Ep. 026: Network Marketing: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
I've had some successful network marketing businesses, and some that totally flopped. The industry gets a lot of flack for terrible selling practices (and for good reason), but why does it happen in the first place? Are people encouraged to lie to recruit? Can anyone succeed at it? How simple is it to actually win those free trips? And why did I leave at the peak of my success? Join me as I give you an inside peek and explain when I realized it was no longer for me.
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Erika Tebbens: Before we dive into the episode, I wanted to share a little bit about my group coaching program, the Success Squad. If you find in your business that you aren't quite as booked out, as you would love to be, perhaps you are having some amazing revenue months here and there, but it's really inconsistent or maybe you still haven't hit a revenue goal that you've set for yourself.
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If they aren't running businesses of their own, they don't always completely understand your struggles. Right. So if this sounds like something that you're curious about, that might be the exact thing that you need to get, where you want to be in your business. Then I would encourage you to go to bt.ly/success- squad and read more about it. And on that page, depending on the time of the year, it'll either let you apply or get on the waitlist. And if you have any questions, just be sure to reach out because everybody deserves a squad. All right, now, onto the episode.
Hey, welcome to the Sell It! Sister podcast.
Today's episode is going to be about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of network marketing. So I'm going to give a little bit of a backstory here. So, you know, my history with the industry before I dive in, um, I'm also going to say that I will mention, uh, the one company that I loved being with.
But I'm not going to mention the names of the other companies I've been with where I did not have a good experience because my goal with this episode is to not trash anyone or the company that they're with or anything like that. It's more to shine a light on what I see are some of the good things that happen in that world.
And some of the, not so great things that happen in that world. Uh, and also a little bit why I have shifted away from work doing any like one-to-one, uh, coaching work with people in that industry. So, uh, I actually have a whole blog post, which I will link in the show notes as to why I decided to leave the industry, even at a high point.
Um, within my business, actually the highest point in my business. Um, and I'll touch on that a little in this episode as well, but if you want to read more about it, I'll link it in the show notes and if you just go to erikatebbens.com, it's on the blog. So, uh, I first had inexperienced, like my first experience of being in the world of like direct sales network, marketing, MLM, um, whatever you want to call it was back in, uh, 2004? Yes. Think it was the beginning of 2004.
I had joined a company that specialized in, uh, like wellness and weight loss products. So, uh, my husband was in the Navy, I was pregnant, but I didn't quite know yet that I was pregnant. Uh, and, uh, I was working at a bank, I was very much underemployed because I had left my teaching job when we moved from Arizona to Washington state, I was working at a bank and not making a ton of money.
And one of the clients of the bank was with this other company. So, uh, because we kind of lived in a small town, we had a lot of regulars, I got to know her and I forget how it first came up, but basically, I ended up, uh, joining this company under her and her husband and they were really lovely people and I was feeling very trapped because like I said, I was underemployed.
I was not making much money; I was working full time. Money was very tight for us as a military family and I wanted something more. I wanted something where I had more control over what I was making. I wanted additional income and I didn't want to just get a second job, right?
So. Uh, so it all, it all seemed very good. I was totally wooed by the pitch and everything. Uh, and I was going to like the weekly meetings with her and I was like, Oh my gosh, these people they're making, you know, some of them are, are making six figures in a single month. And like what a dream and how our, how different our lives would look like if we. Uh, it, you know, if this was our reality and I actually even went to their national conference that year.
So even though money was really, really tight, a friend who had signed up under me, she and I went and, uh, and it was great, and I had a ton of fun, and I actually got to see Jim Roan speak, uh, which he is he's really great like if you've ever read any of his stuff or seen his talks, like he is really good at what he does, which is motivational speaking. So, that was all really, really cool. It wasn't, um, it wasn't a terrible experience I will say, but it also wasn't the, it wasn't the best fit either.
So I did not love having to sell weight-loss products to people- it felt really weird. Um, and just following up with people and kind of like babysitting them through a weight loss journey like it just, it was not my bag, and the way that they wanted us to market it was very much the spray and pray method that people are so familiar with, with network marketing. And I did not love that at all when I think back now to some of the stuff that I had to do, or you know, that I didn't have to do, I was encouraged to do.
