Friday, June 12, 2015

Principle #3: DON'T Join an MLM

Just don't. And if you do, do not put it on your resume. MLM's have terrible business models, it's almost impossible to make any money, and legitimate companies know this. Putting an MLM on your resume is about as effective as putting your circus clown act in your resume - it simply shows your future employer that you don't understand the real business world.

(Nothing against circus acts, BTW. Clowns actually might have a better chance that MLM's)

Allow me to explain my disdain for MLM's. I was in sales for a few years: one year it was for a company that ran under a similar model as an MLM and one that was legit.

The former hired as many people as were willing to put up with the job, had very few skills requirements (although they pretended to), they were entirely commission-based and even charged a fee to join, they acted like a huge cheerleading squad with mantras about being your own boss and living the life you want with freedom and flexibility, promised promotion as you built up your team, and made a whole host of other promises they couldn't keep with 99% of their employees. But of course, it was the employees fault for not working hard enough. Sound familiar?

The latter, however, had a list of skills requirements they stuck to, they limited the number of people they would hire, offered base salaries, protected territories, benefits, training, and a realistic view of your potential in the company.

The former model is irresponsible. It only benefits the people who started the business and does very little for anyone who wasn't one of the first 10 to sign up.  I'll show you what I mean: hop onto your favorite MLM website and, if they have this feature, look up how many reps are in your city alone. Mine had 32. No serious sales company would EVER do this because they care about the satisfaction of their employees. No serous company would ever over-saturate their market with sales people. It's bad business practice.

And trust me, corporations know this. If they see an MLM in your resume they will roll their eyes and move on. You have a LOT to offer as a SAHM; don't give it to a company that will take advantage of you. In fact, best case scenario, start your own business. If you have an idea, a copy of Microsoft word and Excel, and an Internet connection there are all kinds of ideas out there for you. In fact, I plan to share a few of my own that I've thought up and even piloted in later posts.

So don't sell yourself out. If you are part of a MLM and you enjoy it, go ahead and stick with it but find something reputable to involve yourself in the will bolster your resume.

More on that in Principal #4!

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