MLM Botwatch 56 - New Year, New Thread

[Jasmin82]

Bot-watching into 2020. Hoping it's a good year for all (and the end of MLMs - Hey, a girl can dream!)

Just found this thread via another thread.... I was a Neal’s yard ‘consultant’ for a whole, say for such an established and supposedly earth friendly company, the mlm arm was full on. The leaders of the mlm section were seasoned mlmers with experience from so many other companies such as body shop at home etc and really didn’t (in mine and many others’ eyes) fit the Neal’s yard ethos.
There wasn’t the same hideous pressure as there is in groups such as Younique but there was gentle and occasionally spiteful pressure from some.
You needed to be determined and the focus was far more on recruitment than it ever was on selling the products.
There was excellent training on ingredients and products but it always came back to ‘how many people do you know’ and shot like its takes at least ten direct communications before your victim bites’ (précising somewhat here)
I was told how amazing I am and how I’m gonna hit the bigtime.
I have disabilities and single working mum. I joined because I was desperate to make a difference to our lives, I also genuinely love the products and a lifelong love of aromatherapy and natural beauty and remedies.
When I fell on hard times and had to stop inv I was dropped like a tonne of bricks my my ‘upline’ and fellow managers who I’d believed to be my friends.
When I completed my tax returns it transpired I’d made a loss two years running.

Unbeknownst to me when I started, my local area was saturated with unsuccessful Neal’s yard consultants.
So many of them signed up to every sale and market and craft fair going. I believe that selling Neal’s yard to dorling kindersley and massively promoting the mlm arm has had a negative impact on the brand image.

promoting the mlm arm has had a negative impact on the brand image .... I totally agree with you here!

Where I lived before there was a Neals Yard shop - I loved going in there and, as a poor student at the time, aspired to be able to buy lots of lovely things from there.

As soon as I found out it was yet another MLM I wouldn't go anywhere near the place. Suddenly it seems cheap (although not in price) and tacky and is no longer a brand I wish to buy from.

(Welcome to the thread BTW outherealone )

Thank you @OhMyGodTheyKilledKenny great profile name!
Yes it’s a shame because the shops are such beautiful serene places but I read a lot of reviews on Glassdoor on the retail stores and at the time of reading, they didn’t treat shop staff awfully well either.
I went to some of their quarterly conferences, they were huge whoopfests of mainly women celebrating sales figures and team sizes.
You paid huge amounts to attend and the more you paid the better the standard of free gifts, eg if you bought full package including dinner and hotel you’d get a full sized brand new product but if you just paid for actual conference you’d get A sample sized product (that you could buy as a consultant and were encouraged to give to entice customers) a packed lunch and no seat so sitting on the floor in a hall surrounded by tables selling Neal’s yard products, definitely cheapened it for such a luxury product.

promoting the mlm arm has had a negative impact on the brand image

Especially when your brand imagine is all about organic, natural, niche and is supposedly “ethical”. I know a lot of people who have backed away from brands that start an MLM arm, not because it’s MLM per se but because the tone is different, the people pushing it are different and it just feels like a big pushy business that doesn’t really care. People pick up on these things without really recognising the MLM element, though of course the MLM element is the big giveaway that a brand has abandoned its moral compass.

I am appalled at them using their kids again. I have mentioned before that I am surprised they haven’t had a visit from the darker sides of humanity with all the bragging.

Castle's bruv really does love himself doesn't he?!
How many pics can he take of himself documenting every mundane thing he dies.

On the plus side, they couldn't even get Welsh's name right on that 2019 list

Yawn has qualified, it may have only been at 1500cc's though.

Two of the people on her list are insolvent and many others are close to losing everything.

Bizniz is booming!

Bikinipreneur....stop standing in front of boats you don't own for your obsessive attraction marketing posts. It's total cringe.

I must admit I enjoy sharing a product I buy on the high street or via a website with my social media just to piss off the huns who spy on me.

I wonder if HMRC have an eye on the cheques? Seeing as one of the bots did not keep to her payment plan. Taxes? Nah, I am too good for that..

Thanks @DoraExplorer99 it certainly does seem strange.

I'm inclined to think that Castle didn't qualify but did a deal with HQ to wangle her way in.

I just dot get how they can keep getting these cheques and just decide not to pay their tax!!

It will all catch up with them soon.

It will definitely catch up with them.
I used to work with a lot of ex tax inspectors. Pre-facebook etc but they shared with me how they found things out and decided to investigate people. Having adverts in Windows or papers for ironing etc could get them investigated to make sure they were declaring.

Someone who owes lots of taxes but attraction marketing will be watched carefully.

Yawn has joined a running club looking for new victims! Reminds me of the deaf course she went on.

Good luck converting members of a running club to your snake oil's!

Will see her coming a mile away!

I vaguely lurk on here as I'm not on Facebook so seem to avoid the worst of the MLMs. However yesterday I was on an app that tells parents about baby and toddler activities. One was a story time by an Usborne book seller (she was open in the description that she was a "consultant") - I reported it saying I think women on maternity leave are often vulnerable and have little money, and things like this may make them feel pressured to buy or join, but they got back to me saying they'd vetted it and thought it was fine. At least I tried.

@fromdownwest at least the runners will be able to outrun her! They'll run more than a mile to avoid the aloe.

@ElusiveOrangeTwirl - well done for trying.
For some reason, Usborne seems to fly a bit under the MLM radar.
I think it's because the product is one that it's hard to have any objections to, especially in an educational context.
They are as bad as the others in terms of exploiting their reps and being overpriced, though.

@elusiveorangetwirl (love your name btw!) at least you tried! Sounds like a sneaky new bot tactic.

I think twentytwenty is right - friends of mine who would avoid Younique type mlms seem to have no problem with Usborne. My Uzbot is always going on about how her mission is to "foster a love of reading and put beautiful books in the hands of children"... I mean what kind of monster would dare criticise THAT!

And yet it's just the same exploitative mlm setup as the rest of them.

A dear friend has joined Scentsy. I am very fond of her and want to gently warn her away from them. She's such a lovely lady and I don't want them to take advantage of her. Are there any resources I can point her towards that might inform her and alert her to the dangers of being involved with an MLM.

Why do they have to infect all that is good!
Running groups now!
Scottish bot is hosting a running group now.
I hope that they don’t hoodwink people who are trying to get fit and healthy.
They won’t trick the seasoned runners, but may well grab some of the new year runners.

Why can’t why just leave us be!

On our estate page. There is thermomox, younique, revital u, scentscy, three Avons and an arbonne.

I have tried challenging every one when they advertise, but apparently the Internet is wrong.