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Tonight, I attempted to bring up A*** to a girlfriend of mine.


She said "ohhhhh, I've heard of "THAT" company, let me tell you my story". She proceeded to tell me about a friend of hers who she had not seen in 3 years called her up out of the blue and was like, "Hi, how are you can we get together" She said she offered to meet the freind half way as we are in Virginia and her friend was in Maryland. The friend said, oh no, I can come to you.


Long story short, the friend came brought A***** items and told her how the business has changed her life, yada yada. My friend could not believe that she had not seen her friend in 3 years and all she wanted to do was come sell her product.


My friend then mentions that she felt like her friend was brainwashed and felt her friend was acting very cult like!!!!


Yikes!


How does one get around that?!?!?!?!


I understand that we should make our list of 100, but for goodness sake, to call someone after not seeing them for 3 years in order to do business is not right. It is no wonder my friend felt like that.


I am just starting in this business, I dont want this instance to interfere with my future with A****.


Any thoughts to help get me past this would be appreciated.

I have run into this multiple times. It is so interesting because we are in a business where EVERYONE'S actions reflect on us. So, I would say first off-RUN YOUR BUSINESS WITH INTEGRITY. You can be one of the people who gives us a good name.


Whenever I talk to someone who has had a bad experience with an @rbonne rep, I just tell them that everyone does their business differently and just because they had a bad experience with one person doesn't mean that everyone is like that. For instance, I am sure that there are lame, pushy, mean people that work at Wal-Mart but we would never assume that everyone that works for Wal-Mart is that way just because one employee was like that. And the next employee we see who is overly helpful and kind will help erase the memory of the bad one. So just do everything in your power to run your business the way you would want it to be run if you weren't running it (if that makes sense).


One thing that I did...which I know not everyone will agree with me on...I made a commitment at the beginning of my business to never try to push my products or business on my friends, family, work or church. When I first began, I sent out a huge mailer telling people what I was doing and asking them to let me know if they would like to be on a mailing list for the future or if they would like to sample any products and give me their thoughts. That was it. I never have initiated trying to sell them anything since then. And here is what I have noticed-the less I talk about it with people, the more interested they are in knowing more. My friends KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that I am not going to try to schmooz them into my company or my products so they feel very free to ask me a lot of questions. And everyone wants to know "how's @rbonne going for you." This is an open-ended question to share how much I love workingmy businessand how much the products sell themselves. However, every time a friend talks about hating her job, I don't say, "Get out of it then and sell @rbonne! You can make the same income from home!" Etc. But when she asks if I have any ideas for how she can get a better job, you bet I will talk to her about @rbonne. All that to say, I am probably the least pushy sells-person there is and I am like that because I cannot stand people being pushy with me.


This is all just my 2 cents. Not everyone does it this way...and that is fine. You just run your business the way you want and work hard to run it with integrity.


Best of luck to you!


cindi

Thank you so much for your great response!

What a great attitude to have towards your business Cindi!! I LOVE it. I, too, hate being pushed into buying something. In fact, my dh and I were just looking to purchase a notebook computer, and while we found the one we wanted, we ended up not buying it right away because the sales kid was soooo pushy in trying to get us to buy another $500+ worth of stuff to go with it. It was like he wouldn't write up our purchase without adding all the other stuff. SO, we left and went back later. They said they weren't paid on commission, but you could have fooled me, the way he was pushing so hard! Anyway, all that to say I LOVE your approach! All the people I know have this attitude about Network Marketing people, and that is that they are sooo pushy! So, I feel like I have to prove them wrong! smileys/smiley36.gif





Heidi

Awesome advice from Cindi! I’m afraid I’m running into things like this more often. Not your specific example but people wanting to run away once they hear the word. It was bound to happen as we got bigger. You are going to have more aggressive people join. I actually had one lady say (as she was sprinting away) that she feels like she’s being stalked by us. Makes it very awkward for those of us who are low key, no pressure. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Of course, most of us have been guilty of being overly excited when we first get into the biz &amp; having A on the brain all the time. Even if we aren’t actually prospecting our friends &amp; family we can still talk too much about it b/c of our excitement &amp; become annoying.

