Multi-Level Marketing?

[Negin]

A friend of mine is crazy about the MLM that she joined a few years ago. I know almost nothing about them and am quite skeptical. Does anyone here have any experience with these or know about them? Pros and cons would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. :)

[DawnM]

I can't stand them!  The people who are really into them push it ad nauseum to their friends and family.  And they think they don't!  That is what really, really bugs me.   I have met very few people who move up the ranks who don't make a huge deal about their "business" every time I talk to them.

 

You should be skeptical.  Very few people actually achieve wealth joining an MLM.  

 

Personally, I HATE sales.  9 times out of 10 it is overpriced and they don't let you just buy the product and go on your merry way, they have to keep telling you to sign up "for the discount" and then hound you to go to this conference and that conference to learn to harass your friends and family to join under you so that the person who signed you up gets more $$.  

 

It starts with, "If you could quit your current job right now and never have to answer to another boss, but make MORE money, wouldn't you?"    

 

Can you tell this is a HUGE sore spot for me?    I could actually go on for a while but my son is singing with the Elem. choir this am so I need to get going to church.

[Chris in VA]

I've sold Discovery Toys, which is mlm. I don't think you have to be obnoxious about it. But I think the best way to make money is to work hard at something you love, using your gifts and talents. :-)

[Tenaj]

In my experience, there are two reasons that people join MLM's:  either to make money or to receive a discount on their own purchases.

 

Making money usually doesn't happen from what I've seen.  I used to have a tax preparation business and I had many clients involved in different MLM businesses.  When it came tax time, there was usually a loss on the MLM (not just a 'tax' loss, but an actually cash loss on the income vs. expenses).  I'm saying usually a loss to be kind but I honestly can't remember anyone who ever made a profit in one of these businesses.    I know that people high up in the chain make money but it doesn't seem to take very long for those profits to disappear as you move down the chain.  When someone gets involved in these businesses the pressure is continually on to invest in promotional, training, and educational materials which eats up any profit that's made.

 

If you are joining because you love the product and just want to get the advantage of the discount, then it's fine.  Just be sure that the minimum order requirements aren't obnoxious because often you are required to purchase a certain amount during certain time periods in order to keep yourself active and that can become a problem also.

[Trish]

It's a Religious Experience.

 

Akin to a cult. A nice, polite cult, of course!

[J-rap]

I know of a lot of people involved in companies like Discovery Toys and Pampered Chef, etc., and they've had great experiences with them and I like their products. However, companies like Amway seem different to me. I've had strange experiences with people who sell their products. There was another thread on here about it recently...

[sparrow]

I think it works very well for certain people, which consists of about 10% of the top money makers in MLMs.  The other 90% will not be quitting their day jobs.  You would really need to believe in your product and market *relentlessly*.  I can't think of anything that I believe in so much that I think everyone needs it and I couldn't get over the knowledge that MLMs really annoy a lot of people.

[Word Nerd]

I really like some of the products that Pampered Chef and other MLM companies make, but I've found similar items elsewhere that cost much less. I dislike the product party model as a rule, as there's always a subtle pressure to buy stuff and host a party of your own even if it's said with a smile and, "No pressure!"

[Plink]

I dislike MLM because it turns my interactions with friends into opportunities for them to attempt to sell me overpriced things I don't need. It has messed up more than one friendship. I don't like MLM at all.

[mamaraby]

In my experience, there are two reasons that people join MLM's: either to make money or to receive a discount on their own purchases.

 

Making money usually doesn't happen from what I've seen. I used to have a tax preparation business and I had many clients involved in different MLM businesses. When it came tax time, there was usually a loss on the MLM (not just a 'tax' loss, but an actually cash loss on the income vs. expenses). I'm saying usually a loss to be kind but I honestly can't remember anyone who ever made a profit in one of these businesses. I know that people high up in the chain make money but it doesn't seem to take very long for those profits to disappear as you move down the chain. When someone gets involved in these businesses the pressure is continually on to invest in promotional, training, and educational materials which eats up any profit that's made.

 

If you are joining because you love the product and just want to get the advantage of the discount, then it's fine. Just be sure that the minimum order requirements aren't obnoxious because often you are required to purchase a certain amount during certain time periods in order to keep yourself active and that can become a problem also.

