Editor’s note: The following is the author’s recollection of his experience. Not all multi-level marketing organizations operate as the one described in the author’s story. The Good Men Project recommends you read this article by the (United States) Federal Trade Commission before you get involved in any MLM.
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“Amazing opportunity to be your own boss!” The advert grabs your attention in an instant. You start reading in earnest.
Straight out of college and need a job fast, this is exactly what I’ve been searching for. You dial the phone number listed for further information.
“Do you have a resume?”
Of course, I do but that shouldn’t matter as the ad states no experience necessary.
“When can you arrive for an interview? We are in a growth phase and need high-quality people to form part of this amazing opportunity.”
I can come in tomorrow.
“Do you have access to a car?”
“Yes. That’s fine see you at 1 pm tomorrow.”
***
Entering the interview room, I’m greeted by the team leader and assistant manager. Let’s get down to business. The questions were all focused on why I was here, what I wanted from life and how they provided a platform to one day own a business.
All sounds fantastic. If you’re selected for a 2nd interview you will accompany the team leader and rep on a field visit to clients. Any questions you have about salary, hours of work, holidays, career opportunities, and training can be discussed during this interview
The phone call arrives later that same day. “Congratulations you have been selected for 2nd interview.”
Now I’m excited. I arrange to meet the team leader and one of the company’s high rollers at the end of the week. This was all part of the initial façade, although I didn’t recognize it at the time. In this business, and the division I was being prepared for (Flyers), Friday was money collection day.
This was a good week for the team leader as she was carrying a lot of cash. We sit down for a coffee and she starts explaining the opportunity—there’s that word again—to me. The ambiguity and mystery were akin to trying to decipher the Da Vinci Code. To cut to the point, there was no salary; only commission if you sold products. The hours were 6.30 am-8 pm Monday-Friday and they will train me on how to manage a business if I showed potential. All we asked of you are three things:
1. Work ethic
2. Student mentality
3. Positive attitude
Curious, I asked, “How can you work those hours with no salary?”
Don’t worry you can make money fast with the training program you will go through.
I had nothing to lose. What’s the harm in learning new skills and putting in long work hours for a few weeks, I thought to myself.
“Can you start on Monday?”
“Yes.”
“Wear a suit and come ready with a positive attitude.”
I lie awake that night going over the earning potential of $30-40,000 straight out of college, red flag ignored.
***
The Atmosphere
I arrive on Monday at 6.30 am and enter the training room. It is a hive of activity. There are whiteboards on every wall and groups of people gathered around each one. The team leaders are going through the sales and marketing tactics they use. I join one of the groups. There is no real interaction, just lots of incessant note-taking as to what the team leader is saying. We are all standing, there are no chairs in this room. I didn’t know why at this stage.
At 7.45 am the team leaders all stop and say “are you ready for the morning meeting”? Pitched screams of “Yes” fill the room. Loud pumping music begins and we all gather in a circle. What’s going on here? I stare around the room at everyone, they are in a frenzy. Enter the assistant manager with a loud shout “Are we ready to smash the day ahead”? Again the response “Yes”, back in a crescendo. This is a manipulation tactic to get you conditioned into their way of thinking. After all the clapping cajoling and motivational screams (Wolf of Wall Street), we return to the whiteboards.
At 9 am we travel to the field. The field is a designated sales territory where the flyers division (that’s me) will enter businesses to promote the product. It’s my first day so I’m observing what they do.
There will be a quiz on this later, so I need to pay attention! Each store/business we enter is given the same pitch. The end goal is to get the sale confirmed for delivery on Thursday/Friday. This is when we collect the money also. You are set a target of 20—25 sales per day based on the Law of Averages (People you talk to). If you reach this target you ring the bell that evening when you return to the office. The bell-ringing purpose is two-fold;
1. motivate and reward you,
2. shame others to get focused on hitting their targets.
Did I say you need skin like a Rhino to survive this environment? When you returned from the field you are divided back into groups for more training with the team leader. You do want to own your own business and gain financial freedom, don’t you? Yes. Time to work hard.
***
Train like an MBA student
The rationale for the training every morning/evening started to become clear. Team leaders needed to create more team leaders. Once this is achieved they get promoted (more opportunities to earn commissions from their downline). More on this later. The training involved learning and regurgitating the companies systems.
These are tactics deployed in marketing psychology. Once you become a Jedi Master in their operation, you could teach others. We stood there daily actively participating in what could only be described as systemic conditioning or indoctrination.
Indoctrination, defined: “the process of repeating an idea or belief to someone until they accept it without criticism or question”
After about 2 weeks of this information being drilled into my mind, I could recite it in my sleep. Mission complete. So, over four weeks I had completed a mini MBA program. (They wouldn’t lie would they?) I did say one of the core principles was a student mentally. I had just completed a master degree!
The team leader then had me acting out role plays with new reps. I was moving quickly. Between training in-house and client promotions in the field I was putting in 70 hours per week. It was time to take the baby harness off. I needed to start earning corn.
Your mission-sell products fast.
We don’t sell products, we are promoters. What a load of crap. The process moves as follows:
1. enter a store/business show them the product (promotion).
2. get them to agree on buying it (close).
3. arrange to drop off the product and collect money (sale).
Does this sound like sales to you? However back to the opaque and ambiguity. Just don’t say sales. I started to excel in the field pretty quickly. The products (cheap from China) were overpriced and more aligned to 3 am shopping channels. However some people could find them useful, and you were trained in finding them.
I was ringing the bell two out of three days per week. This put me in the high roller category. High rollers were wheeled out on cue to motivate others who were not meeting their targets. It involved phone calls with reps in other cities, so they could take more notes, on what they already knew!
Here’s the real secret, it’s not the product they’re buying. It’s you. At this stage, I was earning a solid commission, which made the long hours, lack of social time, and sleep deprivation more manageable.
After six weeks (I shit you not) I was promoted to team leader. Now, I can start pursuing the financial rewards. The effort was non-stop. Back to work ethic again. Run yourself into the ground physically/mentally and you will see rewards!
Burnout- “Is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress”
***
Team Leadership and the Bullshit Wears Off
When interview days arrived and there was a lot, due to the high turnover of people (didn’t have the attitude to succeed) at least that’s what we said (Bullshit) left the company. The team leaders would peer out from behind the glass and pinpoint who they wanted to interview based on their appearance, age, or demeanor (Dog eat dog).
Before I knew it I had 8 reps working under me. I was now part of the Upline (Did someone say pyramid scheme?). Every day was the same (Bill Murray) Groundhog Day. It was starting to wear thin on me.
But the subliminal messaging, rewards, and opportunity was always ready to save me.
We were doing brilliantly as a team. The sales, bell ringing, and high roller phone calls were a weekly occurrence. The rewards were growing and I lost all those negative feelings I was harboring (Remember positive attitude always). If I continue like this, I could be on the owner’s vacation in Seychelles next year!
Wow, just inhale that sea air. I was caught up in the chase to ownership and lost sight of the pitfalls when your team doesn’t earn. I lost a whole team in one weekend. No more bullshit. It’s time for me to end this illusion now.
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