I've been sucked into forever living!! Why do I feel like the bad guy?

[KindergartenKop]

Recently an acquaintance emailed me to ask if I could 'help' her by trying a few products and giving her some feedback. Being the nice person I am I agreed. When the bag of samples turned up the penny dropped and i realised that she's trying to sell them to me (I'm naive I know!). I thought id just buy a little bubble bath. Its fucking 14 quid! No way. I'm sending the bag back and pleading eczema. Does this whole company operate by guilting friends and family into purchasing crap quality at ridic prices?

These multi-level marketting people can get vicious when they are desperate for their fixnext sale or recruit. I had a pampered chef colleague who held grudges against people who wouldn't have parties for her. Within a few weeks, she would always have gone to her boss with a complaint about their behaviour to be made to their boss on her behalf. She really homed in on new people still in their probationary periods at work, tried to get them to think they had to do it or they would have difficulty "fitting in". Even tried to get peopel to host them at work (it was a charity, so as a "fundraising" event, with a few % of sales going to the charity and a much bigger % going to her).

Got the boot for it herself in the end though, but caused a lot of hurt and worry before the pattern was spotted bitch.

Oh goodness, I have a friend and the way it reads like every other post about their FB friends is chilling.

Inspirational quotes about success - check.

Monday morning posts about loving it and feeling so full of energy - check. Pictures of herself and her kids checking out a big shiny car - check.
Pictures of themselves and their friends beaming at presentations/training days - check.

Other FL friends posting on their updates and pictures with lots of smileys and amazings - check.
Ticking off ostentatious things on her dream board - check.
Hashtags and huns and inspirations and excitement - check.
Recruiting friends - check.
The "this is my office" picture - check.
Going on that holiday, how lucky am I - check.
Cringey buzzwords and slogans - check.
Pictures of products, some aimed at children, some claiming to help with serious health problems, some at animals - check.
Pictures of her own child pouring himself a drink from a branded bottle of aloe.

I could go on, but this is just a quick scroll down the past month or so of her page.

My daughter is my WHY, the reason I joined Forever Living Products - UK, to offer her a lifestyle of her dreams, working ahead of time, so that I can create memories in her life and help others do the same.. spending time with mini me as TIME is the one thing you can never get back... what are you doing for your family? What's your plan B? Inbox me for friendly, non obligation chat. Take the leap of faith... this time next year you wish you had started today... smile emoticon Dare to be different...
smile emoticon
Your future self will thank you for it. ?#?Networkmarketing?, ?#?Bossbabe?, ?#?Choices?, ?#?TimeFreedom?, ?#?Globalbusiness?, ?#?ForeverLiving?.

Taken from a poster on the FLFB page. I feel nauseous. Bossbabe???

bold fail

ask yourself this: if they are 'direct sales' companies, why don't they just put that shit on the internet and sell it?

The internet makes anything accessible. You can buy stuff on it and get it delivered and everything!

Why the need for 'distributors'?

???????????

re: Stella & Dot, yes, it is an MLM like the rest.

They won't fess up about how much a typical participant makes on their website. I wonder why?

btw, in Canada the law has changed and now requires MLMs to state how much people make, typically. Try googling the canada version of the MLM (if it exists) and see how much people make.

just looked at Stella & Dot. This is what is says on their website!

Currently, over 18,000 active stylists are living the home-based career their mothers never had the chance to have – and loving it. You can, too

It is such a load of shite. £169 for a starter kit, but if you sell 1000 PQV units (??) then you can get a rebate on the kit, blah blah blah.

Become a stylist, own your own business, you can earn great commission. Build a team and earn 18% commission on them too.....

People read this, fall for it, and think they can earn a fortune for just a few hours a week

total shite. how much does a typical participant earn in S&D? put the hard figures on your website, Stella and Dot.

Oh, and FL!

and actual profit - not turnover - net expenses etc. actual profit earned by the 'distributor'.

in actual currency - not some meaningless MLM unit

I have just been talking to a colleague and she did body shop for a bit and had the same pressure from the "up line" to recruit new blood etc

That really surprises me. I thought Body Shop was just the products and not at all pyramidy.

So did I! I was really shocked. I don't think they are anywhere near as bad as the ones where the product is utter Shite backed up by pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo etc, but they definitely aren't all that great a business option either

These are the numbers from Herblife....which gives you a better idea of how much people in FL are likely to earn! Note: These are Gross figures and do not include expenses.

The fast majority of people in MLM schemes make nothing...nada...zilch.

lastuseraccount-exactly! If the products are so good they don't need a team of hundreds of managers to sell a handcream and a bit of swamp-in-a-tub.

From the above: "Over 25% of Distributors reach the rank of Supervisor and above ("Leader")..."

So around 75% of the bots don't even reach Supervisor, with the stellar average earning of £901 pa (median earning $475 pa).

And as Thereyouarepeter says, that's gross earnings.

Now subtract all those paid-for conferences, brainwashing training materials and travel.

Do they all get a list of things they must say and blog about? It seems so!

I had a look at the S&D site, the prices are shocking. I've seen exactly the same sort of thing in New Look for about a sixth of the cost.

The more I think of it the more convinced I am that we should have a standard reply to any overtures by the bots, challenging the business model. It might make some people who are about to be sucked in think again.

I'm not sure what one could say, they will have been trained to deal with criticism. I have another post and it is true the likes are mainly all from fellow flbots. You wonder why they don't cotton on with how quickly they keep getting 'prompted' especially when it is supposed to be their business.

As for views, my last office has a sea view, this one with a roundabout isn't quite the same

It's such a shame, because these days there are so many real jobs that allow you to work flexibly/ around children.

Been lurking on this post but de-lurked to say I've just been sent a Facebook PM by a FLbot- how exciting! I've had an operation recently so I'm waiting for the inevitable 'aloe Vera will cure you'

Anyone still doubting that FLP is a cult preying on the weak, vulnerable and desperate, should watch this video.

Blimey Skye how old are Stella & Dot's reps? Their DM's couldn't have home based selling careers? They must be ancient! I'm pushing 50 and distinctly remember my DM having Tupperware, Oriflame and Pippa Dee parties.

I feel left out. I have no FL bots on FB or on my local selling page.

My FLbot has posted a pic of her recruitment event .... well, a photo of the building, with a pleading message for next time. I suspect no one turned up.