Quote: (11-09-2014 03:40 AM)bewater-myfriend Wrote:  

The amazing thing about the MLM industry is that it allows the average person an OPPORTUNITY to build a business where you don't need hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest in (a Mcdonalds/Subway) franchise and it only costs a few hundred dollars entry fee. The worse thing about the MLM industry is that it allows the average person (meaning anyone in the general pop.) an OPPORTUNITY to build a business. If they do shady shit and scam peoples money, it ain't Amways fault, it ain't Nu-Skin' fault, it ain't Mary Kay's fault, its that person with the business license who made a dumb decision.

The reason I defend the MLM industry is because I can't do what Roosh does, I can't do what Krauser does (investment banker) and I've read enough articles on ROK on the legal profession and such that its not worth investing time/money/energy into. I find that baby boomers have a HUGE negative connotation with the MLM industry because of wackos (I've heard some pretty weird stories of the things people did back in the day) and that negative image of the MLM industry persists to this day. In my region, the majority of people entering MLM are people in their early to mid twenties because we get it. We get the business model and how it works. MLM (the right company) is not a product business, its a people business.

You empower the average person to become a business owner and achieve FREEDOM. Isn't that what America's founding principles/values stood for?

Trololol.

Get out and cut your losses bro.

Quote: (11-09-2014 03:40 AM)bewater-myfriend Wrote:  

The amazing thing about the MLM industry is that it allows the average person an OPPORTUNITY to build a business where you don't need hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest in (a Mcdonalds/Subway) franchise and it only costs a few hundred dollars entry fee. The worse thing about the MLM industry is that it allows the average person (meaning anyone in the general pop.) an OPPORTUNITY to build a business.

You empower the average person to become a business owner and achieve FREEDOM.

LOL

bewater-myfriend: Trolololololo

All here's a more rational point of view.

MLM companies are not bad in themselves; if you read the compensation plan of most of them, you can make money IF you sell products AND find other members. Money can be made, at the condition that you find other people.

However, the problem with most MLM companies is not about the company itself, but with shady business practices of many people who are desperately looking for other members. People will invite you to "Make money quick", a "Job interview", or any other misleading word to make you see a presentation. Also, if you do not join on the spot, you might get harassing calls pushing you to join. This is shady and defeats the purpose of the business.

This is the main reason why MLM companies have such bad reputation.

Hahah. Its always the negative, cynical, and broke people that never succeed in life.

Best in luck in life Berserk and monster.

I almost got involved with Amway in high school. They are excellent at presentation and sales techniques, I'll give them that. But when I was meeting with one to get my "business" started, they wanted to use my phone to call all of my contacts about this amazing "business opportunity". You pay around $170 for a sample kit of their products, which are good, just very overpriced. They tell you the best way to build your "business" is to start using all their products in your own home, and recruiting three friends.

I was initially told that I could start a website to sell products, yet it was nothing like that. No one gives you a direct answer and try to appeal to emotions. They all pay money to sit in a hotel conference room and listen to the same sales pitch every week. It just so happens that someone in the audience looks exactly like Mark Zuckerburg every time.

Even at age 17 I knew something was off. Luckily I got all my money back but they kept calling me for another 2 years. I could have registered an LLC in my state for another hundred dollars or so.

Quote: (11-13-2014 12:27 AM)bewater-myfriend Wrote:  

Hahah. Its always the negative, cynical, and broke people that never succeed in life.

Best in luck in life Berserk and monster.

Comments like these are doing a great job helping your argument. There is a reason Amway has such a bad rep.

has anyone heard about isagenix? it seems to be the same thing...

Has anyone looked into ACN or whatever it is called. A pyramid scheme of generating funds. Technically I can see it working off, but you are doing ridiculous amounts of leg work and marketing for a company, along with the investment paid for a "license". Seems better to focus on your own project and skill set.

Quote: (11-16-2014 05:16 PM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

Has anyone looked into ACN or whatever it is called. A pyramid scheme of generating funds. Technically I can see it working off, but you are doing ridiculous amounts of leg work and marketing for a company, along with the investment paid for a "license". Seems better to focus on your own project and skill set.

Creating your own product and having affiliates sell it far better. The higher up on the pyramid you are, the more you get paid.

Quote: (11-13-2014 12:27 AM)bewater-myfriend Wrote:  

Hahah. Its always the negative, cynical, and broke people that never succeed in life.

Best in luck in life Berserk and monster.

Banned before the new year, I'm calling it now.

Funny how his mentality is the exact opposite of his username too.

Had a friend that was going to be a plastic surgeon go for Amway. They convinced him the "40 year plan" wasn't worth it. We'll see how it turns out for him.

Have you guys heard of 5Linx? That one always pops up on my facebook... don't think there is a single white person in the pyramid scheme besides the CEO. I think they sell cellphones and other piece of shit electronics; all revenue seems to come from recruiting new members and having them buy the starter package. They sucker you in with dreams of owning a Bentley:





If I was black I would cringe at the sight of one of their promotional meetings, these people are just getting taken advantage of:


...All the while these fucking schysters in the CEO office rake it all in:

^ they even have a gang sign. It doesn't get more cynical than that.

