Easy.
My buddy got into Amway, basically because he started dating a woman who was doing Amway. He brought her over to the house without putting a double-layer bag over her head OR warning us that a Medusa was entering the room. I swear, heinous was an understatement. Ever heard of an ugly stick? They used her face to temper it. And her face was attractive compared to her nasty, money-grubbing, snotty personality. My friends figure she must have been in the trailer hitch chrome removal business on the side.
Poor guy tried to get every one of our crew to buy in to the scheme about 10 years ago. He invited me up under the "business opportunity" pretense and gave me a presentation at his apartment - thankfully without the Amwitch being present. Showed me a graph with no scale and no data source and said "See how well this system works?" Mentioned all kinds of companies that they "deal with" but never mentioned Amway once. So I listened, then went to go drain the lizard. Saw Amway this, Amway that, Amway the other thing on the 15 foot walk from his kitchen to the bathroom. On the way out to go hit the bar I said "Why didn't you say it was Amway?" "Well, we're not supposed to use the name." "Why the hell would you join up then???" Shrugs.
I swear, one of these days I'm gonna take an Amway tape and splice in some midget porn, rewind it, then return it.
I had the same thing happen when I was looking at magazines as well. Some dude started talking to me and telling me about Quixtar. I tried getting out of the conversation and then he says he's a cop so I'm forced to listen awhile longer and tell him I'll talk to him about it later. Needless to say I got out of them as soon as possible and never talked to the guy again.Near the end of college at the start of my job search, I was solicited by some guy while reading some books at a barnes & noble. One of the books in my stack was a resume/cover letter book and I guess he spotted that. The guy said something vague and mentioned something about start ups and business opportunities. He mentioned he used to be an engineer and made it sound like it was a tech related start up. The guy gave me his card, which had no business affiliation on it, and had me send a resume later. Then more red flags came. The guy wanted me to go over to his place for an interview and wouldn't tell me what the company or position was. By then I figured out that this was either some sort of MLM scheme or he wanted to have gay secks. Neither of which was good.
I might have you beat.I was involved in a singles group at church. This one chick - attractive but not smoking hot - starts talking to me. Nothing pushy, just getting to know you kind of stuff. She even started flirting with me while we're having a movie night at somebody's house. I'm thinking, "chick digs me, this could go somewhere." Later on, she asks to come over and see me But would I also want to listen to a tape as well. I plug in the car stereo at lunch one day and... :X So she shows up on the appointed day with beefalo dude (weighing as much as me but six inches shorter) in tow. He's trying his best to sell me on the Amway, but I'm focusing in on her 'cause I'm still in denial at this point. As he's hitting all of his talking points, she's nodding and smiling right on cue and still being slightly flirtatious. At some point, I say, "This is a ponzi scheme." Beefalo hotly denies this and chicks feigns horror. Seeing that this won't get me anywhere, I get ignorant and make it uncomfortable for them so they leave. I never see the chick at all ever again. I think I still have the rope burn on my neck from where I tried to hang myself shortly afterwards. But that's not the whole story...What really sucks is that my future wife was sitting beside me during the movie night and saw this chick flirting with me and me responding. My future wife goes home that night thinking she's got no shot with me now since I'm playing ball with this other girl. Every once in a while she reminds me of that.Easy.My buddy got into Amway, basically because he started dating a woman who was doing Amway. He brought her over to the house without putting a double-layer bag over her head OR warning us that a Medusa was entering the room. I swear, heinous was an understatement. Ever heard of an ugly stick? They used her face to temper it. And her face was attractive compared to her nasty, money-grubbing, snotty personality. My friends figure she must have been in the trailer hitch chrome removal business on the side.Poor guy tried to get every one of our crew to buy in to the scheme about 10 years ago. He invited me up under the "business opportunity" pretense and gave me a presentation at his apartment - thankfully without the Amwitch being present. Showed me a graph with no scale and no data source and said "See how well this system works?" Mentioned all kinds of companies that they "deal with" but never mentioned Amway once. So I listened, then went to go drain the lizard. Saw Amway this, Amway that, Amway the other thing on the 15 foot walk from his kitchen to the bathroom. On the way out to go hit the bar I said "Why didn't you say it was Amway?" "Well, we're not supposed to use the name." "Why the hell would you join up then???" Shrugs. I swear, one of these days I'm gonna take an Amway tape and splice in some midget porn, rewind it, then return it.
Maybe seeing you with the other girl made your wife want you all the more? She should be thanking you for giving her the extra bit of inspiration to throw herself at you.What really sucks is that my future wife was sitting beside me during the movie night and saw this chick flirting with me and me responding. My future wife goes home that night thinking she's got no shot with me now since I'm playing ball with this other girl. Every once in a while she reminds me of that.
Well, the MLM scheme definately wouldn't have been good Daddy.By then I figured out that this was either some sort of MLM scheme or he wanted to have gay secks. Neither of which was good.
What was he gonna do? Bust you for "Obstruction of BS"?I tried getting out of the conversation and then he says he's a cop so I'm forced to listen awhile longer...
I've never participated in any of these Ponzi schemes and have no interest, but I've got a friend whose parents do Amway full time, own a huge house, make tons of money. They've got a whole huge network under them though, and I'm sure these stories are the rare exception.BTW they are about the genuinely nicest people I've ever met, and they have never asked me or any of our other friends to join up.Politician Spock said:Didn't Dateline or one of those types of shows expose that even those at the highest level of the chain only make about $30-40K off of the network marketing of the products and services? I seem to recall that they found that the real money is made by the sale of motivational books by those authorized by the company to write "company approved" motivational books (only a limited few are "authorized"). The company then writes the author a check based on how many books were sold and these are the checks that they use to say "Do what I do and you too can get checks like this".
