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rrmoderatorBlaming those who lose money on such business schemes is not a meaningful response.
Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is plagued with complaints, lawsuits and financial losses.
It is most often the system itself and not the participants, which causes failure within many MLM schemes.
See [
www.vandruff.com]
This research paper explains the inherent structural and marketing flaws that cause so many MLM participants to lose money.
Also see [
www.mlmwatch.org]
This is a Web site that monitors such schemes.
Thanks, I, at least will check these out.
You know, maybe after my close call with Landmark and the now "Primerica", maybe I've become far too suspcious and cynical, but this quote below sure sounds a lot like apologist stuff that is often posted here by other for-sure questionable organizations. Regardless, I surely got the impression that there an implicit messages (IE) in the following quotations "" which I'll precede with the following symbol IE: with its text in brackets []:
"As a former rep, I had no problems with them. I can say that it is certainly not for everybody. With Vector/Cutco, you are an independant agent, not an employee. You get paid commissions based on your sales, no steady salary. It requires a lot of discipline, hard work, and self-motivation. If you can't do it, then you will not succeed. And as I learned, most people don't want to work a job like that, especially a college student. And most people don't find it fun to make cold calls and ask for an appointment in someone elses home.
IE:[It's certainly not for anyone who's not as good and worthy as I. The unwashed masses (like most people and college students) could never be as disciplined, hard-working and self-motivated. If you can't do it then you're one of *THEM* and not one of *US.* JUST BEING YOURSELF ISN"T GOOD ENOUGH; you *should* be like me. If I don't approve of you, you should feel bad.]
Today, I am a financial advisor, in a sales/commission based job. I have no boss to answer to, so I have got to be self-motivated. I like what I do, it was VERY tough at first, but with hard work, I got through it. It was much the same as Vector.
IE:[Today I make a lot more money than you--just like those suits on those fancy TV commercials who are always partying, traveling and driving big SUV's and sports cars. And since YOUR WORK IS YOUR WORTH;therefore, I'm smarter and more worthy to judge and, hell, just more *worthy* in general. Accordingly if you're poor or impoverished then that means you must must have "created that reality;" therefore, you deserve to be poor simply because you're less deserving.]
I also noticed that different offices have different standards, and I think this is where some of the more serious problems occur. I have heard some stories about legal action being taken for misleading applicants. In our office, we never straight out said that they will be selling knives (well, not on any of the initial literature). But as soon as somebody walked in the door for an interview (usually in the summer is when there would be a mass interview as you described), they read some liturature about what the job entailed (it was pretty straight forward). If it was not a mass interview, then the office manager explained what was in the literature. After that, they performed a mock demonstration (similar to what a rep does in somebody's home). After that was Q&A. The entire process took about 45 minutes. If a rep decided to come on as a rep, they knew what they were getting into.
IE:[It's not us; it's *always*them who did the bad stuff: A variation on the good cop/bad cop?
I would be more than happy to answer any questions. I have not sold Cutco for years now. Not everything they did I agreed with, but it is a great oportunity for somebody who is willing and able to make a serious go at outside sales."
IE:[I would be more than happy to implicitly criticize you and make you feel ignorant, small-minded, guilty, anxious and disapproved of so that you'll be more pliable and susceptible to my suggestions. It's far more *appropriate* to close your eyes to the dubious aspects of an organization if it means you're being a "team player." Only the elite--like me--are permitted to have an opinion and take a stance. Such for all others is mere insubordination. Begone unwashed masses and take your poverty-level wages with you. And while you're at it shame on you for having an opinion, and worse: Acting on it in a way that the elite-group-think tank feels is inappropriate...and worst of all: unprofitable.]
Thanks, moderator, for pointing out that just because someone is skilled at making us *feel* guilty, it doesn't necessarily follow that we *are* guilty. Thank God for CBT.
While I respect a lot about Eastern Philosophy, nevertheless it's particularly galling how Western opportunists have transmogrified it into manipulation that uses the "we creat our own reality" theory to justify their own greed and blame the impoverished victim for his or her own lack thereby doubly victimizing them. Check out the book "Nickled and Dimed" by the author who was recently interviewed on NPR for more on this if anyone is interested...And if irrational guilt is an issue with anyone out there I urge you to buy or borrow the book "Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burns.
CNFT