Most people in MLM things are:

1 - Broke before MLM
2 - Broke during MLM
3 - Desperate for money
4 - Trying to sell their products any moment they can get
5 - Extremely defensive about MLM

Also, anytime I see people doing MLM they're:

1 - Poor
2 - Drive a shitty car
3 - Have a decal stuck to their car promoting their MLM
4 - Minority (for the most part, at least Herbalife)

I know one old lady (she's too old for me) who makes 200K in MLM and that's because her friend is the CEO of the company and brought her on board before they got big. That's the only reason, her minions want to recruit me to join their team but they're too stupid to see she's the only one making cash because she's the #XX (top 30-50) out of thousands.

Some homies rented this zumba studio where the lady sells Herbalife. That bitch is so defensive that she posts signs inside the studio that say the following:

"You cannot promote products other than Herbalife at this studio"
"You cannot talk negatively about Herbalife here"
"We sell juices, you cannot bring your own juice. Only water"
"No other Herbalife teams can promote here"

Being in that studio must suck.

Also, MLMs nowadays have a product that people can sell so the MLM can be legal.


An MLM may not use recruitment as the only way to grow or make money. So they throw in a shitty product that meets the legal requirements of not being a pyramid scheme.

In other news, I'm launching an MLM. Our product? Rocks!

Yes, you heard it right! Rocks! You can use them for everything!

Need to keep something open? Use a rock!
Need a self defense item in a place where you can't use a gun? Use a rock!
Need to escape out of a burning home? Use a rock!
Millions of uses and very cheap!
Better yet, bring all your friends aboard so we can conquer the world with this multipurpose tool! (copyright. Yes, this is copyrighted so Sean Clarkson doesn't steal this).

Quote: (11-16-2014 11:31 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

Also, MLMs nowadays have a product that people can sell so the MLM can be legal.

The only reason for this is so the MLM can be legal on paper. An MLM may not use recruitment as the only way to grow or make money. So they throw in a shitty product that meets the legal requirements of not being a pyramid scheme.

In other news, I'm launching an MLM. Our product? Rocks!

Yes, you heard it right! Rocks! You can use them for everything!

Need to keep something open? Use a rock!
Need a self defense item in a place where you can use a gun? Use a rock!
Need to escape out of a burning home? Use a rock!
Millions of uses and very cheap!
Better yet, bring all your friends aboard so we can conquer the world with this multipurpose tool! (copyright. Yes, this is copyrighted so Sean Clarkson doesn't steal this).

As someone whose RVF username is the name of a rock I believe that you are violating copyright law.

I also think I need to get out more... But that's beyond the point!

I met this girl on tinder. I told her I've been traveling for a while and she said she liked my lifestyle.

We met up for a coffee. we just talked about just random things like any other casual meeting.

She talked about 'You should be here' trend and showed me a picture of it. She also said you can make money while travelling.

It sounded awesome but I didn't pay attention to it and we moved to other subjects.

Few days later, that thing came to my mind and somehow I typed 'you should be here scam' on google.

Boila! it was indeed pyramid scheme.

Honestly I don't understand those Breeds or Creatures who fall for this.

However, I have some respect for people who created this kind of stuff and exploits people in a legal manner.

She said her other job is working as a demo girl. (standing by the product at whole foods)
I am sure when someone pitched the idea of making money while travelling (only successful people can do), it sure sounded good to her. (depending on their IQ level too)

If I was going to scam someone, I will scam him and keep majority for myself (just like the creator)

But what these kids are doing is, scamming someone on behalf of that creator, making him rich while they are not really making any and losing all people they talked into. How Stupid as Ameba is that??

I look at it this way. I feel bad for those people who fall for this.
(is there a point though? they are going to sign up anyway)

BUT World seems brighter as there are many stupid people I can take advantage of.

I can't tell you how often I was approached by MLM types in the late 1990's. The spiel was always the same:

1) small talk
2) "hey, you seem like a pretty smart guy..."
3) Amway pitch

Got to the point I could smell them coming. And no, never met anyone who made a dime off of buying a garage load of laundry detergent.

Cattle Rustler drops truth bombs -- another tactic I've seen used is that the "product" is really just "benefits" or discounts.

As in, waste your time filling out paperwork, and maybe you will save a few bucks on your electric bill each year.

"Oh but look I can get [hot new gadget] for [lower than msrp]!!!" Yes, but when I look on google shopping, there are 20 other places with that same discount, and I don't need to sign up or pay for membership.

"But you only have to pay for membership if you want to make money and recruit!"

??? You said this wasn't a pyramid scheme because there's a real product!

The level of "answer for everything" is genius. I showed a kid that he made no money all year and would have comparatively made bank part time at McD's. This is a kid who SHOWED ME the damn income disclosure statement from his MLM showing a ~.00001% chance of making like $8k a year, which would presumably take all your time and money.

