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Biophase & Snowbank get pitched MLM in Barnes & Noble

G

GuestUser4aMPs1

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Copy and paste the same story...

Except the dude's pitching me at a bread isle in a Scottsdale supermarket.

"Hey is this good bread?"
"IDK man."
One thing leads to another.
"I'm here for a biz conference."
"Really?! I have this mentor..."

o_O

Their lines are all the same.
 
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Primeperiwinkle

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It's not because I think it's stupid. You could almost forgive people for just being stupid.

The whole MLM model for recruitment is based on deception, otherwise it wouldn't work. The people who work in MLM's know exactly what they're doing.

So I really have no warm feelings towards people who knowingly take advantage of and screw other over.

I don’t like MLMs. Anyone who is trying to screw someone else over is reprehensible to me. I agree with the point you’re making.

The point I’m making is that many, many ppl who get caught up in it don’t see it the way we do. They don’t really know. If they really understood how MLM’s worked they wouldn’t do it. That’s what this whole thread is about: confronting someone’s beliefs

If we want to be effective at confrontation I think taking Voss’ methods to heart is the first step.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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Notice any trend in book titles?

View attachment 27866

This blows my mind too. Saw the same thing at B&N a few months ago. A fad that people are trying to bank on... "if I say 'F*ck' i'll sell a ton of books because I'm 'edgey' "

Out of curiosity did he say who his "mentor" was?

Patrick Bet David? Ed Mylett?
 
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GPM

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Wow, every book title is the exact same. I have read one of those books "Subtle art". It was horrible.
 
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DrScream

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Gold.

How do you prevent / catch yourself / increase your own awareness of when you do this? Or is this no longer a problem for you?
I believe it's a healthy balance between logic & openness. You need to comprehend what the person is telling you while simultaneously analyzing the information to decide whether it's actually beneficial or not. If you're too far gone on your own "logic" then you're closing yourself off to the actual logic of another. If you're too far into openness, you fall prey to MLM and other ventures that promise to have you driving a lambo in a few short months. Preferably practicing a level of skepticism seems to be the best. Too much skepticism is better than too much openness. just my opinion but I'm 24 and just getting started so, as with everything, take it with a grain of pepper.
 

MythOfSisyphus

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My wife often attends 'party's' thrown by friends who hop from one MLM scheme to the next selling things like candles, lingerie, soaps, kitchenware etc.

I couldn't fathom running a business that is built on guilting friends into buying stuff they probably don't want/need.
 

Real Deal Denver

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I was once involved in an MLM biz. Loved it. Loved the company and their product.

They sold meat. Steaks. Organic, farm-raised. Very good product. Also, sausage patties that were to die for - best I've ever had. I can't remember the name of the company as that was decades ago - but it started with a K and had a shield with their logo on it.

Here's how it could work. Stay with me on this - it gets detailed. First, you have to break down the profit layers. I'll use the numbers supplied below because I need an example, but I don't have access to the actual data - so give me some leeway here, okay? Here is a graphic from a recent article; Explainer: Why are farmers so angry about the price of beef right now?

beef profit sign.JPG

It is clear that the retailer is making over 50% profit on beef. Hmmmm. Let's look at that from the producer's viewpoint.

After the beef is processed there is a LOT of room for profit. In fact, over 100%. If the farmer can sell this for an ADDITIONAL 12% profit, everyone would be getting a great deal. There is STILL about 90% profit margin to work with. That's how the meat company I was involved with did things, and it worked great for everyone.

Oh no - was that MLM? Maybe. I don't care. All I cared about was I was getting very good beef for a LOT less than the grocery store, and it was delivered to me on dry ice. I was happy. So was the guy that signed me up.

The concept of MLM "COULD BE" to eliminate the middle man and pass the savings along. IF they are out to provide a quality product at a good price, that is a DISTRIBUTION model. There has to be a distribution model of some sort in place anyway - why not do the amazon thing and sell things one on one, instead of thousands to a big box store. Could that work? Amazon does it.

If I was a farmer, I'd be doing exactly what this plan is all about, except I'd do the payouts in CREDIT, not cash, so my customers would be buying more product so that I would have my built-in profit margin in. For example - if WalMart gives you a $20 credit, they will be making, say, 50% of whatever you spend that credit on, so it costs them $10. If they give you cash, they make no profit on a sale from their store, so it costs them $20. Stay with me and don't argue.

Of COURSE, this is abused by so many in MLM. Of COURSE, it is a pyramid scam in so many places. But does it have to be that way? No. Open your mind and quit attacking anything that you think resembles a MLM.

SO - is this a better way? What is an alternative? Keep things the same and let the grocery stores make DOUBLE what the farmer makes and double what the processor makes? That's not a very fair system, is it? I guess if you were the farmer, you might think differently.

Food for thought. Could this work? This could be happening now except the farmers market like shit. I don't have the money, nor the freezer space, to buy a full, half, or quarter cow. But, If they sent me a $50 or $100 package a month, they would do gangbuster business. Three packages - 1) High grade, 2) Low grade, and 3) half and half. Take it or leave it. No custom orders.

