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Just overheard an entire Kiyoski based MLM pitch. Wow, that was painful.

Late Bloomer

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I was sitting by myself, sipping a soda at McDonald's, typing up some notes and emails on the laptop.

A guy, maybe 40-something, came by to chat. He asked how I like the Mac (the computer, not the hamburger). He started with the Mac long ago and did graphics on it. Oh, I asked, are you are a Photoshop guy? No, he said, he works with someone who has 30,000 pictures in the Cloud. I said that sounds like a lot of prolific photography or design or whatever it is he does.

He asked a little more about my use of the Mac and I mentioned I'm working to create a web design company. He asked how much money I expected from that. I blandly said if I can get to a few thousand dollars within a few months then I wouldn't need a day job, right?

He said he works with some other people who are entrepreneurial. I asked what type of product and service and he waffled a bit. I asked him if it was MLM. He said it was. I said I knew MLM wasn't for me because I want to be able to design my own product and service, be in control of my own marketing and selling, control my own contracts and pricing, control my own management and outsourcing, choose my own team, and with MLM that's all taken out of my hands. He said "we do things differently" but didn't explain and I didn't ask.

After a few minutes he wanted to chat again about nostalgia for the early days of graphics on the Mac and I said I had to catch up on my own writing. "Nice to meet you" he said, even though neither of us had provided our names.

After a while he had his scheduled meeting with someone who was scheduled to meet with him for potential recruiting. They were two tables away in an empty dining room so I heard clearly without any attempt to eavesdrop. Actually I'd have preferred to have not had to overhear them.

Total premise throughout was that this was an interview to evaluate if the candidate was good enough to qualify for an awesome opportunity. I heard the "interviewer's" questions very clearly from a couple of tables over but not most of the responses from "candidate" Greg, maybe around 30.

"The purpose of our conversation will be to establish trust and friendship and to see if there's a good fit together so we can establish a future together. So can you tell me a little something about yourself?"
Preaching from Rich Dad about quadrants, suggests the guy ask his wife about her dreams such as travel, asked the guy where he's at a on scale of 1 to 10 (seven), what would it take to get you to 10 out of 10.
"If I asked you the difference between mentorship and management... in mentorship you're being guided to a definition, in management you're being told what to do, there's no right or wrong answer. So if you owned a $50,000 cashflow asset, Greg, would you sell it? Or if you had $2 million, would you buy a $50,000 cashflow asset? So your ten out of ten lifestyle what would that look like?"
"We want people to dream big but we also don't want people to just get a new car because when you drive it off the lot you lose $10,000."
"The Audi, have you given it a test drive? Now they have the paddle shifter, it's like driving a BMW."
Some stuff about what God had in mind when He created us.
"So do you consider yourself, outcome focused? Stephen Covey's book "begin with the end in mind" talks about this, so does Earl Nightingale's "Strangest Secret," without outcome focus it's like playing a basketball game with no hoops you're just running back and forth."
"Yeah so I don't really know if we have a good fit at this time."
"Our platform is on mentorship. But it doesn't sound like the timing is really right for your right now. But if you like to read maybe you'd like to read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad."
"Are you willing to be a student and accept mentorship? So we want to know if you're willing to adapt to a different way of thinking and become an entrepreneurial mindset."
"Are you a finisher? Can you give an example of a time in your life when you resisted the urge to quit and kept going til you finished?"
"So do you put people before profits? Are you influenced by the opinions of friends or strangers on the Internet?"
"Have you experienced network marketing or do you know of anybody who has?"
"The other network marketing they focus on selling and recruiting, we focus on mentorship."
"So are you willing to forget everything you know with Shakley and Amway and the other experiences with network marketing and the opinions of others?"
"It's the only one we know with a stairstep breakaway structure for unlimited income potential."
"We've got a book here for you to read, it's called The Business Of The 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki, our business is in the book, it's 120 pages, how soon could you read that? We want you to prioritize it."
"We're not here for you to make a judgement, I'm in the buyer's position and you're in the seller's position, we're here to take it in bite size pieces, this is a qualifying process, if you can make a commitment than we can work together."
"If you're hesitating than the timing probably isn't right. But talk to your wife about her dream and go to the bookstore and get Rich Dad Poor Dad. What's your wife's occupation?"

