罗伯特·菲茨帕特里克：直销的十大谎言

Martin

随着直销行业的发展，从事直销的公司不断增加，吸引人参与其中的景象也随处可见。于是也不断给人一种印象，直销是“未来的潮流”，一个能获得动力的商业模式。它的鼓吹者也说它合法经营，不断成长并被广泛接受，而且将最终取代大多数其他形式的市场和买卖。许多人也受其引导而相信那一套说辞：任何人只要义无反顾地相信这个体系并坚定按照那一套去做就一定能成功。于是最终所有人都将成为直销经销商的一份子。

我对直销的这些分析是基于我14年分销领域的企业顾问经验和10多年来对直销模式的研究与撰文经历。这其中包括了曾在州和联邦法庭案件中担任专家证人，并且和超过1500名当事人通信；著书，接受当地和国家广播电台、电视台、报纸、杂志的专访；认真研究了无数直销市场及其薪酬体系。

该研究调查表明，直销的商业模式是一个市场骗局——大多数公司的实际运作也能证明这一点。在那些案例中，直销活动主要就是不断吸纳经销商加入，同时又几乎没有一件商品是拿来零售给非经销商的纯客户（译注：言外之意，直销活动所销售的商品都是“卖”给自己经销商的，而经销商“买”来的商品也是转“卖”给自己下面的经销商、营销人员……故几乎没有商品是卖给纯粹的消费者用户，即反映了直销系统的所谓“自消费（self-consume）”的特点）。

总的说来，直销所宣称的经销商的收入潜力，它对“网络化”商业模式的描绘，以及它对产品分销的根本命运之预测等在商业领域中的效用，就如同目击UFO对科学界带来的影响一样，是微乎其微的。

从经济角度来看，作为个人要在金融方面获得成功，其可能性和试图在拉斯维加斯赌桌上获胜的概率相当。

直销体系的合法性仅仅依仗着一个在1979年对某公司所进行的裁决（译著：众所周知，这个年份，这个“某公司”，正是安利在那几年和布什政府闹政治丑闻的阶段）。而那份裁决中所提出的合法性准则却一直被直销行业所忽略。另一方面，立法管理的缺失或任何一个被任命的当权者的疏忽都使得该行业能得以持续，即使偶尔被州检察官或联邦贸易委员会起诉也毫发无损。

直销并不像一些特权那样被规范地定义和管理。它甚至不需要联邦政府或国家的许可就能够建立，也没有一部联邦法律特别去禁止金字塔骗局。许多州的反金字塔法令法规都表达得很模糊或震慑力微弱，此外那些州或联邦法规往往需要你首先证明一个公司是金字塔骗局。但这样一来就需要花上好多年的时间，而且那时候许多消费者已经受到了伤害。事实上，即使某个直销骗局被取缔了，通常情况下其组织者也会很快用一个新的名字开办新的公司来重新欺骗公众。

直销的经济成果体现在其极高的失败率以及给数百万消费者带来了经济损失。其无休止的销售链地位是通过商品买卖来获得的，但这种结构在数学上根本无法成立；同时它允许在任何一个市场领域都存在无数经销商的体系本身也是不稳定的。

直销所认可的核心业务——个人零售——是和交流技巧、有效分配与消费者购买喜好等基本方向背道而驰的。而且实际上其零售活动只是一个幌子，用来掩饰直销真正的核心业务——为金字塔组织招募投资者，同时承诺能使参与者的收入倍增。

所有的金字塔骗局都一样，那些顶层经销商们的收入以及给赞助公司的利润全都来源于不断涌入的底层投资者。在这些公司的利润和位于直销行业中某个高度的精英组织的财富方面，对于那些蒙昧的人来说，从表面上看，这种模式显而易见是可行的。而这一切，所有的金字塔骗局在它们土崩瓦解或被相关部门曝光之前，其所作所为都是如出一辙的。

那些钻空子利用文化信仰、社会和个人需要以及一些经济变化趋势的欺骗性行销只能说明直销在滋长，却无法满足消费者的任何需求。正是由于普遍缺乏专业评估或有声望的商业媒介，欺骗性行销才得以生根发芽。结果久而久之，一个颇有“人气”的幻想便受到了推崇。即直销几乎对所有人来说都是种可行的商业投资或职业选择。同时，通过该风险投资获得经济上成功的几率可以和其他买卖、专业、工作或商业活动相媲美，甚至更占优势。

