You make some good points. People do make buying decisions based on favorable recommendations of other people. Many bloggers use this approach to drive visitors to click on an advertiser’s link and buy something. Successful selling is successful convincing.

Successful recruiting can be viewed as successful selling, if not directly of a product, but of an idea, concept, or plan. People recruited may be asked to adopt or believe in an entire “mindset” of things which foster cult thinking in the believer. For instance:

“Never question your up line.”

“Tools are optional, but so is success.”

“Fake it until you make it.”

“A job makes you a jackass of the boss.”

“Job really means Just Over Broke.”

“99% product loyalty is 100% product disloyalty.”

I could extend this list further but you should get the idea.
These are all motivational “tape speak” ideas that when believed lead to cult thinking that is not much different than the programming recruits in other more obvious cults and sects are exposed to.

Blind adherence to a motivational organization, a training system, up line distributor, charismatic kingpin, tapes, books and company propaganda fosters cult-like behavior. One is taught to disregard the negative and brand non believers of the dream losers. I say all this because you question my choice of user name. Since certain direct selling businesses incorporate cult ideology into their training systems, I incorporate the word cult into my user name.

You insist that folks who aren’t successful in MLM lack this very same cult-like education and coaching. It is exactly this education which makes the company owners and tool kingpins wealthy, while the distributors do the recruiting, purchase the products and buy the tools. The first two groups get wealthy at the expense of the last group, the distributor/consumer. I know that Amy and I disagree on this issue.

The best chance a distributor has to not remain in a negative cash flow in this relationship and to actually turn a profit is to retail product to real customers.

There exists a chance for long term pin level success, but this may come after many years of hard recruitment work and replacement of people who quit along the way. Even then, success may not include all the private aircraft, mansions, luxury motor cars and the Robin Leach inspired lifestyles of the rich and famous which new recruits are commonly exposed to during recruitment.

Pete, it not so much that I am negative, I just want there to be a balanced view expressed of these opportunities, one a recruit will not receive solely from his or her recruiter. There may be upsides as Amy and the DSA promote, but there are also downsides that I promote. An educated consumer and prospect exposed to both the good and bad should not complain that they weren’t exposed to the downside as well as the upside later on whether they succeed as hoped or quit in disgust as many do. Even then, they have been taught to blame themselves, not the opportunity. A cult like “end-game” so to speak.

In the direct selling industry, there are many more ex-distributors than there are current distributors, all with their own stories to tell. Good luck to you Pete, and good luck to you and your Blog Amy.

Pete, I invite you to comment on my blog. Possibly our discussion would fit better there than here. Just click on my user name.

You’ve made a very good assessment of recruiting. Recruitment for good causes, or even to fill that position behind the cash register at the local fast food restaurant is fine. Recruitment that is to convince someone to buy overpriced products and mostly repetitive books and recordings in hope of realizing an unrealistic dream of rock star wealth is not so ideal.

Sure, some people succeed to some level of success in MLM after many years of self sacrifice, but all this comes at a cost of time, money, and many times family and friends.

Stop and consider how many more recruits are killed in action than become a four star general? Becoming that hometown hero may also require sacrificing ones life. Obviously there are things worth sacrificing for (your country) and then there are things not worth the sacrifice (unrealistic MLM dreams).

Becoming a pin level success usually requires a tremendous amount of sacrifice. More time to spend with the family may not really be in the cards. A more realistic view of Direct Selling is called for and is what I believe Amy is trying to promote with this blog.

Showing, demonstrating, and selling products and services is the key to profitability in the short and long term. Many distributors sacrifice the short term profit potential in hopes of the long term dream of success that they were sold on by a recruiter. Is it any wonder that recruitment becomes king while selling becomes jester.

Success in selling may lead to the higher levels of accomplishment later without the heartbreak of longterm loss. There is nothing wrong with dreams, except when they are unrealistic and require many more years of self sacrifice than what your optimistic recruiter said. If one of the things your recruiter says is “selling is not really required” I would be very wary of that particular opportunity!

If selling is your thing, and freedom to choose your own hours is important, direct selling may be for you. A company that emphasizes selling over recruitment may be the best fit for you. To only consider the first recruitment offer made, may not be in your best interests. The title of this blog is “Direct Selling 411” not “Direct Recruiting 411”.