Um, and I did it wasn't, uh, it wasn't really anything unethical or anything like that. It's just stuff that makes you feel gross and quite frankly, is not very effective at all. Like, I remember we had these buttons that said, like lose weight now, ask me how and I would wear them everywhere and I, and I hated wearing it. I felt so embarrassed, but that was what everyone did in the company. So I just figured, you know, this is what we're supposed to do.
And, uh, and I am someone who is very driven so it was like, if this is what you have to do to succeed, then I guess I'm going to do it. I should mention, I was also pretty young. I was. 23 at the time. Uh, and I remember getting back from our national conference and finding out I was pregnant and then, you know, really being like, okay, you know, I gotta make this work, I got to hustle hard and everything.
And, uh, and eventually I just, I was like, I can't do this anymore. This, this is not for me. I can't do this. I don't love it. Uh, then later on like maybe a couple years later, uh, we had moved again, and I met some other people that were with a different like wellness company and I joined that and it was kind of the same, the same shtick, right?
So it was like the regular meetings where then you bring people who might be interested in joining or you think would be a good fit. So you bring them to the meetings. So the meetings are just basically one long pitch to join the company and people showing their paychecks and then people showing, you know, all their different, like what level they've reached and their mansion and their fancy car and all of this stuff.
And it just, it felt very hollow after a while. So I would, I would get into these things with the notion of like, I kind of liked what they were about and, and like the wellness aspect of it. But then, on the inside on the backend, I was just a little bit dismayed because it felt very much like everything was about, uh, like the material wealth impact of what you could get out of it.
Um, and not that there's anything wrong with making money or, you know, upgrading to a nicer home or, and, or a nicer car, but it just, it felt like that was a lot of the focus and so, uh, I left that company and in neither of them, did I have a ton of success? I was basically just doing the really crappy marketing suggestions that they were giving us and surprise, surprise, it was not really working.
So also, uh, I, during the time of the second company that I was with, I had also started working for Calvin Klein. So I was a store manager and that even though I had done, uh, sales and stuff before in high school, like I had worked, I had done retail and I done food service. And you learn some sales skills from that.
Uh, it was at Calvin Klein that I really started to learn a lot of the leadership and the running of an actual business those concepts and I loved it. And then we moved again with the Navy and then I started working for a, an organic farm and I was, uh, eventually managing their market staff and again, I was in a leadership and a running of, uh, part of the business, like aspect of, of what I was doing, that was my job.
So that is what I, I really credit to, uh, figuring out sort of the ins and outs of running a highly successful profitable business. So both large scale corporate and small scale, uh, retail, that was sort of, both of those jobs were like my trial by fire of really figuring out all of the logistics of running a strong, successful business and so, then when I was with the farm later on, uh, one of my very good friends now she was a regular customer of ours and she would come to market and she was with 31 Gifts and so they sell bags and other stuff.
She would use her bags to get her stuff from the farmer's market every week. So I started talking to her about the bags, so I was like, I really love those, those are really cool. And she was like, maybe I can come over. And, um, you know, I have some like cash and carry and stuff on hand and I can bring a catalog and, and we'll just see. So I was like, okay, cool. Sure. So she, she did, she came to my house one day. Uh, I loved it and I got some stuff and she was like, you know, you can get more, like, if you have a home party, uh, then you can get more and it can be free or half price.
And I was like, Oh, okay. Well, you know, I feel like this stuff is stuff that a lot of my friends would really love so sure. Like, I'll do that, that's cool. So I had a home party, my friends loved it. I got a ton of stuff. It was great. And then my friends booked parties from my party. So that summer we spent.
Just partying. Right? So diff you know, it was a different, special every month, so it totally worked out and we all had lots of different things we wanted from the catalog. So it was perfect, we had a great time. And then, uh, three months later she was like, Hey, the fall catalog is coming out soon and it's like only a hundred dollars if you want it and it's like $400 worth of product. I know you love the product. And then if you want it to buy stuff for your friends, wanting to get stuff from you, then you know, you could get it as a discount or you would make a little bit of money if they were buying it from you instead of buying from me. And I was like, yeah, I don't, I don't know.