After some more chit chat and an agreement to keep in touch, they both immediately left, going out opposite sides of the restaurant.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Ah yes, the dividends one receives as an author who kowtows and sells-out to the MLM drones, book sales for an eternity.
 

RahKnee

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About 2 years ago I was browsing the business section in a local bookstore. Mostly looking to read up on marketing. Another guy in the section asked me what I was looking for, we struck up a conversation, and he offered to introduce me to his mentor.

A successful entrepreneur offering to mentor me? Sounds great.

We exchanged numbers, and I didn't really expect anything to come of it . A few days later though, I got a call from the "mentor". Notice how I put it in quotes this time.

He made a big show of "screening" me to make sure I was serious and set up an in person meeting. All the while avoiding answering my questions like "what does your company do?" And "what do you expect of me in a potential business relationship?".

All he had to say was that we'd talk about that later, and that his wife didn't have to work and got to stay home with his kids all day because of his business, and he was going to teach me how to do the same.

Okay.

I decide to give this guy one more meeting to see how it goes. We sit down and he hands me not one, but two copies of The Business of the 21st Century by Kiyosaki. The new testament of the MLM bible.

He then proceeds to tell me that he would teach me how to coach other people to start businesses, and invest UP TO 5K in my business, doing so for ONLY 25% of my take from everyone else I sold this "coaching" to.

I tried to keep it polite, but I actually laughed at his 5k investment. No actual product, no actual service, no capital to bring to the table, no coaching or mentoring, just pyramid schemes all the way down.

I told the guy I wasn't interested, then he tried to pretend that I had greatly inconvenienced him somehow. When I left, he actually looked pissed.

Now, I let my kids play with the books, because I don't care if they get trashed. At least I got that out of it.

Sounds like he was following the same script as the guy Late Bloomer met. Good job recognizing bullshit when you see it.
 

Late Bloomer

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Ah yes, the dividends one receives as an author who kowtows and sells-out to the MLM drones, book sales for an eternity.

MJ, I'm thanking you for writing a book that has zero possibility ever, of being the excuse for an MLM recruitment pitch, in which some sucker gets harangued about Audis and God.
 
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Dunkafelics

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About 2 years ago I was browsing the business section in a local bookstore. Mostly looking to read up on marketing. Another guy in the section asked me what I was looking for, we struck up a conversation, and he offered to introduce me to his mentor.

Is this the latest hotbed of opportunity for MLM promoters?

I was at Chapters with a few buddies of mine while waiting to go to dinner a few weeks ago and my buddy was approached by an MLM promoter while browsing the store.

Seems like a poor recruiting strategy to me... how many people go to bookstores these days?

I think there is value in some of the books that Kiyosaki has written, but the sales funnel that leads to those types of coaching programs/seminars is silly.

I went to a seminar up here in Canada with my wife in 2013. She still makes fun of the fact that we had to sit through hours of promotion and upselling and watching throngs of people running to the back of the room with their credit cards to buy overpriced real estate programs.

Keep fighting the good fight folks. The world needs more people to watch out for the scammers.
 

Tommo

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About 2 years ago I was browsing the business section in a local bookstore. Mostly looking to read up on marketing. Another guy in the section asked me what I was looking for, we struck up a conversation, and he offered to introduce me to his mentor.

A successful entrepreneur offering to mentor me? Sounds great.

We exchanged numbers, and I didn't really expect anything to come of it . A few days later though, I got a call from the "mentor". Notice how I put it in quotes this time.

He made a big show of "screening" me to make sure I was serious and set up an in person meeting. All the while avoiding answering my questions like "what does your company do?" And "what do you expect of me in a potential business relationship?".

All he had to say was that we'd talk about that later, and that his wife didn't have to work and got to stay home with his kids all day because of his business, and he was going to teach me how to do the same.

Okay.

I decide to give this guy one more meeting to see how it goes. We sit down and he hands me not one, but two copies of The Business of the 21st Century by Kiyosaki. The new testament of the MLM bible.

He then proceeds to tell me that he would teach me how to coach other people to start businesses, and invest UP TO 5K in my business, doing so for ONLY 25% of my take from everyone else I sold this "coaching" to.

