people beyond friends and family, too, of course!) I think everyone who sells anything or who has a local business has some amount of this - we count on people we know to support us. So in that sense I am not sure why I feel so strongly about MLMs being crappy.

Anyway, I remember back in the 90s when a woman I knew started doing one of these skincare MLMs. It was sort of fun then. She came over to my house and gave me a facial, and I bought some of her lotion because I liked it. But that was before EVERYONE was selling this sh*t. Same with the first Pampered Chef party I accidentally found myself at. It was novel and sort of fun at the time. It's not anymore. Now it feels like a burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are a few MLM products I really like. I agree I don't want to see all the crap from my "friends" every time I log in to FB. But yeah I like some of the essential oils... grapeseed (edible) oil....

It's no different though from all the other advertisers that spam you all the time. I guess if the MLM seller is respectful of boundaries then it's OK.

To me the difference is that I have no personal connection with the other advertisers. I don't feel as if those advertisers are capitalizing on - or counting on - us being connected to shill their wares. With MLM I feel more pressure to uphold and reinforce our relationship. Like it's pretty irritating to get a party invitation for a friend - then see that the "party" is going to be that person trying to sell me something. Which I will have to buy, because now they are basically telling me they need money.


So here's where I start feeling a little more ambivalent: I am a book author, and I definitely count on my friends and family to turn up at readings and to buy copies of my book. All authors use their personal connections to fill readings and sell books. I'm sure many of my friends and family would be interested in the book even if I didn't write it - but many others would not, and are basically buying the book only because they know me. (My book sells to other people beyond friends and family, too, of course!) I think everyone who sells anything or who has a local business has some amount of this - we count on people we know to support us. So in that sense I am not sure why I feel so strongly about MLMs being crappy.

Anyway, I remember back in the 90s when a woman I knew started doing one of these skincare MLMs. It was sort of fun then. She came over to my house and gave me a facial, and I bought some of her lotion because I liked it. But that was before EVERYONE was selling this sh*t. Same with the first Pampered Chef party I accidentally found myself at. It was novel and sort of fun at the time. It's not anymore. Now it feels like a burden.

There's a huge difference between asking your friends to buy the book you wrote and asking friends to buy crap at marked up prices. You actually did something in writing your book. Anytime someone actually DOES something I'm happy to support it but I'm not going to support you signing up for a MLM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are a few MLM products I really like. I agree I don't want to see all the crap from my "friends" every time I log in to FB. But yeah I like some of the essential oils... grapeseed (edible) oil....

It's no different though from all the other advertisers that spam you all the time. I guess if the MLM seller is respectful of boundaries then it's OK.

To me the difference is that I have no personal connection with the other advertisers. I don't feel as if those advertisers are capitalizing on - or counting on - us being connected to shill their wares. With MLM I feel more pressure to uphold and reinforce our relationship. Like it's pretty irritating to get a party invitation for a friend - then see that the "party" is going to be that person trying to sell me something. Which I will have to buy, because now they are basically telling me they need money.


So here's where I start feeling a little more ambivalent: I am a book author, and I definitely count on my friends and family to turn up at readings and to buy copies of my book. All authors use their personal connections to fill readings and sell books. I'm sure many of my friends and family would be interested in the book even if I didn't write it - but many others would not, and are basically buying the book only because they know me. (My book sells to other people beyond friends and family, too, of course!) I think everyone who sells anything or who has a local business has some amount of this - we count on people we know to support us. So in that sense I am not sure why I feel so strongly about MLMs being crappy.

Anyway, I remember back in the 90s when a woman I knew started doing one of these skincare MLMs. It was sort of fun then. She came over to my house and gave me a facial, and I bought some of her lotion because I liked it. But that was before EVERYONE was selling this sh*t. Same with the first Pampered Chef party I accidentally found myself at. It was novel and sort of fun at the time. It's not anymore. Now it feels like a burden.

Do you expect your friends to recruit other people to buy dozens of copies of your books and pester their friends or family members to purchase them?

[Anonymous]

I dont have the visceral reaction that some here have with MLMs. There re a few that I have liked even thought they were over priced. I liked the Stamping UP parties, I would come home with several cards to send and it was fun doing something and chatting. I likes the pampered chef stuff, while over priced, it has lasted decades. I like the old fashioned Tupperware, I have switched to glass now, but it was practical.

The one that sold jewelry that was crap, I could do without. the wine club ones - are okay for the party, but I dont drink enough wine.