Like, I, I kind of have like a really bad history with things like this. And she was like, okay, you know, whatever, like just, you know, look it over. If you have any questions, let me know. And it was very non-pushy, and as I was noticing in the catalog, one of the things that was very, very different was that the testimonials from people in the company that they were featuring in the catalog, they were not all from the people who were at the tippy, tippy top of the company.
They were people and all sorts of different levels and the things that they were saying, we're not all just like I bought my dream mansion or my, you know, high-end sports car. It was stuff like I was able to, uh, you know, send my kids to soccer camp or we were able to adopt a child or, uh, you know, this, that, or the other right.
That kind of had like a deeper meaning than just material stuff. And I was like, something feels very different about this company. So eventually I decided, you know, what, what the hell, I'm just going to give it a whirl. I don't know a lot of people around the area cause we hadn't lived here for very long at the time.
I was like, I'll do it for a few months, cause you could like earn some, some more free product. I was super into the product. So it was like, I'll just try to do enough parties that I can earn that free product and then I'll be done, right? I, I did not have high hopes or expectations or anything. And, um, so I, I joined, I started selling, I had a lot of initial success more than I thought.
And I, again, I really credit that back to my business experience at the time I had, I learned all this stuff from the regular world of business that, uh, I used to help me grow my own direct sales business and I feel like that really helped, plus just my sort of intuitive nature about running a business and selling to people and all of that; and so at about 15 months in, I actually was able to promote, so then I was leading my own team, I was doing my own trainings and all of this stuff.
And because I was in leadership, I was able to take part in, uh, additional incentives that were made available only to leaders. So I was a really good at sort of carrot chasing the other incentives and getting free product and monetary bonuses and things like that.
But now we could actually earn those free trips that you see people talking about, or maybe you've heard about and I was like, there's no way you have to do something really crazy in order to get these right. And then I looked and I was like, actually, maybe this is attainable. So I did. So in the three years that I was eligible to get those, uh, free trips.
There were three of them and I earned all three and I'm not saying this to brag, but just the, I was like, Oh my gosh. You know, before I had these horrible experiences and now it's something different and this is really cool and I'm leading a team and I love it. And I'm being rewarded very well for my efforts. And this is all really great.
And then, uh, at the end of 2016, I was really feeling burnt out. So within the span of six weeks, I had hit four huge goals in my business that I had been working diligently towards, and I was like, why am I not happy? Like, shouldn't I be jumping for joy? I've been working so hard and I just hit four of these big goals and I'm on track to hit some other goals, but I just felt hollow.
Like I was not, I was not happy. So. Uh, I was like, you know what? I'm going to take a little bit of time off, I took a leave of absence for three months. I had started looking into a different company where when I did the math, I could make a larger return on investment in terms of selling the product and I wouldn't have to grow my team in order to grow my, uh, my revenue essentially.
I mean, I could, but I didn't have to, it wasn't as contingent on it because the markup that the percentage that I would make on selling the products was more. So I was like, you know what? I'm not like super jazzed about this company, it was a clothing company. Um, like I, I liked the products, but I wasn't super fully jazzed about having to schlep them all over town to sell them.
But I was like if I can just do this temporarily and like put some money in the bank and everything, then I can leave it and then I could start helping other women with their own businesses, right? Like I'll totally pivot. I'll get out of this world. I'll start the business that I actually have now, but in the meantime, I'm going to do this, and really in hindsight, It was not a money thing. It was a fear thing.
I was very nervous about starting my consulting business because I didn't have any experience at the time running a 100% online service-based business, right? So, uh, I felt like, oh, I just, I need a little bit more experience. I need a little bit more time. I need to figure it out a little bit more. Right. So the, those self-sabotage things that a lot of women do. Like, I'll just get another certificate. I'll just go through another training program. Um, and really, I just basically my way of self-sabotaging that was joining this other company, which ended up being very short-lived. It was six months. I should have trusted my intuition.