This.

 

I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and the reality is I made very little money. There was a time that I think Pamperd Chef filled a necessary role for decent kitchen tools, but with the advent of things like Amazon, big name chef lines at discount big box stores, etc I'd say that time has passed. The last show I went to was a bridal shower and the consultant raved about the metal non-stick baking pan and how there was nothing like it. Meh, it was just like the USA Pan I bought on Amazon except for the cost. I paid less than PC was charging.

 

That being said, if you like the product and want the discount (or whatever) then you may want to consider it - just be careful to weigh the costs along with it. If I had it to do over, I never would have let myself be talked into signing up.

[KungFuPanda]

Avon and Pampered Chef don't bother me. Those reps don't seem to lose their minds past the initial excitement phase. However, my Amway and ACN friends have gone Borg. It's creepy and weird. The Shakeology people are getting there too, but they don't try to sell me stuff.

[Lara in Colo]

I belong to one.  I have been a member for two years and I just don't have it in me to irritate everyone I know.

 

I think it is a good company that only sells discounts to other stores (like Walmart and Home Depot)--- so there isn't a "product" to push.

 

I still don't have it in me.

 

People have been burned by so many MLM representatives that the mere mention of looking at one make them frown and squirm,--- I don't want to be viewed as a pariah everywhere I go.

 

Before you join one, even a good one, think if you have a tough enough shell.

 

 

Oh yeah-- I also hate Rah Rah meetings!!  I am sarcastic and moody through the entire meeting and do no one (especially me) any good. 

 

 

[Ellie]

If you're talking about companies like Tupperware, Amway, Longeberger Baskets, Mary Kay, and others, then I don't see a problem. They are technically "direct-sales" businesses. Direct sales can be very profitable. Some people who are distributors (or whatever each company calls its members) are, well, jerks, but that doesn't meant the company itself is bad. If the product is good, and the reward system is decent, those are the most important things.

[VeganCupcake]

I am not a fan. I've watched too many people lose money they couldn't afford to lose buying inventory that no one will buy from them.

 

A year ago, my local NPR station did a show on them because they are so common around me. Here's the link: http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/high-price-multi-level-marketing I found it fascinating. The proportion of people who make money is very, very small.

[blessed3x]

It depends on the company and what you are hoping to get out of it.  MLM is not a bad thing, but there are those who go in with high expectations and talk to everyone about it, killing those relationships and making them about xyz products and then blame the company. It wasn't the company.  

All MLM is is taking out the middle man = stores. 

 

I am a part of a MLM and love it. I have used the products for over 10 years and will continue. I love the company and believe in the products.

With that said, I don't go out 'selling'. When I hear a friend or acquaintance who has a need that I could possibly help, I offer to show her the products. That is it. Some have used them, many have thanked me, others have said 'No thank you'. All are fine with me.  Your attitude and making sure you are in it for the right reason (ie: helping others, not focusing on yourself) is a big difference.  You cannot go into MLM and change your relationships or expect them to support your business. My friends are my friends first. If they want to use this product and I can help them, that is fine. But they will always be friends first.

 

I also support friends who sell with other companies, but only when I really need and like the products. I still love Pampered Chef stoneware.  :)

[mamaraby]

If you're talking about companies like Tupperware, Amway, Longeberger Baskets, Mary Kay, and others, then I don't see a problem. They are technically "direct-sales" businesses. Direct sales can be very profitable. Some people who are distributors (or whatever each company calls its members) are, well, jerks, but that doesn't meant the company itself is bad. If the product is good, and the reward system is decent, those are the most important things.

I'd still classify the ones you mention as MLM. Direct Sales...MLM....from where I sit they look and function the same way. With Pampered Chep specifically, there's an incredible push to both recruit so that you establish a down line and then earn money for your director and the people above her. While you can make some money just selling goods for a company like PC, all of the top earners are at the Director level and above and if you don't have a down line, you're talking needing to either host a ridiculous number of shows in a month or have some very rich friends.

 

From what I understand Mary Kay isn't any different (www.pinktruth.com). My mom sold Mary Kay back in the day and had a similar experience to my Pampered Chef one.

