To think she's lying or brainwashed - MLM

[queenbee67]

Friend of mine has recently joined one of the big MLMs - let's call it Squash Minus.

I was surprised as she always seemed quite sensible and level headed. Suddenly she's posting inspirational quotes all over Facebook and talking about how much she's earning and how great her new 'business' is...while trying relentlessly to recruit other people. I didn't have her down as a liar so I'm wondering if it's possible that she really believes she's doing well or maybe she really is?

I don't know a lot about these companies but I tend to think they're probably not the most legitimate way to earn a crust. What do you think? Has anyone had any first hand experience?

[BSintolerant]

@tillytoodles1

A friend has started doing a skincare range via MLM, she talks about it all the time and says her skin has never looked better. She's 60 and looks just the same.

Let me guess: Arctic?

[YouokHun]

@Quaagars

Urgh. (At your post, that is.)
I'm a SAHM, never done an MLM scheme but I'm not about to laugh or sneer at those who do.
Sometimes you want to be able to bring a bit of extra money in, and this is a way of doing it (whether via Usborne, Body Shop, or whatever)
(Yes aware there's a whole other argument out there intertwined such as not paying enough, promises of earning shitloads etc)

I wouldn’t laugh or sneer at someone who got involved in MLM but I would be concerned. There has been quite a lot of research that shows that around 99.6% of people signing up for MLM lose money. It’s very rare that people earn more than they spend. It’s really not a good way to bring in small amounts and certainly not consistently. The ONLY was to make money in MLM is to recruit, just like a pyramid scheme... Have a look at mlmtruth.org or talented ladies club. MLM is an unregulated scam.

[YouokHun]

[quote ImInStealthMode]@Mreggsworth Inteletravel absolutely boils my blood.

I'm a member of a few private groups for the travel industry and none will allow Inteletravel 'agents' in. To even suggest the industry is 'thriving' and there's any kind of 'boom' is an insult to the long established companies only barely keeping their heads above the water at present, and downright misleading to their clients.

If any of my friends or acquaintances started with that nonsense I don't think I'd be able to hold back [/quote]
Did you know that one of the high up Inteletravel directors bribed ABTA for their membership?

[DefinatelyMaybee]

A friend of mine, very successful , independently well off, astute and doesnt suffer fools gladly has been sucked into this Tropic garbage...im honestly stunned as she is the last person to get hooked into a scam. She didnt ever bother with make up/grooming products before so it's even doubly bizarre...she keeps inviting me to these online selling events which I keep avoiding..honestly I think she has gone completely insane

[babbaloushka]

I found that MLM blog and it's so interesting, the exploitation is sickening. These poor women.

[hilariousnamehere]

I hate MLMs with a passion! But...
Squash Minus
Occasionally Dead
SpicyDeath

[Startingagainperson]

I wouldn’t be cross with her, she’s not in a great place if she’s having to put up all that rubbish.
But I would unfollow and block all social media feeds, why wouldn’t you? It’s easy to do, I do it on half my friends especially:
Inspirational quotes
Selling
Political rants
Mysterious ‘People can be so mean... ‘ followed by ‘are you okay hun? Messges’ eurghh
Promoting their business too much

[krustykittens]

My hairdresser was excitedly telling me all about her new business today - it's Tropic. My heart just sank listening to her. She has three young kids, her income was hammered by Covid and her husband's income hast taken a hit as well. She was chattering away (not selling or recruiting - yet) and all I could think was, "You are going to lose so much money and you really cannot afford it." I also don't want to have to find a new hairdresser. A friend of mine who got involved with an MLM after her husband walked out on her and their children, leaving them very short of cash, admitted the other day she had gone without food for herself to pay for the MLM products. I hate them and I wish there was a way to ban them.

[Nicknacky]

I can’t work out Spicy Death!

[LoopyGremlin]

@Nicknacky
I think it’s HerbaLife.

[Nicknacky]

@LoopyGremlin I’m embarrassed I couldn’t work that out! I blame tiredness. Thanks!

[LoopyGremlin]

No problem @Nicknacky! Know that tired feeling...I can’t get to sleep

[EmbarrassingAdmissions]

The anti-MLM YouTube channels (including UK ones) are distressing for the lies that were told to the women - and the lies they are encouraged to use to abuse the trust of the family/friends and others.