Uh, I feel very fortunate that because, excuse me, because of my good like business acumen and my, uh, intuitive nature when it comes to best business practices and my experience within successful businesses before. I could kind of see the writing on the wall, uh, with some of the shady things that were starting to happen with this company and I was, fortunately, able to get out before some other people I knew in, uh, did. And so, so luckily it was kind of a, even though I was running it successfully and even though I made money and I recouped my, my large investment and everything.
Uh, really, if I had to do it all over again, I would not have joined that other, that other company. Cause it was, it was just purely motivated by like, I'm just going to try to make some money here and then, you know, be in and be out. Um, just wasn't the right was not the right mindset or the right move, but I have no regrets.
It is what it is. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from it. So that is the groundwork of my experience, uh, in the industry. So several different, um, companies, several different products, uh, different time periods of my life. I feel like all of that is an important setup for what I'm going to talk about.
Uh, I will also say that I really, um, there's a, there's a podcast called the dream. I've only ever listened to the first episode. And then I kind of was like, I don't really want to listen to the rest of this. Um, not anything against the podcast. I just was like, I feel like I've like lived this life. So I don't, I don't need to listen to it, but it's basically a podcast about people who kind of go undercover and join these different companies, uh, and then report on it.
And supposedly there's an episode that features 31 Gifts where they say something to the effect of like, It actually was pretty nice. Like everyone was really nice, the meeting they went to was lovely. Uh, they were really surprised, it was fine. They had a pleasant experience and I will say that is my own.
So while I, uh, because I, I still have a lot of friends in that company or within other companies. Uh, and I had a really, really, even though I eventually. Uh, left of my, of my own accord, because I just wanted a different direction, um, forward. Uh, I loved, loved, loved my time with that company. And I will say from an insider's point of view, having been with other companies and other industries and stuff, uh, they really are phenomenal.
So if you are somebody who is like, I don't know, I, I have, you know, maybe thought of doing something in that industry while I will not say you know, 100% that you will absolutely have success with that company, I will just say in terms of ethically speaking and, uh, leadership and all of that, uh, they, they really do, um, set themselves apart.
Even I'm going to be talking a little bit about, uh, teaching really bad marketing tactics and sales techniques and stuff like that. Uh, and like really spammy, horrible stuff. I will say they were very adamant that we not do any of those things. And they're very rigorous about how they train new consultants.
So, uh, So, yeah, so just, you know, a big, a big shout out to them. I've actually had the privilege of meeting, um, the CEO on several occasions and she is truly a lovely woman and it is a company that feels very, very different. So while I'm no longer with them, I, I do owe a lot of what I do now to my experience there.
Um, and I'm very, very grateful of that opportunity and that company, but without further ado, uh, let's dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly. So some of the good, uh, I will say is. Friendships, like I said, I know a lot of people who are still with the company who are doing very well, uh, who love it. And I met some of the most amazing people on the planet within that business.
Um, this week, actually in just a few days as of the recording of this, I'm leaving to go to a retreat, uh, that is being run by my good friend Kia, you can find her @thesocialcrown. And she, I actually met her through 31 and she and I about two years ago, uh, we both started our own businesses that we have now and then left. Uh, that company around that time. So, so I would not have met her. I would not have these new opportunities, uh, through her and her new endeavors, if it would not have been, um, for my time in, in that industry, and in that company specifically.
So, uh, that has been amazing. I, we joke that we're like business twins because we keep having all these, these similar timeline things happen to each of us, um, within our own realm of entrepreneurship, but just other people, really wonderful people and experiences in my life that came about through that company and even in the other companies, right? So the, the people were really wonderful. Uh, I will say that it's a more simple way in a lot of ways of getting into the world of entrepreneurship.
If you are overwhelmed by the thought of having to build out your own website and do your own branding and your own marketing. And, uh, if it's if you're selling products like the logistics of all of that, and not wanting to keep inventory on hand and, and different things. It is a really great, easy entry point into the world of having and running a business.
