Related article: http://therealsingapore.com/content/network-marketing-mlm-business-opportunity-or-scam
As many of you may have realized, a month ago, I was pretty active in an MLM (multi-level marketing) company called "Premier Pure". Previously it was known as "Venture Era", but I won't elaborate since their widespread infamy speaks for itself. Well, I apologize to any friends or relatives I might have inconvenienced during my stay there, for I have recently called it quits and left their ranks. But as a measure of providing to the general community and the... other oblivious youths looking for some decent pocket money, I've decided to pen my two cents' worth.
1. Dishonest superiors
First and foremost, everyone should know that no matter who you're under, they're all pretty much using each other and there will always be someone lying to get under your skin. I'm not attacking everyone in the company but there was a small minority that got on my nerves. I needn't mention who they were; but what I didn't appreciate was how my upline (common terminology for 'superior' in their ranks) kept bothering me to make more appointments during a crucial academic period despite being told that I was unavailable. As I was told upon joining, it was a purely commission-based job that depended solely on the amount of effort I put into selling their products and that I was entitled to benefit from its promised flexibility.
Adding to that point, I was disgusted by how money is the common language; hidden behind a facade of "passionate sales efforts" and "teamwork-driven success". Sure, some of the higher-ups may have earned a four-figure paycheck for the more successful sales months... but trust me, no market they're dealing with is that honest. They prefer beating around the bush to achieve their desired sale quotas but I was always, personally, against cheating and foul play. Business is business, but I strongly believe that honesty can still be upheld either way. Sometimes, I think these people need to learn more about humility and mutual respect. Once, I was telling my upline more about a potential recruitment and her current work status but he brushed it all off saying he wasn't interested in anything else other than her partnership. That comment nearly blew every capillary in my body, no joke. Where's the passion in that?
And then there are some superiors who think they know everything there is to running a business (once again, I will not mention who) and constantly think that they're high up the chain. They may boast the fact that they're ranks higher, but to me most of them are still kids who're at the very most two or three years older falling under the delusions of their "business experience". Yes, I know I'm one to talk. But I've got way too much pride to let some amateur business enthusiasts step over my head and act like they've got all the authority over me. The nerve of them all. The worst is how they're always lecturing me to do unnecessary things that most people who even thrive in businesses would deem redundant and superfluous.
Needless to say, if you're called down for recruitment by said company, you're better off finding another part-time job because you'd be making a huge mistake by joining. Despite all that they preach about commission-based jobs paying higher than basic salary jobs, it all comes down to whether or not you have enough faith in their products and how well you market them. Which, in most cases, involve lots of trickery and bootlicking. So this is where I begin talking about their products.
2. Useless products
Let's face it, nobody would ever think of getting magnetic therapy products for the sake of it. Hardly anyone knows what it's for, nobody really gives a hoot about what we claim it's able to do, and there's no real practical use for it. Perhaps that's the reason why they only conduct sales within their contact base. And for something that doesn't look like it costs much to make, they're selling it at an outrageous price. I can vouch for you that these bogus therapy gimmicks don't work long-term and the people who bought it were tricked into buying based on hardly credible statistics.
During one of my sales stints, the presenter who was with me went against our agreement and began introducing the Pearl Ion Lotion: one of their claimed 'best-selling' products, to my prospect. Frankly, just by sitting through the entire presentation, I was extremely unconvinced. With no given statistics or proven results, they expected us to invest $200 on a bottle of cheap-looking lotion when there were other known established brands like L'Oreal and SK-II marketing similar products with proven results. I mean seriously, if you're going to promote an unknown skincare product then it would do everyone some justice to at least provide some statistics that look legit. I wouldn't smother something on my face if it was recommended by a person who doesn't use it themselves, would you? Guess not.
And everything else? They've also got water purifiers, oxidizers (?) and collagen. I don't even want to begin with the first two because they're pointless as hell but I think the collagen's the only product that actually looks marketable and might just work. Everyone knows about the benefits that collagen has on skin elasticity yada yada, and it's Halal-certified. It was one of the products I didn't mind marketing out. But in all honesty, nobody would buy the rest of the products unless they're being emotionally/psychologically-blackmailed by you (one of the tactics that the cheaper uplines would want you to employ) or if they just simply have too much cash floating in their pockets.
All-in-all, they may claim how successful they are in marketing their products over the past few but really; it all comes down to how skilled you are in brainwashing your prospects. Sure, they may have found more success marketing out their products during their pioneer years but people are more enlightened about MLMs now and specifically, the notoriety of Premier Pure's products. I had a lecturer who was instantly put off upon hearing that I was trying to sell her these products because she was well aware of all the trickery behind it. So working in companies like these require you to have really thick skin and a good market listing; otherwise you're nothing short of worthless. And that's a fact.
