The Shadow Figures in MLM
If network marketing is the kind of business where you can have your cake and eat it too, these lovely individuals represent the slimey icing on top of a trash box delight.
They are the ones who sell training packages to train huns (or as I like to call them, good people like you and me who have made some bad decisions and are on the long road to self-destructionville) how to find leads on new recruits and make a “close” (complete the conjob). They leverage the hunger for success generated within these companies and feed it with nonsense rituals that further commit people to their sinking Titanics.
These are in no particular order, but I’ll begin with the one I personally despise the most. I can’t stomach watching all of their videos so I’ll offer you a summary of one video most probably selected at random.
ERIC WORRE (Go Pro)
Eric complains about a number of things in this video. In many ways it’s classic Worre. Everyone is his enemy, but he’s a good-natured, home-grown fella about it.
His main complaints is that this “thing” that they “do” is misrepresented. Again, here’s a classic white dude victim card. “I’m out here doing the right things, MOM, and all these other kids come and ruin it for me, make them stop please.”
He first complains that this “thing” they “do” has three principles:
1. Moving product directly to consumers
2. Building an organization of salespeople that you can earn from
3. Growing together with those people to have fellow stakeholders in developing a business
So Worre then goes onto complain we can’t call this MLM because MLM only talks about #2. We can’t call it direct sales, because we’re not a little boy selling lemonade on the street corner. He goes on to convince people that we should only call it network marketing because it’s the only term that allows all three of those principles to operate within that nested term. He then ends with a jab at all those other people fleeing the term MLM or direct selling in an attempt to differentiate themselves from others in this space. He also complains that people are always like “Oh, like Amway.”
Eric #itsapyramidscheme, I think we can just cut the nonsense.
SARAH ROBBINS (‘Rock Your Network Marketing Business’ author)
“There’s no u-haul at the end of a hearse”
“One of my greatest joys in life is how I get to coach people on how to live the life of their dreams”
Sarah Robbins does a review video by talking about all the money she has made from the people who joined under her in Rodan + Fields. Mmm…ethics.
Robbins claims she was losing her job as a teacher because of a bad economy, but started the opportunity and worked it part-time and by the end of the school year (job still not gone) she surpassed her teaching salary. Within three years she was making a six figure income by the time she was 30. She is now 45. Rodan and Fields started the MLM organization out of ProActive in 2007. This would have been exactly when Robbins joined. It’s no wonder she found success, and why almost no one else joining her network today can. But she uses her voice to convince them it’s possible and her story to empower them to stick around longer so she can squeeze that little bit extra more cash flow out of them.
TIM SALES (Brilliant Compensation)
Tim has a history of bomb defusal in the Spec Ops. He left the military in 1989 and seemed to be sucked into MLM almost right away. He tells of signing up a few days before giving his papers over to de-enlist from his position in Hawaii. There are some stories floating around of him marrying into a top Nu Skin distributorship with Lisa Fairbanks. Details are vague and Tim tells a very different story without names. He is now involved in Ariix a weight-loss and portable water filtration device company. He lives in Utah, is not Mormon, but is possibly a member of the Church of Scientology.
He has his own little pop-up studio now with his Larry King-style digital map flashing in the background. Looking snazzy Mr. Sales.
GRANT CARDONE (10X Everything)
Grant Cardone is the type of name you always hear, but never have the need to google. Of everyone on this list, I’ve probably heard his name the most, but care the least about what he has to say (I’ve truthfully never watched an entire video of Grant’s, but to my credit I feel it’s all the same repetitive drivel that the rest of these fellas build their careers around).
His schtick is all about 10Xing everything. Yes, that’s right. Some people will applaud him for such a great brand concept; I am not one of those people. But he’s not looking for me to do that, he wants the people pushed down on their luck to be regular consumers of his mental models.
Grant’s “Start Here” video on his webpage (you all better be grateful, I watched this just for you) starts with his nipply shirt doe stepping off a private jet (I’ve visited an aeronautical museum too). What follows is far too much time (90 seconds) of nothing but hot air. He’s coined as 2017’s best marketing trainer — our world must have a real shortage of those based on this video, in my opinion. He’s not exclusively MLM, but he certainly lends his voice to enough conferences focused on MLM success, and he appears on countless book lists.
RICHARD BROOKE (MLM Man)
I’m not entirely sure what to say about Richard. His picture says so much already. Some of the people he talks to reinforce my belief in humanity. Others … do something different.
Best answer: What is a pyramid scheme? Electromagnet pulses coming from all the pyramids and going into outer space. If only this was the science fiction universe we were living in.
Go to 11:32 to see a very intelligent person discussing the opportunity her friend runs and Brooke lets things get very awkward, makes false promises and also plays the yes man card on Warren Buffet the greatest artist.
There is a 1 hour long webinar, but I won’t make you listen to him that long.
Meh! Yes, serial alleged sex offender Mr. deep throat Tony Robbins is an MLM proponent. Tony Robbins goes on to say “Everything you see in this room was sold…and selling is just sharing…” He is very out of touch. He dreams that everyone should be entrepreneurs in the new economy.
The initial exchange for people who can’t stomach it is this:
Eric Worre: “People in network marketing have an inferiority complex…” (can it be a bit bigger?)
Tony Robbins: Good MLMs are just like me. Some people try to do what I do and add no value and just do the pump-up. Like MLMs, some have no real customers and are just pyramid schemes. 96% of all businesses fail in 10 years (not true).