I tried to keep it polite, but I actually laughed at his 5k investment. No actual product, no actual service, no capital to bring to the table, no coaching or mentoring, just pyramid schemes all the way down.

I told the guy I wasn't interested, then he tried to pretend that I had greatly inconvenienced him somehow. When I left, he actually looked pissed.

Now, I let my kids play with the books, because I don't care if they get trashed. At least I got that out of it.

Sounds like he was following the same script as the guy Late Bloomer met. Good job recognizing bullshit when you see it.
bravo mate he (mr. kiyosaki) fooled me for a long time until i noticed the books i bought were full of promises at the start but nothing workable at the end.
 
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Kak

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I just can't wrap my head around the way an MLM person looks at their business and sees no way around it.

I'm going to start a lawn service MLM. You can have the name KAK lawn service... We will send you marketing materials and equipment. For that you will pay me $10000 (for 5k worth of equipment) don't worry we take credit cards. To get started, go around selling the services, then do all the work and send me 30%. If you get others to sign up you get 10 percent of their work too! (Thats how this really grows)
 
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Late Bloomer

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Seems like a poor recruiting strategy to me... how many people go to bookstores these days?

Not many. But those who do, show that they get out of the house to take action, and they are willing to learn an idea from someone else. If they're in the business section, they are open to at least find entertainment in a business idea or business story. They are book readers, so they don't have to get sold on the idea that a great business idea worth action could be in found in a book.

Chatting up someone who's doing something along the same lines? That actually does make sense.

The best musical collaborator I ever had, came over to introduce himself at a music store where we were both customers, noodling around to check out gear and sounds. We enjoyed playing together in two bands, until we both had to relocate for work, to opposite ends of the country.

If the guy from McDonald's yesterday actually was doing something in business or in computer graphics, not just MLM, I'd have been happy to have had a real conversation with him. Unfortunately, he wasn't there for a conversation. Only for a scripted hard sell.
 

Late Bloomer

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We will send you marketing materials. For that you will pay me $600 to get started

I need supplies as well. I hope you can you deliver fertilizer to my home, by the truckload? Pretty please?
 
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Bryce R

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This is 100% an Amway/WWDB pitch that's part of what they call "The Process."

I used to do this and teach it (I hate admitting it, but a few years ago I was an Ambot/WWDB Cultist). This is Step 1 in their playbook of how to do a "Meet and Greet or QI". Depending on the group, this nonsense lasts 3 to upwards of 7 meetings before you deemed eligible to "receive mentorship/or partnership."

I try to chime in now and enlighten the "prospect" if I'm ever in earshot of one of these meetings at a coffee shop to insert some truth and common sense into the discussion because emotions have shut off the brain of the prospect, disabling any chance of critical thinking and questioning.
I was sitting by myself, sipping a soda at McDonald's, typing up some notes and emails on the laptop.

A guy, maybe 40-something, came by to chat. He asked how I like the Mac. He started with the Mac long ago and did graphics on it. Oh, I asked, are you are a Photoshop guy? No, he said, he works with someone who has 30,000 pictures in the Cloud. I said that sounds like a lot of prolific photography or design or whatever it is he does.

He asked a little more about my use of the Mac and I mentioned I'm working to create a web design company. He asked how much money I expected from that. I blandly said if I can get to a few thousand dollars within a few months then I wouldn't need a day job, right?

He said he works with some other people who are entrepreneurial. I asked what type of product and service and he waffled a bit. I asked him if it was MLM. He said it was. I said I knew MLM wasn't for me because I want to be able to design my own product and service, be in control of my own marketing and selling, control my own contracts and pricing, control my own management and outsourcing, choose my own team, and with MLM that's all taken out of my hands. He said "we do things differently" but didn't explain and I didn't ask.

After a few minutes he wanted to chat again about nostalgia for the early days of graphics on the Mac and I said I had to catch up on my own writing. "Nice to meet you" he said, even though neither of us had provided our names.

After a while he had his scheduled meeting with someone who was scheduled to meet with him for potential recruiting. They were two tables away in an empty dining room so I heard clearly without any attempt to eavesdrop. Actually I'd have preferred to have not had to overhear them.

