How to Avoid the Multi-Layered Hell of Multi-Level Marketing

Any young person who has ever conducted a job search in the sales and marketing fields has undoubtedly run into some (more like “thousands of”) ads for multi-level marketing schemes. For the love of all that is sacred and holy in this world, do NOT respond to these.

Multi-level marketing is by and large a get-nowhere scam that can destroy your resume for years after you remain duped by this idiocy. A stint in multilevel marketing looks absolutely horrible to future employers, mostly because it proves that you were naïve enough to believe you could actually get rich quick by recruiting other people, who recruit other people, who recruit other people, and so on, and so on.

So what is multilevel marketing? Where is the money made? Supposedly at some point an end user will buy the products the company manufactures, but the vast majority is made when one salesperson sells them to another salesperson, who then turns around and sells them to more new salespeople. The further up the chain you are, the more residual income you will supposedly get. In the past this has also been called a “pyramid scheme,” emphasis on scheme. Some of the big offenders on this list include Amway, Shaklee, and a host of other companies.
Here are a few things to look out for in order to steer clear of this scourge on the business world:
· Gratuitous use of the phrase “entry-level.” I understand a lot of you who are either students or fresh out of college might look at this phrase as a sign of a job posting for you. 9 times out of 10 what this really means is, “Dead End,” which is a proper descriptor for the multilevel marketing universe.
· Promises that are too good to be true. “Want to make $90-120K your first year?!! Be your own boss!! We give all-expense paid vacations to the Bahamas to our top reps twice a year!!” These phrases typically follow the aforementioned “entry level” phrase in the offending job descriptions. Don’t believe a word. Do you really think that someone is going to treat you this well during your first couple of years selling multilevel green health products? Don’t fall for this.
· Serious Inquiries Only!!! Most people think they are above average at their jobs, which is statistically impossible. This phrase plays on this anomaly, making everyone gullible enough to even give the ad 3 seconds of their attention the idea that they must be a “serious” candidate.

Does anyone have any personal experiences with the multi-level marketing world? I’d love to hear some horror stories? Or perhaps maybe you actually had a good experience? I’d certainly love to hear about those.