3. Sales tactics
As many of you may have realized by now, yes, they expect you to market their products through your relatives and friends. At one point in your often short-lived career here, they'll even force you to fix appointments with relatives you're barely close to or friends who probably can't afford it. Why? Because they believe that the root to success is in "seizing every opportunity". Basically, they're so desperate to market out their stuff that they'll target just about anyone. Even your unborn sibling. Oh, I'm just kidding.
One thing that constantly tested my patience was the fact that my upline kept pushing me to make appointments and recruitments in the midst of my busy schedule. His excuse? "We were all students before, we understand. Why can some people make time to come down and make appointments and you can't?" I beg to differ, it's all a matter of compromise. I'm pretty sure that the ones who dedicate their time to Premier Pure aren't faring very well in school... and that includes the upline himself. It's also difficult to compare considering the fact that not everyone is learning the same thing. Lesson learnt, they're going to push you past your limits and let me assure you, it's not in a good way. All that aside, I'll elaborate more on my first appointment.
People would usually expect their first prospects to be really close relatives or friends, but I feel that they're stooping a little too low in fixing parental appointments first. Yes, they'll send a presenter over to your house to make sure your parents are 'aware of what you're doing' but we all pretty much know the real reason, don't we? So they're going to sit through an hour or two's worth of presentation with you and ultimately, your fate in the company lies with them. If they're sympathetic enough to buy it for the sake of giving you the stepping stones they claim you'll need, then they'll get the products for your sake. But if your parents are as logical or, in their terms, 'skeptical' like mine, they'd start throwing many questions and doubts. Thank goodness they didn't get any of them actually, the money would've been put into a better household investment. Go for a holiday or... get some really nice books or something.
What lies beyond your parental appointment is, well... appointments with everyone else you know. They'll make you sit through hours in the office just to fix more and more beat-around-the-bush appointments and deceiving your prospects into thinking you're 'actually running a business' and that you wanted to 'show a few product samples'. Their next step? Come by the prospect's house, where they'd start imposing their beat-round-the-bush sales regime. To add something a little personal, it was pretty hypocritical of my upline to advise me about punctuality when we were late for every appointment we had been to. And they were all because of him! So basically your presenter would do most of the talking, you just sit through as the dummy they'd hope would win your relatives/friends over in buying the product and that's when they'll take advantage and go overboard with 'introducing their other product ranges'. The most infuriating part, I might add, was that my upline was insistent about making payment first when there was an installment method available. It made me look like I was exploiting my aunt for her money and I felt really terrible.
So this is probably the part where people go "seriously, the company does that?". As a company run by an esteemed multi-millionaire, naturally they'd bring up the fact that "if the things we do are redundant, how were we able to survive and make it through the years?" Well, your loyalty is as good as disposable. They'll make you bother and use everyone around you until they're no longer needed, only to be dumped. That's precisely the case here. Many distributors have come and gone, and only the luckier ones actually remain... or the bold ones who gave up their education and stable careers to pursue this. Their excuse? "Leading world companies are MLM too. Take Microsoft as an example". It's a classic they're always bringing up to new recruits. But really guys, they're internationally known for marketing products that actually have a use in the household. And they're priced very reasonably. That's the total opposite of what Premier Pure is. Cheap, overpriced and not to mention useless.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, I wouldn't recommend getting a job there. As attractive as the incentives sound, they've pretty much sucked most of the local market dry. Some of my own relatives said they had this sort of encounter before and I guess it's getting old. If you're looking for a part-time job, try Starbucks or something along that line. Working for Premier Pure is genuinely a waste of your precious time. I promise you that if your prospects actually do get the products, they will not look at you the same way again. Relatives might start to dislike you, and some of your friends might even start to avoid you. I'd like to add that I was bombarded with questions about the products I sold during occasional house visits; which, over time, got on my nerves since I didn't really market it out to them in the right state of mind. And the pay I received after all the rubbish I went through? Not worth every cent.
The worst part was when I decided to go MIA on them. Some of the people around me started complaining about receiving recruitment calls and one of them actually came down to the office for it. My most obvious guess was that since they're not related to anyone in the company whatsoever except me and that my market listing was still in their possession, they used my contacts without my permission. Yet another cheap move by the upline, I reckon. Once again, need I mention that I'm one out of possibly hundreds that have come and gone, indirectly contributing to the company profits? No wonder it's still running after so long. It's nothing but a tarnished name in the industry and you might want to ponder on the fact that the company had undergone a major name change over the years.
I admit, this post is extremely one-sided and personal; but nonetheless the experience was real. Multi-level marketing in particular is thriving in the business industry itself but with the wrong application it just never works out right. However, if you do decide to proceed with the job stint I wish you the best of luck. Here's a tip: have a lot of free time on your hands, nurture some thick skin, an extensive formal wear collection, and have utmost (but delusional) faith in their products and you're set to rumble. I've pretty much shared most of my experiences here, and I wish most of you luck in your future endeavors. Thank you for reading, you aspiring business enthusiasts, you! ;)
Firdaus E,
Premier Pure's ex-Sales Agent
*The author blogs at http://diaryofakinkykid.blogspot.sg/