I hate MLMs aka multi-level marketing. I love the idea of them, very much. But I detest how they are laid out. When you find an amazing product, watch a great movie or experience superb customer service and you tell someone about… why shouldn’t you get paid?! This concept makes a lot of sense to me.
Over the last 20 years, I have been open minded. In fact I have been involved with several of them. Pampered Chef, Usana, Creative Memories, Avon, Tupperware, Younique and most recent Pruivit. But no more.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MLMs ARE SCAMS. However, they are set up for the few at the top to make the most money. Always. The sooner you get in, the more people under (or beside you) the more money the people at the top will make! That is not a scam. In fact, it is the way most companies work with a CEO at the top and the minimum wage employees at the bottom.
They are all different. Different pay scales, various ranks the that you can hit for extra bonuses! But in the end, the concept of an MLM is same. The more people that you can get on your ‘team’ the more points you can get the more money you can make. It doesn’t matter. In the end, I hate them and will NEVER sign up for another one. Here are my top five reasons:
5 – ‘Point Volume’ usually referred to in the back office of your company as PV. The points assigned to products instead of actual sales dollars. You will see an item that sells for $20CAD and gets you 15PV. Another product might have retail value of $18CAD but get you 18PV. What the fuck? Chang the retail price, be honest with the commuters and the promoters about what the products are really worth.
All MLMs will be different.
4 – Minimum monthly order to keep your ‘promoter membership’ current. Again I say What. The. Fuck. In order to be qualified to sell your product, I have to sell a minimum amount? Where this REALLY boils my blood is when it doesn’t even equal CAD, they look at your PV (see point 5 above) I sold over $550CAD in retail sales one month with a company but the ‘point volume’ was only 475PV and I needed a minimum of 500PV to stay current. If I wanted to keep selling I had to pay my membership fee again… this takes me to number three.
3 – I HAVE TO PAY YOU to sell YOUR product?! OMG. I can’t even believe that I fell for this? MLMs have a great product, and I want to tell the world. But in order to sell it for you, I have to pay you? How does that make sense? Really? I just fell for this 2 weeks ago, I paid $37USD to become an ‘Independant Promoter for Pruvit’. I am in love with this product, and I wanted to tell others about it. But the ONLY way to make money promoting it is to pay them an annual fee?! Palm slap to the forehead, what was I thinking?
Just one of the MLMs I had been involved with.
2- Shitty customer service. I just realized why this is the case with most MLMs. When you as a customer or as a promoter have any problems, you are not supposed to contact the company directly. Need help? Contact your ‘up-line’. AKA the person who brought you into the business in the first place. Now THEY are the ones that get deal with your problems. And if they can’t help? They call their up-line and so on and so on. Heaven for bid someone with the actual company will help.
1- Your ‘friends’ become nothing more than $$$. They found my tumour in November and I started to research brain health. My ‘friend’ was involved with a company that promoted and sold ketones for a ketogenic diet. We had lost touch over the last year and we started chatting. She come to see me in the hospital and even came to visit me when I was home recovering. We talked about Pruvit, she brought some samples. When I decided to join as a promoter she called numerous times while on vacation. She called and texted me more in 7 days than she had in 7 months. After less than a week I decided to cancel my order (doesn’t matter why, I still believe that Pruvit is a great company). She was disappointed I didn’t call her and talk to her first. By me signing up, it would bump her up the next level! She had never made that much money before!!
This is not how I want you to see me.
I have no other reason to think she just saw my brain tumour and search for brain health as a way for her to make more $$$. Hence, my main reason for hating MLMs. As all of my friends know, I support you 100%. I will look at your product and buy it if I think they are good; I will continue to use Pruvit. But please, do not ask me to sign up for your new home based business.