 

I also think the whole "it depends on the person" or "that was just a small group of people" excuses are a cop-out.

[Pawz4me]

I stay as far away from MLM people as possible.  I had an uncle who was into Shaklee for years.  What a pain he became! Ugh. Thankfully he finally wised up and walked away from it and became a normal human again.  Same thing happened to one of DH's friends with Amway.  We had to drop that friendship.  My experience is that they're typical of the gung-ho types who really get hooked.  But I think most people just dab a toe in, realize it's (1) not going to be a money-maker and (2) that they're alienating friends and family, and they quickly step away.  I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if the MLM products were anything special.  But IME they're not, and are often inferior to many products I could walk into Target or WalMart and buy w/o being pestered.

[Ellie]

They are "direct sales" because choose their customers personally and for their own businesses, as opposed to inside sales, where they work for someone else and they are given leads to contact.

 

People involved in direct sales aren't doing anything different than your local retail store, which is just a distributor for Proctor and Gamble or whoever. P&G does all the marketing--i.e., endless advertisements in print and on television; the retailers buy the product from the manufacturers and sell it to the consumer.

 

Every direct sales company has a different marketing plan, not all of which require parties. They do require distributors/reps/whatever to talk to lots of people some way, since they don't do the advertising that Proctor and Gamble and the others do.

 

Of course you need to recruit or sponsor new distributors, unless you want to come up with your own product to market. Direct sales companies provide the product and the business plan, rather than each individual coming up with his own product and business plan.  I don't have a problem with that, and I don't understand you "cop-out" comment. :confused1:

[LucyStoner]

I pretty much don't think it is ever appropriate to leverage personal relationships for sales, especially for non-unique or mass marketed mostly made in the third world goods. Most MLM or "direct sales" businesses expect/rely on you to sell to your "circle of influence". Outside of kids selling cookies or popcorn or whatever, I have a very low tolerance for it. If I want a sunscreen or a spatula or a case of soap or a basket, I can go to a shop or my computer and find what I need. I rarely buy durable goods new. I don't want to look at your catalog because the truth is that I either don't need the stuff being sold or if I do I can get a reasonable facsimile for it for $2 at the thrift store. The things I do buy new, I find them. On my own, thank you. I want my friends and acquaintances to stay my friends and acquaintances, not become my doodads supplier. Beyond a friend or two who has a sign up to sell honey or duck eggs or a kids fundraiser (where I prefer to just give than buy) I don't shop from friends.

[mamaraby]

Of course you need to recruit or sponsor new distributors, unless you want to come up with your own product to market. Direct sales companies provide the product and the business plan, rather than each individual coming up with his own product and business plan. I don't have a problem with that, and I don't understand you "cop-out" comment. :confused1:

It wasn't directed to you, but another poster who insisted that the issue was only with certain people and not with the company or business plan as a whole.

 

My point is that even companies like Tupperware, Pampered Chef, et al that you classify as "Direct Sales" to the exclusion of the "other" ones makes a false distinction. They are the same thing. The examples you're giving in the last post would be single level marketing. You are comparing apples and oranges.

 

Not that Wikipedia is the be all, end all of sources, but their bit on MLMs explains the distinction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing) and why Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, and Pampered Chef are MLMs with all of the potential pitfalls to go with it.

[Ellie]

It wasn't directed to you, but another poster who insisted that the issue was only with certain people and not with the company or business plan as a whole.

 

My point is that even companies like Tupperware, Pampered Chef, et al that you classify as "Direct Sales" to the exclusion of the "other" ones makes a false distinction. They are the same thing. The examples you're giving in the last post would be single level marketing. You are comparing apples and oranges.

 

Not that Wikipedia is the be all, end all of sources, but their bit on MLMs explains the distinction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing) and why Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, and Pampered Chef are MLMs with all of the potential pitfalls to go with it.

 

I haven't "excluded" Tupperware, Pampered Chef, et all from any other similar company. I have differentiated between Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Amway, Shaklee, Longaberger, Creative Memories, Meleulaca (sorry--not sure how to spell it!), all of which are direct sales and have "multiple levels," and businesses like Proctor and Gamble, or from companies that sell insurance or other goods/services and which have employees who are paid some sort of salary for following leads--inside sales. 