Personally, I am like you guys &amp; hate pushy salespeople. So I have a tendency to go the other way with our business. Almost to the point of it being detrimental, lol.

Cindi has a great point that just b/c they meet one person like that doesn’t mean we are all like that &amp; hopefully people realize that to be the case.

One of the girls that I work with when I told her that I was selling ARB***, she told me that another girl in our dept was selling it and wouldn't leave her alone. She was very annoyed by her.I just said , "I want you to know that I'm selling it and if there is anything you need just let me know."About 3 months passed and she came to me and asked about our blushers.Since I didn't have any samples, I got with my sponsor and she gave me her samplesto use and my friend picked out a color and I placed an order. She absolutely loved it! Then another 2 months passed and she came to me and ordered makeup for herself and her daughter. So you don't have to drive them crazy to get sells. As long asthey know you sell it, they eventually come around.What is really funny is...on the first sale, she said her best friend sold Mary kay and her friend gave it to her cost....I didn't say a thing. However, I do pick up the shipping when she orders. She does not have a problem paying the retail price.

My issue is with a very pushy person in my upline who approached people that I know and have approached only to be told "oh no! So and so was stalking me and now I'll never listen to anything about the products much less buy them"! Unfortunately my upline has touched 4 different groups of people that I know even more intimately than she does. Not only are the initial prospects not interested but they told other people not to buy as well all because of the aggressive style of my upline. They know that I have a low key style but it doesn't matter. The Arb**** name is tainted all because of her pushiness. How does one tell her that she has an obnoxious style? There is a very fine line there.....

By the way we have also been called a cult!

I hope I don't discourage anyone here, but this is one of the reasons I have decided tono longer try to build an A..... business. After much soul searching, I have decided to keep offering the wholesale accounts to people interested, but I will not try to have parties or recruit. I got tired of having to defend the actions of someone else and change their opinion. I have had people not come to parties b/c they had been approached by a pushy consultant. I still LOVE the products, but have just seen way too much greediness, especially in my upline, that it has taken away my joy and confidence in sharing the a..... opportunity. When I first joined, all I wanted to do was sell a product, make a profit maybe through 4-5 parties a month. This is really hard to do selling retail for me. I wish everyone HUGE success here on these boards! Everyone here has shown pure intentions for their business and I am so proud of you all! Over the past year, you all have been such a big support and encouragment! My next adventure will be selling jewelry. It seems simple and fun and I love the products. I will keep everyone posted how it goes!

mamasita, people are going to think what they think. There a lot of people who will call things they don't understand cults. Typically what the general public knows about NWM is very vague ideas &amp; what they see on 60 minutes or whatever. They hear the most extreme horror stories &amp; then just lump them all together. Something has to make them want to educate themselves on it &amp; make their own decision. (Of course, some people never will...they'll just go with whatever anyone else tells them)


It is possible to change some of these people's minds. I know b/c I used to be extremely skeptical of the industry until I had a reason to educate myself. I saw the possibilities &amp; instead of dismissing them immediately I said "what if"? I loved the products &amp; I loved the people I met. I saw how it changed their lives so I did my own research.


You are just going to have to do what you're doin. Build your business the best way you know how &amp; learn from the mistakes of others. Some, not all, of the people who are freaked out right now will come around. If they like you &amp; respect you then they have to know that you wouldn't be involved in a cult. (I actually get kind ofinsulted when someone I know assumes this kind of thing. I feel like they should know me better than that.)They are watching you right now &amp; your actions are going to determine whether they will ever be open to it. Because really that's all you want is for them to just be open, right?


