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Are you excited 🥰 to join my business 💵 opportunity and make $10,000 💸 working from your phone 📲📱? Made possible with @reddit2telegram (@r_channels). Admin: @thegreatporg
$150+ in bakeware lmao
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@antimlms
Plato no your supposed to help us to avoid scams 😭
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@antimlms
Another friend lost to Scentsy
https://redd.it/16rte5d
@antimlms
pulled on them.
Me personally for the 2 week time period that I was at Southwestern, I had to beg people to use their bathrooms, even when they weren't interested in buying the books, I also had to ask/beg for snacks and food, since I was literally making 0 money.
I think Southwestern also uses a lot of toxic positivity, targeting ambitious but also naive college kids, telling you how the shortcomings and difficulties that you'll face are your fault not the program's fault, dream building your mind to insulate you from critics, and weaponizing your vulnerability, coupled with playing with your insecurities and weak points. Honestly some people just totally changed after the program, for the worst.
Chapter 6 - Conclusion
In conclusion most students don't make money with the program, those that do, become full-time booksellers. They'll tell you how you can improve your communicational skills, people and life skills, get invaluable real-world experience, how you can "network with this great team of SW people" and how you are all like a family.
I personally felt it is an MLM and I'm not sure what exactly students are supposed to be learning except to never fall for that BS again.
TL:DR \- If you hear about Southwestern Advantage, run, run faster than Usain Bolt.
https://redd.it/16quuia
@antimlms
leave.
That left me alone by myself with her, and she told me what I thought about it.... and I said it was "interesting", she said if that sounded interesting we are going to move towards the final interview, where she also gave me homework on topics such as "What motivation meant for you" and "What is your goal/Dream big, dream bigger", something like that, that I was supposed to mail it to them and print it for it to be ready during my final interview, which was scheduled for the next day... She always made sure the phone call, the zoom call, the in-person meeting and the final interview all happened in just 3 days. In the interview the Organization Leader told me how I was special, because only a few make it to this last stage and even fewer get "accepted". He then proceeded to ask me general questions and told me that I was accepted and that I'm officially part of the team.
Chapter 3 - Business
So to recap, you're going to be a college student from Europe in the USA for the summer selling books door-to-door to people for a 40% commission from Monday-Saturday, all day, everyday. Sunday is your only "day off", even then it is not really a day off, you are still going to go around with the team and other Southwestern First-Year students, student and organizational leaders to all sorts of places, doing all sorts of stuff, during the first Sunday meeting we went to a weird American church and had a weird karaoke in the church and were asking church members for housing for 2 of our First-Year students, but mostly you're going to be talking about your sales talk. The sales talk is a 30 page book with everything you need to memorize in order to be a "great salesman". In it it covers topics such as the First, Second and Third approaches, Introduction, Demonstration, Reasons to buy, Summary, Price build up, Close, all sorts of answers to objections etc. etc.
I remember the black books for highschoolers costed around 150$ each and the kids books were around 60-140$ per book or per set, so you're trying to sell some expensive a$$ books to people.
In the First Approach you knock on the door, stay on the side(side profile), put the backpack down with all the books on the ground and wait for a response. You also have a tablet with you that shows you all the houses in the neighborhood and you can mark which houses have kids and which ones do not by using an app called Sales Rabbit, that s!ht will cost you 90$. When they do open you tell them your name, where you're from, what you are doing - selling educational resources door-to-door raging from highschoolers down to toddlers. And how thats something others were excited about, and then you'll try to get inside their house by pulling up the backpack and rubbing your feet on the ground... waiting for a response. If they literally say any objection, you go on to Second Approach, which is the exact same as the first one but with more details. If they still tell you an objection, you show them the book and make a demo about the book, then you'll them if they have a quick place to sit down inside or outside OR alternatively try and catch them at a more convenient time.
You are also encouraged to knock on "No soliciting signs", as such people often were "really big on education".(If your not from US, please don't, they are placed there for a reason).
You are also encouraged to ask the people for any information in regards to which houses have kids and which ones do not, what grade or age are the kids and if they know any names. You'll then go and approach doors by name calling the neighbors saying that they were interested in the books, even if they weren't.
They also encourage you to take pictures and make a post about the local authorities and ask police departments to share your info this way as a marketing strategy.