 

And you're right--Wikipedia is not the be-all and end-all of sources. If I wanted to know about individual direct-sales companies, I would read their own literature and talk to distributors/reps/whatever-they-call-themselves, and decide whether or not I like their products or services, and how the sales process is supposed to go. Direct sales can be very profitable, but it takes lots of work, and that's the major downfall.

[Mrs Mungo]

I know a lot of military wives who do MLM as a way to get to know people. In most military neighborhoods (or neighborhoods populated heavily with military people) that I have lived in there are lots of these "party" opportunities. It is a way for people to get together and get to know each other. It is a way for SAHMs to get out in the veening anf maybe make a little pocket money. One year that the vast majority of husbands on my street were deployed (there were 2 out of 20 husbands at home, one of those was an elderly retired man) we rotated houses monthly for a PC party. It was fun. We used a single consultant, she probably made at least a little money off of us and one of us went on to be a consultant herself. But, I do agree that there are a lot more kitchen products out there now than there were then.

 

I see PC, Tupperware, Thirty-One, etc as different than companies like Amway. When you are invited to a PC party, you *know* you are going to a PC party. If you don't want to go, then just decline the invite. Amway people, on the other hand, invite you over to "dinner" and in reality you are trapped in a sales pitch.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

And you're right--Wikipedia is not the be-all and end-all of sources. If I wanted to know about individual direct-sales companies, I would read their own literature and talk to distributors/reps/whatever-they-call-themselves, and decide whether or not I like their products or services, and how the sales process is supposed to go. Direct sales can be very profitable, but it takes lots of work, and that's the major downfall.

 

While I agree it's not the be all and end all, Wikipedia is pretty accurate. This old study showed that it's on a par with Encyclopedia Britannica. It also has people questioning when an entry appears inaccurate, or when it seems to be biased either for or against the subject. 

 

I would not count on the biased website of a particular MLM to give me objective information.

 

As to the OP, I sold both Avon and Princess House at different times in my life. I'm not a sales person, and had a hard time with it. I did start to make money in Avon when I got a downline, but it also required much more of my time. The reason I was selling it was to give me more time with my then toddler, but I was spending time dropping off books, delivering orders, and taking phone calls at all hours from my downline. (This was before you could order online from a specific Avon rep.). I gave it up, not because it was a scam, but because 1) Sales is not a good fit for my personality, and 2) I wasn't willing to put in the time required to make good money. I never asked my friends to buy either product from me.

[Ellie]

I see PC, Tupperware, Thirty-One, etc as different than companies like Amway. When you are invited to a PC party, you *know* you are going to a PC party. If you don't want to go, then just decline the invite. Amway people, on the other hand, invite you over to "dinner" and in reality you are trapped in a sales pitch.

 

From a business perspective, PC, Tupperware, Thirty-one, etc., are exactly the same as Amway, Shaklee, and so on. That some Amway (or other) distributors are tacky enough to invite people to their homes for dinner and trap them into sales pitches is a separate issue. That particular method is not recommended by the company.

[Mrs Mungo]

From a business perspective, PC, Tupperware, Thirty-one, etc., are exactly the same as Amway, Shaklee, and so on. That some Amway (or other) distributors are tacky enough to invite people to their homes for dinner and trap them into sales pitches is a separate issue. That particular method is not recommended by the company.

I have been told that Amway does tell people that they shouldn't tell people they are being invited to an Amway meeting. Over the course of our twenty year marriage, we have received a handful of invites for dinner that turned out to be Amway or insurance related, a TON of "exciting business opportunity meetings" (*always* Amway) and never, ever have we ever been directly invited to an event that had the word "Amway" anywhere in the invite.

 

By contrast, I have never, ever received a PC or ThirtyOne invite that didn't say exactly what it was.

[Miss Peregrine]

From a business perspective, PC, Tupperware, Thirty-one, etc., are exactly the same as Amway, Shaklee, and so on. That some Amway (or other) distributors are tacky enough to invite people to their homes for dinner and trap them into sales pitches is a separate issue. That particular method is not recommended by the company.

This the only way I have ever been introduced to Amway. At least 5 times. And no one will tell you ahead of time the name of the company. It's an " opportunity."