Tony Robbins, the man who paints himself the victim of teaching other con artists how to con.
FRAZER BROOKS (Network Marketing Ninja)
When you picture the face of someone who claims to be a network marketing “Ninja” this probably isn’t immediately what comes to mind. But once you see this sorry little beansprout of a man seemingly holding up the championship title of escaping from his parents’ basement, then yes, Frazer Brooks is the only man who could ever be worthy of such a title. His quirky stylings of commanding an entire room with his geek-filled antics speaks to the gamer crowd of the MLM circuit. The ones who have the strongest finger muscles from tapping away at the AWSD keys on their keyboard to control their World of Warcraft ogre and defend the sacred keep of Galgamesh.
Frazer is the kind of man you fall in love with because he’s unlike the other people you know. That’s what makes him dangerous and worthy of recognition. Plus he’s from on the other side of the pond from most of these figures, so that’s an aspect of his charm as well.
ROBERT KIYOSAKI (Rich Dad, Poor Dad)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad. A lie to sell books. His most recent foray into writing is “FAKE: Fake money, Fake teachers, Fake assets.” And it goes on from there in some unimportant rant about the poor and middle class that he cares only about the royalty for his book numbers from.
Kiyosaki claims his rich dad owned the Hyatt Regency hotel in Wakiki, Hawaii. Based on the data he offers, the best approximation to this is that he was a lawyer who helped arrange the purchase deal for the lands of the Regency hotel. He was not a standalone business owner. I doubt they really played Monopoly. Robert built a story that could sell. Is that a problem? It’s hard for me to say no. Especially when the whole schtick is then to sell courses to teach other people these secrets that aren’t really secrets.
His video is the trademark move of playing the victim card (see Worre above) as well. He even tears up on camera. Oh to be these people with so much money and be “cwushed by the big bad meany.” Fast forward to 18:30 if you want to see his breakdown.
GARY VAYNERCHUK (Vayner Media)
Gary. Gary. Gary. Yes you make more money than me. You can yell at me in front of a wine store all you like, I’m not going to buy your shtick. I may be a fool for that, and I will never download TikTok, but at least I have my sanity and a consistent true story that I can tell about my life. I may not have the people that you do who “love” me, but I know I do better for those who do.
ARCHIVE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC5-Be5LmNI)
You support MLM because why get in the way of someone’s dreams?… Why Gary? Why? Well perhaps because it’s only going to ruin their life, or thousands of others. Because it has to. That’s how the compensation plans work when there’s no customers, Gary.
[EDIT: Gary has taken some important steps in distancing himself from MLM businesses. Hopefully he can make a bigger statement against them as it would be powerful to have a big voice like his identify the problems inherent to all MLM business models]
Zig, rest his soul, is the OG of garbage icing. He used his preacher-like voice to guide an audience
Honestly I don’t know a thing he said in this video, but it sounded so right. I find it strange to speak ill of the dead, but Zig has created a drone of mind-lost miscreants.
RACHEL HOLLIS (Girl Wash Your Face)
Girl, you’re in a cult, call your dad!
Rachel has spoken at Rodan + Field’s convention at least twice. And dōTERRA’s most recent 2019 convention .
She starts this talk by introducing her expectations and the theme of Own It.
1. Stay energized
2. Show up as your authentic self (don’t be an 8th grader)
- hates the phrase “fake it ’til you make it” — you alienate yourself from the people you need to learn from (valid point, wish it landed harder with Instagram MLMers)
3. Engaged audience
“Comparison is the death of joy…Comparison is giving away all of your power.”
She teaches how to own your life. OK. This is not a terrible message to spread. In fact I would say it is an important message. But when you mix it in with the reality of MLMs it’s a damaging message that holds people in suffering longer.
Darin covers the topic of haters. He takes the route of people only pay attention to those they can see. He uses the example of a guy who owned 12 stores for cell phones but was then paid 14 million dollars by AT&T in the late 1990s. This guy was ridiculed, until he made all this money.
He then encourages people to love their friends and family, but not look back unless they want to go that way. This is the thought pattern that is taught in MLM companies. I want to help others and help you grow your business. They are standing in the way. Keep loving them, but don’t let them affect your life. Cut them out while you have to because you’ll never be as successful as me until you just power forward. The truth is you’re not going to be successful like him if you’re listening to him. He’s taking advantage of you right now, are you comfortable about doing the same as him later, and sell it as you helping to grow other people. Do you really still believe that to be true?
Also his Nerium merchandise…that company is currently in hot water with the FTC. Sorry Darin.
SONU SHARMA (Dynamic India Group)
“Selling is not a selling job, it is a rejection job. You have to pass 9 nos to get 1 yes.”
This guy is the network marketing superstar in Asia. I am unable to follow everything he says, but based on the audiences reaction he’s doing something that leads them down a path where they believe he has the answers.
Sonu and others who follow in his footsteps will do a lot to help exploit the people of India in a move that is very much needed by the shriveling market for direct selling in North America. The leaves are drying up as the business plans are exposed for what they are by the suns of truth. I’m sorry Sonu, but the time has come to stop dreaming of flying and start focusing on how not to scam millions of people out of billions of dollars.
There are, by my estimation, 100s of others who prey on people who are determined to find success in a program that they have been led to believe in. Please comment below with some of the others that should be called out for this practice.