直销真正的客户不是大众消费者，而是那些有用的投资者。为这些投资者准备的市场往往在经历经济变革的时代、全球化以及员工调整时就会有显著的成长。同时，承诺提供简单快捷的经济支持和欺骗性地将财富和终极快乐联系在一起等做法也在这样的市场配置中屡见不鲜。相应地，直销市场的推进也更多地定位在了未来的经销商上，而非单纯地对购买者进行产品促销。它的真实产品既不是长途电话服务，也不是维生素片，更不是健康功能饮料或护肤品，而是和经营销售权有关的投资建议。这些投资建议往往描绘出一幅高收入、低时间投入、投资少且易成功的美好构想，极富欺骗性。

谎言一词是令人生气的，而用在这里也是出于同样的考虑。在某种程度上，每个参与直销的人，他们在里面几乎不会有销量产生，但他们总是有意识地欺骗着自己。许多在这些组织顶部的人也都是有意识地对所有人撒谎。在这类直销体系中，欺骗是与生俱来的，同时在其行销过程中也是普遍存在的。以下列举出了我所发现的直销10大谎言，它们几乎全都出现在我所遇到的每一家直销公司里。

谎言一：直销是种买卖和交易。与其他所有的传统买卖和职业模式相比，它能提供更好的机会赚大钱。

事实：几乎每个投资直销的人到最后都会持同一个观点——它会给你带来经济损失。这不是一个观点，而是一个历史事实。想一想那些来自最大的直销组织的著名案例就知道了。

作为在所有直销组织中最大的一家，安利只有不到百分之一的经销商能够靠“直销”来获利（译注：此处和下面的“直销”在原文中同样都是加了引号的。这意在和市场营销学中所说的正常的直销<direct sale>的概念区分开来）。而且所有安利经销商的平均收入只有40美元一个月，这还是税前以及各种开销之外的毛收入！如果再把各种成本考虑进去的话，那么几近颗粒无收的普遍状况就很明显了。然而成功“直销”并不是获利的标志，而恰恰是带来更大损失的做法。之所以这么说，是因为当年威斯康辛州的司法部在起诉安利时，据说光纳税就使这个州的所有经销商为他们的“直销”商净损失了平均918美元。

非同寻常的销售方式以及市场的阻碍可以解释他们失败的大部分原因。但即使这些买卖的可行度更高一些，依靠纯粹数学上的概念也会大大限制它的机会。由于直销型商业结构本身只能支持一小部分人获得经济上的成功，故而如果我们需要靠1000个人的下线来长期赚取稳定收入的话，那么这1000个人就需要100多万人来复制这种成功！事实上有多少人能够真正被吸收进来呢？有许多在发展过程中出现的情况事实上只是不停地折腾新加入的成员，而少数成功者所赚到的钱都来自持续吸收着的大量的失败者。

一年里往往有大量的失败者从直销中退出。1999年，一桩诉讼案指控美乐家（美国一家最大的直销公司）时，该公司宣称他们在整个直销行业中拥有最高的经销商保有率。美乐家吹嘘说他们一个月的退出率只有5.5%。如果每个月因人员退出而带来的空缺都相应地有人填补的话，那么这等于说一年的退出率就差不多有60%！

一份针对SEC,Pre-Paid Legal（另一家大型直销公司）的年度报告透露，该公司每年有超过二分之一的顾客和经销商退出，同时被另外一群有希望的投资者替代。

这种在一年内就有约50-70%的经销商退出的情况对如新（这个行业中的第二大直销组织）来说也是存在的。同时如新也是那种普遍状况的一个典型，即在其中只有极少数的经销商能获得公司的大部分利润。1998年，如新拿出公司三分之二的回扣发给200名上线，而这200个人是从超过63000个“活跃的”经销商中脱颖而出的。他们收到的这些钱都是直接来源于其他人的投资，这些投资占到了99.7%，几乎无利可图。

1995年，根据监管机构的报告，在另一家名为Excel Communications的“快速成长中”的直销公司中，其经销商的更新率高达86%，同时其顾客的退出率达到48%。