Total premise throughout was that this was an interview to evaluate if the candidate was good enough to qualify for an awesome opportunity. I heard the "interviewer's" questions very clearly from a couple of tables over but not most of the responses from "candidate" Greg, maybe around 30.

"The purpose of our conversation will be to establish trust and friendship and to see if there's a good fit together so we can establish a future together. So can you tell me a little something about yourself?"
Preaching from Rich Dad about quadrants, suggests the guy ask his wife about her dreams such as travel, asked the guy where he's at a on scale of 1 to 10 (seven), what would it take to get you to 10 out of 10.
"If I asked you the difference between mentorship and management... in mentorship you're being guided to a definition, in management you're being told what to do, there's no right or wrong answer. So if you owned a $50,000 cashflow asset, Greg, would you sell it? Or if you had $2 million, would you buy a $50,000 cashflow asset? So your ten out of ten lifestyle what would that look like?"
"We want people to dream big but we also don't want people to just get a new car because when you drive it off the lot you lose $10,000."
"The Audi, have you given it a test drive? Now they have the paddle shifter, it's like driving a BMW."
Some stuff about what God had in mind when He created us.
"So do you consider yourself, outcome focused? Stephen Covey's book "begin with the end in mind" talks about this, so does Earl Nightingale's "Strangest Secret," without outcome focus it's like playing a basketball game with no hoops you're just running back and forth."
"Yeah so I don't really know if we have a good fit at this time."
"Our platform is on mentorship. But it doesn't sound like the timing is really right for your right now. But if you like to read maybe you'd like to read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad."
"Are you willing to be a student and accept mentorship? So we want to know if you're willing to adapt to a different way of thinking and become an entrepreneurial mindset."
"Are you a finisher? Can you give an example of a time in your life when you resisted the urge to quit and kept going til you finished?"
"So do you put people before profits? Are you influenced by the opinions of friends or strangers on the Internet?"
"Have you experienced network marketing or do you know of anybody who has?"
"The other network marketing they focus on selling and recruiting, we focus on mentorship."
"So are you willing to forget everything you know with Shakley and Amway and the other experiences with network marketing and the opinions of others?"
"It's the only one we know with a stairstep breakaway structure for unlimited income potential."
"We've got a book here for you to read, it's called The Business Of The 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki, our business is in the book, it's 120 pages, how soon could you read that? We want you to prioritize it."
"We're not here for you to make a judgement, I'm in the buyer's position and you're in the seller's position, we're here to take it in bite size pieces, this is a qualifying process, if you can make a commitment than we can work together."
"If you're hesitating than the timing probably isn't right. But talk to your wife about her dream and go to the bookstore and get Rich Dad Poor Dad. What's your wife's occupation?"

After some more chit chat and an agreement to keep in touch, they both immediately left, going out opposite sides of the restaurant.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 

Late Bloomer

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I try to chime in now and enlighten the "prospect" if I'm ever in earshot of one of these meetings at a coffee shop to insert some truth and common sense into the discussion because emotions have shut off the brain of the prospect, disabling any chance of critical thinking and questioning.

I thought about doing that, but the only way to do that would have been a jerk who walked in to someone else's conversation, interrupted it and told off the "recruiter." I didn't have any idea of what I could say that would enlighten the "prospect" in that circumstance.

Thank you for getting out of the cult recruitment business!
 

meridian_blue

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I've read similar stories about some MLM people using Kiyosaki's books, as well as others, to hook people in. During that first meeting they give you a free copy of the book. Later they call or text you asking for the book 'that you borrowed' back. Most people feel compelled to return it, and boom - they already have you booked for a second meeting.

Its especially sad too, because I've read several of Kiyosaki's books and most of them are good books. Its unfortunate that he's aligned himself with these MLM types. Its really tarnished his reputation in my eyes. His book "The Business of the 21st century" is basically a straight MLM pitch. Thank god I never followed any of its advice lol.
 
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lewj24

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I just can't wrap my head around the way an MLM person looks at their business and sees no way around it.