I know that doesn't help you with prospects immediately but you never know what is going to happen later on down the line. There are countless VP's who swore they would NEVER have anything to do with the business &amp; had made their mind up within seconds of hearing about it. You can't control other people's issues, only you.


As far as the upline, how close are you with them? Is there any way to be direct about it? If not maybe you can bring it up in a generalized way, not naming any names. Are they your direct upline? If not perhaps you can talk to your sponsor about it &amp; see what their advice is.


Also perhaps you can talk to your friends who areadvising others not to buy because of the upline. Perhaps tell them that you understand where they are coming from but you'd appreciate it if they would let people make up their own minds. That you are running your business differently than your upline &amp; that you will like a chance to be successful &amp; would appreciate their support of YOU. Not only that but they are denying them a chance to try a product that they may really love &amp; could change their life. How rude.


As Cindi said, if you bought a McDonald's franchise they wouldn't go around telling people not to buyfrom youb/cthe McDonald's on the other side of town tried to make them buy a sundae with their fries &amp; to never go in or try any fries from any McDonald's ever. Ridiculous.

Well Barbara, I hate that other people's actions have caused you to have a change of heart about this business. I hate to have a good consultant leave when others getting in aren't quite as ethical as we'd like. We need to keep themajority on the positive side of the scale!I can't say that I am surprised though. I could tell from your posts of late that your belief in the opportunity was fading. And if all you are getting is negative then it's hard to keep going.


Which jewelry company are you starting?There are some good ones out there. I wish you tons of success!

Sooner and Cindi, you guys make the boards an enjoyable place to be! You are spot on in your advice and I thank you for all the great posts! My upline is close and has been talked to by our NVP because of numerous complaints. I tell people who have been approached by her that she is nice but she doesn't have a filter for what she says. It isn't my friends who won't buy. She approached people in my former job (salon). That would have been an excellent BB for me as they have contact with so many people and would have talked up the products. They know me and like me but they won't give it a chance. That's not to say it's forever-I keep dripping Ar***** in a positive,low key way so who knows? They may just come around!

Thanks Jennifer! It really is hard to keep going with so many letdowns. I have been feeling this way for quite some time, but didn't want to "quit before payday." I finally had to be true to myself. I still am kinda working the business b/c I plan on passing out re9 samples and sharing the wholesale account. I just don't plan on making alot of money from it. Someone posted about how you don't need a great upline or sponsor to succeed, which I totally agree! But, when you see time and time again people being used and called "retarded" for not wanting to reach RVP quickly, it takes away from your energy and belief. I gave it one solid year and spent so much time and energy building my business, but it just didn't work for me. I take full responsibility that it didn't work out for me.


I am going to be with Lia Sophia jewelry. My best friend has been doing it for a couple months, and cannot believe how much FUN she is having plus making money. She attempted a business with another skincare company for a couple years, and went no where. She can't promise success for me, but for her, she makes on average $100-$300 each party. That is exactly what I am looking for. I never truly wanted to "reach the top" because there is alot of responsibility and time involved in that. I have 2 precious daughters that I love staying home with. I just want something I can do 1 night a week that makes a whole lot more than a part-time evening job somewhere!smileys/smiley2.gif


Thanks again, Jennifer, and to all!

Just out of curiosity, can you guys tell me what states you're in? I'm in New
Jersey and Arbonne is pretty new here. I haven't had a problem with hearing
about pushy consultants yet.