为了模糊其惨淡的数据，一些直销公司把他们的经销商分为“活跃”和“不活跃”两类。其中活跃组的成员只包括近期的参与者和那些仍然在购买他们产品或收获利润的经销商。然后那些支出和留存率的统计数据都只体现于活跃组。

如果把所有参与的经销商都算在内的话，其损失和平均收入就会暴露出更糟糕的状况。而且，如果再把数年来所有参与和退出的经销商都算进去的话，那么对于一个新投资者或经销商来说，其成功的概率就低的离谱了。然而，这些公司一般都会把他们的事业宣传成拥有“无限潜力”的，“一生中难得的机会”。

谎言二：网络化营销（直销）是把产品推向市场的一个最流行且最为有效的新方法。而消费者也喜欢通过这种一对一的直销模式来购买这些产品。

事实：如果你揭开直销的面纱，看到它不断地重复推销其经营权的独特行为，并对其根基——一对一地将产品零售给客户——做一番考察，你会发现一个无产出，不切实际的销售体系，在它上面的整个结构都该被搁置。针对个人的单一零售只是过去的做法，并不是将来的趋势。基于一对一的销售模式把商品直接卖给朋友们的做法需要人们彻底改变他们的消费习惯。他们必须限制他们的选择，经并常花较多的钱来买进产品；他们买东西的时候一定困难重重，并和亲近的朋友与亲戚一起跌跌撞撞地从事买卖交易。这种门到门的零售是不可行的。这也就是为什么说直销实际上只是不停地在重复推销那些“机会”来吸收更多的经销商。

谎言三：到最后所有的产品都会通过直销这种新型市场营销模式来卖出的。零售商店、购物商场、产品目录以及其他大部分广告形式在不久的将来都会因直销的存在而变得过时。

事实：直销并不新，它早在约20世纪60年代后期便已经出现。而今天它仍然只代表了不到百分之一的美国零售市场。根据商务部的统计，在2000年，整个美国零售业销售额达到了3.232万亿美元，直销的销售总额是100亿美元——只占到了整个传统零售业百分之一中三分之一的份额，并且其中大部分的销售量是由那些被认为有希望的新加入的经销商来实现的。事实上他们正为认可一个自己不久就会放弃的事业付出代价。不仅直销活动本身在市场上没有意义，而且直销作为一种销售模式，它的失败也体现在另一个关键要素上，即维系顾客。大多数直销的顾客只要一停止寻找“商机”，他们就不再购买其商品了。可以说毫无品牌忠诚度可言。

这些基本事实说明，作为一种行销模式，直销并没有替代现存的营销方式，也根本无法正当合法地和其他营销方式竞争。与其说和其他形式的行销竞争，毋宁说直销代表了一种新型的投资阴谋，它使用市场营销的术语来推销产品。然而，它实际的产品只是经营权，并通过误导以及夸张的收入承诺来实现销售。人们购买产品只是为了能保证自己在销售金字塔中的位置。有一种可能性往往被人们延伸放大，即你可以变得富有，如果你不想通过自身的努力，那你也可以通过其他不相识但却可能加入成为你“下线”的人来实现。这些人一般被称为“大鱼”。

直销的发展并不是展现其对经济、顾客或经销商有什么价值，而是反映了短期内高度的经济恐慌和缺乏保障，以及不断上升的对快速和轻易获取财富的期望。事实上除了直销之外，股市的日交易、合法化的赌局与彩票也正以相同的方式发展着。

谎言四：直销是一个新的生活方式。它能给你带来幸福和满足，它是一个能够让你在生活中获得所有美好事物的工具。

事实：正如行业文献资料所示，以及在各招聘会上出现的情况来看，直销行业最突出而励志的诉求恰恰是唯物主义最为拙劣的形式。在过度承诺和直销行销人员的华丽宣传上，《财富》世界百强公司都要自惭形秽了。而这些承诺的提出被当作是个人实现的一个证明。直销对财富和奢侈享受的过度追求实际上是和大多数人真正的需求相抵触的，他们需要的是能够拥有一份有意义而令人满足的工作，并能在其中做点什么来发挥自己的专长或兴趣。简而言之，这种商业文化通过个人价值和欲求等方面来对许多人进行追踪，而人们往往是依靠个人价值和欲求来表达自己独特的天资与抱负的。

