Over the years in the production business I have had several clients in the MLM game hire me to produce content for them and as a result I have gotten to see what's "behind the curtain"

Some of what I saw/learned:

- Yes, you can make money and a lot of it BUT you need to be at the top or pretty damn close to it.

- Almost all their unique, special, life changing products come out of the same plants and are private labeled for each company (Amway is the exception to this)

- They (the company) makes a ton of money doing conventions and big meetings where they sell their down lines tones of books and DVD's to pump them up.

- It's all the same stories and cliches

I kind of got sucked in/taken by one of these MLM types as a "customer" for Melaleuca products (which I think are great BTW and get now from a family member).

At least the guy was 100% honest with me; a friend I hadn't heard from in years, gets me over coffee and gives me this big pitch. BUT, he tells me he really only wanted me to sign up for ONE ORDER and then I could quit and would I help him out that way. It turns out that I was the 1,000th or whatever number he needed to get signed up to hit his numbers and get some sort of big bonus.

I helped him, signed up and put in a big order, then quit as soon as he got his bonus.

This helped me to become extremely wary of ANYTHING that looks or sounds like an MLM pitch.

I would sooner get divorced than let my wife get involved in a MLM scam.

And with all the publicized issues with LLR, they have a private jet, and the owner's husband has a McLaren 650S Spider, and a Koenigsegg Agera RS (the one used to set the world record last year in NV), supposedly has a Regera & an Aston Valkyrie on order as well.

Some good information on multi-level marketing here.

"According to a report that studied the business models of 350 MLMs, published on the Federal Trade Commission's website, at least 99% of people who join MLM companies lose money."

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I kind of got sucked in/taken by one of these MLM types as a "customer" for Melaleuca products (which I think are great BTW and get now from a family member).

At least the guy was 100% honest with me; a friend I hadn't heard from in years, gets me over coffee and gives me this big pitch. BUT, he tells me he really only wanted me to sign up for ONE ORDER and then I could quit and would I help him out that way. It turns out that I was the 1,000th or whatever number he needed to get signed up to hit his numbers and get some sort of big bonus.

I helped him, signed up and put in a big order, then quit as soon as he got his bonus.

This helped me to become extremely wary of ANYTHING that looks or sounds like an MLM pitch.

Melaleuca is one of the exceptions to what I posted as far as product goes. I used their soap and cleaning products from time to time and thet are excellent.

<broadbrush>

I loath MLM religions and their evangelists.

There is a personality type that gets caught up in it, and the whole of it turns me off.

It's my nailed shut, narrow minded POV.

I have worked hard and long on some things and got zero dollars, but still have a sense of fulfillment having accomplished a task worth doing. And as corny as it might sound, the reward was in the doing of the thing.

</broadbrush>

"Network Marketing" was all the rage at Ft Leonard Wood when I was stationed there in the late 80s to early 90's. Many soldiers I knew would talk about establishing their own "business" and then offer to explain it to me "over coffee". I was regaled with stories of the Arkansas pig farmer that was a "diamond level distributor", whatever the heck that was/is. I generally declined the offer of coffee, even when asked "don't you like to make money?" (Hint: I do, but not this way).

I did have some in depth conversations with one soldier who was in my unit. He would never use the name "Amway" unless absolutely pressed to divulge whose name was on most of the products he sold. I tried to explain to him that it was a pyramid scheme, but he claimed it was not because if you worked hard, you could achieve a higher level than the person who brought you in (see the Diamond Level pig farmer). He would tell me how much money his "business" made the previous month, but would never divulge how much of his money he had to spend for his "business" to make that amount.

I’m in the preliminary process of starting a massage parlor, I’ve been doing interviews for over 3 years!

My husband has just gotten into 1 of these types of gigs (at a high level I believe so he at least has that going for him), but he was/is a bit upset with me that I don't want to be a part of it. I told him I already have a full time job that I like & make decent money, I don't need or want another job. I want less hours, not more.

My ex-wife sold rubber peckers. Not Pure Romance, but a competitor. Can't remember the name.

I think I fronted her $350 to get started. She sold the shit out of those things!

Even the very, very few that make it big in MLM/Network Mktg must live with the knowledge that the vast number of distributors in their downline never experience any level of success. In fact most of them experience financial loss, as well as loss of other things like time and relationships.

quote:

Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:
I would sooner get divorced than let my wife get involved in a MLM scam.