And if you end up with a good company, you can also learn really valuable entrepreneurial skills. So there's a lot of things that you can learn cause they usually will do regular trainings and things like that. So there are some really great things, uh, and trainings and education and options available to you with a lot of companies that center around, uh, running a business and also personal growth and sort of the mindset that it takes to run a business.
So those are some of the things that are very, very, very good about that world. Usually, obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, but on the whole, I feel like that's what they do well, it's also really good if you, if you just want something that is, uh, I would say like very part-time right? So if you're somebody who just wants a couple hundred bucks extra a month and you don't have a lot of time to spend running a business, then it can be really, really beneficial.
Uh, but sadly because of the bad and the ugly, uh, there's like a black cloud that hangs over the industry and a lot of people and a lot of tactics that companies use are directly responsible for, for that black cloud. So some of the bad, so ultimately it is not your business that you own outright when you are with one of those companies, I will be the first to admit that a lot of times I was very much in the mindset of like, yeah, this is my business and I'm running my business.
But when you take a step back and really look at it from the, the whole big point of view, the legal point of view. It's not actually yours. You are a contractor of that business. So again, where it comes into you not having to be responsible for all the systems and structure and products and marketing and all of that like, that's something that's very simple.
Is that on the flip side, since you are a contractor of that business, and yes, you are an independent, like kind of owner-operator of your own part of your, your like role within that company, you are at the mercy of whatever they do. So if they change product focus and you now have to start selling something that you don't love and you don't believe in, there's really not much you can do.
If they flat out change their operating structure or close entirely, there's not much you can do. So this just happened to some people I knew who had a very, very, very successful business, um, in a different health and wellness company than I had been in before. And, uh, they shifted away from the like multilevel marketing aspect of it.
They're going all direct to consumer. So that means that you could stay in and you could still sell directly to people and get a, a percentage back on that. But if you had a team and you were getting residual income from that team, you no longer were getting that and for a lot of people, depending on how they have built up their, their own business within a company, a lot of times the residual income is more per month than the actual retail income.
And that's something that can happen overnight and there have been other companies that people have been in for years, they have worked their way up, they are making tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, they may be the primary earner for their family or the, the only, uh, like income that is coming into that family, and then a company goes under and now there's nothing they can do, uh, because they don't, they did not technically own the business.
They're just a, uh, contractor of the business and that sucks. That's really, really, really awful. Um, and every month, like now granted, there might be some people who say saying, some companies like, no, this is wrong, this is not true, but just in my experience, usually it's run on a very month by month basis.
Meaning like an incentive period or a special or whatever it will end at the end of a month and that can be really hard because then every month, like, so let's say you have to hit a certain amount of sales every single month in order to keep your title or, or whatever.
If you, like, you might have rocked it out in one month because you know, the next month is maybe going to be a busier month for you. And you're not going to be able to give your business as much energy or effort or time. So you're like, I'm going to kick ass in this one month and I'm going to take it more easy, a little bit more easy the next month.
If you are starting over from zero at the beginning of every year, month, it kind of can make it so that you are always in hustle mode and this was one of the things that really kind of like killed me at the end because I am good at hustling when I need to be. Uh, and I have learned, I ha I've actually learned to unlearn that habit.
Over the last few years, uh, because it's not, it's not healthy. Um, or at least it's. Didn't feel healthy and sustainable for me. Um, I vividly remember, uh, I actually remember the last party I did it was with a very good friend and we had a good time. It was a nice little small one, but the last one I did, um, the December prior, I had been hustling really hard obviously before the holidays is a super busy time when you're selling giftable products.
So I had been going full force that November and early December before our shipping cutoff. And the very last party that I went to, I remember driving there and I was almost in tears. I didn't want to do it. I was so tired, I was so done, I wasn't enjoying the holiday season, I was just so focused on hitting my numbers.
Um, that was not, that was not good. It wasn't good for me. Some people might be able to balance it better than me. Uh, But I, I just, I couldn't do it. Um, and that was when I knew I was like, something has to change because before I always loved doing home parties and dreading it, I was like, this is not good. I don't like this feeling.