[PrairieSong]

Once an old roommate of mine from my single days called me out of the blue. We'd attended each other's weddings, but then lived in different states and lost touch.  I was SO happy to hear from her!  But then...she asked if she and her husband could come down and talk to us about "a business opportunity".  She didn't want to tell me at first what it was, but I got it out of her.  Amway.  Just left a bad taste in my mouth.  Never talked to her again.

 

I've known other people involved in Amway or other MLMs who eventually give it up.  Think about it.  To make decent money, you have to be high up in the pyramid with a LOT of people underneath you.  You have to constantly be scouting new recruits who will be lower down than you are.  No thanks.  It's not for me.

 

If you just want to make a little extra money selling Pampered Chef or something, then maybe, but I agree that many of these products are overpriced because some of the money has to go upline into the pyramid.  

[Miss Peregrine]

I have been told that Amway does tell people that they shouldn't tell people they are being invited to an Amway meeting. Over the course of our twenty year marriage, we have received a handful of invites for dinner that turned out to be Amway or insurance related, a TON of "exciting business opportunity meetings" (*always* Amway) and never, ever have we ever been directly invited to an event that had the word "Amway" anywhere in the invite.

 

By contrast, I have never, ever received a PC or ThirtyOne invite that didn't say exactly what it was.

I posted before I saw yours. :) Same experience.

[Lady Florida.]

I have been told that Amway does tell people that they shouldn't tell people they are being invited to an Amway meeting. Over the course of our twenty year marriage, we have received a handful of invites for dinner that turned out to be Amway or insurance related, a TON of "exciting business opportunity meetings" (*always* Amway) and never, ever have we ever been directly invited to an event that had the word "Amway" anywhere in the invite.

 

 

This the only way I have ever been introduced to Amway. At least 5 times. And no one will tell you ahead of time the name of the company. It's an " opportunity."

Wow, that's just awful. Although I've heard of (and read about) both Amway and Shaklee, I've never personally known anyone who sold either. I guess I should be glad. I can't imagine treating friends, either old or new friends, like that.

[VeganCupcake]

I've started seeing people posting on Facebook that they are looking for people who want to work from home, and they don't come right out and say what they would be doing. It turns out that it's often Melaleuca, though it's going by another name? I wish I could remember what they're calling themselves. They say there's no selling involved, but that they're "running their own business."

 

ETA: I looked up some of my acquaintances' old posts, and it's called Enhancing Lives at Home.

[unfrumpable.]

I did Amway briefly once. They definitely highly encourage you to dig up any and all phone numbers you may have. It doesn't matter if you haven't talked to someone in years or not. I never did that because I was not comfortable with it, but I did take my best friend and my mom to a meeting. They both thought I was nutty and it eventually faded away.

 

The pitch I received was that I was already buying all these items anyways (toiletries, groceries, etc) why not buy them from myself and make some money doing it? Well, I am also a bargain type shopper and a price checker. These same items I was already buying less expensively at the grocery store. Meh. Not for me.

[LucyStoner]

The look I give people who want to share a "business opportunity" with me usually sends people running.  I have only ever been to 2 Amway presentations.  One was so inappropriate that it was a totally surreal experience.  I must assume/hope most agents don't resort to pitching relatives while visiting their hospitalized comatose mother/wife/sister.   The other one was a total out of left field "gotcha" that was held out to be a social gathering.  We left immediately.  That couple is not part of our social circle anymore.  Those two examples don't leave me with a good impression.  Most sellers are barely breaking even or even posting losses per the stories and lawsuits I have seen.  

 

MLM and direct sales are really not all that different than flat out pyramid schemes.  Some companies are barely skating the bounds of the law and more than a few MLM have been successfully sued or have settled big class actions from sellers. 

[Ellie]

I have been told that Amway does tell people that they shouldn't tell people they are being invited to an Amway meeting. Over the course of our twenty year marriage, we have received a handful of invites for dinner that turned out to be Amway or insurance related, a TON of "exciting business opportunity meetings" (*always* Amway) and never, ever have we ever been directly invited to an event that had the word "Amway" anywhere in the invite.

 

By contrast, I have never, ever received a PC or ThirtyOne invite that didn't say exactly what it was.

