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Clues on how to spot a network marketer

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Network marketing. Nowadays, job adverts are everywhere from notice boards in town to online adverts and job seekers can easily fall into the hands of a network marketer without knowing that they are.
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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you haven’t experienced it yourself then you have definitely heard of experiences where people are invited to ‘income generating’ business conferences by their colleagues or friends only to find out it was a network marketing gathering.

Sometimes, it gets you when you least expect it and over the years as the industry grows, the marketers come with different strategies to recruit others to the business. We all joke about it posting memes and jokes on social media until you find yourself in a conference hall with a hundred others listening to presentations about beauty products and how to make money online.

While it has been let for public debate whether those recruiting others do make money or not, many of us reach a point in our lives where we need cash so desperately that we fall for any lie that is thrown our way. These days ten times out of ten, the lies we fall for in the name of looking for money land you in that conference hall with a hundred others listening to network marketing presentations.

Many people resent network marketing on the grounds that it is a scam but have no way of spotting network marketers to avoid being caught in the conference hall situations. Here are some clues that will help you spot a network marketer from a mile away.

‘Making money online’

It is a phrase that all network marketers use to attract possible recruits. Most of us fancy a life where you don’t have to go through a hustle to make money. We dream of making money from the comfort of our homes and save ourselves the hustle of physically making appearances to offices or places of works to toil before putting food on the table.

Just hearing someone say that you can make money online raises our hopes for a better and comfortable way of making cash. It is the offer we all dream about but for network marketing it can’t be as easy as we are told it will be.

You are told to only attend an event where you will be immediately recruited to the job and that you will start earning immediately. You blindly fall for this only to realize that you have to recruit ten other people and buy products worth a fortune before the money starts to flow in.

The next time you are offered an online job look into it as you might just be falling into another trap by network marketers.

Job adverts

I remember when I was tarmacking, looking for a job with no hopes of getting employed, I stumbled upon a job advert that intrigued me. The post stated that some company (can’t remember the name) was looking for writers and that it will pay handsomely. Immediately, I fell for it and contacted the company that had only listed a mobile number as its contacts. For me, it was the end of my hustle as the ideal job I was looking for was lying right in front of my eyes.

Contacting the number, a guy replied telling me that I was to be called shortly to be briefed on the date and the venue I was to be interviewed for the job. A few hours later, I got a call from the same number and received it immediately as I did not want the opportunity to pass me. The guy introduced himself only as Simon and almost immediately asked if I was open to the idea of making money online.

Having been well versed with the first clue, I asked the guy if the job had anything to do with network marketing. Well, to my expectations, it was not a job the guy was offering but just a plot to recruit me into network marketing and definitely earn him more money.

Nowadays, job adverts are everywhere from notice boards in town to online adverts and job seekers can easily fall into the hands of a network marketer without knowing that they are. Kindly be advised that when you see a job advert, do thorough research on your potential employer and the company too to avoid being recruited by a network marketer.

Too good to be true

Network marketers have been associated with using photo-shopped pictures to attract potential recruits. When a guy tells you that he has a great opportunity for you that will see you bag lots of money but looking at him you don’t see the money, you ought to question the authenticity of the opportunity.
Most of them claim to be making tons of money weekly but their lifestyle does not reflect the amount of money they say they make. This has been the main reason why people claim photos used by these network marketers are fabricated to make you want to join them.

It is not just the photos they use that are too good to be true but also the offers they give you. They tell you that in the business you can even make over Ksh20,000 weekly, a salary that can change your life completely but you have no idea where the money will be coming from.

Such offers are not the kind to ceremoniously jump into because when you think of it the guy introducing you to it should be living like a king. If you are only joining and you are told you will be making over Ksh. 20,000 in a week you can only imagine what the fellow is making.

It kind of works like scammers who claim to sell fixed matches, raises the question if you claim I can make this much from this venture why haven’t you made the best out of it?

Just like a famous English proverb says ‘When the deal is too good, think twice!’

Lack of clarity

Whenever you are given a job offer, you always want the details of the job because you want to prepare yourself psychologically for what is to come. Network marketers will offer you a ‘job’ but will not tell you the minor or even the major details of what might be required of you in the said job.

With all the strategies they use, network marketers always lack clarity of what their organisation does or what you need to do before you start earning. The easiest way they use to opt out of explaining to you is inviting you to one of their conferences. It is only at the conference that you will know what you got yourself into.

Legit job offers inform you on what is required of you alongside all details you might need to know before accepting. A network marketer will not even tell you about the organisation, they will not tell you what they deal in, not even a heads up.

Read: More changes at NMG as Mutuma consolidates team

The next time you are told about an opportunity for an online job where you will make money from the comfort of your  bed but you are not clearly told on what will be required of you, just be certain you are about to be recruited by a network marketer. Stay woke.

Written by
Kevin Namunwa -

Kevin Namunwa is a senior reporter for Business Today. Email at [email protected].

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