So a year spent burning bridges, spending money because "Tax Write-offs!!!" (which one must return if the IRS finds you didn't profit in 2 out of 5 years or so), making nothing, and hustling constantly. All it takes is to see some minimal signs of wealth (flashed by either early members, or mid-members who are in a lot more debt than they appear to be), and these folks are down.

They are truly targeting the lower-income and minority communities, here in the US cities. Abroad, look to Herbalife's investor prospecti about targeting the 3rd World nations and 1st World immigrant communities. Shit obviously works, but it's a finite resource and the bubble will pop.

***

So what's the aftermath? It used to be "go back to reality and apologize to friends and fam."

Now, in the young urban non-white scene, with Instagram and much heavier psy-ops* targeting from the top of the pyramid, there is no aftermath: those who fail say "well I must just not be humble or experienced enough" and they turn to selling energy drinks (a more legit hustle, but still .0001% odds, because nobody's poised to supply real stores or events), often owned by the very MLM they "escaped" from. In other words, whole cross-sections of hoods' social scenes become branded by that MLM.

* They** get local instagram hood chick celebs to rep the MLM: cheaper than celebs, and actually more effective, specially with thirsty-ass dudes following their every post.

** "They" makes it sound like it's the top of the pyramid: it doesn't even need to be! That's the beauty of the pyramid. Everyone is hustling as hard as possible because they perceive themselves to be the top. There's a psychology of "us" (pyramid) vs. "them" (skeptics/haters). Really it's "us" (99% pyramid sucker marks) vs. "them" (the CEO/top #xx).

When 99% of an industry's revenue comes from industry members rather than outside customers, it's an MLM. "But other businesses use and endorse Network Marketing!!!" Yes, but those other businesses still have CUSTOMERS that aren't "IBOs".

/Rant... I always feel obliged to try "stop" someone from this shit if they are young and I'm in a position to pontificate at them.


Edit: I just want to highlight something from the above: in NYC and other northeastern cities, "urban" MLMs + instagram hos = probably the deadliest-successful recruitment strategy yet. MLMs were seductive enough because desperation + promise of wealth = gaga eyes. They are now adding pussy to the mix!!!

Through this post, I understood all the people what think about multi level marketing. Here, utmost people said MLM is an awful business. I can’t refuse their points, though I can give some great ideas to manage this business properly. First one is your investment site should be made by powerful THIRSTY SPAMMER LINK REMOVED. Maximum, you must pick only secure MLM business level plan with you recommend only your friends and neighbors.

My brother and his wife are both involved with MLM for Juice Plus. I've tried to explain how it is a scam to them both, but they are both convinced that they will be earning £30k+ each per month that I finally gave up. I get the sales pitch off them every time I see them, so I've said I'll sign up once they both hit the £30k per month earnings.

My brother used to be a Jehovas Witness though, so that sort of explains his attraction to cults.

Quote: (11-09-2014 05:52 AM)Tactician Wrote:  

An acquaintance was trying to get me into MLM. They try to control your language, but it just ends up being funny. My family likes the guy, so I wanted show him using Math why it doesn't work for all but a few people. While explaining, he said to me, "it's not recruitment, it's called enrollment."

Me: Here, look at this pyramid.
Him: It's not a pyramid!
Me: Fine, look at this triangle.

He quit after a few months.

heh that's pretty funny

These things are just a total scam. It's going to be interesting to see how the whole Herbalife things plays out. Stock is under massive pressure from the activist Bill Ackman who runs a huge activist shareholder fund (Pershing Square). They are literally betting the house on bringing it down, have lawsuits, shorting the stock massively, etc.

But the stock is up this year due to international growth (yeah now they target the poorest countries to help the party go on). There are also some big class action lawsuits against the company so I think it's going down in the long run but we'll see.

This is why I love Bill Ackman. Mofo put up a billion dollars short selling Herbalife

Quote: (11-16-2014 08:14 PM)komatiite Wrote:  

"I can fit THIS MANY fingers in my anus."

My first experience with MLM I got sucked in. I was a young enlisted soldier stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. One of my friends in the barracks was dressed up wearing a shirt and tie one evening, everyone was wondering where he was going, why the hell he was wearing that etc. He played it cool, "I'm going to a business meeting", got 5 other soldiers to come with him including me. Eventually they explained the whole deal at this meeting, they were selling some goofy "fitness drink" with like 2000% the recommended dosage of vitamin D. This was around 2005. Complete scam.

They never got any money out of me, but one thing that was very disturbing was that I ended up sitting down with a Command Sergeant Major (highest ranking enlisted person) in the U.S. Army, I was a private (lowest ranking enlisted person) at the time, and he had me get my unit's alert roster (a listing of everyone in your unit with there phone number) and start calling people. That is completely against anything that a high ranking military guy should do. He just saw dollar signs I suppose, he was close to retirement and it probably didn't take much for him to get junior soldiers to buy into his program.