They focus heavily on recruiting international college students who are over to the US on student visas and may not have a lot of options. Particularly Eastern European students.
If you enlist in the Southwestern summer "internship" you'll be given a
How do the insurance MLMs work?
I know someone who joined Symmetry which I guess is under the Quility umbrella. He has two children to take care of and recently stopped supporting one of them financially. I can't understand why someone would need to post on facebook to get people to buy insurance or to get a job working with them? Wouldn't someone just look up life insurance on google and pick one of the familiar names and get a quote? It reeks of MLM but idk how to prove it? I cant find any income disclosures like the other MLMs. Why would anybody need to buy Life Insurance from their facebook/insta friends? Sort of reminds me of how I often ask myself why would anybody go look up a herbalife distributor if they could just go to a GNC or Grocery store? Why would someone hunt down an avon or mary kay lady when they could just go to Ulta or Sephora? Why would anybody order pampered chef if they could literally get kitchen shit from target or Walmart or even Kohls if you're feeling zesty that day. So I guess my point is, I'm getting the same vibe from the insurance thing. Does this business really work? One of the guys who's encouraging them to do it, I ran a background check on him and he's definitely living in a bad part of town in a super old house desperately in need of repairs, on top of that its actually owned by his wife, not him. He owes money on a loan he defaulted on shortly before he joined Symmetry and started acting extra rich. He posted an Escalade on facebook and I'm just so confused on how someone can go from owing money on a loan, cant even make very obvious repairs on his wifes property, but the first thing this guy does is go out and get an $80k car? something stinks here and it makes me think he's just doing the whole "appear rich so I can recruit people" thing.
I also see him and other agents farming job applications on ZipRecruiter when you look up jobs for Symmetry. I'm wondering if the tactic is to recruit people on ZipRecruiter non-stop just to make money. They're making these huge promises about how much money you can make in the MLM whenever you join but I just don't understand why wouldn't everybody just go out and get Symmetry to pay for their license if all you had to do was hit it big selling life insurance? Surely there's something in it for Symmetry? Is it the leads that they're paying for? What about the chargebacks? Do you have to farm new recruits to actually succeed?
https://redd.it/16rh88j
@antimlms
Help! My mom is stuck in this MLM insurance cycle
Hi everyone, as stated in the title, my mom keeps getting pulled into this MLM cycle because of this one lady she’s never even met in real life that she found on Tik Tok. She’s adamant that she’s running a legitimate business and scoffs at my full time job as a recent grad and the free $25k life insurance policy as a benefit stating that they would never even pay out and that they should go to her “company”. She’s been at the insurance for ab 3-4 years now and was previously stuck in the click funnels and other MLMs supporting her friends also stuck in jewelry and other things. Thing is she’s almost 60 and not technically inclined, she’s always asking for help and I truly hate it because I know she just keeps paying so much for these pointless worthless thing to help her business. I know she feels bad about the money she’s spent and she’s actually finally got a paycheck or two after the past 3 years. But it is destroying our relationships, with each other in the family’s and making her a social atomic bomb because she’s always peddling her life insurance and business.
Here’s where I need help, how can I get her to recognize these things and try to be better and hopefully leave. I don’t want to hurt her and I don’t her to hate me and my perspective on this.
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@antimlms
Popular books with MLMs?
I’m trying to better understand the conditions that compel someone to join an MLM. What are the self-help business books that are popular with huns?
Edit: I intended to write self-help and/or business.
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@antimlms
3 pieces of random life advice I wish someone had told me sooner
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@antimlms
The thicker the fake tan, the closer to Jesus.
https://redd.it/16rbos5
@antimlms
“Seasoned to perfection” lol
https://redd.it/16r9wcy
@antimlms
Those sneaky HS alumni…
https://redd.it/16qusnt
@antimlms
Is this guy scamming my sister?
https://www.chris-james.co/c2clp
He markets himself as a C2C? Not sure what that means. My sister is a nightmare for falling into MLMs and I think this might be the lastest one.
https://redd.it/16qdtpd
@antimlms
I’ve been approached multiple times by the same MLM I think
I don’t know if I just have a friendly read gullible face (or if I’m the age and background of their target) but in the 8 months I’ve been approached by no less than 4 different people. I genuinely thought they actually wanted to be my friend (mildly sad and disappointed that they definitely don’t).