A couple of guys from my work were into that one many years ago, tried to get me to buy etc. but I declined and they got all pissed.During college I went to the training deal for Cutco... Selling a stupid knife set. The minute they wanted me to hit up my family and friends I took off.I got involved with one that was called World Marketing Alliance, which billed itself as financial consultants. You had to be Series 6 and Series 63 certified, then you would "hire" people under you. Then you had to get 5 people (they pushed you to get family members) to buy (invest) in Variable Universal Life Ins.(VUL) your upline would get all the commissions, while you had to hire people then get them to get 5 people to buy the life ins, THEN you would receive commissions.
I had just lost my job due to being downsized and was vulnerable. I had been in the same field for 18yrs and the guy hooked me, I basically swallowed the hook. Wife agreed and off we went.
Only hired 5 people as everyone was leery, but those 5 never hired anyone and it was an endless vicious circle.
My "boss" was driving a Lexus and making a ton of cash, he was a great salesman. Everyone on the ground floor made all the cash while us poor saps found people to keep making them richer.
We ended up having to sell our house that WE built, sell our cars, and we also spent pretty much all of our 401k's before we finally bailed, and eventually had to fie bankruptcy, That was, outside of my fathers death, the single worst day in my life, it almost broke me.
We were talked into buying nice cars, computers, going on trips to conventions.... The whole shootin' match, only to have our world crumble.
I went back to working a real job and we slowly started to recover. How I'm still married I don't know. The partying, etc was a great life, but it was all a facade. I know a guy who lasted a year longer than I did, and they broke him too.
6 years later we are still in an apt. but are close to getting a home again. I now own my own (Legit) business as well as working a day job.
Yea MLM's suck.
My wife just went to a "meeting"Never heard of this juiceplusI dated a girl for awhile who was big into JuicePlus. This is a glorified vitamin system that claims they get over 30 raw fruits and vegetables into one tiny pill.She tried to convert me but I wasn't having any of it. I tried to reason with her the impossibility of getting 30 whole vegetables in pill form, but she wouldn't budge.I did some research on the company and discovered the president had previously been indicted for fraud with a similar pill. Needless to say, this relationship didn't last long. Girl was
prudeNear the end of college at the start of my job search, I was solicited by some guy while reading some books at a barnes & noble. One of the books in my stack was a resume/cover letter book and I guess he spotted that. The guy said something vague and mentioned something about start ups and business opportunities. He mentioned he used to be an engineer and made it sound like it was a tech related start up. The guy gave me his card, which had no business affiliation on it, and had me send a resume later. Then more red flags came. The guy wanted me to go over to his place for an interview and wouldn't tell me what the company or position was. By then I figured out that this was either some sort of MLM scheme or he wanted to have gay secks. Neither of which was good.
This just sounds like normal life.A few talented people make the big bucks while the rest end up killing themselves just so they can fake that they are really rich and happy and until it all comes crumbling down around them.
If you are a decent salesperson with above average skills, you will make significantly more money working in Sales for a legitimate company than you ever will in a MLM company.I've learned the way MLM companies want you to 'build your business' is wrong. Look up "The 7 great lies of MLM".
The big thing I learned is not everyone is a salesperson. You need to be a salesperson if you are to succeed in MLM. End of discussion.
Or so the elitists and anti-MLM'ers try to say. I'm currently 'experimenting' with something. My 'theory' is not to enlist friends or family. Heck, none of my friends or family know I'm involved with this. I only talk to sales people about the 'opportunity'. There are many sales people(real estate agents for one!) that are looking to make money somehow. A sales person with the right product can do pretty well. By 'right product' I mean something that cannot be bought at Walmart. All these people running around trying to sell vitamins or eye liner are fighting an uphill battle. My product can be seen in my sig.
Have people under you who know how to sell. Thats my plan.
Hey, Buddy, I'm sending you a PM.. You free tonight?Nothing cheesier than trying to sell to your friends and family.Embarassing.
What time does the Quixtar meeting start?I'll bring a 12 pack and a blank check. Will you still be my friend if I don't buy anything?Hey, Buddy, I'm sending you a PM.. You free tonight?Nothing cheesier than trying to sell to your friends and family.Embarassing.
I'd say No. This same neighbor already thru a Jewlery party - no harm in buying some $20.00 bracelet... She also thru a "Sell your gold" party - No harm in getting rid of that Old Italian Horn for some cash....And To me, a Sex Toy party is on a complete opposite spectrum of this MLM Gimmick....She can spend all the time and money she wants discussing and/or buying all the sex toys she wants, I'm in, Lets get Freaky, PLEASE.I was actually thinking DAMN WHY CAN"T THIS BE A SEX TOY PARTY....I'd even settle for some tupperware - But, $500 a year for some hokey vitamin - PUHLEASE... They say Pick your battles, well, THIS is my battle.do tupperware or jewelery parties or sex toy parties that women throw for other women count as MLM's?i've got a buddy who's wife does these a lot...
It happens to be your lucky day, I'm pretty sure our new catalogue includes aqua Zuba Pants!!!!!!!Jason Taylor jerseys are deeply discounted but, you knew that already.What time does the Quixtar meeting start?I'll bring a 12 pack and a blank check. Will you still be my friend if I don't buy anything?Hey, Buddy, I'm sending you a PM.. You free tonight?Nothing cheesier than trying to sell to your friends and family.Embarassing.
Is this you?For whatever reason, I seem to get hit on by the MLM guys when I'm shopping in the evening at Lowe's or Home Depot. Still trying to figure that one out.