And it's not fair to that hostess either if I'm not excited on the way to do her party, right? So, um, felt very like out of integrity. So. Uh, so having to start from zero every month to ensure that I would hit my numbers for my title and everything was really hard and I will say my own business with the example I just gave of like, like having a bigger month cause so, you know, things will be shifting.
So last month was the biggest month I've had in my current business. And this month, month is much, much slower and I kind of could predict that a little bit and it's fine. Cause my business, I don't answer to anyone but myself, right? So, uh, I'm okay with that. I don't need to hustle to hit a certain number.
I can just be at peace with where it is because I know that we have some big stuff going on in our lives right now, like a potential move and, and all these other things and so I didn't want to be hustling this month. Um, and then, in terms of the ugly, again, this is where a lot of that black cloud stuff comes in that hangs over the industry.
So I'm sure everyone listening to this will have the experience of getting the DM from somebody they haven't spoken to in 15 years that's Hey girl, uh, I want to tell you about this opportunity or, you know, Hey, you know, you have dark circles under your eyes and I have something for that or, hey, like if you're looking to lose weight, I, you know, you can join my challenge group, whatever, like we've, we've all had that experience, right? And it feels terrible.
And the thing that breaks my heart is that, uh, yes, sometimes people just decide to kind of go rogue on their own, uh, and just start spamming people. But a lot of the time they are being coached to do that. And it's not good. It doesn't work, there's a better way. I promise you. I never had to resort to any of that. And it, it feels gross because it is gross. And somebody telling you like, just do it, that's what it takes.
You got to get over it. You got to get outside of your comfort zone is wrong. It's not good. Like you please. Trust and believe you don't have to. Um, I have a whole course conversations that convert, which is all about good non-gross sales conversations. Right. So, um, you can do, like, there are other ways around it. You don't need to be messaging people that you haven't spoken to in 15, 20 years just to hit your sales goals. So, um, I don't, I don't love that.
And, uh, And it's initially when I started this, my, my business now, because I had just come from that industry, I was like, I really want to help, um, some of the people in the industry as well, like I want to help them, but. After a while I just realized like it's too hard, kind of going back to that, it's it's not your business ultimately you are beholden to what the company does. It makes it too hard for me to do one-on-one coaching because I can't tell you to release new product or run a new special or something like that when you have to abide by corporate guidelines, right?
So it just becomes too murky, but I do have resources out there. If you are struggling with selling and marketing. I have, so my larger course Sell It! Sister, um, which is phenomenal for people in this, in this industry, if you need help. Um, I will say some other thing that's kind of ugly is some companies are very upfront about everything- the numbers like the overrides, the incentives like it's all very cut and dry. It's very easy to understand. That is great.
There are others that intentionally make it very confusing, uh, and, uh, kind of as a way to like confuse you to make it maybe seem better or easier to accomplish than it is, uh, and we'll. I don't know, just like mislead people and I don't like that, I, I never make any promises even with my current clients about what their results will be or anything cause it feels very out of integrity to do that. And I think a lot of companies are not great about, um, being upfront with people in the way that they could or should be.
Uh it's it can also be like once you're on the inside, it can, uh, with certain companies that can be a little cultish; they want a lot of your time, they want a lot of your energy, they want you to be on training calls every single week. They want you to be at local like meetings every single week. They want you to be on these conference calls every single week. Uh, they want you to get other people on these calls to like get them in the company.
They want you to post, all this weird stuff on like your personal, uh, Facebook and Instagram, it's just, um, they, they kind of want like all of you, because, uh, it's easier when, when you are giving a lot of your time and your energy, uh, to one thing and they are like mentally molding you. It's just easier for them to kind of have more, a little bit more like mental control over you.
If they are, like if they're in front of you all the time, if that makes sense, right? So I'm not saying they are cults and they operate as a cult. What I am saying is that when you are enveloped by people within that company who are all, uh, you know, like giving the same, giving you the same message and the same talking points and, uh, and all of that, it's very easy to kind of get swept up in that and feel like, Oh yeah, like, okay, these people get me, they understand me, they're cheering me on like, they're they're this really great support.
