There is no information about XYZ Company on your website. What can you tell me about them?

My friend/relative/co-worker has just joined an MLM, and his/her personality has completely changed. All he/she can do is talk about the MLM and quote from their literature. What can I do?

Are there any "good" MLMs out there? I really need to earn some extra money, and I'd like to retire early with a steady income.

How dare you tear down MLMs when you're not offering me another way to get rich!!

Would you please email me all the information you have about XYZ Company?

Is there anyplace I can go to chat with other former reps from XYZ Company?

There is no information about XYZ Company on your website. What can you tell me about them?

If there is no information on the site, it means that the information I have is sketchy or unfit for publication -- or possibly nonexistent. MLMs come and go incredibly quickly! If you don't find information on this site, there are several things you can try to find out more about it.

1. Check the Pyramid Scheme Alert website.
2. Sometimes newsgroups can be helpful. If you point your browser to www.deja.com and do a search, you will probably find some postings by distributors trolling for prospects, and you may also come up with some useful information or pointers to other websites. Additionally, if they sell health and wellness products, you may find some product information on the Quackwatch site.
3. Post your question in a club, newsgroup or forum that deals with MLM. Try the MLM Survivors Club on Yahoo!

My friend/relative/co-worker has just joined an MLM, and his/her personality has completely changed. All he/she can do is talk about the MLM and quote from their literature. What can I do?

There are a number of MLMs that have developed very well-tuned methods of deceptive mind-control to recruit and keep new members. They will be characterized by a sudden personality change, and an unwillingness (or inability!) to think for themselves. You can do some reading to find out what has most likely been done to them.

There are two books which are very helpful to you in understanding what may be happening to your friend/relative/coworker. The first is Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan. Hassan was recruited into the Moonies while in college. After deprogramming, he went back to school and is now one of the country's foremost cult exit counselors. This book describes in detail the tactics used by deceptive mind-control cults, and how family and friends can hope to make a difference. The second is called Cults In Our Midst, by Margaret T. Singer. A psychologist, Singer has been studying cults for 50 years. Both books are extremely readable. They are probably available at your local library, and I also have ordering links for your convenience.

A third book, which will be especially helpful if your friend is involved with Amway/Quixtar, is my own book, Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors. It is available in a handful of libraries, and can be ordered from the publisher or from any other reputable bookseller.

Once you have a good understanding of the tactics that have been used to influence your friend, you will be better able to talk with them and share your concerns in a constructive way.

Are there any "good" MLMs out there? I really need to earn some extra money, and I'd like to retire early with a steady income.

This, of course, is the $64,000 question. . . To me, a "good" MLM would be one that actually delivers on its promises, or the promises that the majority of its distributors or reps typically make. However, it is almost impossible to sift the facts from the fiction when somebody is trying to recruit you.

In the first place, I know of no MLM that releases the kind of information you really need to analyze the "opportunity." Several of them produce information which purports to do this, but even a cursory analysis shows huge gaps in the information, and a general trend toward comparing apples with anteaters. Therefore, I do not recommend any MLM.

However, there are a couple of things you can do if you are determined to find an MLM to join.

1. Check out the latest analytical tools in the "Resources" section of Pyramid Scheme Alert.
2. There are two excellent books I always recommend if you're serious about MLM. The first contains the best section I've ever seen on evaluating MLM opportunities. By Paul & Sarah Edwards, nationally known writers and speakers on home-based business, the book is Home Businesses You Can Buy. The second is False Profits by Fitzpatrick and Reynolds, and deals with the MLM model in general. Both are probably available at your local library, and I also have ordering links for your convenience.

How dare you tear down MLMs when you're not offering me another way to get rich!!

First of all, unless you are in the top 1/10th of 1% in your MLM, you are not going to get rich that way, so let's inject a little realism here.

If you are truly interested in self employment and residual income, there are hundreds of ways to accomplish this without wasting your time and money in an unprofitable MLM. There are plenty of tools available to help you with every aspect of deciding on a business, setting it up, and running it day-to-day.

For some basic help in analyzing your talents, abilities, interests, skills, training, and how to put them to use in self employment, I recommend Paul & Sarah Edwards' book Finding Your Perfect Work. As a followup, read their new release The Practical Dreamer's Handbook: Finding the Time, Money, and Energy to Live the Life You Want to Live.

Or, if your ideas run more towards investing than self-employment, I have several books I recommend. Web sites on investing are plentiful: The Motley Fool, Quicken.com, and many others. Most of the major portal sites also have investment areas.

Would you please email me all the information you have about XYZ Company?

In a word, "no." I don't even have time to answer all the emails I get, let alone prepare an entire volume of references to send you via email if you can't be bothered to follow the links and read the information on the site. I posted it here so that it would be accessible to anyone who wants it. Please don't ask me to email it to you.

Is there anyplace I can go to chat with other former reps from XYZ Company?

There are a lot of newsgroups, clubs and forums on the internet. You can do a search for them using keywords related to MLM and the particular company you're interested in. I can also recommend the MLM Survivors Forum.