Are MLMs evil?

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A colleague of mine here on WA wrote a blog post with the title "MLM is evil". It was a catchy title, and got folks to click on it. It led to his post on his outside blog about the differences between MLM and pyramids. An important distinction, for sure, but it didn't really address the title.

So....is MLM evil, or a scam?

In my mind, it is neither. The MLM or Network Marketing model is a legitimate one, that has been around from the 1950s (think of Amway). And just so we are on the same page, I am talking about true MLMs here, NOT pyramids. There is a difference, which you can find a good summation of on my colleague's post here:

http://retirehealthywealthyandwise.net/why-mlm-is-evil

The problem with most folks who participate in MLM is that they join a company as if it were a lottery. They expect to do no work and succeed. They quit when they hear a few "no's" from family or friends and then say it doesn't work. They fail to learn the skills that will help them to succeed in business. They spend $100 or $500 or whatever it costs to join and then they give up when they don't work, when they get rejected, or whatever reason they quit. If they had spent $50,000 or $500,000 on a franchise, they would take it more seriously and learn the skills to succeed.

Let's face it - most people quit many things in life. My husband coached soccer for many years. Kids would come to the first soccer practice and after being made to run so they could get into shape and last an entire game, they would quit after that first practice. Every sport was the same for some of those kids and their parents never made them see anything through when it got hard.

Others quit college or take easier jobs because they don't want to go back to school. College isn't necessary, but the point is that if you start something you should at least give it a good try.

Bad marriage? Give up and divorce and try again with the hope that the new spouse will be a better spouse without doing anything to ensure that YOU are a better spouse this time around.

Quitting is a fact of life for most people. It's as true in MLM as it is for all the other things I've said here and more.

With that said, there are some things that someone looking to get involved in MLM should consider. That is for another blog post. :-)

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Recent Comments

14

great post!

have you also posted this on an outside blog?

I would like to share these thoughts with my own MLM team!

all the best,

Thanks! It is posted on my http://retirehealthywealthyandwise.net website. Feel free to share.

appreciate that, however, it was this blog by sasukhram that I was wanting to be able to share with my team

ok

Hey adaba063, thanks so much! I do not have this on an outside blog (yet), but if you're ok with them reading it here at WA, you can share the post here by using the link that is at the top of the post. Does that help?

thanks, I know how to link to WA articles and posts, but that is not what I want to do,

I can wait

Hi Suzanne,

You really nailed it as far as why people sign up for things and quit before giving success a chance. Your analogies (lottery, sports, marriage, etc.) really helped drive your points home. As far as MLM being evil, I agree with you that legit MLMs are not evil...I was just using the cartoon in my post in a tongue in cheek way to show how easy it is for many to get turned off by MLM. Sorry if you found the title misleading.

Roland

MLMs aren't evil. Like you said, they take work. Pyramid schemes are illegal. I think your assessment is correct, in that people want success without work. There's an old joke about, "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Hi Carla, thanks for commenting! Yes, I have heard that joke and it is so correct that it isn't even a joke! :-)

I know my main thought when joining WA was that I would not rely on or place any burden on my family and friends. I just won't do that to them and with WA, I don't have to. Other than that, WA doesn't require as much money as many MLMs do. Who has that kind of money to invest in some of the MLMs that want thousands of dollars? I will be interested to read your upcoming blog post about MLMs.

Melanie, it is right not to reply on or place any burden on friends and family. I totally agree with that. I think it is fair, however, to let folks know what we are up to, because if we have a brick and mortar store we would be doing that. So whether it is WA, or MLM, we need to tell people what we are doing and then let them decide what they want to do with that information, if anything. Over the years I have goofed a LOT but I am so glad someone shared this industry with me. I offer information to people and treat them like adults. If they want a product/service, great. If they want to join my team, great. If they want neither, that is great, too. At least they cannot say I didn't share what I am doing and using with them.

WA is a great value and you are right that when added up over the course of a year, WA is much less than most MLMs. I am now choosing to build my MLM business using WA principles and I am really excited, as I have always been a writer. :-)

Thanks for commenting!

Very true, if your not willing to apply yourself in basically anything in your life then you are accepting the status quo. Which is from my own perspective of what I have seen in others and how I see them just adjust and not trying to do more.

Thank you, Kim, for your comment. I get a little fired up when folks say something doesn't work when it is them not putting forward the effort to make it work.

Your welcome. :))

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