谎言五：直销是一种精神活动。

事实：使用诸如成功意识和创造性想象等精神方面的概念来促进直销的人员招募，使用像“交流分享”这样的词来描绘一个销售组织，并宣称直销满足基督教准则或圣经的预言等——这一切都是对那些精神活动的严重曲解。有许多人把他们的希望和梦想都投射在了财富之上，并把它作为自己在祷告中找寻的答案。这样的人往往忽略了真正的精神存在，忽略了人类所有伟大的宗教和信仰所教给我们东西。而误用这些精神方面的准则会让你觉得那些投资机会都是骗人的。当一个产品隐藏在某个旗帜或宗教中时，买的人要当心了！直销组织为招募新人而提供的所谓“交流分享”和“支持”完全是基于他们的购买行为。如果这些购买行为和招募都减少了，那么其“交流分享”也就自然减少了。

谎言六：做直销可以轻易获得成功。朋友和亲人是现成的财路。那些关爱和支持你的人将会成为你一生的顾客。

事实：把家庭和朋友关系商业化或对其使用直销活动中所要求的“温和引导”将会成为破坏你交际圈的一个毁灭性因素，同时对陷入其中的个人也是非常不健康的。为了做买卖而把家庭关系和坚实的友情资本化的行为会毁坏一个人的社会根基。这种做法是在给你周围的人施压，而且有可能使得你和周围的关系变质，再也找不回原来的爱、忠诚和支持。除了这些有社会危害的方面之外，事实也证明几乎没有人享受和欣赏被亲戚朋友软磨硬泡地要求购买产品的状况。

谎言七：你可以利用你的业余时间做直销。作为一个生意，它提供了最大的灵活性和个人时间上的充分自由。一周只要几个小时，你就可以赚取额外的收入，并且这样的收入能够成长为一笔非常巨大的数字，到那时候，你就不需要做别的工作了。

事实：数十年来上百万人的经验已经证明了要想在直销组织中赚到钱需要非常多的时间投入以及虚伪狡诈、坚不可摧和欺骗。除了需要这异常辛苦的工作和特别的才能，在更大程度上这种商业模式天生就要消耗人们许多生命空间和大量的时间片断。在直销世界里，每个人都是一种希望，每一个醒着的瞬间都是潜在的行销机会。为了卖出产品，没有到不了的地方，没有搞不定的人，也没有受限制的时代。因此到最后，一旦一个人加入了直销体系，那他就再也不会有自由的空间和空余的时间了。

在利用业余时间独立赚钱的幌子下，直销体系控制和支配了人们的整个生活，并要求人们严格遵守行销计划。这就解释了为什么许多深陷其中的人最后不顾一切地需要和依赖着直销。他们疏远或放弃了其他有帮助的人际关系。

谎言八：直销是一个积极而对人有所帮助的新事业，它肯定了人类的精神和个人自由。

事实：直销的营销材料表明，许多消息都是受恐惧驱使并基于对收入潜力的欺骗。直销吸引别人加入时，往往会用可怕的预言来推测说其他销售形式将会逐渐走向衰弱，美国的企业缺乏市场敏感性或处于崩溃瓦解状态，以及其他行业或服务都缺乏机遇。传统职业、贸易和商务历来都是被贬低和嘲笑的对象，因为它们无法提供“无限的收入”；同时，普通的雇佣行为也被其描绘为替“迷失者”服务，成为工资的奴隶。只有直销被说成是许多人最后的希望——这种方式除了具有欺骗性，经常还会令人沮丧，因为他们原本在其他方面还存在着自己独特的对成功和幸福之美好设想的追求。然而，一个健全的商机并不需要建立在消极预测和警告的意义之上。

谎言九：直销是让你拥有自己的事业以及获得真正经济独立的最佳选择。

事实：直销并不是真的自我雇佣。“拥有”直销经营权只不过是一个幻想。事实上一些直销公司禁止经销商们拥有其他额外的分支。大部分直销合同都出于对公司的利益的考虑而让经营权的终止变得简单和直接。由于缩短了终止流程，下线也会被人以各种方式带走。另一方面，加入直销需要严格遵守其“复制”模式，而不是独立和个性化。直销的经营者不是创业者或企业家，而是在一个复杂的分层体系中的一名参与者。对于这样的一个分层体系，参与者几乎无法控制它。