And, um, and I know I can do this. I just have to keep like hustling. I just have to keep messaging more people. I just have to do this, that or the other thing. And anytime you start to feel that doubt since you're completely surrounded and absorbed into that culture, they can reassure you that like, no, you just have to keep going and everything will be fine, even though sometimes it's not fine, right?
So, um, I don't love that. And then, uh, lastly, and I will say the biggest thing I don't love is that a lot of the companies or people within certain companies, uh, are very predatory in how they get people. Um, so for instance, a lot of them really focus on the, you hate your job, you hate your life, uh, you're not making enough money.
Don't you want this big house? Don't you want this nice car? Don't you want these like fancy vacations? And they really speak to people's fears and then, they're like, you know, but if you join us, like everything's going to be better. Um, and I will say the last time that I like was exposed to this was last year, um, I met a woman, she seemed very nic,. She was in financial planning and she was like, Hey, we, you, you know, come to this thing, like, it's just like an overview of our services or whatever and I was a little wary. Like I should've just listened to my gut.
But I was like, she's so nice, and we'd have coffee and she was lovely and, and, uh, it seems so legit and I was like, yeah, you know what? Like, I'll go, oh, and she was, I will say she was speaking at this one. So that was like the, she was like, you know, um, I find, I like it to speak at one of these. I'm really excited. I'm really like proud. Uh, will you come and, and see? And I was like, yeah, you know what? I like, I'll do that.
Oh, I'll, I'll go, I'll support her. Like that's really cool that she gets this opportunity to speak. And, um, and that'll be great and like two seconds in, I was like, oh no, what have I done? Like, I've totally fallen for it, and I, I should have researched this company and I really thought, like it was just a regular company.
I did not think it was network marketing. I was like, son of a bitch. Now I have to sit here for like an hour or whatever, sit through this thing and back to the cultish thing is like I met, but before the presentation started, I met a couple other people and they were talking to me and, um, a lot of the stuff they were saying, it really creeped me out because it was like, it was all the same.
It was the same rhetoric. It was the same like, Oh, you know, cause you got to like diversify and you got to have the seven streams of income and Oh, you know, the financial freedom and the being your own boss or whatever. Like, it felt like, you know, when you're like in a horror movie, and you're watching somebody, and you're like, Oh my God, you know, don't go in there cause you know, like you, you know, the trope, you know, what's going to happen.
Like the killer is behind the shower curtain or whatever. Uh, it was like that. It was like the, the, the thing that, you know, that they are taught and preached at about which is, you know, all of these things of like, you know, you gotta, you gotta like work your way out of your nine to five and you have to have these other income streams and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And it was, uh, it was basically just like talking points, spewed back at me and I was like, oh no, like, I just want to save all of you sweet baby angels. Like. Like, no, this is, this is not good. And then the whole presentation, it started with the whole thing about like, you know, your second, your nine to five and you hate it.
And, and you want more from life and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and I was like getting more and more like furious as I sat there because I was like, oh my gosh, this is like predatory like you're, it's one thing in selling to like talk to people about like their pain points and how you can help them, but to like really kind of, um, like make this weird promise that someone's going to join your business.
You know, join this company and then they just have to do like a few simple things and, you know, just talk to their friends and like get their friends on board and then, and then like all their problems will go away. Like they'll be able to quit that job they hate. And, um, they'll be able to buy that boat and they'll be able to, you know, pay off all their debt and all that.
And it's not that that's necessarily a hundred percent false or impossible. It's just that it's, uh, there's so much more to it that they're not telling you that they're not being upfront about and it makes me sad, scared, and nervous for the people on the receiving end of that, because I have been on the receiving end of it and I was at a vulnerable point in my life. And while I do take full responsibility for my own actions of joining that company, uh, I was definitely just like sit at like a sitting duck. Right?
I was, I was, you know, they could tell, like I was in a job that I hated making, not enough money and I wanted more. So I was like easy prey essentially. So again, I could have chosen not to, I could have done more research. Like I take ownership of all of that, but it's just very easy and so a lot of the time the people they go after are, uh, especially when it comes to women are women who are either unemployed or underemployed and are trying to like be home with their kids and also make money.
