Prove Them Wrong

This morning I woke up at started working on my business blog. I went to YouTube to insert the Arbonne Opportunity video and made the mistake of reading comments. Now, I am pretty determined to keep my business separate from my personal, so I won't be talking Arbonne much here...but in this case, Wow! I was really blown away by all the negativity. I got curious and looked up similar companies (ie, MLM direct sales) like Avon, Thirty-One and Stella and Dot, somewhat expecting to see the same sort of responses. I kept thinking of the Bloom County Mary Kay Commandos, remember that?

I adore the garters on the pink combat boots!

Strangely enough, the hecklers seem to be centered predominantly on Arbonne. Somehow Arbonne has been lumped with pyramid scams more than legitimate direct marketing. Honestly, at first I was confused and mad. Then I quit taking myself so seriously, started thinking about Arbots (you know, those overzealous company reps that descend upon you like vultures trying to convince you to start a business you have no interest in while regurgitating memorized trite verbiage) and saw perhaps where it is coming from.

Frankly, you can make extra pocket money with Arbonne on the occasional party and retail sales alone. I am living proof of that. But to make it your actual occupation, you have to recruit and work a lot of parties. Both these things require you to actively pursue. And those in the pursuit often reek of desperation. When this is sensed by those being pursued, they feel like prey..and prey runs.

This doesn't make Arbonne a bad company, any more than that annoying sales guy at Sears who would only speak to my husband even though I was the one purchasing makes Sears a bad company. However, consultants serve as the face of Arbonne, while Sears has a branded name and building to lend a sense of respectability.

Arbonne products are not cheap. But does anyone get mad or call Lancôme a scam because of the cost of their $100 night cream? Of course not. It helps that the sales person doesn't depend on you for her paycheck. Perhaps she gets a commission, but she also gets a check whether you buy or not. Not so with direct sales. Hence the desperate air of some.

Then there are those who tried Arbonne and failed. Well, that obviously makes it a scam right away! Fact is, there is not a single business on this earth with a 100% success rate..and if anyone tells you that you will succeed with Arbonne, they are a liar. Some people won't work hard enough. Some people just won't be good at it. Some people won't like it. Some people just wont like the actual products. I think they are wonderful, or I wouldn't sell them, but nothing is for everyone, and some people expect miracles. I have horrible skin when off my Clear Advantage...but I don't just toss it in the garbage if I wake up with a small pimple on my forehead. I think 99% improvement is pretty damned acceptable.

I saw "pyramid scam" thrown around quite a few time...and the fact is, a pyramid scam relies solely on recruiting and offers no product or service in return while promising huge dividends, which are derived from the recruiting, so that only those on the top profit. If a company is offering a product or service it is not a pyramid scam. Period. Multi-level does not automatically equate pyramid scam.

 

I found these pyramids at Tim Sales' site and thought they explained the situation perfectly.
http://www.firstclassmlmtools.com/MLMSuccessTips/index.php/2007/06/so-your-prospect-thinks-mlm-is-a-pyramid/

So I'm not mad anymore. I had a moment where I even doubted myself and my choices. I certainly had many of those same thoughts before I got involved on my own. Then I realized that this is my opportunity to prove them wrong. To show others that people in MLM are not always pushy or desperate, but we are just people doing something we enjoy and trying to live our own lives without time clocks and bosses. Today I am going out into the world with a renewed determination to be kind to others while expecting nothing in return. Today I am going to make my business calls and really make sure I listen to what my clients have to say and avoid trying to encourage them to say what I want to hear.

If you are interested in hearing more about Arbonne or MLM direct sales, you can check out my business blog
www.sensationalskincaretn.blogspot.com
where I will talk more about why I chose direct sales and the advantages of Arbonne, etc.
and my sales site
www.carliclark.myarbonne.com
where anyone can buy their own products, sign up as a consultant, or contact me about my business.