Somebody is finally making a movie spoofing the multi-level marketing industry, aka network marketing, aka get rick quick scheme, aka pyramid scheme, aka etc. Sure, it looks cheesy, overdone, and low budget, but still, I feel obligated to support the cause. I’d recommend going straight to the trailers.
I’m no friend of MLM. I think it’s a blight on Utah. Sure, they provide a lot of jobs and tax revenues. So do casinos, tobacco companies, and beer companies for the respective states in which they operate. And don’t give me that pitch on how these products really help people. Is a $50 bottle of shampoo really going to help me be happier than the $1 bottle of Prell I can get at the dollar store? Do you really think the research produced by tens of thousands of PhDs working to figure out how to treat and/or cure cancer is going to be trumped by a fruit somebody found on an island? And if these companies are so humanitarian why are they selling it for $30 per bottle to the tune of hundreds of millions in profit per year?
C’mon people, it’s all a scam. It’s the modern day version of the emperor’s clothes. MLM ruins lives. I’m not talking about it killing people or putting them in the poor house, although I’m sure someone out there would probably make those claims, I’m talking about it ruining people as human beings. I think people become twisted and immoral when they adopt a get-rich-quick attitude. I think people become addicted to it like they do to gambling or porn.
I haven’t had any bad experiences with MLM companies. Nobody from an MLM company has ever insulted me. I have no hidden agenda. I just think that MLM ruins people. I think these companies are fakes. Impostors. I think anyone that works for them or supports them is ignorant or twisted.
Granted, some are worse than others. Some are complete scams, selling nothing of value whatsoever and ripping people off, while others actually do have decent products which are merely overpriced.
And I would say there are some companies that are exceptions to my wrath. I don’t have any problem with Stampin’ Up, Tupperware, or similar companies that use a network marketing model, although I think they walk a fine line. I think people would buy Stampin’ Up products whether or not they were sold through a network marketing model. I don’t think most people join Stampin’ Up in order to get rich quick. I think they join because they really like the products and are into them. Maybe 5% join because they think they’re going to make serious cash. Xango and Noni appear to be just the opposite. Would anyone really buy the stuff if it were sold at Costco for the same price? Does anyone sign up as a distributor because they’re really into drinks that supposedly make you healthy? Yeah, yeah, I know, you really believe, but the you’ve got to understand is that I don’t trust you. I think your greed has twisted your mind so that you believe what you wouldn’t believe if it weren’t for the money involved.
Anyway, enough soapbox. The movie trailers got me going there.
I wonder if this film will be shown at the XanGo Theater at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT?
“I’m no friend of MLM. I think it’s a blight on Utah… C’mon people, it’s all a scam. It’s the modern day version of the emperor’s clothes.”
Couldn’t have said it any better myself, Josh. Wow! The saddest part is when otherwise good human beings at the top turn a cheek while screwing people over. “I can’t control every single one of my shady salesman and distributors. It’s not my fault friendships and family get exploited for a quick buck.” Keep turning a blind eye to what goes on so you can justify your comfortable lifestyle. That’s real noble.
And don’t even get me started on most door-to-door/so called “marketing companies.” Cough, cough, alarm systems, dish salesman, and pest control pushers. Nearly all of them are glorified boiler rooms.
DISCLOSURE: I sold work to one of said companies a few years back. I still feel partly responsible for enabling my client to rip-off people more efficiently. And I did it because money was on the table.
Yeah, I did work for an alarm company too. And I have bid on jobs for multiple MLM companies of the type I don’t like. I’m thankful I didn’t get the jobs, although I sure could have used the money. But I think I’m to the point where I’d turn it down on principle. Not because I don’t need the money, but doing work for an MLM of the sort that puts out drinks, herbal supplements, etc. is something I think comes too close to doing work for Budweiser or Marlboro.
Lotions and potions . . .
I think the problem isn’t the model or the product, it’s the principle by which others become rich for value that they aren’t creating. In many cases there is no exchange taking place at certain levels. No value is being created, yet people are cashing in anyway.
If we’re bashing on MLM as a model, there is no difference between Noni, Xango, Stampin’ Up or Tupperware.
As for the “summer sales” companies . . . some are boiler rooms, but they only become boiler rooms because of the people who work there. I have a hard time justifying putting an entire industry into a category based on the poor practices of a few. If that’s the standard, it could be done with any industry (including web designers) because they are resellers of products as well.
The mortgage industry is facing similar problems right now because their has been so much unscrupulous activity during the last few years. Heck, it only takes two days of classes and a test to become licensed to sell $300,000 products. There are also a lot of good people out there in this industry. Summer sales is the exact same way, but I must mention this again, it’s almost always people (not products) that give an industry a bad name . . . (Even tobacco falls into this category. Tobacco has great uses for bruised cattle, but somewhere along the line a person decided to smoke it, grow it, sell it and market it).
I have an awesome idea for an MLM. I’ll call it the “Jeremy Stewart Parasitic Tapeworm Diet”. It involves introducing a tapeworm into your body. You can eat whatever you want and that little rascal will help you lose weight. I’ll even let people meet and name the tapeworm that will eventually infest their intestinal tract. Mine will be named Bernard.
@ Russ: 1) “As for the “summer sales” companies . . . some are boiler rooms, but they only become boiler rooms because of the people who work there.”
Ignorance is bliss when you’re making money.
2) “I have a hard time justifying putting an entire industry into a category based on the poor practices of a few.”
Notice my use of “nearly” above. While important to understand the generalization argument, do you really think there are only a “few” shady summer sales and MLM companies in comparison to other industries (web designers like myself included)? C’mon, that justification is as trite as they come. If it smells like crap, it probably is. I realize that you probably have colleagues in that industry as do I, but there’s no need to be coy. No one is pointing fingers here, just exposing a widely observed belief.
@ Blake
Ignorance is bliss? Justification is trite? Smells like crap? . . . now that’s being coy.
And yes, if we’re going off numbers, I’ll bet summer sales and MLM are far outnumbered when it comes to shady businesses in other industries, web and PR included. Summer sales and MLM are largely phenoms of Utah county. We just know it well because it’s in our backyard. A few other thoughts. . .
- Noni-type juice is actually sold at Costco and people buy it. I see it there almost everytime I go. Dark fruits (mangosteen, grapes, blueberries, noni, etc . . . are loaded with antioxidants, which doctors say are good for getting rid of carcinogens, which cause cancers). Will they do all that these companies promise? Not likely.
- Wild Oats Market sells juices on the shelf from “Pure Fruit Technologies” for darn near $30 a bottle and people buy it. Pure Fruit is a Tahitian Noni company.
- $50 lotions are sold at cosmetics counters and people buy it. Does it make them feel happier? Probably . . . at least for the moment.
- $50 shampoos are sold in salons and people buy it. Does it make their hair healthier? Who knows. But, people still buy it.
- DishNetwork, Alarms, Pest Control and the like are sold in retail stores and people still buy it.
The point is, I don’t see the validity of the arguments here. I don’t care for MLM because it looks like a “reap what others sow” type of operation to me no matter what they are selling. Summer sales is the opposite because you only “reap what you sow.” If you don’t sell, you don’t get paid. I know people who got hosed in SS (good friends) but I don’t sit back and call the industry shady by any means when it was a person who was shady.
Well, I don’t think we’ll crack this nut today. It appears we’re each at opposite ends of the sprectrum. I believe a majority of said companies profit by exploiting the ignorant, and you believe a majority face the same ethical dilemmas as any other industry. Agree to disagree.
I had a very similar thought last night. You still playing baseball?
Let me weigh in here too. Anyone who knows me knows that I am somewhat passionate about this whole MLM deal. OK, maybe somewhat isn’t strong enough wording. Anyway, here’s my biggest problem: The reason so many of these companies now generate the lion’s share of their business overseas (china, japan, etc.) is that consumers (and entrepreneurial minded folk) in those countries aren’t sophisticated enough to know that they can buy a non MLM brand of Mangosteen fruit juice at costco for 1/5 the price. Or that Pomegranate juice has just as many health benefits, and you can buy that at Wal-mart for $5 a bottle, but that it’s not ‘exotic’ enough to support the claims of independant distributors who will tell you it cured their cancer. And grew their hair back. And mowed their lawn too boot. They are taking less sophisticated people to the cleaners oversees, and then they spread their money around Utah like a poison. To make matters worse, Utah has the most favorable laws ON THE PLANET for MLM companies. They just changed them last summer. In all their wisdom, the state legislature rolled back Utah’s MLM laws 25 years. Used to say that as a network marketing company you had to spend more than 50% of your efforts in selling product, not in signing up distributors. Utah just changed it back. Within 3 weeks, Morinda, Xango, StampinUp all changed their entire marketing strategies to take advantage of the new streamlined paths to bilk the unknowing out of more money. Go Utah! I for one will support, and possibly will lead out, any campaign to run these types of companies out of our state. They are not good for anything, well except paying enough money into the community and politicians to pass laws that seriously negatively impact lots of people. If you’re going to make all your money in China, then just move over there. I won’t miss you for 1 split second.
Well, if you do start a political movement let me know. That’s something I’d be willing to get behind. Anything to get these people out of the state and restore some dignity to Utah.
Jer:
You couldn’t be more on the money. Let’s get something going here.
Chris
Hey everyone! I don’t know if you know about this, but the movie Don was talking about at the beginning– it’s called “Believe” and it’s hitting theatres in Utah on April 20. It looks Awesome! I’ve seen the two main guys, Larry Bagby and Lincolne Hoppe in some other movies and they are hilarious! I can’t imagine that this isn’t so funny and going to be a big hit! If you haven’t checked out the website, you should do so! It’s great! http://www.believethemovie.com. I even saw a contest on there to win a CD. That could be pretty cool. I think MLM is a hoot- at least for the people who believe in it. My aunt gave it a try once, and I think her only customers were us in the family. I guess some have sucess, but those are the ones that get right into it at the beginning! I don’t know. I think this movie jokes around about that… Has anyone heard anything more about it???
I’ve read all these comments and all I can say is you people have no clue. You sound like a bunch of punk teenagers.
What are you talking about Ray? Are you a fan of MLM? Have you had sucess with it? Tell us where we may be wrong…
I personally don’t support MLMs because the people are too pushy, but they are not only here in Utah. Granted I seem to get hit up way more here than elsewhere, but I was working at a kiosk selling and the mall is a recruiters heaven.
What I have a problem with is grouping MLM with door sales. I do door sales for a Comcast contractor and my average customer get way superior services for about 40% less than what they are paying now. People are at times uncomfortable to see someone at the door that is selling something, but we give them a better product for less money.