I have never been inundated with them though, I get an invitation about once every five years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please Op, tell us what products are good. Waiting...

I have used my Pampered Chef round pizza stone for over 25 years. It is great.

+100
I HATE mlm, but damn if I don't love that pizza stone!
My mom got it at a party she was guilted into going to & then guilted into making a purchase, so she gave it to me & it's amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are a few MLM products I really like. I agree I don't want to see all the crap from my "friends" every time I log in to FB. But yeah I like some of the essential oils... grapeseed (edible) oil....

It's no different though from all the other advertisers that spam you all the time. I guess if the MLM seller is respectful of boundaries then it's OK.

To me the difference is that I have no personal connection with the other advertisers. I don't feel as if those advertisers are capitalizing on - or counting on - us being connected to shill their wares. With MLM I feel more pressure to uphold and reinforce our relationship. Like it's pretty irritating to get a party invitation for a friend - then see that the "party" is going to be that person trying to sell me something. Which I will have to buy, because now they are basically telling me they need money.


So here's where I start feeling a little more ambivalent: I am a book author, and I definitely count on my friends and family to turn up at readings and to buy copies of my book. All authors use their personal connections to fill readings and sell books. I'm sure many of my friends and family would be interested in the book even if I didn't write it - but many others would not, and are basically buying the book only because they know me. (My book sells to other people beyond friends and family, too, of course!) I think everyone who sells anything or who has a local business has some amount of this - we count on people we know to support us. So in that sense I am not sure why I feel so strongly about MLMs being crappy.

Anyway, I remember back in the 90s when a woman I knew started doing one of these skincare MLMs. It was sort of fun then. She came over to my house and gave me a facial, and I bought some of her lotion because I liked it. But that was before EVERYONE was selling this sh*t. Same with the first Pampered Chef party I accidentally found myself at. It was novel and sort of fun at the time. It's not anymore. Now it feels like a burden.

friends and family generally feel good about supporting endeavors that require your unique talents and skills. Also, at your book reading, you're not pushing your friends to buy more and more copies of the book, AND you're not trying to get them to host their own book party for you. Nor do you tell them that they too can own their own business if they agree to buy $500 worth of your books and sell them at a small profit. The mlm people like to believe they're the same as you, but it's not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please Op, tell us what products are good. Waiting...

I have used my Pampered Chef round pizza stone for over 25 years. It is great.

+100
I HATE mlm, but damn if I don't love that pizza stone!
My mom got it at a party she was guilted into going to & then guilted into making a purchase, so she gave it to me & it's amazing.

I also like some pampered chef items like the pizza stone. There might be other pizza stones out there the same or better but unlike a lot of people here I don’t mind buying them and supporting my friends business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why? Because it’s an entire system set up to take advantage of unsuspecting sellers. It’s a pyramid scheme. Thousands of sellers are lured in with the promise of making it rich. It’s a scam. They put out thousands of dollars in buying the product, only to realize that the market is saturated and anything they sell provides a minimal return on investment.

I don’t want to be a part of that or encourage that.

Not all mlms are like that. I sell Younique. It cost me 99 for a kit of over 300 worth of makeup. I make 25- 30 % on anything I sell and I get paid off my downline. I don’t have to buy anything else if I don’t want. I use my y cash for my makeup. So I get most of my makeup for free. You can make alot of money with Younique if you are willing to work for it. If you want to be in the top 1 % of the company you have to do what the other 99% are too lazy and unwilling to do.

This is the problem. You make your money off your downline, not off of the makeup you sell. A lot of people that joined up under you probably didn't realize that part. I wonder how many of your downline people are making money? How many of the people you have recruited are still selling? Serious questions.

She's not really making money, either. She is basically getting her makeup for free. That's fine, but that's not what a lot of women are looking for -- they're looking to make real money, and it's just not true that all you have to do is hustle more.

It is mathematically impossible to be part of the "top 1%" of sellers if you have more than one or two levels above you in the upline. That means that whether or not you were lied to, you are lying to your downline when you say it's possible. You will literally run out of people to recruit, much less people to buy your products, before you reach those levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for a software company that builds contact management systems for MLM reps. I have spent the past 15 years getting a close look at MLMs, working with top leaders as well as corporate entities.

I would never, ever sign up to be a rep for one of these companies, even to get discounted products.

That said, I have purchased products from a bunch of them with no regrets. The pricing can be competitive because MLM companies don't have to pay $$ for traditional advertising.

