mom2scouts Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I really hate how MLM turns perfectly nice people into crazy people. I know a very nice young woman who just had her first baby. She'll probably take the summer off her job because that's the slow period anyway and, I get it, sometimes moms still need to bring in some money. Anyway, right before the baby was born, she started selling some MLM skin products. Instead of just sharing her new baby pictures with all her friends and family, every single one is a picture of the baby that says something like, "I may have kept mom up most of the night, but look how great her skin is!" or "I'm so glad I had these wonderful products for my first bath." After that the post goes on to tell how to buy those wonderful products. Not only does it seem icky to me to use her new baby this way, but I dislike constantly being marketed to. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Except for a select few friends that manage to not let their MLM take over their feed, I mute anyone who starts selling stuff. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I unfollow that the second I see it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyLady Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Hate hate double hate. A (sorta) friend upped her Facebook presence noticeably over the last few months with cute posts about her family. Then started talking about her mlm health journey... yesterday she sent me a pm to share a video about her fab product. I ignored. She sent a second message, so I replied with a “not interested” note. I don’t want to have to unfollow/unfriend, but if she keeps pushing... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I had a close friend who was pushing a certain pink diet drink. I love her and didn't want to offend her, but when she started getting crazy with it I just started reporting the posts as spam. I doubt I was the only person doing it, because about a week after I started reporting all the posts she got a business page for her MLM and STOPPED posting about it except with how it was directly helping her lose weight. I didn't mind the occasional hashtag so I ignored those. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 MLM's target women. They ruin finances, friendships, and marriages for many. I really think we should all say something if people get sucked into them. That said, I get why we mostly don't. It's just always depressing. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 This link seems relevant: 'They have you in a cultish grip': the women losing thousands to online beauty schemes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoeless Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I lost a friend to an mlm-like group that charges high prices for their "personal mastery" seminars. She's spent thousands and thousands of dollars on this organization. I have no idea how she affords it. I suspect one day she will no longer be able to afford these seminars and her entire social network will collapse as a result, (she seems to have dropped everyone not associated with this organization, unless they were willing to cough up the cash for a seminar too). 😞 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, MissLemon said: I lost a friend to an mlm-like group that charges high prices for their "personal mastery" seminars. She's spent thousands and thousands of dollars on this organization. I have no idea how she affords it. I suspect one day she will no longer be able to afford these seminars and her entire social network will collapse as a result, (she seems to have dropped everyone not associated with this organization, unless they were willing to cough up the cash for a seminar too). 😞 Oh, gosh, don't get me started. I know a couple of women who have spent major money on seminars that "changed their lives" and now market them to their friends. Okay, yes, you are more confident now and are doing the things you always dreamed of. Great. Really great. Just stop smiling that fake smile and talk about something else. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaBelle Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I guess I win here because I have no idea what y'all are talking about! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 MLMs are evil. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 I have a friend who is deep into ACN. This was a woman who escaped Amway over a decade before, so she knew what she was getting into. I guess she just has that personality. She's always going to conventions and she never seems to consider these trips to be expenses. She's convinced she's making money. Everyone else I've ever known has faded out of these businesses after an initial annoying phase, then the hard reality of how much money they lost. Also, some MLMs seem less aggressive about turning everyone you know into prey. I've never seen this level of push from an Avon or Tupperware lady! Making money by incessant facebook posting is just not a business plan that works for most people. i get it's usefulness as a marketing tool to get the word out, but when you have nothing of value to back it up, and don't realize that YOU are the real customer, it's just really sad. I'd put this young woman on mute and check in periodically to see if she's given it up yet. Most don't hang in very long and come to their senses eventually. Maybe share this video if you want to be passive aggressive about it. Or send it directly to her if you want to be aggressive aggressive about it. With my friend who has been in a long time, I just cope by seeing her less and learning to say "no" without feeling annoyed about it. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Also, it REALLY annoys me that they seem to believe that they are "business owners" and "entrepreneurs." No, sweety, you are an unwitting customer in someone else's business. At best, you are an underpaid employee. At worst you are actually paying for the privilege of building someone else's business. 10 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 You know what? There are some really nice folks here on this board who are good MLM business owners. I'm not one of them, but I feel badly for them, seeing the title in the OP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said: You know what? There are some really nice folks here on this board who are good MLM business owners. I'm not one of them, but I feel badly for them, seeing the title in the OP. While that may be true (and I even tried a MLM business about 25 years ago), I don't know of anyone who does well with it long term and most people I know who tried it have ended up losing money. It's not a good business model because really making money depends on recruiting people (which saturates the market quickly) or making your friends and family feel obligated to buy products they don't want or like. There are a few MLM companies that have products I like, but the consultants aren't the ones making the money. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 31 minutes ago, mom2scouts said: While that may be true (and I even tried a MLM business about 25 years ago), I don't know of anyone who does well with it long term and most people I know who tried it have ended up losing money. It's not a good business model because really making money depends on recruiting people (which saturates the market quickly) or making your friends and family feel obligated to buy products they don't want or like. There are a few MLM companies that have products I like, but the consultants aren't the ones making the money. I know some longtime Amway and Tupperware and Pampered Chef folks who have made money, have made most of their money through direct sales, and get a lot of repeat customers who are happy to buy from them. I think some companies with pretty good products have this in their favor. Others not so much. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said: You know what? There are some really nice folks here on this board who are good MLM business owners. I'm not one of them, but I feel badly for them, seeing the title in the OP. Personally, I want to see the entire model die out. If everyone knows pretty much everyone hates to be hawked at by their former best friend/SIL/cousin, maybe people will STOP falling prey to these darn companies. I do think there are few companies who are on the low end of exploitative, but that’s mainly the old ones that have been around for decades (Avon, Pampered Chef, Tuperware). Many women get caught up in an absolute SCAM throught direct sales companies. They are required to buy thousands of dollars in inventory and then they get pepped up every week to buy still more inventory. I sold Tupperware for a short while around 1992. It wasn’t a terrible deal, I did make a small amount of money and I got a lot of Tupperware with my kit, which was on sale during that time. But even Tupperware has tight parameters for how you have to operate to remain on active status. You can’t just, for example, keep a catalog in the office breaktoom and place an order from time to time. Badically, badgering people about parties is an integral part of the business model. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Where's the John Oliver video when you need it? Oh, here it is: 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulalu Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 💯 I agree. MLMs are annoying. The worst is the marketing that this brand is the only or 100% pure or what have you. How can one even trust the "reviews"? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 The MLMs are so big in the homeschool circles I’m in. All the stuff is so overpriced. I get that many homeschool families are living on one income and the mom wants to help a bit with the finances. What I don’t get is that no one seems to see that if you would quit buying the overpriced MLM stuff from each other, you wouldn’t need to sell the MLM stuff in the first place. 3 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 On 6/30/2019 at 3:20 PM, Carol in Cal. said: You know what? There are some really nice folks here on this board who are good MLM business owners. I'm not one of them, but I feel badly for them, seeing the title in the OP. I was thinking the same thing, Carol. Just one example — I’m pretty sure Ellie sells Amway products, yet in all of her years here, she has never tried to push her products on anyone or gone out of her way to post Amway-related suggestions when people post threads asking for product recommendations. She is completely low-key about it, and she is even gracious in anti-MLM threads. I think we all resent the pushy MLM salespeople, but there are quite a few who are subtle about it, and I don’t mind them. Mostly, I feel sorry for the people who are desperate for extra income and fall for the get-rich-quick hype espoused by many hard sell MLM companies, only to end up losing a lot of time and money (and friends!) in the end (and probably also have a ton of worthless inventory stacked up in their garage that they can’t even get rid of for pennies on the dollar.) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I have a friend on IG who has taken a few trips courtesy of her MLM. I gather she has quite a sizeable downline, but I don't really know specifics. Anyway, the latest post was something about how she was just a few orders away from earning her next incentive trip and the next 3 people who ordered $50 or more worth of product would get a free gift. I really don't understand how this isn't just asking your friends for money. It seems so crass to me, and yet...it's all over and from people I previously thought to be reasonable and nice. This is not nice. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 2 hours ago, Catwoman said: I was thinking the same thing, Carol. Just one example — I’m pretty sure Ellie sells Amway products, yet in all of her years here, she has never tried to push her products on anyone or gone out of her way to post Amway-related suggestions when people post threads asking for product recommendations. She is completely low-key about it, and she is even gracious in anti-MLM threads. I think we all resent the pushy MLM salespeople, but there are quite a few who are subtle about it, and I don’t mind them. Mostly, I feel sorry for the people who are desperate for extra income and fall for the get-rich-quick hype espoused by many hard sell MLM companies, only to end up losing a lot of time and money (and friends!) in the end (and probably also have a ton of worthless inventory stacked up in their garage that they can’t even get rid of for pennies on the dollar.) That’s all well and good and, like I said, a few of the old companies have parameters that don’t use people to use people to make money for the top. (Also, it is against board rules to hawk products here, so there aren’t any members who would do that and remain members. They may be gracious IRL as well and possibly don’t badger their friends to buy from them, but if they *do* badger their friends IRL, we aren’t going to know it here.) The problem is, many MLM companies do not allow you to be subtle about it. They *require* the consultant to buy thousands of dollars in inventory. They “encourage”, or in some cases, literally demand the consultants buy more inventory. They tell women a bunch of lies about how they can “be home with their kids” and “own their own business.” It’s bull! That’s why I say I would be happy to see the entire model fold. I would like women to stop being exploited like a customer mine. 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Quill said: That’s all well and good and, like I said, a few of the old companies have parameters that don’t use people to use people to make money for the top. (Also, it is against board rules to hawk products here, so there aren’t any members who would do that and remain members. They may be gracious IRL as well and possibly don’t badger their friends to buy from them, but if they *do* badger their friends IRL, we aren’t going to know it here.) The problem is, many MLM companies do not allow you to be subtle about it. They *require* the consultant to buy thousands of dollars in inventory. They “encourage”, or in some cases, literally demand the consultants buy more inventory. They tell women a bunch of lies about how they can “be home with their kids” and “own their own business.” It’s bull! That’s why I say I would be happy to see the entire model fold. I would like women to stop being exploited like a customer mine. Not only that, but the upline consultants strongly encourage when and how their downline peeps post on social media. Did you post a pic of your family or kids today? Did you post a meme of an inspirational quote? Did you post a selfie? Did you post a pic of your newest incentive prize? Are you posting at least once a day? I've gotten so cynical about anyone selling stuff because even when they aren't advertising explicitly (which they aren't supposed to do on their personal pages anyway), there's a very scripted model for how they are supposed to post. Once you see it and recognize the pattern it's hard to unsee and it makes a lot of interactions feel really fake or contrived. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Yeah, I also know people IRL who sell for some of the "better" MLM companies and have happy, small sidelines doing it. But as a model, MLM's are just bad for women overall. I mean, I think Pampered Chef and Amway and some others have good products... but I feel like the harm that MLM's do greatly outweighs the small side incomes that the better ones yield for a few women. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 14 hours ago, lulalu said: 💯 I agree. MLMs are annoying. The worst is the marketing that this brand is the only or 100% pure or what have you. How can one even trust the "reviews"? Given your username, I would have expected a different response. 😄 I know it's not exactly the same as one of the worst MLMs, but pretty close. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I've been listening to The Dream (link to a review) on Stitcher. It's an interesting dive into MLM's and well worth listening to. Although it was created in part by Stitcher, I think it's available on most of the major podcast platforms. https://www.thedream.fm/ (link to the podcast) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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