They could even do a REVERSE MLM system. Instead of people getting a percentage from the sales from the people they signed up (as most MLM's do), they could get a discount on their base price. Let's say 3% for everyone they signed up, up to 12%. Could that work? Hell yes, it could. Easily!

I could be a genius and not know it. The farmers all get a raise - the consumers all save a ton - and I get a T-bone once or twice a week... um, I like it Mikey! A lot.

I hope somebody here takes this and runs with it. I love steak! Sign me UP!
 
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ZF Lee

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I was once involved in an MLM biz. Loved it. Loved the company and their product.

They sold meat. Steaks. Organic, farm-raised. Very good product. Also, sausage patties that were to die for - best I've ever had. I can't remember the name of the company as that was decades ago - but it started with a K and had a shield with their logo on it.

Here's how it could work. Stay with me on this - it gets detailed. First, you have to break down the profit layers. I'll use the numbers supplied below because I need an example, but I don't have access to the actual data - so give me some leeway here, okay? Here is a graphic from a recent article; Explainer: Why are farmers so angry about the price of beef right now?

View attachment 28070

It is clear that the retailer is making over 50% profit on beef. Hmmmm. Let's look at that from the producer's viewpoint.

After the beef is processed there is a LOT of room for profit. In fact, over 100%. If I can sell this to a consumer for an ADDITIONAL 12% profit, everyone is getting a great deal. Add in a 3% profit bump for anyone my customer signs up, and everyone can still make (or save) a lot of money. That's how the meat company I was involved with worked.

Oh no - was that MLM? Maybe. I don't care. All I cared about was I was getting very good beef for a LOT less than the grocery store, and it was delivered to me on dry ice. I was happy. So was the guy that signed me up.

The concept of MLM is to eliminate the middle man and pass the savings along - IF they are out to provide a quality product at a good price.

If I was a farmer, I'd be doing exactly what this plan is all about, except I'd do the payouts in CREDIT, not cash, so my customers would be buying more product so that I would have my built-in profit margin in. For example - if WalMart gives you a $20 credit, they will be making, say, 50% of whatever you spend that credit on, so it costs them $10. If they give you cash, they make no profit on a sale from their store, so it costs them $20. Stay with me and don't argue.

Of COURSE, this is abused by so many in MLM. Of COURSE, it is a pyramid scam in so many places. But does it have to be that way? No.

SO - is there a better way? What is an alternative? Go ahead and let the grocery stores make DOUBLE what the farmer makes and double what the processor makes? That's not a very fair system, is it?

Food for thought. It could work. This could be happening now except the farmers market like shit. I don't have the money, nor the freezer space, to buy a full, half, or quarter cow. But, If they sent me a $50 or $100 package a month, they would do gangbuster business.

They could even do a REVERSE MLM system. Instead of people getting a percentage from the sales from the people they signed up (as most MLM's do), they could get a discount on their base price. Let's say 3% for everyone they signed up, up to 12%. Could that work? Hell yes, it could. Easily!

I could be a genius and not know it. The farmers all get a raise - the consumers all save a ton - and I get a T-bone once or twice a week... um, I like it Mikey! A lot.

I hope somebody here takes this and runs with it. I love steak! Sign me UP!
Excellent write-up!

Many moons ago when I somehow found myself in an Amway talk, that was how the folks explained the benefits and value of their model to me, except they were branching into online.

I still get a few products from Mary Kay, and I believe they deploy the discount system for each member signed up, as long you bought a small minimum amount of product.
 

PapaGang

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I was going to write a post about how I got pitched Amway by my Lyft driver this morning. For now I'll just say that I sold him the MFL, and I hope he emails or texts me in a week or two if he swallows the red pill.
 

Kid

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I was going to write a post about how I got pitched Amway by my Lyft driver this morning. For now I'll just say that I sold him the MFL, and I hope he emails or texts me in a week or two if he swallows the red pill.

Guys! Let's hire 100's of drivers and tell them to pitch MLM seminars!

..... j.k :cool:
 
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JAJT

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This blows my mind too. Saw the same thing at B&N a few months ago. A fad that people are trying to bank on... "if I say 'F*ck' i'll sell a ton of books because I'm 'edgey' "

If I'm not mistaken, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" opened the floodgates to the sweary-titled self help books. It was the right kind of edgy title at the right time for this market, exploded, and every other author slapped a swear word in their title to try and ride the wave.

The worst part is that "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" wasn't even that great of a book (in my opinion, anyway, it felt like a dumbed-down, edgy re-hash of material that's better explained in a dozen other books).
 

Kung Fu Steve

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If I'm not mistaken, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" opened the floodgates to the sweary-titled self help books. It was the right kind of edgy title at the right time for this market, exploded, and every other author slapped a swear word in their title to try and ride the wave.

The worst part is that "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" wasn't even that great of a book (in my opinion, anyway, it felt like a dumbed-down, edgy re-hash of material that's better explained in a dozen other books).

It was a great blog post and I'm happy the guy turned it into what it's become.

But yeah -- I've never been a fan of the "jump on the train" thing in any industry
 

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I was at a book store a while back, trolling around the business section and bought a few books when some friendly person approached me and asked what I'm getting. I'm thinking oh cool, so we talk for quite a long time and he mentions he's a life coach..................

Is this a common thing????
 

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