Wow the last entry I made was exactly one month ago. And now I'm back!
I've been wanting to write about this for quite some time, but never bothered to get down to it! I finally decided to pen it down now before I forget the details.
So yes, I was very briefly involved in MLM before! Multi-Level Marketing has been talked about endlessly and there are many reasons why it is bad. Just in this sentence I've included 4 links for you to check out what it is and why it's bad if you don't know.
I shall recount the events chronologically, as I think it's the best way to present things. It is a VERY long read, but should no doubt be eye-opening to some of you.
So, grab some chips, a drink, and enjoy!
THE HUNT
It started in 2010 if I'm not wrong. I was fresh out of army, looking for a part-time job to sustain myself in the long 10 month break till Uni began. I wasn't having much luck so I was posting on Facebook and all stuff like 'looking for any part time job!!'.
Then a good friend of mine, let's call him J, comes along and messages me, saying he needs some help in his company, and asking me to meet his 'boss' to talk about it. Little details were given, besides that it was flexible hours, can work on my own hours, a few hours per week only, and nice pay.
(By now, we all know that the bolded words are the alarm signals for the typical MLM (also known as Network Marketing), they are the 'bait' that all MLM people use to try to reel their prospects in.)
Back then, with the little knowledge I had, plus I was getting genuinely bored at home, I decided to go give it a shot. What's the harm right?
THE HOOK
One fine day, I went to Marina Square to meet J, and I still remember before that I met bestie for something, maybe lunch? And I still recall telling her "I'm going for an interview, not sure how long it'll take.. if it's quite fast I can come find you again after it!"
Then when I see J, he was dressed in typical business attire, and I saw his boss, who I coincidentally recognized as one of J's good friends (as I've met him before in the past). Let's call his boss B.
So we began walking off to somewhere, presumably where we were going to have our meeting. We begin to make small talk, as I was feeling a tinge of nervousness - I mean, I'm supposed to be meeting a 'boss' right? And B is supposedly a boss of some company now. And now I'm going for an interview!
This feeling was compounded when B was walking just that many footsteps in front and J was talking to me, and he made it a point to talk about how B was earning 5-digits now, and was buying property overseas etc (Which I later learnt was an intentional ploy to 'build up' the image of the 'boss')
We walked past a renovating shop, and B told me that it was one of the jewellery chains that the company was going to open, and talked about some random diamonds stuff that I didn't know. After showing me how amazing the shop was going to be (and showing me his earring that he was wearing that was from the diamond chain), we carried on walking to one of the hotels or something near Marina Square, and sat down in some nice comfy seats. And the pitch begins.
THE BAIT
B orders some expensive wine or something and I politely decline, because I don't drink.
He then begins his pitch about diamonds and don't know what, about what the company does, and gradually shifts into talking about the MLM part of the business, and what he wanted me to do.
The whole presentation was impeccable - B had real gift of the gab. If he ever dropped out of the MLM business (I've no idea what he's doing now), he could be a trainer for presentations or something.
So the entire presentation climaxed with the proposition - "buy in to the company with $4000 worth of products (which you can resell on your own and in essence earn your $4000 back), and be part of our downline, and help to pull other people in. You will earn $4000 within a few months, and after that it's just recurring income. If you don't hit $4000 within 6 months, I will personally refund you."
Something along these lines. And I didn't even have $4000 in my bank account at that point so I told him, and he pretended to think about it and do some fancy math calculations, and then made a second offer: "Ok since you're good friends with J, I'll give you another deal - $2000."
(I will come to learn much later that these was intentional, and they never expected me to bite on the $4000 offer. If I had taken Psychology back then, I would have known this was classic Door in the Face persuasion technique. Damn. It really works.)
And he goes on to talk about how I can earn it back quickly, and how it will turn into recurring income. Basically a sweeeet deal.
THE LINE
At this point, B makes an excuse to leave for a moment, apparently to answer some phone call and settle some issues. J then took over and asked me if I had anything I needed to clarify, at the same time re-emphasizing how successful B was now, and just making small talk to make me feel comfortable and ask me what I thought about the whole proposition.
(I learnt that this B leaving was all scripted too, and J was already prepared for this portion. It was all an act.)
B returns shortly after, and says some remaining reassuring stuff and tells me it would be a good opportunity and whatever. At that point I was already more or less persuaded, though not committed. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and I told bestie to go off first as I may take awhile.
THIS WAS THE FATAL MISTAKE.
I realized that if I had left then, I would never have joined them, if I was given the time to consider it more carefully.
THE SINKER
After returning from the toilet, they told me to just come down to the office to have a look around.
Being the extremely free and bored person I was, I thought, why not? Just have a look to get a feel of the atmosphere.
We ended up in a cab towards Paya Lebar to their 'office', and upon reaching B showed me some of the jewellery and stuff to make me feel more impressed and secure with the company.
I can't remember the exact chain of events then, but somehow it ended up with me at the payment counter, and the counter person asked me for my debit/ATM card, I keyed in my pin, and BAM.
$2000 paid in some automotive fuel additive that I would never sell.
The harsh reality of what I just did didn't quite set in even after looking at the huge load of fuel additives I had now and I was supposed to sell. My main job wasn't even to sell - it was to pull in new prospects to join the company, like I have. I talked abit more to B and J before saying that I had to go home, as I had dinner at home.
On the way home, my mind was filled with lofty aspirations, at me the salesman! Me the persuasive presenter! Me the rolling in the money! Me the best!
At the same time, the $2000 hole in my bank account was crying at me somehow, somewhere, buried beneath the optimistic flow of thoughts.
Next time... 'The Training', 'Trying My Hand Out', 'How I Managed To Get Out' and 'A Final Evaluation'
