Okay, this happened a few days ago and after watching it, it reminded me WAYYY too much of the last network marketing company I was with; I had to share.  Check out the video really quick:

Okay… so a girl scout is instructed to sell as many cookies as she can to family and friends so that not only will SHE benefit, but so will the girl scout organization.   Sounds fair.

She does the traditional format of selling cookies as the system has taught her – the same system that’s been around for a REALLY long time and has worked.  She does fine with it… for a while.  But what happens when we’ve run out of friends and families?

Oh that’s right, it would then be time to move on to the second system as decreed in that “Girl Scout Cookie Selling” system: “Thou Shalt Camp Out at Grocery Stores, Bug Every Passerby Whether They LIKE Cookies Or Not.”

Forget that!  The father’s got work to do and the daughter’s got Barbie dolls to play with!  There HAD to be a more efficient way!

And voila, what do they do?  They get creative.  They leverage the tools and skill set available to them – they turn to the internet for help. +/-»

And That’s When the $h*t Hit the Fan

"I don't know you but do you want to buy some cookies from me?"

And what happens next is so in tune with how so many MLM companies operate, the Girl Scouts organization slaps them!  They wag their index finger and says “no no“!

“No no” to what?!  Creativity?  The willingness to take action?  To try something new?  But at least the organization is now “thinking” about it and may be considering it for the future.  After all, we wouldn’t want to muck up their system that’s been working for them for so long huh?  Never mind that the times have changed as has how we operate as a society today.

Read Like Your Typical MLM Story Eh?

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this video.  This reminded me VERY much of the first multi-level-marketing company I was with.  I did what the system told me.  I went to meetings.  I bought CDs.  I talked to my family and friends.  I gave a list of names (hesitantly) to my upline.  Heck, I even prospected everybody and anybody I bumped into.

Did I “sell cookies” (get leads/downlines)?  Sure.  But boy did it suck.

This not to diss on the traditional way of building the business (because it genuinely works for some) but it wasn’t for me.  I was facing attrition that challenged my ability to sponsor more people.  On top of that, I had an awful time duplicating myself.

So like that little girl, I got creative.  I looked into online marketing as another way of getting prospect/downline.

And just like that little girl, I got slapped.  That MLM company literally threatened to shut down my business if I kept doing my online marketing (which by the way… was working which helped me, my team, and the MLM company).  Oh, and by the way...»

Why Restrict Yourself?

This is why I decided to quit that MLM company and find an online marketing MLM (one that encourages and allows internet marketing).  I believe in internet marketing and prefer to marketing online to cold calling/camping at malls any day of the week.  Sure, online marketing isn’t perfect, nor is it the ONLY component of the current business I am building.

But at least now I am able to utilize my strength, my knowledge, and have something at my disposal with which I can teach and empower my team.

Hopefully, you find the same courage, sensibility, and strength to do the same.

Raymond Fong