[Muddycob]

I know someone that did MLM for a few years, reminded me of del boy "this time next year we'll be millionaires " but never left full-time job neither did their upline manager. Spent all free time going to meetings with team, doing stalls at weekends or at some conference, which eventually let slip they'd paid to attend. Was very cagey when other friend queried how much was actually profit after all the costs involved such as fuel. I suspect would've earned more if taken regular 2nd min wage job for few hours a week & still had time for own interests

The goal is to recruit as get paid more and selling products is secondary.

[Lucidas]

They should be banned. Nasty exploitative schemes that prey on the vulnerable.

[TheBigFish]

My sister got hooked into Occasionally Dead. Was forever trying to get me to use the products on my baby with skin problems. Gave us product for Christmas presents them asked for it back when we hadn't used them a short while after. I remember going to one presentation where her upline was selling some product that contained something from bees. She used the line 'and as we all know, the inside of a beehive is sterile'. I just sat there thinking, but do we all know that?!!

[Fizbosshoes]

On our local fb page there often pops up someone with a really vague "job opportuniy"
Along the lines of
Do you want to earn £500/week? Choose your own hours, work from home around your kids, exciting opportunity, pm for details.
It screams MLM to me, and the poster will never divulge what the opportunity is, or what skills/type of work it is. I'm always amazed at the amount of people who say they've sent a PM.

[GiveMeTulipsfromAmsterdam]

I'm being bombarded with scency at present from a relative that suddenly has her own business to live the life she wants to live.....

Again why do they want you all to join them on their journey... recruitment since selling it doesn't make enough money

[ToffeePennie]

They drive me insane!
I have a legitimate health care business - I trained for over 2 years, have been going for 18months and I actually have a protected title.
There are mums in the playground and at playgroups and stuff who sell the same shite MLMs as everyone else. They always have other mums (in the same year group) buying stuff off them. There’s a bodyshop one, book one, a makeup one etc.
I can’t figure it out - like do these other mums realise that these lotions and potions are shite and won’t help, or do they genuinely not understand about MLMs?
And it annoys me even more because they fill up our whatsapp chats and Facebook groups with “what a miracle Mary’s stuff is, it’s sorted my x problem” when in fact it’s just hidden the problem and made it 10x harder to sort out at a later date! And actually if they’d initially paid for my service, they wouldn’t need the “miracle cure” which isn’t!

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

@BrownEyedGirl80

Squash Minus.I see what you did there 😁

Brilliant isn't it!

[ReginaTheEvilQueen]

Ive had to unfriend/block one of these relentless mlm bots, at last count she was doing 8 different ones

Occasionally Dead? Im lost on that one 😂

[FakeColinCaterpillar]

I always avoided these until scentsy reared its head. Luckily it’s all people doing it on the side of their jobs.
I’m actually allergic to perfume but apparently won’t be allergic to that knock off stuff...

[CaptainAwkward]

A lovely woman I know was sucked into Squash Minus a few years ago.
Lots of posts about her ‘community’ of MLM peddlers and the ‘science’ behind it.

This made me uncomfortable as she posted some pictures of her still in her NHS uniform giving a talk on these snake oil capsules
She went quiet all of a sudden and now is heavily involved in a happy clappy church and the trite MLM posts have now been replaced with scripture in fancy font.

I reckon she was looking for a ‘tribe’ (boak) and welcoming community so has replaced #bossbabe with #evangelicalbabe.

[TheFormerPorpentiaScamander]

@FakeColinCaterpillar

I always avoided these until scentsy reared its head. Luckily it’s all people doing it on the side of their jobs.
I’m actually allergic to perfume but apparently won’t be allergic to that knock off stuff...

Scentsy isn't knock off perfume, it's wax melts isn't it?

I fell for my "friends" spiel and signed up to an MLM. I made minus £. I wasn't prepared to lie to my friends and family about how much money I was making, or how amazing some of the products were. I genuinely loved some. Others were shit and I told people so. I did an AMA on here and got accused of still working for them . I'm not a natural salesperson, and as already mentioned wasn't prepared to lie to people. So I failed. Like 99% of people. They are set up to fail.
Sadly lots of the friends I made at the time through my "team" are still trying to flog MLMs. They move from one to the next never realising that they are all scams.

[FakeColinCaterpillar]

What ever the perfume one is called. I’ve blocked or muted them all!