I'm going to start a lawn service MLM. You can have the name KAK lawn service... We will send you marketing materials and equipment. For that you will pay me $10000 (for 5k worth of equipment) don't worry we take credit cards. To get started, go around selling the services, then do all the work and send me 30%. If you get others to sign up you get 10 percent of their work too! (Thats how this really grows)

This sounds just like franchising too.

I've never really thought about it but is franchising and MLM basically the same, besides the fact that one has a physical storefront/property?
 

Bryce R

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I've read similar stories about some MLM people using Kiyosaki's books, as well as others, to hook people in. During that first meeting they give you a free copy of the book. Later they call or text you asking for the book 'that you borrowed' back. Most people feel compelled to return it, and boom - they already have you booked for a second meeting.

Its especially sad too, because I've read several of Kiyosaki's books and most of them are good books. Its unfortunate that he's aligned himself with these MLM types. Its really tarnished his reputation in my eyes. His book "The Business of the 21st century" is basically a straight MLM pitch. Thank god I never followed any of its advice lol.

Exactly. We used to leave the book so that we had a reason to see that person again, and making it more difficult for them to say no.

In retrospect, a lot what we did was actually brilliant and great sales/marketing psychology (for the wrong reasons). When we first give them the book, we asked them they would read it if we gave it to them, then we'd prime them by telling them what to expect and take away from the book, then ask them again "Do you think you'll have this finished by xx date?" they almost always agreed, and we'd set a time meet on that date.

If they showed up w/ out the book, we almost always had a reason to meet again. We had ridiculous responses for when they showed back up and hadn't read it. If they didn't show up, we still had a reason to reach back out which was ultimately getting out book back to guilt then into bringing it back to the table and forcing a "no" to our face.

It was frighteningly systematic.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 
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Ugh, at least you didn't waste more than a few mins with the guy. My hubs and I got suckered into 3 (!!!!!) meetings with them. At the first meeting I asked if it was a MML, they said no. At the 2nd I joked that it better not be amway, they laughed and said it wasn't. Then in the final meeting which I ended up walking out on, they revealed it was dreambuilders, amway's little brother. I was soooooo mad. Live and learn.
 
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biophase

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I've read similar stories about some MLM people using Kiyosaki's books, as well as others, to hook people in. During that first meeting they give you a free copy of the book. Later they call or text you asking for the book 'that you borrowed' back. Most people feel compelled to return it, and boom - they already have you booked for a second meeting.

Now I'm going to go to the bookstore and hang around in the business section hoping to get a free book!
 

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This sounds just like franchising too.

I've never really thought about it but is franchising and MLM basically the same, besides the fact that one has a physical storefront/property?

The product sold in an MLM is rarely viable/sustainable as a fast-lane business. The business is getting people to sing up for the seminars.

I'll teach you how to make $1. Give me $1 to find out now.


Later they call or text you asking for the book 'that you borrowed' back. Most people feel compelled to return it, and boom - they already have you booked for a second meeting.

What if you say no and hang up? lol

Hear me out though...
Step 1. Collect free books from seminars
Step 2. Flip them for $5-10
Step 3. Get rich with free inventory

That way they're essentially paying you to get rich.

Boom #Imagenius #buymyebook
 

ZF Lee

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Hear me out though...
Step 1. Collect free books from seminars
Step 2. Flip them for $5-10
Step 3. Get rich with free inventory

That way they're essentially paying you to get rich.

Boom #Imagenius #buymyebook
Theoretically sound, but each seminar might only net you 1-2 books. If you go to all the seminars, you would have to spend a lot of time to come and listen. Time cost opportunity. Even if you tried to scale it up and hire it out to lower-income folk, I'm not sure if you are OK with reduced take-home money, from paying the folks. The profits seem low as well even with the flipping.

Free inventory is not always free! :)

Where I come from, Kiyosaki books are considered pretty high-class stuff. I know because there is a whole a damn shelf dedicated to his works in Popular Bookstores over at my nation's malls! Highly unlikely to be tossed around for free.

I have tried unloading books off by the volume at second-hand stores, but somehow, not a few of them started giving me the evil eye. Different environment?
 