And, um, not that there is anything wrong with wanting to be home with your kids and also make some money and not necessarily have to go outside of the house to do it. And while being with, uh, different companies, like even 31 with the great experience, like it allowed me to be home and around and homeschool Jack and work a flexible schedule.
So it is possible. It is, uh, something that can be done. I just feel like there is too much of this predatory culture that's like, Oh, ha like women are already underpaid, and then we have like really shitty systems set up for, um, moms of young kids in this country. Like what, you know, daycare is so expensive and, and all these other things that are in place.
So, like perfect. Like they are, they are ripe for the picking of, uh, getting on board with these companies and, and I'm going to woo them with the notion that they can make full-time income and like five hours a week and blah, blah, blah. Like it's, it's not true and it's harmful. And I will say that as I was bringing people on my team, I was always very careful and cognizant to not share it like that.
And I will say too, it was not shared that way with me, that was not the culture of that company, which is another reason why I felt like it was okay to at least dip my toes back in those waters. I didn't get that vibe from them. Um, and it's, it's not, it's truly not what they're all about.
So again, this is not my pitch to say like, Oh, you need to go join that company. Like I, I'm no longer affiliated with them. I get absolutely nothing from it if you do join, um, And I'm just giving you my, my open and honest, uh, opinion of my, my own experience, uh, with one company in a very large, large industry.
But that is, um, yeah, that's sort of how I view it. Uh, again, I think that really, depending on the company you're with and the product you're selling and the leadership that is available to you and the training and everything. Uh, I think it can make a big difference positively or negatively in your experience with the industry.
I think a lot of people are unwittingly, uh, being sleazy because they're being told to do that and they are being told that that's just what they need to do and they need to get over it and that's what it is, um, they need to do in order to succeed and that they need to stop making excuses and just be uncomfortable and do it, um, I don't agree with that.
Uh, and I, but I also think that like, if you are in a company and you're having success and you're like, well, I don't know if I could actually run my own business outside of this company. You might be able to. Again, I'm not saying a hundred percent that you will, but if you feel like you've gotten a really good experience in learning about business and everything, and you have some other ideas that are outside of the realm of that company, uh, I am a living example, my friend Kia is a living example.
Many other women I know are wonderful examples of women who have taken their experiences from being in that industry and having success in that industry and then taking the good bits and applying them to starting their own business and have had lots of success. So it is possible.
Um, but it is also the thing to say, like, if you are feeling desperate and you feel like you need to bring in some extra money and you don't want to work part-time, uh, this is just a cautionary tale. Be very, very, very careful do a lot of research, uh, before you join a company and if there is something they are telling you that does not feel right in your soul, listen to your gut. Uh, and if you are in that industry and you love it and you want to stay in it and you just want more success again, I have, I would say my best resource is my larger, uh, course my flagship course Sell It! Sister, you can find it at sellitsister.net, it actually includes that other course conversations that convert that I talked about with it, it's a really, really, really great way to learn the basics of what you need to run a strong, successful business.
Uh, it will help you craft your personal brand in an industry where you are all you're selling the same exact thing as the people that you're also in the same company with, so it'll show you how to, um, differentiate yourself from the competition and it will also teach you how to sell without being gross and having to spam people. So I know this episode was a little bit longer, um than normal, but it, I just, this is something that I've been wanting to talk about for a while and I actually, uh, I felt really nervous about it because of the fact that I do know so many people who are still in the industry who are successful and I didn't want it to come across as just me blanketly bashing the entire industry and all the people in it, because that's not how I feel.
Um, but there are a lot of things that are problematic about it that I would love to see change over time. When it comes to one-on-one stuff, though, I am no longer the person for that, but there are some lovely, lovely coaches out there in the industry that you can go to.
So if you have any questions, always reach out. I hang out a lot on social media, um, primarily Instagram. So you can find me @erikatebbensconsulting and, uh, and I would love, love, love to hear what you think, or if you have any other questions or thoughts or anything like that and as always happy selling!
