MLM Tactics

MLM Tactics
Here's something a little different. I'm pulling off the information from a thread post on hardwarezone. Read up to gain some awareness on some of the tactics these companies use.

If you don't already know, MLM, or Multi-level marketing is described by wikipedia as such:

Multi-level marketing (MLM), is a form of Network Marketing (however the terms are often used interchangeably). It is a marketing strategy that compensates promoters of direct selling companies not only for product sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they introduced to the company. The products and company are usually marketed directly to consumers and potential business partners by means of relationship referrals and word of mouth marketing.

In some cases, these can be pretty legit companies, but most of the time in Singapore, these resemble pyramid schemes more than anything.

This is why they don't work:

Even if the top people make 50k a month. How much do you, 5, 6, or even up to 10 levels down think you'll make? I leave you to do the math.

Things to be aware of: No. 1
One of the most notorious of such organisations is Enyouth.
From the post:
"Enyouth is at 36 Carpenter Street (behind Boat Quay), in a small shophouse located above a cafe. Chinese name is Li Xin, it is formerly known as Astral Mag.

The tall beige coloured building:"


Things to be aware of: No. 2
They will seldom admit to be an MLM organisation. More likely they claim to be "SLM", Single Level Marketing. Or they say "start your own business".

Things to be aware of: No. 3
They will befriend you through various means, but whichever the means, they will start to question you on some main points:
"What are your interests"
"What are your ambitions"
"Are you interested to have your own business?"

As the poster describes:
"This is called fake friendship. Some people go to great lengths to act out friendship to drag people into MLMing. It's like a drama serial, all planned out.

Then one fine day they'll give an excuse to ask you out. This can be extremely creative. From asking you out to dinner, lunch to movies, asking you to help them do some stuff, give something to them, matchmaking, etc.

Usually it would be at an eating place, or someplace where you can gather. Most probably somewhere near the company's office. One favourite haunt is Lau Pa Sat.

Then here, the fake friendliness gets really scary. It seems everyone there knows you for a million years and starts talking to you like an old friened. But take note there would almost always have this one person chatting to you. He'll be the most friendly, acting concerned, etc. Beware, this guy/girl might be your future upline if you join. This is called building relationship is sales."

Things to be aware of: No. 4
They don't want to answer your questions directly
When they want to bring you to their office to preach to you, questions as to where you and your "friends" are headed are met with:
"Why do you ask so much"
"It's very hard to explain"
"You'll know when you reach there"
"It's fun, its interesting"

Things to be aware of: No. 5
They'll start telling you how great their company/their boss/themselves are. They'll talk to you about big offices, show you flashy jewelery and drive big cars, telling you how you can own one just like they do.

Most likely the cars are borrowed from the big boss. All "examples" of other people in the company who "made it" and bought cars and all that, probably faked too.

Things to be aware of: No. 6
If you haven't been convinced yet, they start questioning you.

Question your future.
They would question your future, your ambitions, etc.

Insult your future.
They would say how bad your future is, there's no future in your field, etc. Your job no hope, cannot earn anything, won't be successful.

Give you a "Reality check".
They would say how cost of living is increasing, how news say your field has no hope, etc. Stating some "examples". Say what power tariffs increasing, petrol price increasing, etc. Say you job would not be able to make the money to cover it.

Tell you your "Way out"
They try to "console" you, there is a way out. This is called, enforcing relationships. Like a knight helping a damsel in distress. They would hope that you would "thank" them for it.

Give "examples"
They tell you stories of people who "made it".
a) Earn more than uni grad
b) "Look at him, he's (insert age here), so young, driving car liao"
c) Say can earn few thousands a month. Shows the top earners in suits, looking confident, how much they had earned, a few 10Ks.
d) Say how MLM had "changed their lives" and "made them a better person"

Things to be aware of: No. 7
If you STILL haven't been convinced yet, they start getting pushy. Here's where they bring in their senior, or "manager", or whoever else. And he repeats the whole thing again, hoping to push you into submission. Best targets are people too courteous to just stand up and leave.

Things to be aware of: No. 8
A quick summary of often repeated lines:
1)Retire early
2)Why work for 40 years retire for 20 when you can work for 20 years retire for 40.
3)Earn more than uni grad
4)I'm going to be rich
5)In this world now where got interest-based jobs.
6)MLM is the future of sales
7)MLM is the only way to success
8)Start your own business
9)If it doesnt work why are there still many people inside?
10) Mr X joined us xxx months ago and now earns xxxx figure income
11) Coward dont dare try new things.
12) Your job cannot make it one lah
13) Work for yourself, dun work for others

Finally, here are some posts from some other forums sharing personal experiences:

I'd just encountered a bad dinner experience at Clarke Quay yesterday. This was how the experience started.

1 month ago, while I was shopping at Suntec City, surprisingly there was a pretty girl who tapped my shoulder from my back asking me for age,job, & handphone number. Initially Ithought it was a survey, then she told me she & her friends were playing games "Collecting the most handphone numbers". Without much thinking, I gave her the number.

About 2 weeks later, I received an friendship SMS from an unknown number. Not sure who was it. Later the other party acknowleged she was the girl from Suntec.

She would start asking things like:

"What are you doing?"

"What is your qualification and age?"

"Wanna meet up for some coffee or dinner?"

"Will confirm with u the place again"

Initially, I thought it was just purely making new friends, that why's I agreed to lunch with her. However she was very very late in our meet up at Clarke Quay MRT station. Suppose to meet 12pm and she came at 12.45pm, telling you I got to go off at 1.30pm. (Very very angry)

The most weird part of the lunch is she doesn't talk much about herself, and will ask you lots of questions. I was like thinking maybe is first time lunch, maybe a bit awkward.

The 2nd meetup again was at Clarke Quay again. That's strange. She ask me to look for her at a coffeeshop across the traffic lights. During our conversation, when I ask where are we going after dinner, she seems like dun wan to talk much, trying to avoid, saying later will introduce her friends to me. The "scary process" starts to come in. Her friends starts talking abt big job, cars, house, earn lots $$$. She also brought me to office for some talk by managers. Start to feel weird why the company is within the shop house. After that I asked again where to go later, she would start to recommend her friend again. I knew something fishy and I spotted application form on the table. Her friend would be talking abt "magnetic fields", health, bed etc.

This was when my so called "friend" shows off her true colour. I said need to consider first before signing up, she seems like very impatient, saying "I dun understand what you thinking. I started to get irritated by her tone of voice. I'd show a black face and juz say a bye not to her but her friend.

Reason: I felt like this is a form of deception.

Sigh....Hope I dun see her again. I just felt that she is so young & pretty in her early 20s, going ard lying to people. Just feel wasted for her.

In future will not go to Clarke Quay

hmm. this happened a long time ago. i was walking around in taka when this young lady approached me like trying to chat with me like tat. never suspect anything cos she seemed genuinely nice.

long story short after some phone calls and quite fun conversation, i ended up at her office. Then she finally showed her true color and tried to brainwash me to join her company. keep saying is not mlm, but nearly lol-ed out loud when she started drawing this pyramid... i dunno how to reject her so i keep insulting her product, saying the packaging is the ugliest ever seen and i would be seen dead trying to sell them. ended up the whole time was spent on arguing abt product packaging. Think her manual never teach her how to react to this so she end up becoming very agitated. or maybe cos she no time to talk abt how rich mlm is going to make me.

anyway, did lied to her abt having to meet someone, say will contact her if interested. after that i just delete and block her phone call... but it's a real pity... if only she is not one of them... sigh

same thing.

some month back also got ger approach me. but she not even pretty. nvm give her chance. i ask her fore-front if she's trying to sell insurance or anything. she say no so fine.

met up, had lunch at the coffee shop near the road also. made the mistake of asking abt her watch cos it can play video. end up kenna dragged to the office showcase. agar know wad is gonna happen liao. out of courtesy just listen and look look at the product while saying not interested. she still wanna continue, somemore wanna go the the next floor to meet her colleagues. but while she went into the office to look for her 'colleagues' i just took the lift down and kup all her calls.

she still got the cheek to sms me 'just leave without saying goodbye very rude hor"

and i recently notice tht the fisherman wharf restaurant also under enyouth. no wonder seem so empty

basically what you guys read about enyouth already...my experience is more or less the same.. still feeling very very angry, and betrayed..

to cut the long story short.. been tricked by a former friend to come down to that enyouth *coffeeshop*.. you know like long time never see den come meet up.. then i kena psycho for few hrs straight.. like they dun let mi go until i sign the some "smart buyer" contract.. now i feel pissed and so dumb for signing that ****.. but at least i didn't pay that 50++ dollars.. they keep on telling me nvrmind no need to pay first.. f* pressure and coerce la..

for you guys never get this exp before.. lucky you, it was really the crappiest experience, that your friend can lie, cheat you like this..

how now? not that i scared kena harassed by them now.. but am i legally binded or anything to them(for anyone who has seen the paper before)? the contract didn't say anything about paying- just that they can "kick me out" for inactivity.. yea like i bloody want to be in it.. i just wanted to go home..

after i read about all other ppl's exp with this ****, i am so pissed off with myself.. but more with my so-called friend.. how could he do this to me?? like he kena brain-washed.. now I am just going to ignore the crap out of them..

anybody else recently got this kind of ****? seems to be getting more and more common... yarrrrrrrrrrgh still so pissed..!

At that time I was looking for a part time job during my vacation and she called me up saying that her company has got alot of different jobs, from sales to admin.

When I asked for more details about the company, she refused to say and asked me to come down 1st then say lor. At that time, already smell a rat..but i nothing much to do at home also..just go down see see look look lor.

After I reached their Clarke Quay office and saw Enyouth..i sian already. But just listen n see wad **** she wanna tell me lor. She started telling me how good their CEO is..giving cars away to employees and such. After that, she criticised and say with my engineering degree, I wont get a very good future. I was amused rather than offended la.

So i told her, "I believe from ur interaction with me, u can see that I'm not the ordinary engineer you find on the street.". Den she agreed..and den I just fugged off from that place already. But i was quite du lan she tricked me down to the office la.