I completely agree with most of your points. There is potential for fraud in any MLM organization. But in the same breath, there is potential for fraud in ANY other business as well. Withholding information and misleading your associates is a bad way to conduct any business. And it usually leads to failure.
As i said in my earlier post, out of all the MLM businesses i have witnessed there have been only 2 that have more potential for success than for failure. One would be Mary Kay makeup line. And the other would be Quixtar. The reason being is because a persons success is determined solely by effort that he puts in to it. Money is not siphoned from your downline. The actual suppliers pay a percentage off of each item purchased for moving the volume.
So if a person is able to find a group of people who are willing to move volume from Quixtar and teach other people to do the same, Quixtar will pay a percentage of the profits in lieu of advertising fees. The higher the volume moved, the higher the amount paid.
The honest truth is that it is a great opportunity to make extra money if you work hard and have a knack for dealing with people. The business is not for everybody. For instance, if you are shy around people or if you are just not a "people person" then you probably should not be in marketing. Just like If you burn toast and set your kitchen on fire a lot, you shouldn't be a cook. Just like if you are 100 pounds and 6 foot tall, you should not play American football. So i agree with the statement that you said about "this is a great opportunity to make money, if you work hard," being false. But on the bright side, If you are good with people and you work hard and are persistent, there is no reason you cant make a profit off of either of the too previously mentioned MLM businesses(Mary Kay or Quixtar). Now when i make contacts, im looking for people like myself. Im looking for people who are outgoing, ambitious, and outside the box thinkers. So when i tell my contacts that "As long as you work at it and are persistent, you will have a great opportunity to earn some extra income in your spare time" Im being 100% accurate and truthful in my hook statement. And before anybody tries to say that purposefully 'hooking' a potential associate/investor/customer is bad, go pick up any 'how to' book on salesmanship.
-----------The following facts apply to more than just MLMs. They apply to life.----------
Basically here is the thing: Using misinformation, withholding information, and misleading information is a way to cheaply and easily con people in to doing what you want, but the downside is, they dont stick around and it tarnishes your business when word gets out. Then your business crumbles like a house of cards.
People respect you when you are upfront with them. Even when/if the information is negative. If you are the type of person that lays all your cards on the table and doesn't pull punches, then you can build a successful and more stable business.
Last edited by daze; Jan 29, 2009 at 06:30 AM // 06:30..
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