谎言十：直销不是金字塔骗局因为它有产品销售。

事实：有产品销售绝不是直销免受联邦和州立的关于反金字塔骗局法案以及不平等贸易实践之法律条款制裁的保护伞。即使直销公司卖的是有用的、质量好的产品也不影响它曾被州和联邦政府以违反反金字塔骗局法律法规的名义成功起诉。直销只有在由联邦贸易委员会和州检察长提出的一定的苛刻条件规定下的形式才是合法的。现在有许多直销公司明显违反了这些准则而且依然在运作着，只因为他们还没被起诉。近来的法院法规使用了一个所谓的“70%法则”来判断一个直销公司的合法性。也就是说直销公司所卖的70%的商品必须要卖给非经销商才行——这样一条标准等于把大部分的直销公司挡在了法律之外，因为一家业界最大的直销公司承认他们只有18%的产品是卖给非经销商的。


【作者介绍】罗伯特·菲茨帕特里克（Robert Fitzpatrick），直销警报网（Pyramid Scheme Alert）的站长，《虚盈实亏：在直销和金字塔体系中寻求经济和精神上的救赎》（False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes）一书的合著者。他是季刊《鹰击》（THE EAGLE）的出版人。该杂志从1981年起已连续发行数十年，是印刷和数字影像领域与商品经销有关的期刊。他是无数篇文章和专著的作者，内容都是关于在成熟领域中的市场营销问题。同时他还为很多重要的生厂商和经销商提供直接的顾问咨询服务，包括杜邦、美国富士胶片、宝丽莱等公司。他在美国国内外的公司与贸易联合会上都是一个出类拔萃的演讲者。他偶尔也会在州检察官或反对直销公司的经销商们诉讼的案子中担任专家证人的角色，而那些公司都被指控为操纵金字塔骗局。罗伯特·菲茨帕特里克的通信地址是1522 Lilac Rd.,Charlotte, NC 28209，电话：(704) 334-2047，电子邮箱：[email protected]，交流网址：http://www.pyramidschemealert.org和http://www.falseprofits.com。


The 10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing
by Robert L. FitzPatrick

The multi-level marketing (MLM) field grows and its member companies multiply. Solicitations to join the movement seem to be everywhere. The impression accordingly grows that it is indeed the "wave of the future", a business model that is gaining momentum, growing in acceptance and legitimacy and, as its promoters claim, will eventually replace most other forms of marketing and sales. Many are led to believe the assertions that success can be found by anyone who faithfully believes in the system and steadfastly adheres to its methods and that, eventually, all of us will become MLM distributors.

My analysis of the MLM business is based upon fourteen years experience in corporate consulting specifically in the distribution field and more than 10 years of research and writing about the MLM model. This has included serving as expert witness in state and federal court cases, corresponding directly with more than 1,500 participants, writing a book, being interviewed for local and national radio, television, newspapers and magazines, and carefully studying numerous MLM marketing and pay plans.

This research has shown that the MLM business model, as it is practiced by most companies, is a marketplace hoax. In those cases, the business is primarily a scheme to continuously enroll distributors and little product is ever retailed to consumers who are not also enrolled as distributors.

In general, MLM industry claims of distributor income potential, its descriptions of the 'network' business model and its prophecies of a reigning destiny in product distribution have as much validity in business as UFO sightings do in the realm of science.

Financially, the odds for an individual to achieve financial success under those circumstances rival the odds of winning at the tables in Las Vegas.

The very legality of the MLM system rests tenuously upon a single 1979 ruling on one company. The guidelines for legality that are set forth in that ruling are routinely ignored by the industry. Lack of governing legislation or oversight by any designated authority also enables the industry to endure despite occasional prosecutions by state Attorneys General or the FTC.

MLM is not defined and regulated like, for instance, franchises are. MLMs can be established without federal or state approval. There is no federal law specifically against pyramid schemes. Many state anti-pyramid statutes are vague or weak. State or federal regulation usually involves first proving that the company is a pyramid scheme. This process can take years and by then, the damage to consumers is done. Indeed, even when MLM pyramids are shut down, often the promoters immediately set up new companies under new names and resume scamming the public.

MLM's economic score card is characterized by massive failure rates and financial losses for millions of consumers. Its structure in which positions on an endless sales chain are purchased by selling or buying goods is mathematically unsustainable and its system of allowing unlimited numbers of distributors in any market area is inherently unstable.

MLM's espoused core business - personal retailing - is contrary to trends in communication technology, cost-effective distribution, and consumer buying preferences. The retailing activity is, in reality, only a pretext for the actual core business - enrolling investors in pyramid organizations that promise exponential income growth.

As in all pyramid schemes, the incomes of those distributors at the top and the profits to the sponsoring corporations come from a continuous influx of new investors at the bottom. Viewed superficially in terms of company profits and the wealth of an elite group at the pinnacle of the MLM industry, the model can appear viable to the uninformed, just as all pyramid schemes do before they collapse or are exposed by authorities.

Deceptive marketing that ably plays upon treasured cultural beliefs, social and personal needs, and some economic trends account for MLM's growth, rather than its ability to meet any consumer needs. The deceptive marketing is nurtured by a general lack of professional evaluation or investigation by reputable business media. Consequently, a popular delusion is supported that MLM is a viable business investment or career choice for nearly everyone and the odds of financial success in the venture are comparable or better than other trades, professions, employment or business ventures.

MLM's true constituency is not the consuming public but rather hopeful investors. The market for these investors grows significantly in times of economic transition, globalization and employee displacement. Promises of quick and easy financial deliverance and the beguiling association of wealth with ultimate happiness also play well in this market setting. The marketing thrust of MLM is accordingly directed to prospective distributors, rather than product promotions to purchasers. Its true products are not long distance phone services, vitamin pills, health potions or skin lotions, but rather the investment propositions for distributorships, which are deceptively portrayed with images of high income, minimal time requirements, small capital investments and early success.

The word, lie, is provoking and it is used here for provocative purposes. At some level, everyone who participates in MLM in which little retailing is occurring is unconsciously lying to himself or herself. Many at the top of these organizations are consciously lying to everyone else. Deception is inherent in this type of MLM scheme and is pervasive in its marketing. Here are 10 of the biggest lies I have found to be present in almost every MLM I have encountered.

Lie #1: MLM is a business offering better opportunities for making large sums of money than all other conventional business and professional models.

Truth: For almost everyone who invests MLM turns out to be a losing financial proposition. This is not an opinion, but a historical fact. Consider some notable examples from among the largest MLMs.

In the largest of all MLMs, Amway, only 1/2 of one percent of all distributors make it to the basic level of "direct" distributor, and the average income of all Amway distributors is about $40 a month. That is gross income before taxes and expenses. When costs are factored, it is obvious that nearly all suffer a loss. Making it to "direct", however, is not a ticket to profitability, but to greater losses. When the Wisconsin Attorney General filed charges against Amway, tax returns from all distributors in the state revealed an average net loss of $918 for that state's "direct" distributors.

Extraordinary sales and marketing obstacles account for much of this failure, but even if the business were more feasible, sheer mathematics would severely limit the opportunity. The MLM type of business structure can support only a small number of financial winners. If a 1,000-person downline is needed to earn a sustainable income, those 1,000 will need one million more to duplicate the success. How many people can realistically be enrolled? Much of what appears as growth is in fact only the continuous churning of new enrollees. The money for the rare winners comes from the constant enrollment of armies of losers.

The vast majority of the losers in MLM drop out within a year. In a 1999 court case brought against Melaleuca, one of the country's largest MLMs, the company claimed it has the highest "retention" rate among distributors in the entire MLM industry. Melaleuca boasted a drop-out rate is 5.5% per month. This equates to about 60% per year, if the dropouts are replaced each month.

In its annual report to the SEC, Pre-Paid Legal, another large MLM, revealed that more than 1/2 of all its customers and distributors quit each year and are replaced by another group of hopeful investors.

This pattern of 50-70% of all distributors quitting within one year holds true also for NuSkin, the industry's second largest MLM. NuSkin also exemplifies the accompanying pattern in which a tiny percent of the distributors gain the majority of all company rebates. In 1998, NuSkin paid out 2/3rds of its entire rebates to just 200 upliners out of more than 63,000 "active" distributors. The money they received came directly from the unprofitably investments of the 99.7% of the others.