 

Some distributors tell their down-lines that it is a good idea to do it this way, but that does NOT come from the company itself.

[DawnM]

I have a relative who lost his HOUSE.

 

Of course he made a very unwise decision and we all know it, but I felt they preyed on him.  It made me mad.

 

Dawn

 

 

I am not a fan. I've watched too many people lose money they couldn't afford to lose buying inventory that no one will buy from them.

 

A year ago, my local NPR station did a show on them because they are so common around me. Here's the link: http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/high-price-multi-level-marketing I found it fascinating. The proportion of people who make money is very, very small.

 

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I have a FB book friend who is into that ViSalus weight-loss shakes MLM. She has drunk the Kool-Aid and completely gone off the deep end. Every. Single. Post. she makes is about "following your dreams" and "believing in yourself". Then she'll do the "if you want to lose weight and get healthy blah blah blah" post and people will ask, but she will NOT post details- she just says, "I'll msg you", "sending you a message". People are getting sucked in left and right.

 

But it's so dumb! You can't live on meal replacement shakes forever, and the minute you get off of them, you gain all the weight back, plus some. Plus, the shakes come in flavors like butterfinger, Oreo and Reese's... How healthy can they be???

 

I make a smoothie that we love with frozen organic berries, unsweetened coconut milk, almond butter and plain Greek yogurt that I'm sure could be used the same way- but is not full of soy and chemicals, nor do you pay through the nose for them and depend on a consultant to get them.

 

Can you tell it's been grating on my nerves for a while? Lol!

 

Lately she's been putting out the "we feel so blessed to be a part of such an awesome movement to get people healthy AND get paid to do it, blah blah blah, we care so much about our family and friends that we want them to have the same opportunities- don't miss out on this once in a lifetime adventure- blah blah blah" posts. And people are jumping all over it! I just can't believe people don't recognize that as, "we are being pressured to recruit people under us, so please sign on".

 

It just boggles my mind.

[magnificent_baby]

I have a FB book friend who is into that ViSalus weight-loss shakes MLM. She has drunk the Kool-Aid and completely gone off the deep end. Every. Single. Post. she makes is about "following your dreams" and "believing in yourself". Then she'll do the "if you want to lose weight and get healthy blah blah blah" post and people will ask, but she will NOT post details- she just says, "I'll msg you", "sending you a message". People are getting sucked in left and right.

 

But it's so dumb! You can't live on meal replacement shakes forever, and the minute you get off of them, you gain all the weight back, plus some. Plus, the shakes come in flavors like butterfinger, Oreo and Reese's... How healthy can they be???

 

I make a smoothie that we love with frozen organic berries, unsweetened coconut milk, almond butter and plain Greek yogurt that I'm sure could be used the same way- but is not full of soy and chemicals, nor do you pay through the nose for them and depend on a consultant to get them.

 

Can you tell it's been grating on my nerves for a while? Lol!

 

Lately she's been putting out the "we feel so blessed to be a part of such an awesome movement to get people healthy AND get paid to do it, blah blah blah, we care so much about our family and friends that we want them to have the same opportunities- don't miss out on this once in a lifetime adventure- blah blah blah" posts. And people are jumping all over it! I just can't believe people don't recognize that as, "we are being pressured to recruit people under us, so please sign on".

 

It just boggles my mind.

 I have two FB friends that post this very thing multiple times a day. I hid them from my feed. Very annoying! 

[texasmama]

The latest cult-like MLM I've experienced is Limu. I've been harassed (not too strong a term) by two people about this product so far. It was over the top pushiness by both people. One incident was by a coworker. Ugh.

 

Bring on Mary Kay and Pampered Chef and Avon! Some of the rest truly seem like a cult. An uncle who was on the inside of Amway at one point describes it as such.

[KungFuPanda]

Some distributors tell their down-lines that it is a good idea to do it this way, but that does NOT come from the company itself.

Miss Manners is an Amway apologist?!? I just don't know how to feel about this. I need to take some time to gather my thoughts.

[Ellie]

Miss Manners is an Amway apologist?!? I just don't know how to feel about this. I need to take some time to gather my thoughts.

