Reply to 'Fess up...if you sell for mlm companies, give us the dirt

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My rebuke has always been: if the product is so great, why don't they sell it in retail stores like all other products? You don't see Tide or Coke or Sony selling through MLMs.[/quote]

Actually, they did sell in retail stores (Nordstrom and few other high end department stores for quite a few years and pulled out 5 years ago to do direct sales. Products did very well, but their numbers skyrocketed when they cut out the wholesalers. Obv. as you can imagine, consultants use and sell products and it's much more lucrative not having a middle man. In meantime, lots of people can make extra $ and do a much better job of selling their products since we are using them ourselves!

This is the straight dope.  MLM'ers really couldn't care less about selling the product.  The main focus is selling you the dream and growing their "team" a.k.a. their downline.  I had some run-ins with an assortment of MLMs that were often booking conferences at a hotel I worked at long ago.  I couldn't stand the sleaze and constant pitches, so I did some digging and found out the real truth.  Ever since then it's basically been my life's mission to shout the truth from the rooftops whenever I get the chance.

Selling Tupperware, Avon, and Mary Kay as a side-gig and for the discounts are the only MLMs that I really can't frown on.  Tupperware and Avon make terrific products, but selling it full-time isn't going to put you on the path to early retirement.

It's insane how fast these things start up and then fizzle out, only to pop up again in another form to sucker in more sheep.  The skeeziest off the top of my head...Amway, NuSkin,  Pre-Paid Legal/Legal Shield, Nerium, Herbalife, IT works, Juice Plus, Advocare, Monavie, those guy parties with the grilled meats, Scentsy, Stella&Dot, the utility bill discount MLM (like wth? how does this even work?) and the granddaddy of failures=WakeUpNow (true entertainment in the misfortunes of others as told by Ira Glass: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/543/wake-up-now)

SCAMS...EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!  If you're getting into an MLM "at the ground floor opportunity", it's already too late.  You will not make money!

A friendly alert on how to spot an MLM:
#1 You have to pay something to get the privilege to sell...SCAM!
#2 You find yourself "recruiting" instead of actually selling...SCAM!
#3 You are told that the standard U.S. corporate structure is a pyramid scheme itself (entry-level workers, supervisors, managers, CEO/CFO)...SCAM!
#4 You hear "It's not a pyramid scheme!  It's an MLM because there's a product to sell!" ...SCAM!
#5 You can buy an equivalent product right off the shelf at Target...SCAM!
#6 You're introduced to someone who drives a shiny Benz, but can't come up with two nickels to rub together...SCAM!

If you're the first to sell a product in your area, you will make a little money at the start but it'll quickly dry up as the real money is growing your team...but then you'll basically be stealing the pennies earned by whoever else joins your team (if that ever even happens).  If you want to give it a try, do some research.  The very first step in researching should always be putting "[i]generic MLM company[/i] + scam" in a google search and seeing what turns up...you may be surprised that not everyone is happy in MLM-land

If you ever make it public that you sell for an MLM (which you pretty much have to do constantly), the smarter people of this world will look down on you, tag you as a dummy, and may even have a little pity.  Be a smarter person.

Lastly, any friends you have who aren't idiots will hate you.  That's reason enough to never start.  DON'T BE A SUCKER!

Great reads if you still aren't convinced:  
http://www.cockeyed.com/workfromhome/workfromhome_s.html

http://www.cockeyed.com/workfromhome/epilogue/unsuccessful/unsuccessful2005.html

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