In 1995, Excel Communications, another "fast growing" MLM, reported to regulators an 86% turnover rate of distributors and 48% drop-out rate among all customers.

To obscure their dismal numbers, some MLMs classify their distributors as "active" and "inactive." The Active group includes only recent participants and those still buying products or receiving rebates. Payout and retention statistics are then disclosed only on the "active" group.

If ALL distributors who participate are included the losses and the average incomes are exposed as much worse. And, if all the distributors who enroll and quit over several years are included, the odds of success for a new distributor/investor are shown to be absurdly low. Yet, these companies typically advertise their business as "an opportunity of a life time" with "unlimited potential."

Lie #2: Network marketing is the most popular and effective new way to bring products to market. Consumers like to buy products on a one-to-one basis in the MLM model.

Truth: If you strip MLM of its hallmark activity of continuously reselling distributorships and examine its foundation, the one-to-one retailing of products to customers, you encounter an unproductive and impractical system of sales upon which the entire structure is supposed to rest. Personal retailing is a thing of the past, not the wave of the future. Retailing directly to friends on a one-to-one basis requires people to drastically change their buying habits. They must restrict their choices, often pay more for goods, buy inconveniently, and awkwardly engage in business transactions with close friends and relatives. The unfeasibility of door-to-door retailing is why MLM is, in reality, a business that just keeps reselling the opportunity to sign up more distributors.

Lie #3: Eventually all products will be sold by MLM, a new form of marketing. Retail stores, shopping malls, catalogues and most forms of advertising will soon be rendered obsolete by MLM.

Truth: MLM is not new. It has been around since the late 1960's. Yet, today it still represents less than one percent of US retail sales. In year 2000, total US retail sales were $3.232 trillion, according to the Dept. of Commerce. MLM's total sales are about $10 billion. That is about 1/3rd of one percent and most of this sales volume is accounted for by the purchases of hopeful new distributors who are actually paying the price of admission to a business they will soon abandon. Not only are MLM sales insignificant in the marketplace, but MLM fails as a sales model also on the other key factor - maintaining customers. Most MLM customers quit buying the goods as soon as they quit seeking the "business opportunity." There is no brand loyalty.

These basic facts show that, as a marketing model, MLM is not replacing existing forms of marketing. It does not legitimately compete with other marketing approaches at all. Rather, MLM represents a new investment scheme that uses the language of marketing and sales of products. Its real products are distributorships which are sold with misrepresentation and exaggerated promises of income. People are buying products in order to secure positions on the sales pyramid. The possibility is always held out that you may become rich if not from your own efforts then from some unknown person who might join your 'downline,' the 'big fish' as they are called.

MLM's growth is a manifestation not of its value to the economy, customers or distributors but of the recently high levels of economic fear and insecurity and rising expectations of quick and easy wealth. It is growing in the same way day trading on the stock market, legalized gambling and lotteries are.

Lie #4: MLM is a new way of life that offers happiness and fulfillment. It is a means to attain all the good things in life.

Truth: The most prominent motivating appeal of the MLM industry as shown in industry literature and presented at recruitment meetings is the crassest form of materialism. Fortune 100 companies would blush at the excess of promises of wealth and luxury put forth by MLM solicitors. These promises are presented as the ticket to personal fulfillment. MLM's overreaching appeal to wealth and luxury conflicts with most people's true desire for meaningful and fulfilling work in something in which they have special talent or interest. In short, the culture of this business side tracks many people from their personal values and desires to express their unique talents and aspirations.

Lie #5: MLM is a spiritual movement.

Truth: The use of spiritual concepts like prosperity consciousness and creative visualization to promote MLM enrollment, the use of words like 'communion' to describe a sales organization, and claims that MLM is a fulfillment of Christian principles or Scriptural prophecies are great distortions of these spiritual practices. Those who focus their hopes and dreams upon wealth as the answer to their prayers lose sight of genuine spirituality as taught by all the great religions and faiths of humankind. The misuse of these spiritual principles should be a signal that the investment opportunity is deceptive. When a product is wrapped in the flag or in religion, buyer beware! The 'community' and 'support' offered by MLM organizations to new recruits are based entirely upon their purchases. If the purchases and enrollment decline, so does the 'communion.'