Don’t miss out - you can do both!

My wife has/had a side thingy selling on eBay. At least she sorta broke even. She was more concerned about her ‘100% feedback’ rating than any profits.

I use her account at times to offload something I have laying around, at least it’s good for that.

Neighbor has been their best to sell their stuff, but there are 4 others within 10 miles trying to do the same thing. Reviews I have read about them were not great at all. One review said that a company advisor told them to not pay some of their household bills, to buy more stock from Lularoe, what a POS advice. Saw a lot of their clothing on eBay for sale for really discounted prices, I guess to just get rid of it.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I kind of got sucked in/taken by one of these MLM types as a "customer" for Melaleuca products (which I think are great BTW and get now from a family member).

At least the guy was 100% honest with me; a friend I hadn't heard from in years, gets me over coffee and gives me this big pitch. BUT, he tells me he really only wanted me to sign up for ONE ORDER and then I could quit and would I help him out that way. It turns out that I was the 1,000th or whatever number he needed to get signed up to hit his numbers and get some sort of big bonus.

I helped him, signed up and put in a big order, then quit as soon as he got his bonus.

This helped me to become extremely wary of ANYTHING that looks or sounds like an MLM pitch.

My dad had a paper route in the late 40s and early 50s. He was always one new subscription away from a new bicycle or camping trip. Oldest trick in the book.

fwbulldog,

I'm sorry your wife got caught up in one of these. I've had friends ask me on a couple occasions to listen to the initial pitch and tell them what I thought. After listening, I'd give my honest opinion, and my friends would get defensive about it. Fortunately they were just friends and I didn't have to live with it. I hope you and your wife work through this successfully.

My weird luck.

Years ago I get call from my cousin. He's thinking about going into business for himself, and because of my experience, asks if I will go with him to his meeting and give him my input. Of course I will.

Had no idea it was an Amway meeting.

But I have that weird luck. I drove one of my limousines there that day and had a reflective silver item hanging from the rear view mirror. At some point somebody called the police thinking that the driver (me) was waiving a pistol around inside the car. Being a limousine, it didn't take the police long to see it parked on the side of a street.

Hadn't been there for 5 minutes and I'm looking for an out when: BANG BANG BANG. Police at the door looking for the owner of the limo. Sorry guys...can't stay....have to run...Police want to search my car. Later!

While the officers were knocking at the door, the other officers had already noticed what was hanging from the mirror. By time we got to the car they had already put 2 and 2 together, apologized for the trouble, and I followed them right out of the neighborhood and headed home.

The police saved me that day.

If any of your Lularoe dealers have any of these laying around, I'd be interested.

quote:

Originally posted by brecaidra:

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
God I wish I had put my foot down and said "no".

But then would your wife had been mad at you? Is it worth the lost money to let her find out for herself that it was a bad idea rather than blaming you for not letting her try it?

As far as the product, I find their leggings super comfortable but also overpriced. The local thrift store sometimes has a bunch of them in new condition, so I suspect that periodically someone who is getting out of the business is sick of trying and just donates the leftovers. Cool, I now pay $4 instead of $25.

I do recall a member here whose wife has had success with the business, FWIW. I think a lot of it probably depends on your connections.

I agree that she needs to learn how to fail or succeed.
No funding of failure by you just let her figure it out and if she can do it great if not just move on.
Think of it where the "guys" start a business and fail (or succeed) - it needs to urn it's course.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
When I was in HS, my best friends Mom was neck deep in Shaklee.

They're small fries now; I think they were the first MLM to be on the stock market. Now, it's back to being privately held.

In any case, I used to work at corporate shaklee and I got to see what distributors made. I ran forecasting and analysis reports. It can certainly pay off but it's hard work. But once you make it, you're pretty much set. People at the top were making $2 million a month easy. And these people would just buy the product they need to qualify for their overrides and feed it to their horses. They made so much more on the overrides from their network underneath them that they can afford to throw out the product they need to sell to qualify for the overrides.

MLM is a legitimate business model, the difference is the company pays it's "Consultants" the money they would pay to distributors and advertising people.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
My ex-wife sold rubber peckers. Not Pure Romance, but a competitor. Can't remember the name.

Heh! I dated a gal who did that and she made a crap ton on it.

She called it "Schtupperware". LOL