I am in California :)

People being called retarded!?! What the he** is wrong with people? I don’t understand people who treat others this way. If you aren’t someone who wants to help other people then this isn’t the right business for you…that’s from our president on down. I’ve heard it time &amp; time again from her as well as other top people in the company. It’s infuriating that a few are tearing down others &amp; creating such bad juju. I can totally understanding it taking away from your energy &amp; belief. Those kinds of people are just toxic &amp; do nothing but drain others. And that really makes me sad not only for you but the company b/c I know it’s taking out a great representative. But I’m glad to hear you aren’t completely quitting. Perhaps you need to just do your thing &amp; cut those who are toxic out of your life. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><O:P></O:P>
I also can understand you not wanting to make it to the top. That isn’t for everyone. You’ve got to decide what your goals are &amp; do that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you wanting to do a business casually &amp; just making enough for fun $$ or whatever. And if that is truly what you are wanting from it then it’s silly for you to put up with the other stuff that they were making you deal with..life is too short to not only deal with things you enjoy if you can. NWM is about giving you what you want, be it little or small. Like you said, you gotta be true to yourself. . <O:P></O:P>

I’ve heard of Lia Sophia jewelry but haven’t actually seen any of it in person. I don’t know of anyone here who does it. I guess we’re a pretty open market in my area. That is awesome that your BF is having fun &amp; making $$. Also it’ll be great for you to be able to do a business with her. My BF is one of my business partners &amp; I think it really makes a difference for us. I think that’s fantastic for you…&amp; what woman doesn’t love playing with jewelry!?!


Allison, I'm in Oklahoma. I don't know if we still are b/c I haven't looked at a demo map in awhile but for quite a long time we were the fastest growing state for our company. Many have referred to it as the A***** capital.


And mamasita, thanks for the kind words. From time to time I consider not participating in the boards but struggle b/c I like helping people. Hearing things like that reiterates to me why I do it...to help. smileys/smiley1.gifEdited by: Soonergirl74

My pleasure Sooner. Are you going to NTC? It would be great if all who are going could somehow manage to say a quick hello-put a face to the names! I understand how BBrown feels because I've been struggling with those same feelings. It gets really hard when people you started with are moving at a quicker pace than you for whatever reason. You'd like to think it's okay-I'll get there sooner or later at my own pace. But then you have your upline making you feel inadequate not by what the say but what they do -or don't do. All of a sudden you don't hear from them anymore. When you see them they treat you like second string. "You're not moving as quickly as I'd like so I'm not really interested in you anymore". Iheard someone refer to herself as a loser because she wasn't moving as fast as some of the others on her team. How truly awful! Iam a very social,easygoing personwith a good dose of self esteem and even I have to say that I have had alot of days where I have felt like a loser and that is just not me! Also I have seen the Ar****** fever hanging on to some consultants and keeping them from focusing on anything else in their lives. Sure it's great to love your career but at what and whose expense? Okay I'm done ranting for now. Thanks for giving me the forum to do so. I appreciateeverybody's input!

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Yes, I’m going to NTC, can’t wait. It’s going to be amazing from what I’ve heard. It would be nice to out names to faces. We’re tried doing it in t he past &amp; it never really works out b/c things are so crazy.

I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’ve been dealing with. First, we can never really compare ourselves to others b/c we all have different lives. The only way it would work would be for you to have their exact life &amp; you’d never want that. Yes some go faster than others &amp; there are a lot of reasons for it. Maybe they just happen to know a lot of people with $$ who “get it”. Maybe they get lucky &amp; the first 4 people they ask turn into strong business partners. Maybe they don’t work full time jobs &amp; instead hit the business hard &amp; are out talking to people all day long about the company. Who knows. The point is we all have different variables that play into it so comparing is pointless. Besides, to me it doesn’t matter when I get there …just that I do. That $$ is going to spend the same if I get there in one year or 3.

As far as your upline making you feel inadequate…don’t give them that power over you. If they aren’t willing to do what they are supposed to do which is guide you &amp; help you build your business at whatever pace you are building then poo on them. Why do you care what someone like that thinks anyway? Don’t let them steal your dream away &amp; your right to live it on your terms. They don’t want to help you then let them go &amp; focus on yourself, your business, &amp; helping your team. Use their examples as what not to do, as you become more of a leader. It’s their loss. I enjoy helping my team. I would hate to miss out on that!