Lie #6: Success in MLM is easy. Friends and relatives are the natural prospects. Those who love and support you will become your lifetime customers.

Truth: The commercialization of family and friendship relations or the use of 'warm leads' which is required in the MLM marketing program is a destructive element in the community and very unhealthy for individuals involved. Capitalizing upon family ties and loyalties of friendships in order to build a business can destroy ones social foundation. It places stress on relationships that may never return to their original bases of love, loyalty and support. Beyond its destructive social aspects, experience shows that few people enjoy or appreciate being solicited by friends and relatives to buy products.

Lie #7: You can do MLM in your spare time. As a business, it offers the greatest flexibility and personal freedom of time. A few hours a week can earn a significant supplemental income and may grow to a very large income making other work unnecessary

Truth: decades of experience involving millions of people have proven that making money in MLM requires extraordinary time commitment as well as considerable personal wiliness, persistence and deception. Beyond the sheer hard work and special aptitude required, the business model inherently consumes more areas of ones life and greater segments of time. In MLM, everyone is a prospect. Every waking moment is a potential time for marketing. There are no off-limit places, people or times for selling. Consequently, there is no free space or free time once a person enrolls in MLM system.

Under the guise of creating money independently and in your free time, the system gains control and dominance over people's entire lives and requires rigid conformity to the program. This accounts for why so many people who become deeply involved end up needing and relying upon MLM desperately. They alienate or abandon other sustaining relationships.

Lie #8. MLM is a positive, supportive new business that affirms the human spirit and personal freedom.

Truth: MLM marketing materials reveal that much of the message is fear-driven and based upon deception about income potential. Solicitations frequently include dire predictions about the impending collapse of other forms of distribution, the disintegration or insensitivity of corporate America, and the lack of opportunity in other professions or services. Conventional professions, trades and business are routinely demeaned and ridiculed for not offering 'unlimited income.' Employment is cast as wage enslavement for 'losers.' MLM is presented as the last best hope for many people. This approach, in addition to being deceptive, frequently has a discouraging effect on people who otherwise would pursue their own unique visions of success and happiness. A sound business opportunity does not have to base its worth on negative predictions and warnings.

Lie #9. MLM is the best option for owning your own business and attaining real economic independence.

Truth: MLM is not true self-employment. 'Owning' an MLM distributorship is an illusion. Some MLM companies forbid distributors from carrying additional lines. Most MLM contracts make termination of the distributorship easy and immediate for the company. Short of termination, downlines can be taken away with a variety of means. Participation requires rigid adherence to the 'duplication' model, not independence and individuality. MLM distributors are not entrepreneurs but joiners in a complex hierarchical system over which they have little control.

Lie #10: MLM is not a pyramid scheme because products are sold.

Truth: The sale of products is in no way a protection from anti-pyramid scheme statutes or unfair trade practices set forth in federal and state law. MLMs that sell useful, quality products have been successfully prosecuted under anti-pyramid scheme laws by state and federal officials. MLM is a legal form of business only under certain rigid conditions set forth by the FTC and state Attorneys General. Many MLMs are currently in gross violation of these guidelines and operate only because they have not been prosecuted. Recent court rulings are using a 70% rule to determine an MLM's legality. At least 70% of all goods sold by the MLM company must be purchased by non-distributors. This standard would place most MLM companies outside the law. The largest of all MLMs acknowledges that only 18% of its sales are made to non-distributors.


Robert Fitzpatrick is president of Pyramid Scheme Alert and co-author of the book, False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes. He is the publisher of THE EAGLE, a quarterly journal on distribution-related issues in the printing and digital imaging industries, continuously published since 1981. He is an author of numerous articles and monographs on distributor marketing in mature industries and he has provided direct consulting services to major manufacturers and distributors including DuPont, Fuji Film USA,Polaroid,and many others. He is a featured speaker at corporate and trade association conferences in the US and abroad. He occasionally serves as expert witness in cases brought by state Attorneys General or by distributors against multi-level marketing companies charged with operating as pyramid schemes. Robert Fitzpatrick can be reached at 1522 Lilac Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209, Tel: (704) 334-2047, email: [email protected], websites: http://www.pyramidschemealert.org and http://www.falseprofits.com

原文地址：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6a47aa410101b8rr.html