Another thing: MLM companies are not all created equal. There are some companies that I feel genuinely want to provide an opportunity for people to make some money working part time. These companies have very low (or no) cost to entry, provide training/tech for their reps, and have good products.

If the majority of your money-making potential comes from recruiting new sellers for your downline, it is a bad company, regardless of the quality of its products or its trainings.

If you can actually make a living just selling good, well-priced products to people who want to buy them, then you are a salesperson for a different kind of company. For example, Usborne products are good (though expensive). I can't tell if their reps can make money without the down line, but they don't pressure people to join when they sell outside of parties, so I kind of assume they must be able to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please Op, tell us what products are good. Waiting...

I have used my Pampered Chef round pizza stone for over 25 years. It is great.

+100
I HATE mlm, but damn if I don't love that pizza stone!
My mom got it at a party she was guilted into going to & then guilted into making a purchase, so she gave it to me & it's amazing.

This right here -- do you imagine your mom's friend could make a living selling a single pizza stone every 25 years?

No. She needs to find ten other people to also guilt every one of their friends into buying a pizza stone, and they have to do it weekly. It's not a reasonable business model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are a few MLM products I really like. I agree I don't want to see all the crap from my "friends" every time I log in to FB. But yeah I like some of the essential oils... grapeseed (edible) oil....

It's no different though from all the other advertisers that spam you all the time. I guess if the MLM seller is respectful of boundaries then it's OK.

To me the difference is that I have no personal connection with the other advertisers. I don't feel as if those advertisers are capitalizing on - or counting on - us being connected to shill their wares. With MLM I feel more pressure to uphold and reinforce our relationship. Like it's pretty irritating to get a party invitation for a friend - then see that the "party" is going to be that person trying to sell me something. Which I will have to buy, because now they are basically telling me they need money.


So here's where I start feeling a little more ambivalent: I am a book author, and I definitely count on my friends and family to turn up at readings and to buy copies of my book. All authors use their personal connections to fill readings and sell books. I'm sure many of my friends and family would be interested in the book even if I didn't write it - but many others would not, and are basically buying the book only because they know me. (My book sells to other people beyond friends and family, too, of course!) I think everyone who sells anything or who has a local business has some amount of this - we count on people we know to support us. So in that sense I am not sure why I feel so strongly about MLMs being crappy.

Anyway, I remember back in the 90s when a woman I knew started doing one of these skincare MLMs. It was sort of fun then. She came over to my house and gave me a facial, and I bought some of her lotion because I liked it. But that was before EVERYONE was selling this sh*t. Same with the first Pampered Chef party I accidentally found myself at. It was novel and sort of fun at the time. It's not anymore. Now it feels like a burden.

Do you expect your friends to recruit other people to buy dozens of copies of your books and pester their friends or family members to purchase them?

This is PP - and yeah, maybe that's the difference. I'm not asking them to go buy dozens of copies of the book to sell to their friends. Though man it would be awesome if they did!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a bunch of spiteful women on this thread. Just bc some of us are running our own businesses whereas you all are just minions at the office.

Shilling for an MLM is not your own business. Hilarious troll.

Not sure if this is a troll or not but people absolutely think this. Lots of new year Facebook posts by MLM sellers thanking folks for supporting their “small business.”

THIS is what drives me insane. Please stop saying you are an "entrepreneur." That is extremely insulting to someone who truly is a small business owner.

I know this woman who seems herself a “financial freedom expert” because she gave up her primary career for MLM businesses. She even gives seminars on it, trying to convince people they’ll have more freedomif they “get off the hamster wheel” to hawk crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please Op, tell us what products are good. Waiting...

I have used my Pampered Chef round pizza stone for over 25 years. It is great.

+100
I HATE mlm, but damn if I don't love that pizza stone!
My mom got it at a party she was guilted into going to & then guilted into making a purchase, so she gave it to me & it's amazing.

My Mom sold Pampered Chef for awhile in the 90s. I’m not a fan of MLMs in general, but it seemed like she really was just selling the products. With the newer ones like Arbonne, R&F, Younique etc. it seems like it’s much more about recruiting others into the scheme using smarmy “FINANCIAL FREEDOM!!!! #momboss #momtrepeneur” blah blah blah tactics than it is actually selling the stuff.

[Anonymous]

MLMs prey on rural and suburban women with limited income options in the name of financial freedom. Many end up broke or worse off than they started. It's gross and exploitative.