To all Young MLMers
-
Thirdly, what exactly are you selling? Do the prices of the products sold make any sense to you? How about their recognition and reliability? The biggest question you need to ask yourself is “Am I selling a product or am I selling distributorships?” Lets take a look at a normal honest business like a franchise, which is similar to a scheme you are participating in. Franchisee purchases a franchise from the main company. He sets up a shop and sells goods belonging to the company with help from the main company in the areas of supply, stocks, marketing and promotions, all with some commission taken by the main company. However, his main business and sales volume still comes from selling tangible items. What are you selling? You are sold an idea of a franchise and you are selling this very same idea to others while paying a large amount of money to the guy who originally sold you the idea of selling ideas. Confused? Lets say you “bought” a distributorship (idea) at $1000. Then you “sell” this idea to a friend and he buys it too at $1000. However, you get only $50 out of this sale and the company takes the rest. This process can be repeated with people he sells to giving you a fraction of the money he spent. How much does the company earn compared to you?
MLM is abt selling and recruiting.
Distributorship fee of $1000? Pls quote a reasonable amt. There is no common sense in ur example. Taking MLM out of the pic, would you be keen to help me sell something for $1000 but only earn $50 commission?
If I were the boss of a MLM company, IÂ’d be a very happy man. All my employees would:
1) Pay me to work for me.
2) Work very hard for me for free and earn money for me at the same time.
3) Feel lousy when they canÂ’t sell enough.
4) Sack themselves and leave if they donÂ’t perform up to standard
5) Find other equally silly people to do the above 4 points for me.
Are you starting to feel a little bit conned?
You belong to those who only look at one side of the coin. You r the cocoon type. All I can say is you have to many unfounded concerns and lack knowledge of MLM.
DonÂ’t worry, there are a lot of people IÂ’ve spoken to who have started doubting the moment they handed over their money. The smarter ones did some research on the internet and found disturbing information that what they are participating in might be a scam. Others found that it was terribly unprofitable to participate. Then suddenly, most realize that the deal seems shadier than what they had thought at first.
Do you think internet is reliable? I hope those you spoke to aren't from internet. I myself have also surf through the net and read all sorts of complains and resentment abt bad experience wif MLM. If you happen to read from the internet abt pple complimenting a product, would u vote in ur belief on the spot? No right!! You will have to personally do some research. BE WISE. I rather go to the library and get some books to read up before judging MLM.
Firstly, the original agreement, the page with all the clauses that they signed was not given back to them. Do you remember that whenever you purchased something theyÂ’d always give you the invoice that you signed back? That is a legal requirement. Next, they realize that the document they signed is full of legal disclaimers and references to terms and conditions that are nowhere in the contract. A sick feeling comes to the stomach as they realized that they have signed away their 7 day cooling off period and 60 day refund time and placed the fate of their ill-spent monies in the hands of the company. Best of all, the company does not recognize you as their employee or agent or representative. How about a proper official receipt that was supposed to be given to you when you make a purchase? Have you gotten one?
Isn't the person buying partly at fault? You have the right to read and understd everything before joining or buying. Every consumer also have the right to demand for the receipt of their purchase. Would you ask the cashier of the boutique store for the receipt of ur purchase? If you will, then why not in this MLM situation? -
well, just read this => how to assess a MLM company
ALL the things written inside appeared when i went for a "seminar" on MLM... they said "any questions?" so i asked and then got thrown out of the building...
questions like "how many generations downwards do i and my recruits have to recruit before i get my $1,000 back?"
"how much do we sell the product?"
are these unreasonable questions? they could not answer me...
if MLMs cannot answer these questions, especially the first one (i have to admit, it's a loaded question), walk and keep walking... -
It lies in the network of friends you have harvested and dried up. Some have lost faith in you after you sold them a package and they lost their money. Some have heard about the truth in MLM and have kept their distance. How about the family members, cousins, friends, colleagues, school mates that you have listed down as your potential targets? Slowly your friends will notice your change as you see them as money-making opportunities instead. Some will feel betrayed by you. Some will oblige your request in the sheer goodwill of their nature, only to feel cheated and stupid for their moment of weakness. You are trading your social network for money. IÂ’m sure your friends, buddies, relatives and family are worth more than the money that you earn by recruiting them.
Suddenly, its not just only about you anymore is it?
If what you said is true, then there must be a lot of lone rangers out there in the States. Go and read some books, and i mean BOOKS if you want to know the reason.
You are young and have a bright future ahead of you. Do you know that the law does not differentiate between a distributor selling and promoting the scheme from the mastermind who created the scheme in the first placed? You are equally liable to be charged in court once it has been exposed. That will definitely throw a spanner in the works for your university studies. On top of that, if you are a NSF or a regular in the army, propagating or even being part of such a scheme will result in you being court martialled. Trust me, I studied Military Law and represented people before in a court martial.
So you mean you r much better than the CAD/CPIB or the govt who appoint them? Otherwise, why do u think those MLM companies r still operating in S'pore?
IÂ’ve much more information regarding MLM that you might find useful. I feel that you have been kind and tolerant enough to read three pages worth and its best for me to stop here and let you reflect. Do PM me for more information and perhaps we could have an exchange of ideas regarding your MLM scheme.
Ya, so much of your info. Sincere u r but sincerely wrong. If the rest of ur info is still from internet, then I guess they wouldn't b much of a different from what u have wrote. -
notice something?
what would this tell you?
the anger of one side and the desperation in the defence of the other...
and in between is some money...
come to your own conclusion... -
If what you said is true, then there must be a lot of lone rangers out there in the States. Go and read some books, and i mean BOOKS if you want to know the reason.
Hahaha well, if you see it in the broader scheme of things, they are loners outside their own circle of MLM people. If you can't tell me the book and let alone quote it, you aren't worth your salt. Moreover this is an educated discussion so if you can bring up some pertinent facts, I'd be glad to entertain your argument.So you mean you r much better than the CAD/CPIB or the govt who appoint them? Otherwise, why do u think those MLM companies r still operating in S'pore?
Firstly, its CAD that does the investigation, CPIB has nothing to do with this. The last time I checked, there was only one government in Singapore. About the argument about why are those MLM companies still operating, you can go and refer to the NTI thread for more info. It has been discussed so many times I am sick of it.Ya, so much of your info. Sincere u r but sincerely wrong. If the rest of ur info is still from internet, then I guess they wouldn't b much of a different from what u have wrote.
Well, my info is partly from the internet, some from the Police (CAD), some from Lawyers, some from Profs, some from people in the buisness and so on. If I were to justify in words every statement, I would be writing a thesis, not a letter. If you are sincere about having an intellectual discourse, we will discuss this further but if all you have are clever retorts and come-backs, I wish you the best of luck on your MLM journey.[/b] -
The problem with MLM is MLM is not the future, its the past! With internet, who needs to direct sell anymore? MLM was invented to bring products to far flung, remote towns in America where there aren't any large departmental stores or malls nearby, giving the buyer the benefit of the convenience of not needing to travel and giving the seller a little incentive for carrying the product. In this age of Ebay and other online malls, auction sites with free delivery, is there a need for a MLM network, especially in Singapore where the malls selling such stuff are less than an hour's ride away? (And most stuff are cheaper at the malls.)
How much info do u think a manufacturer will squeeze inside their webpage? And would you even bother to read through everything? How much then would you understand from the info presented thru the webpage? I guess you miss the link between MLM and internet. Direct selling is not juz about selling but also explaining to the consumer on the details of a product. How many consumers would prefer to read than to listen?
Dell is the world's largest Direct Seller and they don't have distributors and so on, all their buisness is done on the internet and through telemarketing. No commissions and no promoters pushing stuff, except at roadshows. And the Dell family ranks amongst the top 5 richest people in the world.
Roadshow itself is abt introducing product while building network. Lots of manufacturers nowadays r using roadshow to launch new products. Reason is to advertise through talking directly to the crowd. When info is effectively spread, the consumers themself will automatically help the manufacturer to spread the news to more pple, be it good or bad. Launching through TV ad is no longer viable. Many TV viewers nowadays tend to switch channel when their show/drama/movie is interrupted with ad..
MLM is such a misnomer as they aren't really doing marketing. I know a bit about sales and marketing/product branding and this is absolutely not the way to push a product.
Forcing or coercing a friend to buy into a plan is like forced marriage. Some work out, some don't but there is sure alot of misery involved in the process -
Hahaha well, if you see it in the broader scheme of things, they are loners outside their own circle of MLM people. If you can't tell me the book and let alone quote it, you aren't worth your salt. Moreover this is an educated discussion so if you can bring up some pertinent facts, I'd be glad to entertain your argument.
Yeah, educated but pls not thru the internet. Go and read this book, Wave 4 : Network Marketing in the 21st Century by Richard Poe
Firstly, its CAD that does the investigation, CPIB has nothing to do with this. The last time I checked, there was only one government in Singapore. About the argument about why are those MLM companies still operating, you can go and refer to the NTI thread for more info. It has been discussed so many times I am sick of it.
Obviously there is only one govt in S'pore. If tat thread contains input from the same forumers here, then i guess there won't b a need.
Well, my info is partly from the internet, some from the Police (CAD), some from Lawyers, some from Profs, some from people in the buisness and so on. If I were to justify in words every statement, I would be writing a thesis, not a letter. If you are sincere about having an intellectual discourse, we will discuss this further but if all you have are clever retorts and come-backs, I wish you the best of luck on your MLM journey.
We are not here to justify anything. Just ensure tat watever we posted here is not rubbish is good enough. But I must say ur info are nothing but rojak. Here abit there abit. -
How much info do u think a manufacturer will squeeze inside their webpage? And would you even bother to read through everything? How much then would you understand from the info presented thru the webpage? I guess you miss the link between MLM and internet. Direct selling is not juz about selling but also explaining to the consumer on the details of a product. How many consumers would prefer to read than to listen?
Hahaha how much do you think your distributors know about their product? I believe for someone who wants to know more, its better to ask from the company itself, through information provided on the website and through contacting the company through links on the website instead of getting half-baked answers by some distributor who is more bent on recruiting you. I don't know about you but I understand almost everything that is on a webpage. As I said, there is a good difference between Directing Selling and MLM, so what are you actually arguing about? DS or MLM?Roadshow itself is abt introducing product while building network. Lots of manufacturers nowadays r using roadshow to launch new products. Reason is to advertise through talking directly to the crowd. When info is effectively spread, the consumers themself will automatically help the manufacturer to spread the news to more pple, be it good or bad. Launching through TV ad is no longer viable. Many TV viewers nowadays tend to switch channel when their show/drama/movie is interrupted with ad..
I don't see a link to your case regarding MLM. I'm just saying direct selling makes money, MLM does not.Yeah, educated but pls not thru the internet. Go and read this book, Wave 4 : Network Marketing in the 21st Century by Richard Poe
What is your obsession about education and the internet? Don't compare education levels with me, please, for your sake.If tat thread contains input from the same forumers here, then i guess there won't b a need.
This is the problem with most people from MLM, they have selective reading abilities, filtering out whatever that does not suit their cause. You need to read to enrich yourself and to be better able to engage your clients and customers. Go attend some proper seminar on sales and marketing, Ron Kaufman's seminars are not bad.We are not here to justify anything. Just ensure tat watever we posted here is not rubbish is good enough. But I must say ur info are nothing but rojak. Here abit there abit.
As I have told many people, the purpose of the letter is to get people thinking and researching on their own into the topic and to find out more about what they have gotten themselves into. Rojak or not, its still food for thought, although it might seem unhealthy to those who are currently caught in such a scheme. -
ah... why all the debate...
just succeed in whichever field you are in, be it MLM or not?
I've met incredibly successful people in the network marketing industry, so it can be done...
i draw this conclusion... anyone can do it, but not everyone will do it...
and a whiner will definitely not succeed, cuz he isn't trying and just trying to pull the majority with him and be the whiner that he is -
safety in numbers... and failing together and being a mediocre whiner doesn't sound that bad after all...
-
how come so many junior members suddenly appear out of nowhere whenever mlm is concerned.
and ive noticed this trend since i was a junior member. -
lol +1Originally posted by Ito_^:how come so many junior members suddenly appear out of nowhere whenever mlm is concerned. and ive noticed this trend since i was a junior member. -
Well, its very good actually, to increase the coverage of MLM. We all need the publicity here. I mean the topic must be so itchy that people just have to register and say something and that is very good.
-
dudes.. if mlm is such a damn good thing, why is it whenever ya google the word MLM, I get more negative websites than positive websites.
Like they say, when someone calls you a horse, you can disagree.
When someone calls you a horse a second time, you punch him.
When someone calls you that the third time, well.. it's time you buy a saddle..
And gawd, 4th wave blah blah.. yeah it's a wave, but i guess it's the new kind of plague.
So please stop telling me about the pilots, the lawyers, the tycoons who join MLM, get them to talk to me and show me their evidence that they were lawyers and blah blah blah, and maybe I will believe..
And please don't ever answer a question with a question. It maybe rhetoric but just answer a yes or no question with a yes or no. -
the problem is.. those ppl will juz vanish once they realise they lost the argument. wait a while register new nicks and shoot the exact same thing all over again. den u got to say the exact same things to em all over again.Originally posted by Eikei:Well, its very good actually, to increase the coverage of MLM. We all need the publicity here. I mean the topic must be so itchy that people just have to register and say something and that is very good. -
And doing so, these idiots have the chance to ask why are we saying the same old boring thing againOriginally posted by Ito_^:the problem is.. those ppl will juz vanish once they realise they lost the argument. wait a while register new nicks and shoot the exact same thing all over again. den u got to say the exact same things to em all over again.
Its no longer possible to come here wanting to talk to 'professional' people and end up talking to monkeys -
Hahaha I know how this all works but as long as there is still hope that someone like Cloudymind will come and see the forums and get out of it after reading, we must still do what we do right? Till the day that bad MLM does not exist or until there exists a proper system of MLM, there will always be a need for people like us who will help give an informed and balanced view of what MLM is truly about. Hecklers come and go but we are here to stay. I've been here for 4 years already now hahaha I ain't gonna quit the forums anytime soon.
-
A recent email from Dr. Jon M. Taylor, Ph.D., President, Consumer Awareness Institute and Advisor, Pyramid Scheme Alert to me.
His website is www.mlm-thetruth.comIt is unfortunate that we as volunteers have to do all this work of educating and warning consumers. It should be done by law enforcement, but they lack the skills or the determination to stand up to these “slippery” MLM giants. So we unpaid activists step in to do what we can to meet the need. In our case, we have tried to provide important research and consumer guides.
It sort of sums up the situation here and in the US.
Please keep up the good work. More dedicated consumer activists like you are very much needed. -
i once read a website describing US enforcement working as fast as the Pony Express
-
dun mind me saying this, why are we talking bad abt others here? is it that most ppl whose company are being mentioned here cannot proof by results and that is the reason why they uses words....... I been in here monitoring for months and usually companies that are mentioned over here are not really doing good now in sin. -
Hahaha how much do you think your distributors know about their product? I believe for someone who wants to know more, its better to ask from the company itself, through information provided on the website and through contacting the company through links on the website instead of getting half-baked answers by some distributor who is more bent on recruiting you. I don't know about you but I understand almost everything that is on a webpage. As I said, there is a good difference between Directing Selling and MLM, so what are you actually arguing about? DS or MLM?
It is only up to individual. At least I know mine. True tat the distributor might try to recruit while selling products but it is the customer choice to join or not. It is good tat u understd ALMOST everything but in summary tat is u. All of us r unique. Not everyone can accept MLM and vice versa. And also not everyone in this Information Age would log into the net to purchase products. Agree?
For goodness sake, MLM=DS + Network Marketing.
I don't see a link to your case regarding MLM. I'm just saying direct selling makes money, MLM does not.
I am just trying to elaborate DS thru Network Marketing. Never mind if u don't get it.
What is your obsession about education and the internet? Don't compare education levels with me, please, for your sake.
Obsession? Sorry, it is my turn not able to understand u. To me, education and internet r two different things.
At this pt, u sound offended. What did I write tat make u think I m comparing wif u? Tat sentence really consist lots of pride. I have no interest at all in knowing ur educational level. Bear this in mind "Pple don't care how much u know until they know how much u care". Guard it well or it might b ur downfall.
This is the problem with most people from MLM, they have selective reading abilities, filtering out whatever that does not suit their cause. You need to read to enrich yourself and to be better able to engage your clients and customers. Go attend some proper seminar on sales and marketing, Ron Kaufman's seminars are not bad.
I wouldn't even bother to read and post my view here if I'm choosing wat I read. Use ur common sense.
As I have told many people, the purpose of the letter is to get people thinking and researching on their own into the topic and to find out more about what they have gotten themselves into. Rojak or not, its still food for thought, although it might seem unhealthy to those who are currently caught in such a scheme.
Well, the whole thing is abt choice between two paths. U post the dark side and I take care of the bright side. Life still goes on. -
Well, tat is human nature. We make noise and complain when things turned sour. But when things r good, most of the time we only share it with our closed ones. Then again, how many out there enjoy reading good news than bad news and rumours? Think thru it in general.Originally posted by Misogynist:dudes.. if mlm is such a damn good thing, why is it whenever ya google the word MLM, I get more negative websites than positive websites.
Like they say, when someone calls you a horse, you can disagree.
When someone calls you a horse a second time, you punch him.
When someone calls you that the third time, well.. it's time you buy a saddle..
And gawd, 4th wave blah blah.. yeah it's a wave, but i guess it's the new kind of plague.
So please stop telling me about the pilots, the lawyers, the tycoons who join MLM, get them to talk to me and show me their evidence that they were lawyers and blah blah blah, and maybe I will believe..
And please don't ever answer a question with a question. It maybe rhetoric but just answer a yes or no question with a yes or no.
Plague or watsoever, I believe the writer's creditibility is more than u.
U don't believe now, u won't believe later. Just continue to cast in ur -ve vote on MLM. Life will be more easier and vibrant for u. -
I'm - clap clap....... u getout from Belair thread come over here to teach MLM .... May b your MLM company didn give u a change to be a speaker
BTW, mind i ask u how long have you joined in MLM..... & are you a full-timer in MLM (i guest eveyone also interested to know)...
-
One recurrent theme I constantly see amongst these people is that they always emphasise on people being ignorant about their trade and profession. Euphemisms everywhere for topics they avoid, it just seems like the prefer to use Network Marketing to replace the term Recruiting MLM or to say in a worse way, a Product Based Pyramid Scheme.
Anyway accusing me of not caring is one of the most untrue statements you can make for it is out of this concern I have for the young people who are easily swayed by pressure tactics and deceitful marketing that I post this topic. I don't need to say anything but the forumers who are here long enough know what I have done to help others here.
I'm throughly amused that I have become the dark side. I was telling some people its so easy to be angry with people like you but its even easier to feel sad for you. I guess when you have failed through and through, you will not come back to say that you regret all the things you have done. One off posters like you will go on and live your own misguided lives and when one day you give up, SGFORUMs will become such a bad memory of a life that was wasted chasing the end of a rainbow for the illusive pot of gold that you will not want to come back again. -
we'll see who has the last laugh