disclaimer: this is my own personal opinion and does not reflect on any multi-level marketing company.
about a year ago i decided to dive deep in the world of multi level marketing also referred to as a mlm. I was and still am a college student that is trying to pay her way through many, many expenses. I saw an easy way to make money that lead to a glamorous lifestyle and thought why not. I learned so much about the “biz” and what it takes to get to the top and experienced the downside when I couldn’t make the 1%.
i bet most of you have been approached with the same type of direct message of “hey girl, love how your social media brings positivity i think you would do great in this biz!”. And that is exactly what happened to me. I knew this girl that was apart of a mlm and her life seemed to be going in a great direction. As her journey began, I saw her prospering being apart of the biz and it looked pretty legit. I am fully aware that mlm’s are closely related to pyramid schemes, which are scams to take advantage of you. You are probably thinking that they are one in the same, but I’ve come to find out not so much. A pyramid scheme is where the person that recruits you makes money for recruiting you and multi level marketing is someone recruiting you to earn a percentage of your sales. Pyramid schemes often promise high hopes, but never getting the opportunity to get there. Mulit-Level Marketing is “individuals selling products to the public – often by word of mouth and direct sales”. They find distributors which are the individuals under you to increase sales and those individuals have the same opportunity to do the same. This is what makes it multi-level marketing because you achieve different levels as you become more successful with your sales. You might be thinking why would I join something for someone to make money off my profits, but I saw the girl who wanted me to join have the opportunity and thought I could get there as well. Of course there are mlm corporations that are pyramid schemes, but with good research and sources you could find some credible ones.
i didn’t get really interested until she went to a conference that her biz headquarters put on yearly. I thought what scam would hold a conference for thousands of consultants to have workshops in the fabulous place of Las Vegas. Not long after that she messaged me asking if I were interested in the biz and sent me a little video that gave an introduction to what I was getting into. Looking back now the video was very transparent of what they job entails and then i didn’t see any red flags. Most of the time the video comes from a individual at the top of the company telling you their story on how they made it big. That’s how they persuade you in joining promising you can get to where they are and making a more than comfortable paycheck. But what usually gets people is the amount of money they would have to spend to get involved.
there is a registration fee that sets you up with all the materials that you would needs to start your business. You also get put in group chats, a Facebook group, and invited to video calls to help make sure your business is prospering. I thought this was a great way of accountability and guidance on how to do everything. What they don’t tell you at first is that you would need to buy the products at first. Their reasoning for this is to understand what you are selling which I think is pretty understandable. But the products can really add up and put a dent in your back account. They treat it as an entrepreneurship where you put in money to “invest in your business” and you would gain it back from what you sell. Which is very true, but most people do not have about $200 or more to cough up on products you probably don’t want. Most people when they start have to ask for the money elsewhere because they are very very very persuasive that you need to buy the products NOW! They suggest if you don’t have the money is to get a loan from someone either a family member or friend and pay them back later when the money comes rolling in. I went to my parents and asked if they could loan me the money and after much begging they did. I felt so bad for asking for money because at the time they were more than supporting me financially. I still feel bad till this day to ask for such a reach to make tons of money. Which is a really high reach they try to sell to you to join. When they sign you up they give such high hopes that something big will come out of it and I do think they pray on that.
being a consultant and selling products is hard. you wouldn’t think it was, but it is. Trying to convince people on why they should use these products above others was very difficult. I know one complaint from a lot of people is that the consultants don’t really know anything about the products they are selling, which is true. All they know is what they should do and what they outcome should look like. I joined a mlm that was based on healthy living and skincare. I knew how the products should be used and what the results could be. I’m not a nutritionist or aethetician who would know how the ingredients in the products would be beneficial for the individual to use. All i could do is recommend products that could help the situation they were trying to fix. A lot of people that i would reach out to either thought i was apart of a pyramid scheme or i had no credibility to be recommending the products. I got a lot of no’s and maybe’s. I really tried really hard for someone to buy something, but no one would. I would try to advertise about the products, but whenever i did it never worked in my favor. I felt like when I joined the video calls only gave me false hope of what was going to happen. I would plan out days of what i would do and who to contact, but it all lead to dead ends. I lost hope and gave up. I still continued to support the business by purchasing items that i was actually interested in. I also stayed in the group chats, but I was not active.
months started to go by and i would think of jumping back in then decided not to. I would eventually and try really hard again to only fall short to not participate anymore. I did that about 3 times throughout the year and this past April was the last try. When quarantine started in April, I thought it would be the best time for it to start again. At this point I wasn’t too worried about making money, but just selling the products. I found interest in selling the products and promoting them on my social media. I guess I really liked the marketing aspect of it. People were bored of sitting at home and started to venture around the internet to find ways of good skincare and healthy living which was right up my alley. As I began to promote the products I got a few bites, but i couldn’t hook anyone on the deal. The hesitation that people had is what made me frustrated because I was trying so hard and nobody wanted to take up my offer. The prices are what got a lot of people hesitant. I looked at these products as luxury items like you would buy expensive makeup or clothing. I think what didn’t sell people is that it was coming from a mlm company and it had no credible sources except me. As well as others who were in the same business as me. During quarantine it seemed people were also looking for another form of income and what was a better way then doing it from your phone. It seemed every other day more and more consultants would pop up on my feed of people selling what I was selling. These people would be people i knew and in the same area as me. So how is it am i going to sell to the same products to the same group of people as another girl? That’s when I decided I did not think this was for me.
i don’t think any less of the company and the people that are apart of it. Or any other mlm company that swears that it makes their life better. I truly do believe it does work for certain people. The girl that signed me up has made it to 3 out of the 4 levels you can achieve and others who came before her that has experienced the same success has shown their support for hers. That world has a community just like any other commonality or interest a human can have. So I really think company like this one can do a lot for people. Not everyone is gonna succeed in everything and I think I found I am suppose to prosper somewhere else where I am most comfortable in. I really had to step out of my comfort zone to do the things that were necessary to go far in the business. It didn’t sit right with me to suggest products to strangers to help better their life as if I saw something wrong with it. I don’t know what people are going through and suggesting products that can help with someone problems. I have personally used the products and I personally believe in them, but I am different to the next person. They might used them and it might do terrible for their skin/health. I guess I don’t like promising something to someone if I am not positive it is going to work. I understand more than ever people’s hesitation with buying products from a sole person because they can so much to sell you on the benefits, but it fall short when you use them yourself.
in no way I am criticizing this community or mlm companies. I just wanted to share my experience and my overall experience with a mlm was good. I enjoyed it, but its not for me. The amount of time and dedication it takes is not something that fits my lifestyle. I respect the girls that like this kind of work because it really does take a lot of dedication and determination. My advice if you ever showed interest into this world take interest in the products first and not worry about the luxury you can obtain. Try to focus on sharing your experience and not really trying to better other people, but a resource to help if they want it. Through this experience I was trying to create a new tomorrow and it did. I just not in the way I expected.
-sarah
here are some websites with facts on the differences between mlms and pyramid schemes
A New Tomorrow 