Thursday 30 August 2012

My MLM experience....

My friend recently bought a car. I asked hime enviously how he can afford it. He told me he is involved in "network marketing". Since we were friends for many years, I asked him how it worked. I had already reduce the frequency of my CFD trading, these days not so busy so perhaps can take up another job. He told me that I can go attend a seminar after that can get started.

Seminar was in some mini auditorium tucked away in one corner but quite packed about . Young man of 30s came and start talking - "Any body here LOVE MONEY!?!!!". "ANY BODY HERE WANTS TO BE RICH?! ANYBODY HERE WANTS TO MAKE $10K, $20K, $30K a month!!!". The whole crowd very soon all pumped up. Next he showed film clip of his house - 30 yrs old already own landed property, drive BMW, next toy to buy was a yacht. ...yes, yes I also want. "What is the secret? I asked myself". Coincidently, the next speaker came up to talk about the secret. ..the secret is WATER.....

Another young man looking super fit came up to talk. 75% of your body is water. Your blood is water, your cells are filled with water, your liver, kidney, even your brain will be damaged if you don't drink sufficient water. Next he explained that the water we drink is poisonous - acidic, full of toxins. Just look at people nowadays all so haggard at age 40, so many cancer cases, infertility, so many sudden death - why??! Because the water we drink is full of toxins. So how to prolong your life - live until 90 or 100+? How to rid your body of toxins. Next part shows Japanese village where average age of people is 100+ years old, highest concentration of centenarians. What is their secret? They drink natural water from a stream that passes through the village. Video shows the stream with fishes- really freash clean feeling when you watch the video. Japanese scientists study the water stream for many years finally cracking the secret of this "fountain of youth".  The water is alkaline and has a special combination of minerals and is low in toxins.

The speaker claimed that his body was unhealthly fat and he was perpetually tired/sick until he started drinking this special water. After that he felt so good, he started going to gym that is how he become so muscular. Next video clip show a water purifier machine that will reproduce the special stream water in Japan - verified and proven by hundreds of doctors in Japan. Then computer graphics to show the inside of this water machine, 8 plates, multi-process. Then more research to show can cure gout, heart disease, liver problems, kidney disease, prevent cancer ..etc etc.

After the talk, they are to break to smaller group of 3 to discuss. I was with this group with a young woman. She said previously worked as engineer but this business changed her life and health. Told us mission is to spread good health to as many people as possible to help them remove toxins from their body. But first we must cure ouselves by drinking this water otherwise others will not belives if we turn up to talk to them looking sock and unhealthy with black bags under our eyes and haggard looks. So we must first sign our self up for one-set and sign up for marketing course to teach us how to sell the product to help others. Starter package is $5000K (discount of $4K given for that day) - machine itself cost $5K. The 2 other person in my group immediately sign up using credit card. Guoded with others to another room to pay up.

The young woman took me to another room that is painted red look at me, so how..? I told her I don't have credit card because I'm not qualified need a few days to go back and think. She suddenly shouted at me, "You not serious!!. Then she bang the table 2 times with her fist. Then she look like she calm down. She said, no credit card never mind, if I have ATM card can go to ATM downstairs to withdraw $2K, the company will let me pay by instalment the rest of the $3K. That time I really under pressure but I told her my bank account only have $300, my money is in my trading account with IG Markets. She said by right the discount was only for that day, however, since I was sincere, she could talk to manager and extend it for me for 3 more days. She walk out of the room, came back with some form....smiling and looking very relief form me. She said she talk very hard with the manager to persuade him to grant extension just for me. All I needed to do was sign 2 forms..... I looked at the form...it was some kind of "agreement to purchase" legal document. I was thinking if I refused to sign, the woman would fly into a rage and say that I was "not serious...." blah blah. I got up, pressing my stomach said needed to go toilet ...stomach acting up. The toilet was just outside. I got out of the office, ran off and never looked back.

A few days later I called up my friend to meet up after I did some research on the product. I found out that it was all nonsense and such water machine only cost less than $1K - you can easily find and buy one online. I wamted to get some answers from him. I met him and started asking questions. He said the quality of the machine he was selling is superior in quality. Other machines won't give the same benefits. I found one that had exactly the same specs as the old his company sold for $1K - almost identical except for the logo. He said imitation so something. After talking for quite long, and I was not getting satisfactory answers. I told him sincerely as a friend that I really only could conclude that he was working as a con-man selling overpriced products to other people. He said didn;t matter what I thought - it was all willing buyer and will seller so how could I say he was a con-man. If the water prevented the person from getting just one type of cancer savings on medical would be $50K to $100K so what is price tag of $5K for the machine - nothing! I told him that the customers were not getting value for money because there were identical alternatives around. He replied that his conscience is clear - "This is Singapore hor one piece of paper to buy car costs %90K, but a flat cost $400K-$500K. Everyone is also squeezing everyone else for money - what is $5K for good health...is no big deal. There are lots of buyers ...I already sold 100 sets". His commision was at least $1.5K per set ..go figure. After hearing that statement, I was not sure if I wanted to keep him as my friend.

I went home to reflect on the whole episode. Something is wrong. So long as you can convince people to give you the money, you can just take it? Isn't that Kong Hee's ruse? How come young people in the 30s can think this way to justify their way of making money. ....something is very wrong with our society, the value system is broken, people have no qualms about acting unethically.     

1 comment:

  1. Wow.. That's an experience you have there.. Anyway, I am currently in a network marketing company called GDI.. It has no startup cost and only a monthly fee of only $10 per month.. This is for the payment for products and services.. If you're interested, see my blogpost: Make money online.

    ReplyDelete