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ApparentHorizon

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Theoretically sound, but each seminar might only net you 1-2 books. If you go to all the seminars, you would have to spend a lot of time to come and listen. Time cost opportunity. Even if you tried to scale it up and hire it out to lower-income folk, I'm not sure if you are OK with reduced take-home money, from paying the folks. The profits seem low as well even with the flipping.

Free inventory is not always free! :)

Where I come from, Kiyosaki books are considered pretty high-class stuff. I know because there is a whole a damn shelf dedicated to his works in Popular Bookstores over at my nation's malls! Highly unlikely to be tossed around for free.

I have tried unloading books off by the volume at second-hand stores, but somehow, not a few of them started giving me the evil eye. Different environment?

I was mostly being ironic, but let's do a thought experiment.

Under what circumstances would your business and daily routines cross with an opportunity for a free book?

1. Networking events
2. Bookstore? (Walking out of there with a book you haven't paid is sketchy. Even if Kio himself handed it to you.)
4. Hotels where events are held, when you're on trips and holidays

Over time you gather hotspots of where this happens, so you switch your coffee shop to one close. You (ideally) just hop into the meeting for a few seconds. "I was told there are free books? I gotta run, but definitely interested in learning more."

Now that your schedule is optimized, it takes you 8 min to get in and out. 2 minutes to post it online.

Now you manage to get 2-3 books per week. 8-12/mo.

Basically an extra $100/mo. For 100 min of work.

Were you going to do anything else with that 100 min? Most people would say no, and it may teach you something about ecomm, supply chains, and logistics if you're optimistic.
 

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This story was confusing to me because I thought he came up to talk to your about your Big Mac...

My turn at MLM scumminess: A long time ago I had a web design business and someone came in for a consultation for website. My process was to ask a bunch of questions about their business to come up wiht a proposal for what they might want. So far so good.

Then he took out his shitty, dusty, broken screen laptop and started showing me his "website" which was your typical mlm reseller site with his shitty logo up top. Long story short he tried weaseling me into his stupid Amway or whatever MLM. He had no interested in my services, it was just a ruse to pitch him his crap. What a dick move.
 

MJ DeMarco

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What a dick move.

What? You mean lying through your teeth as an opening salvo didn't work?

Man, I would have had to resist the temptation to punch that guy in the face.
 
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I've never really thought about it but is franchising and MLM basically the same, besides the fact that one has a physical storefront/property?

They're exactly the same in the way that Frisbee Golf and shopping at the grocery store are exactly the same, because you put stuff into baskets.

Franchising takes the design, specifications and techniques of a business. These are licensed to one business owner at a time, who can actually make money by operating that business in order to serve customers. (Doing something other than recruiting new franchisees. In all my years of buying Diet Coke at McDonald's, nobody has ever asked, "would you like to add a restaurant license for just another million dollars?")

MLM is telling lies that imply infinite scaling that's mathematically possible. If the people who come in a few levels down from the top really were to fill all those circles in their own chart, they'd have to recruit every human on planet Earth and also any Martian microbes that might be under the ice caps out there. The pitch promises infinite control through belief and hard work. But that control of their own destiny is not actually available to the recruit, no matter how much faith and energy they bring. The actual job - a job, not an entrepreneurial business - is making money by convincing the bamboozled or cynical to resell the same dream to the next generation of suckers, until it all falls apart.

So yeah, kind of like exactly the same thing there.

The Big Mac, Fish sandwich and other items on the menu were added by McDonald's franchisees. How many Amway distributors got their own product designs put into the catalog and starter box?
 
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Late Bloomer

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This story was confusing to me because I thought he came up to talk to your about your Big Mac...

Haha! I didn't even notice that confusion until you pointed it out. Sorry about that. I edited the initial post to clarify the "excuse to chat" was the computer, not the food.
 
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I have had a few people attempt to recruit me in to a few different MLMs over the years. I got suckered into one MLM back in the day. It was a vitamin based company. I too agree that they may work for some, but the vibe I got was it was a sneaky cult culture that was designed around holding out details and not answering questions until customers were totally reading to buy into the system. If I didn't do everything there way I was ostracized. Everyone at all of the meetings seemed to be experts even though no one was really making any good money and all had day jobs for themselves and there spouse's as well. To be blunt I don't know why this type of culture is being defended by members of this forum community, when it seems that the original post was to point out the bogus and pathetic ways of MLM practices. I don't think getting Robert Kio books and reselling them for a few bucks in anything close to brag worthy nor to the level of defending.
 