They often ask what I do for work, if I get to be at home with my baby (I do w/ family help), if I’m happy in my career (I am), and if I’m interested in making a side income (I’m not). 3/4 of the people have mentioned a mentor couple in their late 20s who retired and are financially independent.
Does anyone have any info on what it may be and why they keep approaching me? Could it be the area I live in? My face? I want to stop being approached by MLM folks but not at the expense of making new friends. Ugh.
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@antimlms
MLM (Wellness Box) feeding off conspiracies and misinformation via social media
Is it a known thing that Melaleuca/Wellness Box sellers spread nothing but lies and misinformation to get new customers? There's one on IG that has been reported several times for misinformation on vaccines, social issues, politics and more and this seems to be her MO for getting new people to sign up. Instagram won't shut it down, however, since she'll just take her "brigade" elsewhere and start it over again. It looks like there are dozens just like this that think they're "patriots" that "do their own research" but are spreading lies regularly. And what's worse is they'll also share the trips and awards the company gives them so it makes others envious and they, too, start doing the same thing just to get people to buy into their cleaning supply boxes.
Is this common in this space? What an awful, duplicitous and malicious way to do business.
https://redd.it/16rv2ca
@antimlms
Does anyone know anything about Lionheart Consulting & Production Strategies?
https://redd.it/16rv0zy
@antimlms
PSA don’t invite your friend who just lost their job to your MLM Facebook party
Back story- a couple months ago I experienced a very sudden and shocking elimination of my position (I was IMHO being very successful and making a difference so this was devastating). Thankfully I had money saved up and I am ok to float until I heal mentally and find similar work.
Anyway a friend reached out last night. I was thinking how nice she texted me. Nope- it was an invite to her Facebook Mary Kay party. This is exactly what I can’t stand about MLM- no regard for others unless they are making you money. I kindly told her NO as I was trying to currently cut out all unnecessary expenses. Trying to be nice but of course with all MLMs nice doesn’t work. I was given the “you don’t have to purchase anything but it’s still important to take care of yourself”. I had no choice but to respond with “I don’t care if I had all the money in the world I don’t support MLMs and their predatory practices just like this. Preying on someone who just lost their job to buy overpriced makeup just do you can earn some ridiculous prizes. Thankfully that ended the conversation
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@antimlms
visor with the company name, an ID badge, a portfolio with the logo on it and a backpack with a lunch box.
Chapter 4 - The "Book-field"
If you do decide to participate in Southwestern, there is a cost of entry. There will be a program fee and flight ticket prices and food, housing, and all sorts of expenses while in the US. And for a job that only pays you based on commission sales, it's going to be tough, really tough.
Around 50% of interns do not make money, yes, they end up OWING money to the company at the end of the summer.
If you are a first year "success" that made the $8,000, that’s still less than minimum wage when you factor in the 80 hour work week, coupled with the horrible working conditions, physical and mental exhaustion. You’d be better off networking at a real job, where you’ll have real coworkers.
And when you factor in all of your expenses such as program fee, flight tickets, expenses such as housing, food, etc. etc. you'll be LUCKY to have made 1 000$.
They preach the “value of the SW network”, as if you are a part of a special group of people.
I can tell you that most students will quit and will seek to be placed at a different job offer, but for the few who are successful, most of them turn into full time booksellers and will go again next year to sell books door-to-door in the US again.
Once I was working for 8 hours straight then the battery on my tablet died and I had only wi-fi to the tablet, my phone had my origin countries SIM card in it. So naturally I drew a map on one of the demo-go cards to make my way back home, yes I was basically lost in the USA without any form of communication with the outside world and had to bike my way on the bicycle for 30 mins back home to charge my device, when the managers knew about this they were not pleased as you're supposed to "always find a way" and "never give up". I felt unsafe with no connection or battery with me on my main device, and there was also a lot of crime/drugs/needles on the floor of the streets/ and some weird group of men always started popping up after 8:00 PM with hoodies on in the area.
Not pleasant at all.
During the summer they call the "work environment", basically the whole knocking door-to-door thing, the "Book-field". They tell you how it's important to stay focused and determined during the summer, otherwise you'll never achieve your goals that you set up for yourself. You can't meet people of the opposite sex or flirt/chat with them, heck you are even discouraged to talk with your friends and family from your home country, no social media AT ALL during the summer etc. etc. Reading the Greatest Salesman Of All Time book to get motivated... it's all one big bs. with capital b and s... BS.
