You would think that a person with a Masters Degree would be smart enough not to be caught up in a modified MLM scheme. Also that after 23 years of living with a professional sales person, one should be immune to "the pitch" or at least see it coming. I however, bow to the master (or should I say mistress) of sales.
Due to an expensive toy habit, (two four wheelers and a hot tub currently) I was looking for some ways to make money. A girlfriend of mine invited me over for a "Makeover Party" and I went. The woman who gave the seminar was VERY good. And the product was very good too. I purchased, (what was way too much), and then got hit with the recruitment.
Everything sounded good. The product lifespan was short and women needed to refill their supplies. The profit margin was almost too good to be true. And the hours were all mine to set. I went to lunch with her and like an idiot signed up for this program. I was going to be a beauty consultant! Me! The girl who was always the egg head in the chem lab. The one who never wore makeup. I was going to be one of the beautiful people.
So I went to the weekly sales meeting. I found out that two people I knew were selling and said they were succeeding. Still there was this little rat gnawing at my stomach. I asked around to find out who had sold this product or knew of someone who had, and found no horror stories. So, when the next week rolled around and we sat down for our initial "New Consultant" meeting (DING, DING, DING! Shouldn't this be a conversation you have BEFORE you sign up?), I almost bought the $3600.00 of inventory, ($4257 after taxes, shipping, and handling). Thank god that rat took a big bite out of my stomach and I procrastinated.
My husband and I discussed this proposition. After sitting down and putting pencil to paper, we figured this part time job would run me about 60-80 hours per month. Also, by the time we got the profit margin figured, I was making around $9.00 and hour. Then my mother called. She had been surfing and found some sites that warned about this company. On the internet you can find somebody who is ticked off about any subject matter you wish to choose, so normally I take these with a grain of salt. This was a bit different. These sites were by women who were STILL consultants, but they warned of the push to purchase large amounts of inventory. They also warned of the "honeymoon" phase when your friends will buy from you. Then you hit a brick wall and nobody will book a party. Eventually people start avoiding you just to get away from the sales pitch.
So last night, I finally came to my senses and decided against this "opportunity". I am going to call it a $300.00 lesson learned and kick myself in the butt for the next year or so. I think I will stick to what I know best. Designing websites and managing projects. Anybody out there need a new website? I also have some cheap cosmetics for sale. LOL.