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I noticed a disturbing trend from a couple of years ago. It's MLM as affiliate marketing. They use the tried and tested FB ad -> landing page -> free workshop -> sales call strategy.

From what I worked out, it's like this. Guru introduces affiliate marketing as a safe and easy way to make money. Just copy our ads, funnels, e-mail campaigns etc. You pay 10,000 for his course to teach u everything.

Here's the kicker. The whole course teaches you to sell their course to other pp. U get paid an affiliate commission for doing so.

Digital products can afford to pay you high commissions. So it can be very tempting. 50% to introduce other pp to the guru's $10,000 course is $5,000 a pop. Plus, you know the course is good if you bought it urself, right? So what's the harm....

It's no different from affiliate marketing for any digital product.

But look deeper and you see the focus is on recruiting for the Guru and not the product itself. That's what makes it an mlm to me. The focus is recruiting people to keep selling the guru's courses. Not on recommending the course itself.

By copying the guru's funnels and ads, you essentially paid 10k to be the Guru's marketing budget.
 
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To be blunt I don't know why this type of culture is being defended by members of this forum community, when it seems that the original post was to point out the bogus and pathetic ways of MLM practices.

You might have missed an implied wink or groan. I got the impression that everyone here who described their experiences with this type of cult& culture, now looks back on their awful past with a sigh of regret or relief that it's behind them.

I don't think the book scavenging thing was ever meant as a serious Fastlane suggestion. It's a parody of how the books are presented as some super valuable secret revelation that the recruit should cherish. And put under their pillow while they sleep. And hold close to their heart. If they're that great, then why not flip them for a spare buck or two?
 
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So, was this poor guy expecting to be going to a job interview? I sure hope not.

Also, who the hell holds business meetings at a McDonald’s?! Red flag for sure.

I have a “Facebook friend”, we used to work together at Verizon. Dude ends up in a new MLM every 6 months. It’s just painful to watch. He has so much hustle, if he only applied that to a real business, this guy would be filthy rich by now...
 
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Just copy our ads, funnels everything. You pay 10,000 for his course to teach u everything.

You pay 10k for a done for you system to follow, just like a franchise, except the only thing you're selling is how to get others to pay you 10k for the system of how to sell the 10k system to others... ouch! That just shows how eager people are to have someone give them a roadmap, any roadmap, to take away all the uncertainty. MJ says a road exists, yay! But then he says you have to locate your own connecting spot and build your own onramp... hey this other guy has a free webinar on his 10k system, maybe that's better.
 

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So, was this poor guy expecting to be going to a job interview? I sure hope not.

Scary thing is that's exactly how the salesman framed it, that he wasn't a salesman, he was sternly parental management. The "candidate" exactly fell into his scripted role of okay, now I have to prove myself to you, Dad and Boss and Judge. But he felt something was kind of off, so he didn't sign up right then.

McDonald's managers interview applicants in the dining room. These interviews do include the part that the candidate should tell something about themselves. If it's not their first job, they're asked how they handled a customer complaint. If this would be their first job, the manager asks what they imagine they might do if a customer was upset about their order.

These are interviews for an actual job. They include that the manager talks honestly about what the job requires. They always ask if there are any other questions about working there. This honest part was left out of the sleazy recruiter's script!

Also, who the hell holds business meetings at a McDonald’s?! Red flag for sure.

The McDonald's management team does! I've been there while they talk about the who should get employee of the month, the new inventory process for frozen items, how to ring up next month's special deals. They do this out in the open, in the dining room.

Anyone else really should meet at a coffee shop for business. At another buck for the coffee, you get armchairs by the fireplace and no screaming kids.

I have a “Facebook friend”, we used to work together at Verizon. Dude ends up in a new MLM every 6 months. It’s just painful to watch. He has so much hustle, if he only applied that to a real business, this guy would be filthy rich by now...

Yep. I'm going to guess he won't listen to anything from you, about how he's on a treadmill to nowhere?
 
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