From: llarsen%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Loren Larsen)
Subject: Re: MLMs=Entreprenuers?
Date: 8 Sep 92 11:58:05 MDT
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept., Salt Lake City

In article <1992Sep8.145548.25296@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> ogden_jon@macmail1.rtsg.mot.com writes:
>
>MLMs ARE filled with entreprenuers.  If not then why does Success magazine call
>
>the 90's the "'Flee Decade' when thousands of people will flee corporate
>America for MLM!"  Why do professors at major universities call it the
>opportunity
>of the century??
>
>Fraud??  I think not!  I was just at my Free Enterprise celebration and got to
>hear such people as GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF, MARY LOU RETTON, DAVE THOMAS
>(founder of Wendy's) - just to name a few.  Do you think that these people who
>all said that this is a great opportunity would come and speak at something 
>fraudulent???
>
>Some of you guys are so narrow minded you can see through a key-hole with both
>eyes!!  Or is it that you just have STATUS = Know it all, Show it all, Owe it
>all.
>
>IMHO, I was once terribly against MLM's.  Thought they took advantage of
>people, etc.
>But I was willing to take a look, study, examine, and be open minded.  Now I
>feel MLM
>is the best thing since sliced bread!  My future is definitely in it!  Someday
>when I am
>sitting on the beach relaxing, I'll remember you still at your job!!
>
>In MLM and proud of it!
>
>Jon

I'm going to try to summarize for all you bullish MLMers why you annoy everyone
so much.  On the outside, people involved in MLM appear to be having this
religious kind of experience.  It's like a conversion.  Have you ever known
someone who has just been "saved" and they run around telling everyone they can
find how they just have to find God or they will suffer terribly?  People in
an MLM almost seem like they have been brainwashed and joined a cult.  am I
saying the MLMs are cults?  No, of course not, but there are some common 
elements.  I've been recruited by MLMers before and they always have these
great stories to tell of how "so and so just spoke at our last meeting and
they make $1 million every year and they don't even have to work any more."
How many times have we heard that?  Most people I know who are in MLMs are
really gung ho about it for a couple months and then once they find out that
their hard sell sales pitches have lost them all their friends and now that
they have quit their job and they have less income than they did before they
have a big time reality check.

The truth is very very few people strike it ruch in MLMs.  The majority of
people I know hate the idea and are flee MLMs with more vigor than Jehovas
Witnesses.  Most people I know in MLMs are extrelemly naive and easily 
persuaded to jump on bandwagons too.  Of course I'm generalizing, but in MY
experience this is 100% true without exception.

Go ahead flame away as I'm sure you will.  Of course that will just reinforce
the image I've portrayed of MLMers, but I'm sure that won't stop anyone. 
The last question is this, is MLM a form of entrepreneurship?  Yeah, it 
is a special case of entrepreneurship, one that requires little creativity 
and no original development of a product or service, but it does involve
risk.  Okay I'll grant that is is A form of entrepreneurship.  For that
reason, there has been a SPECIAL newsgroup created just for it.  So go use it
and DON'T crosspost.  Maybe we should rename this group 
misc.entrepreneurs.not.mlm

Loren

Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs