BUSINESS OF THE 21ST CENTURY? MLM? - My Experience
What's up everyone? Today we'll be talking about MLMs. Okay um actually it's a quite a controversial topic and there actually only a few reasons why we'll be here: either you are in it, your friend is in it, your relative is in it but whatever it is, let's get to it! So as I was saying right, I've been one last year and like honestly it's not my thing. Okay we'll get to that in a bit but um just to clarify MLM is not like a... I mean it is a way to get rich but it's really not for everyone okay. And like they boast about five figure income, four figure income even (that's actually pretty good already for an mlm) and like the way to get there is really another story. So after I ORD-ed (For those who don't know ORD
is like when you finish two mandatory years in the army in Singapore). Okay, so after I ORD-ed right, y'know, you're like an adult. After you receive pay for two years, you've grown up, you become more mature, you're like hey I need to get my act together man, I need to like start planning for my future, my retirement, like how to earn more money, how to like get into investment, all the stuff, like business all that stuff okay. So apparently right, suddenly a friend,
okay a close friend called me and told me there's this business opportunity. Hey yo! How are you? actually pretty aligned with each other and like because like we both say about retiring early, retiring our parents early and like yeah, so it's like very similar goals to mine and like we know that like, the mentors right they take a lot of time off their busy schedule to talk to us so like, we need to learn how to appreciate their time because like you know, they're actually very busy people and especially taking their time out to talk to us and mentor us understand? So okay so anyways right I'll give you a book to read and all you need to do is just read the book and after they're done, you just need to inform your sponsor. After that, your sponsor inform me So simple right? Just read a book. Okay so apparently right, okay that time I'm very clueless one, I don't know what the heck is MLM, Amway. But all I know is like business opportunity, can do as a side hustle and get like four digit, five digit income! Why not? Sounds great man! Okay so apparently I read the book, I told them about it and they told me there's this upcoming seminar and it's like wow it's gonna be lit man, it's gonna be amazing if I go. So obviously I agreed, I agreed. So apparently I
went for the seminar and like woah it's really damn legit. So apparently I go inside the zoom meeting (cause it was COVID at that time). So in the zoom meeting right woa everyone dress up in suits, formal attire, even I was told to wear formal attire. There's just a lot of people inside
then the speakers suddenly like start talking about the business plan, how to succeed uh, how to like bring this to a new level and what the structure is, the plan is and all. woah really sounds like a it sounds like it can make it, it can make it. So after that I was just like I think I can. That's where the word "Amway" was introduced to me and at that time, I had no idea what the heck is a Amway okay. So during the process, I read every day, listen to the audio,
like what they wanted me to. Then I do core run everyday, like really discipline. And woah from there, I actually realise I love reading self-help books like y'know, because the books are not like Amway books. They're like written by outside people and like they're amazing stuff and that's where I actually realise I love reading. Okay but then right okay so during the process, I actually got to like... they told me all the non-negotiables, like for example, like there's two meetings a week and that is not negotiable. I must attend, so it's like every Tuesday and Friday if I'm not wrong. Then like every Tuesday we have some seminar to attend,
followed by a night owl and that takes up to 11pm, 12am, y'know that's like four, five hours okay. Then after that, on Friday there's a PASE meeting, they call it. It's some product awareness meeting and OMG. Okay so I'm like sure why not. At that time I was like damn motivated. Okay okay I'm gonna attend it all! I'm gonna make sure that Tuesdays and Fridays are always free y' know. I'm really hardworking so right after one month, I cleared the process. I became
an IBO (independent business owner) and I was like woah I'm so proud of myself man for clearing the process because they need to see if I'm worthy to be one of them. So apparently, I was so happy I told my parents cause initially I wanted to surprise them. OMG, when I told them about it You know people hate you for it. Y'know I once had a relative that joined MLM, didn't make it far I tell you, will not one. Everyone will hate you. I use before Amway products, I absolutely hate Amway. Your mother will smack you I tell you, Amway. You're
a letdown, disappointment. Woah GG sia that one. So apparently right with that, I knew it was actually very hard already because right okay Amway they teach you one thing and that is to invest in your own business and actually that's really legit. Imagine like you sell facial products but you don't use them, like your own facial products, you think your consumers will trust you? So it's something that you must invest in your own business by buying your own products to show that it's like it's actually very good lah so uh so because my parents were like against it so I already knew it was over like I couldn't because Amway they sell like household products like dishwashers, soap, conditioner. There's also like makeup products, there's food products, there's energy drinks like all sorts of stuff you can find okay. You can go to the website and check it out. So apparently with that, I knew that I couldn't like invest
in my own business anymore. Actually is that even my own business considering those aren't even my products. So despite my parents being against it, I still bought some of the products home to try because like you know the coaches say right like I use it, then my parents would like it eventually. So I bought like the wax, the conditioner, the body soap. So okay this one I can remember very clearly so the shampoo right, so before I join Amway, there's this all natural shampoo that I found that I really love. It made feel very like happy about how like how my hair feels uh. So apparently right, when I join Amway, I told like Amway friend that hey actually I feel like keeping my shampoo because y'know I like the shampoo but they told me that this is a very bad attitude because they say that right I must invest my own business and like so she said that uh no you can't do that. You should replace it when you're done because you need to
invest your own business! Don't invest in other people's business, so fine... But luckily right, I quit before I used finish so I'm just using the shampoo. Okay so anyways um yeah so as I was using the rest of the products, I realise that I didn't really like their products that much. I don't know, there's this very strong smell especially the body wash that makes me wanna puke. Okay no offense to those who actually like it but like I just didn't like it y'know so I just completely stopped using that and I switch it out. But like okay, I'll just admit that some of
their products are good but to be honest there are better alternatives. Okay I'm not sure about like anywhere else but in Singapore, we got a lot of cheaper alternatives and they're actually like much better quality y'know. So right, it really makes me like wonder... like I can see why my parents didn't like it actually. After that right, they told me that okay I need to start contacting my friends about this opportunity to see if anyone's looking because right like y'know, I need to help other people to achieve success as well you know. I cannot be selfish about this opportunity. So apparently right they made me create this list called the
ABC list so it's like your close friends, your friends and strangers. So apparently right, I went through my contacts, I put them according to the category A, B, y'know. After like, so apparently they teach me how to talk to my friends and OMG so okay so how do we talk about friends right, there's five levels. So like initiate a convo, deepening the convo, make someone aware there's such an opportunity, then qualifying them to make sure that they are worth it like me as well and then lastly drop the message to them that there's such an opportunity and mentors are actually looking you know. So apparently right... so with that, I need to talk to my
friends with that structure and I cannot tell them what company I'm from, like Amway and like y'know, at first I was like why? Why is this so strict? Certain words I cannot use, cannot say. Then their reason is because oh what if I chase them away or what if they misunderstand or they get the wrong idea or they just google and find bad information and they didn't like uh... it's because I told them too much y'know, so they told me oh don't say so much, don't say too much so I'm like okay sure. So apparently right, yeah so all my conversations are very structured. Then every time I don't know how to reply, I had to screenshot and send them. So apparently, it felt very unnatural cause those are my close friends y'know. I love my friends. They're like... they're always there for me, they pick me up when I'm down. And they teach
me something like they're either your business partners or they are your customers and like y'know, I cannot think of my friends like because they say like you don't need friends that don't know how to get an act together aka they're not business partners y'know. So apparently right, I realised that hey what the heck? That's how... that's what they meant that you might actually lose friends doing this. It's because they give you this idea that you don't actually
need those friends anymore. You only need people who are in this business too so I realised that hey my friends pick me up when I'm down all the time and they're always there for me and like I love them man so apparently I realised that I can't do this, I can't think that my friends are s*** like that y'know, that they can't get an act together so I realised that hey what the heck am I thinking and that's when I realised that y'know something's really very wrong there. Now that I think about it right, there's actually one more way to pressure me to like talk to my close friends. I don't know were they actually trying to pressure me. So apparently right uh after I used the products and I didn't really like it, then I thought that actually if the products were good, I don't mind telling my friends about it. But like now that I
don't even like the products, I shouldn't be like telling my friends right? So I realised that maybe I shouldn't like contact them or maybe should I close one eye and hope that these business still go well and I succeed and earn the money? So apparently right, so they said this y'know, they said that, because remember the C, in the C list right, is the strangers right? which is supposed to be empty because we don't know anyone we don't know I guess. So apparently right they say that my friends is somebody else's C list so eventually if they ever meet my friend, they're going to try to contact my friend and if I ever see my friend that's intro-ed, like sponsored by someone else, I'm going to regret not asking my friend. That's why they tell me, I should actually go and ask every single one of my friend and I'm just like oh okay, I don't want my friend to be sponsored by someone else so like y'know, obviously, I had to like try right y'know. So after that right,
everything is starting to look more and more repetitive y'know like there's a pattern I notice because every time... Okay so as I was saying, every day you must listen to audios right? So as I listen to it every day right, I realised that they are all like mainly the same things y'know like the speaker, okay they're all different speakers but they would be flaunting about their wealth, like they'll say about their big cars, their house their vacation and how they got security and like, their life is very like very nice you know and like they're making side income y'know. This is the side income, the Amway business. So apparently right, they will tell you stuff like oh you need to listen to your mentors, your coach and because they're always right, anything you should go through them and should always go through them before doing anything and like uh... so basically like they really preach a lot of like habits and stuff and like
you know you should read everyday, listen to audio everyday and like but then eventually it's just all the same thing in different words y'know and then also like on every Tuesday when I attend the meeting, I realised that the seminar that I was supposed to attend every Tuesday is the exact same one that I went to after reading the book. So basically every Tuesday, it's the same presentation, just a different speaker. And I only start noticing the pattern like after I become an IBO. I'm just like why am I doing here? I've been through this presentation like many times but it's a non-negotiable so I have to put my formal wear, attend the meeting, sit there and like y'know look like oh I'm a big big man y'know like I'm grown up and with my life all together even though actually I'm losing money y'know from buying the products and not earning anything. So like over there, I can see all the new... they always identify the new people and like they're questioning like oh what do you want in your life? What are you aiming for? Oh what are you doing now? Y'know like they'll really like get in your head somehow. So apparently right uh yeah
it got very repetitive and then like I don't know man... so eventually, okay I'm so sorry but then I... apparently I'll will just alt tab and do my stuff because it's a zoom call so apparently I'll just like do my stuff on the com so it'll look like I'm actually paying attention but actually I am not. So this one right is actually the last straw okay I swear. So apparently like towards the part where I'm about to quit, there's this major international function that I have to attend and like the mentors were saying how privileged that we are because like usually it's helped like overseas actually to fly down and to attend the seminar, the function but apparently like they say because due to COVID, now it's on zoom so we all should get a ticket and go for it, and it's a non-negotiable to them I guess. So apparently right I spent like, okay it's not much,
close to $200 to attend the function to invest in my education. Okay so apparently I went. So me and my friend, we bought and we're like okay we need go. But because it is supposedly held in US right? The speakers are in US, so apparently right we had to like be awake in the odd hours in Singapore, during the odd hours in Singapore. So we were there like oh we have to listen and then you know what they say? That's where your energy drink is useful so apparently we had to stay up all night and listen. Even the sun rise already, my parents were awake already then there I am still like over there listening to my business. And I'm like OMG what am I doing with my life and that's not the worst part. So I paid like so much for it right, I expected like some like
good information, learning like, good learning outcomes, like I prepare a piece of paper for my notes, cause you know cause usually every meeting they'll say you must have notes ready, standby to take notes, even though like I don't know why everyone's just saying the same thing. So apparently right, then realize hey why are they like saying the same thing as the audio? They're just showing off that wealth, telling everyone woah you look at my car in my background, in the zoom y'know, then the house very big ah y'know. Then apparently like after a while, I'm just like they're saying the same thing as the audios what? They're just showing them their wealth, or telling you to listen to your mentors, and like what? So there's really not much that we are actually learning out of it and I paid so much to watch people flaunt their wealth in front of me when I'm losing money in this business?! What?? So after all that right, I still attended some meetings y'know and like y'know I realised that hey everyone is like, it's like a cult y'know, cause like you know we all listen to the audios and like on some night owls, we share our takeaways and all but everyone's audio is all about like oh we need to trust our mentors, oh we need to convo, do more conversation, we need to set a goal to like do this do that and when I say goals I say like it's towards the business. So like we need to maybe contact
10 friends a day, set a goal y'know that kind of stuff. And then the worst thing is when everyone, like cause everyone is talking about similar stuff except it's just different phrasing, and then like everyone on the zoom chat... they'll will like go crazy like oh my gosh! Oh you're on fire today! OMG you're so lit man! You are so motivating and inspiring the heck out of me. Like for me, I'm just like what's going on? Because like I feel like,
like they don't really share new stuff y'know. And I don't know what's so motivating about listening to the same thing over and over again. Okay I don't know, I don't know what is it about that, but to me, I just don't find anything like inspiring out of that. So
I just really find that it's a waste of time. So I called my friend right and then right, yeah she said she also felt like something is wrong then that I asked her if she thought that the audio sounded very repetitive and it's just people speaking like with different phrasing. And she's just like yeah. So she actually realized it after I told her. Apparently after that, we realised... then we started googling and then like wow there's a lot of bad reviews, like 99 percent of them were bad reviews. And one very significant one was like the father was
the Amway IBO. So apparently right the guy went out to the basement then you know the basement it's like a Amway supermarket because okay every month we're suppose to hit a certain volume. Like so how much you spend is proportional to the volume so we need to have a volume goal every month and you must try to hit it. So apparently right, the father must have bought a lot but the stuff is usually quite hard to sell y'know, so I think they focus more on like recruiting people in rather than selling their products. So okay after that me and my friend were like hey s***! This is not what you wanna do anymore. So when we wanted to leave y'know, so okay my friend wanted
to take a leadership role in her dance CCA. Okay so she's like really into dance, so apparently she said okay she's gonna say she cannot like cause just so happen that the dance practice right is on the same day as the meetings and it's non-negotiable so like she realised she's been skipping all this practice and she's been feeling very sad about that. So she realised that hey I want to actually attend my dance CCA actually and she want to get a leadership role so she really very overwhelmed also. So apparently, she talked to the coaches and mentors on the zoom call about it and like okay, cause she was very afraid so I was actually beside her but I was off the camera on the zoom call. So apparently right, the coaches actually passively aggressively ask her if like to like whether did she think about her future, the long term, dance compared to the business, which will benefit her more. But like to me, I find it a bit uncomfortable to be like
listening to all that because right it's your passion and dreams what y'know... like how could you say something like that to like kill her passions and dreams. Somemore moreover this is supposed to be a side thing, side hustle! But like I don't know man... She's just...
Yeah she took it... She had to take all that. Then after that, but she still still insisted that it's something she really want and she thought about it already. So apparently, the coaches were like okay sure, all the best y'know. So after that, one week later, it was my turn. After apparently,
I just told them that I upfront told them that I just thought that the products didn't really suit me and it's very hard for me to be selling or like even bringing my friends into something I don't really believe in and like for them, they accept the reason. They said that's reasonable cause it's very like hard to y'know be in this business if I don't even believe in it. So apparently they let me go. And like after that I... yeah so I just told them that they are very like hyped up about the products so it's very hard for me to like tell them that I didn't really like the products. So that is my Amway story and like okay I hope you guys will hate me for saying all these. But like, this is what really happened and like that's what I thought and experienced throughout and like, it's just not for me y'know. It may be suitable for you and it might be working for you,
so right if it's something you wish to do, sure! it's It's not that... It's also a way. It's a way to get rich but like for me it's just not my thing because I feel very like trapped in this y'know and like it's very hard for me to be myself in this because for me running a business right, I prefer the conventional one where like maybe there's products where I can be selling, like a normal advertisement. Actually I want to see what you guys think about like MLMs in general or anything, so leave it down in the comments below to let me know what you think! And yeah please like subscribe and I'll see you next time!
2021-01-25 06:48
