What do you think of MLM business?
Replies
-
Voluntary exchanges are NOT unethical.
The business model of an MLM is to get you to sell to, and recruit, friends/aquiantences/colleagues etc. It is taking advantage of people's good nature - their very friendship with you - to get them to buy something they probably would not have bought in the first place. Look at the comments upthread about people have had to disown friends/sisters-in-law etc because they get too pushy trying to sell their product. The parent company knows this - their entire business model is built on it. I don't like it, and I consider it unethical.
Further, it distances the company from the claims the salesperson makes about the product, allowing for a person to make false claims in order to make a sale. The parent company knows full well this is going on, but can claim they never instructed that salesperson to say that. Again, I consider this unethical.
A whole lot less honorable than prostitution, that's for sure.
Taking advantage of someone is called coercion, and is not considered vountaryism.0 -
I was an investor in a startup mlm, can make millions if it works. Ours did not. If you start in the beginning stages and it's a good sales pitch you can make millions, if you are on the tail end, it will be very difficult to be a success due to everyone has tried it or heard of it and it has burnt itself out. Gotta get in on the ground floor.
You make money at the start - and that of course is because as it fizzles out, the people at the end losing money are the ones that have supported the initial investors and creators of the company making their millions before they skedaddle.
There are some long term ones with ok 'real world' products that have been going for a long time - tupperware I believe.
However, even with these - all lose 'multileves' means the people buying the products are getting paid more and the people doing the hard work selling aren't generally getting a great deal for the effort they put in.0 -
It can get awkward if it is your friends or family but other than that, it's a job, if you can do well at it, more power to you.
I like pampered chef stuff, but when I am invited to any of those types of parties I always figure buying at least one item (however expensive/cheap) is the cost of admission - like buying a ticket when you go to the movies. You had a fun afternoon with your friend and move on.
Other sales people with their "sign up now and I can give you a discount" (car, windows, heaters, air conditioners, fences, etc.), are basically doing the same thing; the only difference is that you usually called them first for an estimate.0 -
I sell Scentsy on the side of my other jobs(ANG and Civil Service) and I certainly am not pushy because I cannot stand when people are like that w/ me and their Mary Kay or 31 ect..so if someone tells me they are not interested I do not try to continue to sell it to them. I am really not the salesman type anyhow - it is uncomfortable-- I let it sell it's self (ie house/car/gym bag always smells good or the warmer I have on my desk at work -which I had before I even started selling) I am not one of those people that blow up peoples inboxes or phones asking to join their team blah blah blah -- I only sell b/c I actually do love the products and a little extra spending money each month is nice ... Not everyone involved in the MLM business is pushy LOL People know I sell it and I keep it separate for the most part from my Personal FB page and only make posts on the page I made specifically for the business.0
-
I have done door to door, business to business, retail, network marketing and "MLM". Realistically, by most people's definition ALL of them are Pyramids/MLM.
The person on top gets the lion's share of profits? CEO. CFO. COO. President. VP. VP of Marketing. trail down, your boss makes more than you!! smh
You get bonuses for recruiting? Refer someone to work during the holidays and get a $200 bonus!
Hit a certain number in sales and referrals get a promotion? Uh-- hello??? Hit a certain number in sales and repeat customers...
What's funnier still is, I have worked with GAP and Limited Corporations, and at least 4 times a year they have us hit up our families and friends by offering 10-30% off products/merchandise.
So of course you tell your friends and family about, guess what they base hours worked on in companies like these? How many sells you get!! More sells under ID# J123 = more hours for J123.
I have had friends who did direct/mlm whatever you want to call it and not be pushy. I guess some people are just better at building a rapport than others. There are people who have to be sold when they are in mood, in need and in want. I'm guessing the people who "drop their friends" were in none of mindsets when approached.
I can count one friend that I stopped talking to when I started one business, but that was actually a prayer answered.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions