My dislike of MLMs in general is pretty common knowledge. I’ve written about it before in posts such as: https://beckypalmer.wpengine.com/how-not-to-sell/ . I prefer to not purchase from companies structured that way and I’ve told people as much plenty of times. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but they are getting fewer and further between.
In the last 6 months or so I’d seen a HUGE drop in the number of social media posts in my timelines about MLMs and I haven’ been added to any “secret shopping” groups lately either. Which- by the way- is the BEST way to ensure I will never buy what you are selling, even if you have the best products on the planet.
But, along with the other types of shady dealings and suspect offers popping up during this global pandemic, the MLM hard sell pitches are making a comeback. On the one hand I feel sorry for these folks. They are just looking for a way to feed their families. No one tells you it’s a lie and a sham when they are trying to sign you up- that’s not a very good sales pitch after all. The reality is that only 1% of people who sell for an MLM will make money, and those folks are making money off the folks they recruit under them, NOT actual product sales. That 1% is making money off the monthly mandatory purchases their underlings are required to remain “in the program” which can range from $50 to the hundreds of dollars – with zero regard to how much they actually sell.
On the other hand, if frustrates me how anyone can still fall for this. Have we all forgotten the VERY public demise of LuluRoe just a few short months ago? Thousands of women were left in financial ruin. New LuluRoe consultants were instructed to purchase five thousand dollars in inventory just to get started and thousands more every month. They were pressured into maxing out credit cards to do so. LuluRoe didn’t fail because of bad product. They failed because their business model was unsustainable. A pyramid you might say.
But here we are again being spammed with the “you can’t afford NOT to join this business RIGHT NOW” posts again. Like a bad penny they keep popping up. The cute fonts and cute girls making funny videos are still selling the same old crap they were last year and last decade. Most folks lose money by their involvement with an MLM. The lucky ones only lose a couple hundred bucks, but some lose a lot more. You have better odds of making money playing blackjack at your closest casino than you do joining a MLM. Just let that sink in. And then just say no to MLMs.