 

:smilielol5:

[KungFuPanda]

Miss Manners is an Amway apologist?!? I just don't know how to feel about this. I need to take some time to gather my thoughts.

 

 

 

:smilielol5:

AND she thinks it's funny !?!

 

If anyone needs me I'll be laying down with a cold cloth on my head trying to make sense of the world.

[wingedradical]

"How to use the people you meet and their health and financial insecurities for a business opportunity" is how I think of them.

 

Although, I agree that things like pampered chef and probably Discovery Toys (I've never been to one of those) seem different. At least you have the opportunity to say, "No, I'm not interested in the party" instead of having someone tell you they'd like to invite you over for dinner and when you get there, they bring out the Amway or Herbal Life materials.

 

And try being chronically ill --everyone from Shaklee to Herbal Life to Melaleuca to Amway to any number of other companies has the cure (which the AMA, your doctor and every other cured patient has hitherto kept from you) and if you don't buy my product, you just don't want to get well.

 

Can you tell I feel strongly? 

 

I would not say that every person who sells the products is a user of people, but they're ignorantly associating with the practices of those who do.

[Negin]

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies. 

 

I am very skeptical. The MLM that my friend is involved in is product that she networks mainly through Facebook - no shows and parties that I know of. I'm not the pushy sales-person type, particularly through Facebook. She's recently quit her day job. I just googled the brand she's pushing and I saw that the company's being investigated, etc. 

It's a Religious Experience.

 

Akin to a cult. A nice, polite cult, of course!

Trish, love this. :D

 

The products tend to be overpriced (IMO because the business model seems to include as many middlemen as possible). That makes the products less attractive.

 

If you're looking at one, ask yourself,

How much of this would I really want to buy?

How would my friends/family/neighbors appreciate these products and prices compared to what they can already buy in stores and online?

Is my area already saturated with salespeople for this company?

 

If what you're selling is essentially the same as items available cheaper elsewhere (Target, Amazon, wherever), you can't compete and you won't turn a profit. 

So helpful and I love the list. 

 

I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and the reality is I made very little money. 

A good friend of mine had the exact same experience with PC. We both love the stoneware, but she left PC because she didn't believe in pushing all their other products which are cheaper elsewhere. 

 

Before you join one, even a good one, think if you have a tough enough shell.

 

 

Oh yeah-- I also hate Rah Rah meetings!!  I am sarcastic and moody through the entire meeting and do no one (especially me) any good. 

Laura, no, I don't have a tough shell. And your description of being sarcastic and moody - a girl afte after my own heart. You made me smile with that. 

 

I have a FB book friend who is into that ViSalus weight-loss shakes MLM. She has drunk the Kool-Aid and completely gone off the deep end. Every. Single. Post. she makes is about "following your dreams" and "believing in yourself". 

Yes, I have a very good friend pushing this same exact product. Same exact posts. I put her posts on "Hide" since the posts drive me bonkers. 

 

Can you tell this is a HUGE sore spot for me?    I could actually go on for a while but my son is singing with the Elem. choir this am so I need to get going to church.

Dawn, your reply goes along with how I feel, except you know far more about them than I.  

Hope your son's singing went well. :)

[WishboneDawn]

I have been told that Amway does tell people that they shouldn't tell people they are being invited to an Amway meeting. Over the course of our twenty year marriage, we have received a handful of invites for dinner that turned out to be Amway or insurance related, a TON of "exciting business opportunity meetings" (*always* Amway) and never, ever have we ever been directly invited to an event that had the word "Amway" anywhere in the invite.

 

By contrast, I have never, ever received a PC or ThirtyOne invite that didn't say exactly what it was.

My husband and I were involved in Amway for a very short period of time. We were told not to mention it was answer ("because people have preconceived notions about it.") and we're also told that off friends found out it was Amway and then did not want to hear the pitch then maybe they weren't really our friends.

 

It's what Amway does and it's not defensible.

[WishboneDawn]

Some distributors tell their down-lines that it is a good idea to do it this way, but that does NOT come from the company itself.

It may not officially but it's ingrained in Amway culture and that's because the company has very little interest in discouraging it beyond having a bit off plausible deniability. It was there when my parents sold it decades ago and there when my husband and I briefly tried it ten years ago.