Network marketing is an interesting beast, so enticing and seemingly simple from the outside. In pursuit of financial survival, it sounds like a great opportunity, and I guess it can be – it seems to work for a lot of people. I mean, how else can a person hone their entrepreneurial skills usually for less than $1,000 buy-in? Personally, though, I’ve discovered along the way that what seems like an exciting opportunity to merge passion with profession often evolves into a conundrum where the line between personal identity and corporate branding blurs.
Many people do not seem to mind this, and in fact, embrace it fully. Turns out, I am not one of those people.
At first, though, I didn’t notice this trade-off, and as I found myself in an area where it seemed everybody was doing it, I did have a few products I discovered that I loved so thought I’d give it a bash too. The idea of turning one’s passion into a profession via network marketing is appealing, I mean isn’t that what we all want? To be wildly successful, being yourself, utilizing your community, spreading the love, sharing the vision, and making a lot of money while being part of an incredible and supportive company that feels more like a bunch of besties than work?
Once I saw this happening in my own life, I was not happy with the thought that people only knew me as Bridget the “applicable brand” lady. Especially when I just wanted to be Bridget the “up and coming” writer. Let’s face it, if we are going to be broke for a while, whilst becoming established in a particular skill or business, it may as well be your true passion. Unfortunately becoming inextricably linked with a brand was not mine.
Many dive in and do well though, there are always those women held up who are killing it, making thousands upon thousands of dollars every month, who are so accessible and easy to draw inspiration from. Network marketing is one of the only business models where women and men are rewarded equally, producing more women millionaires than any other industry annually.
I cannot dispute that these are all good things.
However, the paradox for me lay in the expectations that came with this association. To truly succeed in network marketing, individuals are required to immerse themselves fully in the company’s culture, products, community, and selling techniques. It is a welcoming and inclusive environment, drawing people from all walks of life, offering many professional and personal development opportunities, even the scripts to use when sharing the products and/or opportunities, while this commitment may seem logical, it raises the uncomfortable question in my mind: Is it normal for one’s identity to become consumed by the corporate entity? Everyone around me was doing it, happily becoming entrenched and part of a brand.
Why did I feel weird about it? Should I drink the Kool-Aid?
I could see the line between a genuine connection and a sales pitch blur, and I didn’t like it.
It’s a delicate dance between sharing enthusiasm for something you love and inadvertently making your friends, family, and associates feel like they are being “sold” every time you interact with them, turning personal relationships into potential revenue streams. Even if they were initially supportive, they may start to view all interactions with a network marketer as looking for transactions rather than genuine connections.
We all know people whose company they embody, and it is immediately what we think of when we think of them. I have at least a dozen people I think of this way, even if I knew them before their associations with said companies.
This shift in dynamics becomes particularly evident when the once-innocent invitation to a “party” morphs into an event with the sole purpose of selling products or recruiting new members. The “old fashioned” gatherings of sharing a meal, games night, a couple of drinks, or just hanging out, have seemingly given way to evening experiences laden with expectation and a sense of obligation.
The very essence of coming together to enjoy each other’s company has been overshadowed by the underlying sales agenda. And it kind of sucks because I know anything I’m invited to is inevitably just a sales thing, these people are only interested in what I will contribute to their numbers. Because network marketing is just a sales job. But one you do for yourself, mainly by yourself, after turning yourself into a mini version of the company aligning your vision with theirs.
Cold calling is still cold calling, even if you know them and provide drinks and snacks. I think deciding you know what’s best for someone else, is well…presumptuous at best.
I get it when people are not interested. I am one of those people.
I’ve never really been a big shopper and do not find myself interested in being told what I should want or need, and I am certainly less interested in wasting my time being convinced how much I need it in my life. My approach to spending money is simple – if I need something I will look for it and buy it.
Occasionally I will go to a party to “support” the person selling, but I know I’ll end up spending way too much on mascara or nail polish or similar in the name of this “support”. I know I will have to budget at least $30 – $50 if someone is “hosting” a party, and anticipate them making their very best effort to “upsell” me on anything and everything.
Most of the time I find it’s easier to just not go.
Sadly, we are merely viewed as dollar signs by businesses so blatantly, who train their “representatives” to truly believe they are doing everyone they know a massive favor by having them invest in “their” business. It begs the question of whether the joy of genuine human connection is all being sacrificed on the altar of commercial pursuits.
I feel that the transformation of social gatherings into sales opportunities reflects a broader societal shift, where we are bombarded with advertising and sales pitches everywhere we turn. Anyone who is on social media these days (ahem, me) can’t help but notice all feeds and platforms (even the one that used to be just photos, which was part of its appeal) contain 90% sales pitches of varying degrees and even my email inbox is crammed with advertising.
It’s everywhere. I find advertising has the opposite effect on me these days, my eyes glaze over and I don’t pay attention, I can ignore whole sections of the screen with ease. Now, we have walking advertisements too, thank you network marketing.
Having had the experience of being someone who both loved a product, received world-class training and motivational guidance, and been filled with so much excitement that I wanted to share it with everyone, and also being relentlessly pursued by excited individuals who are hell-bent on selling me their stuff or opportunity, continually inviting me to events and “just reaching out to say hello,” Is just exhausting.
Not too dissimilar from the fervor that born-again Christians approach you with.
I’m so jaded by advertising that I am pretty suspicious when people seem to make an effort to befriend me. It’s quite difficult as an adult to make real friends, so when you meet another mom who is friendly and open and seems to want to be your friend, you can be easily swayed, or suckered in, to the magical wonderful world of network marketing, before you know it you find yourself in the middle of some MLM event desperately reaching for your credit card.
I do not accept many invitations out these days. And I know I’m not the only one.
What changed my mind, was that after I had overthought all of this for some time, I acknowledged the weird feelings that arose whenever I thought about “sharing” what I was doing, just felt wrong for me. So I stepped to the side. Balancing enthusiasm for a product or opportunity with respect for personal relationships is essential in navigating this conundrum and preserving the authenticity of both professional and personal spheres. And I wasn’t very confident in my ability to do that.
I think, much like Christianity, that if you love something and want to share it so much, the way you live your outstanding life should be enough to draw the right people to you. You shouldn’t have to go in search of people to inflict your particular beliefs or products on. They should notice a change in you, your energy, your life, and your behavior enough that they are interested in what you’ve been doing or done, and then come to you because they want to be part of it too. Call me crazy but that seems like the more organic way to “recruit” genuine people to your particular cause.
Show them how great your life is with this in it, and really show them, don’t just tell them. Raise their curiosity to the point that they have got to know your secret sauce and they approach you to find out more. When a person approaches you and is interested in what you are doing, it’s a way more satisfying and productive interaction.
Simple, right?
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