Chapter 5 - Final Remarks
I personally was very lucky to have read some of the documents that I have signed with my sponsor and in terms of the work-agreement.(Of course you're supposed to read what you sign, but many don't even know lol). On one of the agreements itself, it was written that the exchange visitor is allowed to seek a different job offer no later than 3 weeks after the beginning of his work visa.
So luckily for me I changed the "job", got an actual job and an even better 2nd job and got paid pretty good ;) and had a wonderful time in the new state that I was at for the duration of the summer.
In regards to the Southwestern "job"/"internship" opportunity, I had to try sell books to people who for the most part didn't have any kids, the neighborhood was mostly full of old people, people had no money because of the current financial situation in the US, people were simply not interested in buying books door-to-door. It was a high unemployment, high crime area in the city/town where I had to work. AND on top of ALL THAT, there was someone else who was sent there to sell in that exact place last year.
Some of the girls i spoke with expressed concerns with sexual assault on the book-field and how the leadership will never acknowledge it or do anything about it. Meanwhile for male reps some of them get guns
My Summer at Southwestern Advantage
Chapter 0 - Preface
In this post I'm going to be talking about my personal insights about Southwestern Advantage. More notably: 1. What it is 2. How they recruit people 3. How they operate 4. And my thoughts and opinions, based on my experience.
( I sincerely apologize for my English or for the way I'm going to write this entire thing, or if it's going to be too long, but a good friend of mine told me about this subreddit, so I would like to share most of what I know)
TL;DR \- You can skip at the bottom.
Chapter 1 - The Company
Southwestern Advantage, formerly known as Southwestern Company, is an education material sales company based in Nashville Tennessee.
Or alternatively - Southwestern Advantage, formerly known as Southwestern Company, is an educational MLM sales company based in Nashville Tennessee.
Chapter 2 - The Recruitment Process
I'm personally a college student from Eastern Europe that was looking forward to some sort of internships or opportunities during the summer. I received a phone call, while I was in the bathroom from a representative from Southwestern Advantage, about a summer internship opportunity in the US. She got my phone number from a flyer I had filled in my university campus. She basically presented herself and the company that she worked for briefly and went on to tell me how great the company was and how great of an opportunity it is. She also mentioned a figure of $8 000 that was the standard amount of money for first-year students to make on their first summer with the internship. And told me:
"Does that sound like something you might be interested?"
Naturally ...even though I was in the bathroom at the time of the call...said yes, yes of course....
She then proceeded to have a zoom meeting and a in-person meeting with me explaining more about the company and how it functions. In the zoom meeting she explained how you don't have to worry about the company or about the job itself, because I was going to be surrounded by positive and one of a kind people around me, and how she as my student manager would prepare me for the summer. In the in-person meeting she sat me down with 2 more girls who were also hooked and were interested to know more about the programme.
In that meeting she said that we as students are independent contractors in the US, which means we set our own time in which to work and we also sell our products door-to-door to people's homes in the US. In regards to the time though, you're supposed to work from 8:30am to 9:30pm as a bare minimum, actually it's 8:29 to 9:31 and getting out of bed at 6:59, because one of the many Southwestern's core principals is to "always go the extra mile" lol. And that the product that you're going to be selling is educational resources, such as "books, apps and interactive websites".
It's a physically demanding job requiring 80-hour work weeks from Monday to Saturday. You're expected to manage to show your product to at least 25-30 families PER DAY, in order to do that, you're supposed to knock on hundreds of people's doors. There is also no base pay, so you're not getting any money from it in terms of $/h. The thing you are receiving is a 40% commission based on the price of the books. Problem is the books are quite expensive and you're also getting paid 40%, the other 60% goes to the student manager, org leader, DSM and the corporate/business. You're also expected to sell these books in the hot/cold/rain doesn't matter if you're sick or not, you have to keep knocking on doors and try and sell these books. (and when I'm saying you have to, trust me YOU HAVE TO be selling them, they will monitor your progress and sales stats).
Upon hearing most this stuff the 2 girls left and expressed their concerns, how it doesn't seem reasonable for them to attend such a job and how they would look for alternative summer jobs instead. The manager asked them what bothered them and what exactly were their concerns, they told her everything about it and them two were free to just
I really want to know the “science” behind this….
