Linda, I love that twisted sense of humor!!! ========== My daughter came over for coffee once. She handed me a little bar that looked like soap, but was softer. She said "just drop it in the tub, Mom" Oooh la, la. I've been buying it since. ========== That is exactly why I tell people to let me give them a sample first. Even if you believe in the product you're selling, that doesn't mean that others will. I love the products I sell. My friggin bathroom looks like an unscripted commercial, but my mother doesn't. What makes me laugh is that she keeps apologizing. I keep telling her, it's nice that you want to buy something, but it's not going to do me any good to make one sale to you one time. I'm looking for people who trulely like what I'm offering. I think the other problem is that people selling products take it personally when people refuse or when people try the product(s) and don't like them. People need to learn how to separate business from family and friends.

Petal, =========================== "People need to learn how to separate business from family and friends." =========================== A very thoughtful comment. Gary Simpson Cookie Puss

Hi: ========================================= Grenade #5 : "The biggest WEAPON that the upline will use to KEEP YOU IN LINE will be to play the guilt trip over LOYALTY to the group." Any comments? ========================================= That's a grenade? I mean seriously, do people FALL for that? Loyalty??? In my humble opinion, loyalty is earned, not claimed. If someone hasn't earned it, there's no way on God's green earth they can claim it. We tell our kids not to run off with strangers when they hold out candy. But when we're adults, money is the "candy" that strangers hold out to get us in their "vehicle." Ironic?

Stem, I have to tell you how very strongly I feel about that statement. I have been working for an automobile dealership since I am 19 years old. After 6 months I began running the office. Well, lo and behold, I need someone to work part-time and it just so happened that my husband's aunt was looking for work and really needed a job. I agreed to give her a chance...................WRONG MOVE!!! It became painfully clear that the situation was not working out very quickly. Anyway, to make a long story short, I waited until after Christmas and I fired her. Well, you would think I fired my boss' aunt. He was absolutely horrified that I could do such a thing. I tried very hard to explain to him that there is a line between friends/family and work and if I need to fire someone, I'm firing them. To this day, and that was almost 9 years ago, he still can't get over it. Sick part of the story? I currently have two girls that work for me and I made it a point to tell them story.......as friendly as I am with them, if they gotta go, they gotta go, and I have no problem letting them go.

Hi Linda, You said: =========================== That's a grenade? I mean seriously, do people FALL for that? Loyalty??? =========================== Heh! You wouldn't BUT... yes. It is a major weapon that upline uses when any of the troops are "out of line" and need a good talking to! For example: "You are not setting a good example for your group." or "You need to show leadership and buy your way over this level so your group can see you on stage." or "You have to promote these tools and get all your group to the function. If YOU don't do it then neither will they. The group needs to see it." and the daddy of them all: "You must EDIFY all your upline." God! The people in the upline were only there because they joined BEFORE you, NOT because they were a great leader or had any talent at all. In fact, some were pathetic dweebs but you HAD to tell all those under you how wonderful they were. That was an ORDER not a suggestion. The so-called counselling sessions were full of making you feel guilty for letting the team down. Everybody copped liberal doses of it. Maybe David might like to make a comment as he seems to have been in the same sort of MLM that I was. But they will all use it - make you feel guilty for having an opinion other than the almighty upline. And let's face it, all the upline ever wanted was to keep the money machine cranking. They would do or say anything to vacuum the cash upwards. Some MLM's are nothing more than a cult. Where's the cordial? Gary Simpson