[MagicalRealist]

Originally Posted by superseiyan

There's a dilemna.

I do network marketing/direct selling. I have been "in it" for four years. Now, I'm a little conflicted. I'm in Amway or Quixtar to be more specific[...]

The pros and cons as I see it:

CON:

- I find "contacting" (IMO it's recruiting) very manipulative and deceptive. Saying hi to somebody, and then telling them they 'look sharp and ambitious' just to get a "name" is to me so unbeleivably fake.
-There is a lot of focus on "bringing guests".
- Cultivate siege mentality. "Us vs the World". A tendency to look down on others just because they don't 'get' the business i.e. they don't have a dream, etc.
- Time required for "contacting" and some $$$ diverse resources from potential other self-development activities like socializing, learning a foreign language, learning cool skills like dancing, etc. Pretty much your whole life comes to a standstill.
- You become a robot. Yes you're positive. Yes your'e fired up. Yes you'll be financially free. But something's a little off, and you find it hard to just relate to people and have a normal conversation with them. Everyone you see has a $ tattoo on their forehead.

Is there a way you could turn some of those cons around, and make them into positive things?

You're aware of the company culture and its drawbacks. The siege mentality, for example, and the perception of other people as potential recruits or means to make money. Fear-based beliefs, in other words: "I've got to get my share!"; "I've got to meet high quotas or others will think I'm a failure!", etc.

Can you step back from what the company and the "culture" surrounding it keep telling you about success, and create your own definition? And can you find it in yourself to live by that definition while selling Quixtar, and be happy with it, despite what other people might think?

As for recruiting, why not try doing it without deception or manipulation? If the products and other facets of the organization are so good, why would you need to resort to that? By letting people know up front the potential drawbacks of selling Quixtar--along with the advantages--and being someone who has found a satisfying balance between the two, you might find that potential recruits appreciate your honesty.

I know there are a lot of people who have a bad opinion of Amway/Quixtar, and who see it as sort of cult-like and deceptive in its practices. They wouldn't respond to your original recruitment pitch, because they would pick up on it being "very manipulative and deceptive." But if you were an example of openness and integrity, and were willing to answer all of their hard questions with plain truth, and had a genuine interest in them as people, and in building a subculture within Quixtar based on honesty and genuine care for others--that could very well revolutionize your experience with it. And you might end up drawing to you other Quixtar representatives who feel exactly the same way.

Okay, now I'm going to argue from the other angle :

PRO:

- Some phenomenal talks and self-development resources on leadership.
- I am very close with my immediate mentor/up-up-line
- Association with people from different professions, some at very senior levels, and of different ages, that I probably wouldn't
be hanging out with if I was not in the business.
- Alternate view on reality.
- Generall optimistic view of world.
- You OWN something.
- I have no more need for TV.
- Some of the products are top class. The supplementation/vitamins are great.

But there are already countless resources out there for self-development and leadership, aren't there? And optimism and an alternate view of reality aren't the sole domain of Quixtar, are they?

Is there another way you could cultivate relationships with so many diverse people that isn't based on selling, and manipulative practices--perhaps by doing the other personal-development activites you mentioned earlier? And are your Quixtar "associations" genuine friendships, or are they really nothing more than "associations"? How about your up-up-line mentor? Would you lose that relationship if you stopped selling Quixtar? And if you did, how valued were you by that person in the first place?

As for the products, you could stock up on the ones you love most, then leave. Or you could continue to buy them from your up-up-line mentor, or someone else you still know--either way, your supply of vitamins won't be cut off.

My dilemna is that I know you have to do somethings that are uncomfortable for success. [...] Therefore, how can one join direct selling/direct marketing and "quit" in good consciense? We've been told that if you quit, you'd likely not have the discipline or will to succeed in anything else.

Ah, the phrase We've been told...

You've been told that--but what on earth makes you think that's true?

Sit down with a piece of paper and start writing down examples of when you have shown self-discipline and other qualities you know you need in order to succeed. Chances are, very few of them have anything to do with Quixtar. And the ones that do relate to your time selling Quixtar? That discipline and self-will came out of you, not the company. And you'll take those qualities with you wherever you go--along with your integrity and your ability to question situations that don't feel right.

It'd seem like a bad precedent.

To whom? On what basis? People leave jobs and close up businesses every day in favor of other, better opportunities. And you've sold Quixtar for four years--how many people join up only to drop out after a few months or a year? How many last four years at it? How many people stay for four years at normal jobs?

Nobody's going to look at your resume in the future and say, "Oh, we can't possibly hire superseiyan--s/he quit selling Quixtar. That's a bad sign." No. They just won't.

On the other hand, how can you succeed in direct selling without the hunter recruiting mentality?

I sort of touched on an idea for how to do that already. But another thought just hit me--if you've done well with direct selling for Quixtar, that shows that you do have the interpersonal skills to work in sales. Why not find another sales position in which you are selling a product or service that brings value to people's lives, but that does not require recruiting them? That way, you can focus on getting people in touch with a product or service that will help make their lives easier, without any of the "hunter recruiting mentality"?

I don't mind working right now, in fact I'm considering graduate school then continue working in the area of diplomacy/international affairs. However, ultimately after about 10-15 years (I'll be 45 at most) I'd like to transition into something part-time, or consulting so I can travel and pursue other interests and experience life to its fullest.

And there is absolutely no reason at all why you can't do that. None.

Is Direct Selling the only way out of 9-5 until 65 and into living concsiously?

If it is, I'm obviously screwed.