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@antimlms
The Lord will help you shill overpriced MLM crap!
https://redd.it/16rfzna
@antimlms
Was gifted Scentsy I didn't want, the cubes melted in my car and now I have a headache
This stuff fucking stinks and I really, really did not ask for it. Took it to not be rude. And now my head hurts every time I drive my car. I did everything I could to try and clean it but the smell just won't go away. I don't understand how anyone likes this stuff
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@antimlms
Nutrition shop in my town
https://redd.it/16ra9l7
@antimlms
Met with this guy a couple times. Very nice. Totally changed his attitude once I nicely turned him down
https://redd.it/16ra10g
@antimlms
It goes back even further. I'm curious which mlm she is in. and product "model". Paalease. 🙄
https://redd.it/16qy4n1
@antimlms
Almost Got Caught In An MLM(Amway)
I got recruited by a Facebook friend I hadn't spoken to in a while. He kept talking to me about reaching goals and starting a business that allows you to retire in 5 years and foolishly, I got excited and fell for it. Long story short, I went through the selection process and qualified (everybody does). The selection process is just a weekly zoom session with no information on how the business works. I asked several times but, my "mentor" kept deflecting the question.
I was ready to start spending money on my "business" and then, because I am a migrant, I had to prioritise saving all my money for my upcoming visa fees. On top of that, I rent my own apartment and my father went into surgery for his prostate cancer (he's fine now) and needed a carer. So, I had a few things to prioritise over my "business".
I also stumbled across this subredit while all of that was happening, and I got a much better insight on Amway and MLM's. I then realised the trap I had fallen into and quickly made up my mind.
I explained to my "mentors" that I cannot continue with the business because of my upcoming visa fees and I would be spending more time at home looking after my father. This motherfuckers told me I need to set boundaries with my family and prioritise the business. I felt sick after that and just blocked all of them. I'm glad I saw that side of them before it was too late.
In retrospect, that experience was cult like; there were weekly "entrepreneur workshops" over zoom. These workshops never tell you how the business really works, they only tell you the kind of lifestyle they live and how they retired 5 years after starting their business. At least 350 people attend, paying $5 per session and worshipping the speakers even though they don't specifically talk about how the business works. Once I found out from several online posts that, I would be expected to recruit my family and friends, I knew that leaving this rubbish was the only option. All I can say is, thank God for this subredit and God bless who ever started it.
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@antimlms
I’m not sure if this has been posted yet but I saw this on Facebook 😬 it’s about the MLM Pampered Chef
https://redd.it/16qm0iz
@antimlms
His and hers matching sweatshirts oh boy
https://redd.it/16ql5zg
@antimlms
Optavia 2.5 years later
My former Optavia coach has been reaching out to me (and probably all her other inactive clients) on repeat lately with incentives to rejoin.
I keep wanting to respond with some sort of snark, but really I just want to ask... if your program worked, then why would I need to be eating your foods and buying your products? Wouldn't the goal be to transition to learn how to maintian your weight and eat real foods?
She's not a nutritionist. She's a small business owner who depends on the likes of people like me (well the former me) to buy into the program. If the program really worked long term it wouldn't allow her and her husband to be full time Optavia coaches. They'd have to get real jobs.
I still follow her on social media only out of fear that she may use my photos. I'd hate to havae her use my photos as a "success" so I keep her in my feed, but her posts make me mad.
My back story... which I posted elsewhere before..
I went all in 2.5 years ago. Lost a little over 40lbs in 5 months.
I had an intitial goal, but my "coach" encouraged me to go lower.
I looked sick. I lost so much hair. While I felt amazing, I kind of looked awful.
There was VERY little support in transitioning off the program.
I was afraid to eat real food and kept leaning into the fuelings to supplement meals versus eating REAL FOOD.
I maintined my weight for awhile, but eventually I got lazy and I have since gained all of it back.
I never had a really bad relationship with food, but eating 1000 calories a day totally messes with you and creates really bad habits. I basically developed an eating disorder in my 40's. Yay!
I am now working with a nutritionist & my actual doctor eating real foods (not fuelings). The best part is, it isnt a diet. It''s just real food with no gimmcks and I am actually losing weight.
​
https://redd.it/16qki1m
@antimlms