And yes, some people to get the fever. Tell them to eat a couple of cookies &amp; some tea &amp; get over it already, lol. No, really…they are just excited. People have squashed their dreams for so long they didn’t think they were ever possible. And now with Arbonne people are starting to see that they are possible so they get a little giddy. It goes away after awhile, lol. Eventually most settle down &amp; realize that this isn’t your life, it’s just a vehicle to give you &amp; your family the life you want.

Jennifer I totally get it. I'm saying that my upline doesn't. Believe me when I came in to Ar***** a few months ago,I thought one day at a time and was fine with that. My team moves very quickly however and they just assume everyone wants to. And you're right some at the top did have friends with $$ who "got it" and some were lucky that they found 4 right away who wanted to do the business. I have no problem with that. I just wish they didn't assume that it happens for everyone. They say the product sells itself. Well guess what? I had alot of RE9's returned because either people thought there were too many products in the kit and they couldn't keep up or because they thought that while it was an ok product it just wasn't good enough to change from what they are using now which they love. Tell that to your upline who has not encountered this type of repeated rejection and they simply don't get it. Why would they? They've had huge success. I'm not saying they didn't have to work hard for their success but it's a whole lot easier to get your momentum going when you are successful because then you're on a "roll". When you have had rejection after rejection combined with an apathetic upline you do lose your juju. And we never want to diss the juju. (Ok-that was a direct quote from Grey's Anatomy-my favorite show)!

Love Grey's Anatomy! 2 more weeks for a new episode!


Anyhoo, I don't necessarily think the top people are ALL successful. I heard of an RVP who purchased $10,000 of product herself to promote to NVP. Doesn't sound too successful to me! I think the ones that are pushy and sometimes just plain rude or not bringing in the $$ like some consultants who have built a solid business. They want us to think they are!smileys/smiley2.gif Take it slow, help each person on your team (match effort for effort, not $$ for effort), and you can get there someday and be a true success story! Now, I am off to bed! Happy Easter!

I have heard of people buying their way into a title as well. How desperate do you have to be? The pushy,rude upline? Shehas a Mercedes.


2 weeks is too long to wait for Grey's Anatomy! I'll watch Big Love instead of taping it. It's a great show as well! Goodnight all!

Grey's rocks! It's McAwesome!!

Love Grey’s anatomy!!
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Mamasita, I’m so glad you got it. So many people come into this with the wrong expectations &amp; then are crushed. It’s frustrating to watch.

Barbara, I find it insane that anyone would buy his or her way to the top. I know it happens in all NWM companies but really, what kind of logic is that? To me that is a person who has no real self-esteem but too big of an ego. They must be desperate to prove something to others. But it’s just going to bite them in the behind in the end b/c you can’t sustain that. It’s a farce &amp; bound to crash. Unless you just pour more &amp; more $$ into it.

I also wonder how those people can sleep at night knowing they are a fraud. Somewhere deep down they must know. I want to build my business the right way, even if it takes me 5 years like Hannah. Because it will be solid &amp; it will be an accomplishment I can be proud of.
I just figure all the pushy &amp; unethical people will eventually get what they put out there in the end. It’s the way the universe works.

smileys/smiley4.gifHey Sooner I'm glad I got it too.I was crushed for awhile because I was made to feel that because I was taking it slow I wasn't successful. I'm with you-if it takes me 5years to build a solid business so be it. I will be able to sleep at night and look at myself in the mirror the next day. Put out the good karma! Edited by: mamasita

I tell ya, I don't know why some people in the industry can't just be honest about this business. It makes it so much harder for everyone else. They act like all you have to do is sign up &amp; within the month you are rolling in the $$.


The thing is if they would be more honest &amp; tell the prospects that it is simple,not easy &amp; that some do make it in a few months but that's not the norm I think they'd have a more solid business. You have to set realistic expecations, if you don't you are just going to get turn-over.


Ah well, it is what it is. NWM will always have people who want to present it as easy.