bobld -
I am writing a new book on my life before and after my Bethel experiences as a follow up to "Journey to God's House". One of the chapters in the book is entitled "A network marketing malaise". In it I make exactly the same parallels as you have just done in this post about network marketing companies. I felt compelled to tell you this because when I publish my book later you might feel I got this idea from you post. I assure you, I wrote this chapter a number of months ago. I guess great minds think alike?
I'd like to share the opening for this chapter here so you can get an idea of what it contains:
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A network marketing malaise
When I returned from Bethel, I needed money badly and was desperate for a job. While I did find work, I wanted to do better than just get by. I wanted to "get ahead". So, one of the things I did was begin my college classes again. Another thing I did was get into network marketing, or what some would call multi-level marketing.
I don't want anyone to think that I have something against network marketing companies. I suppose there are legitimate ones at one end of the spectrum, with pyramid schemes at the other end. I suppose that some of these companies actually make money for the rank and file who work with them. I suppose some of these companies might actually be good.
I suppose.
What I do want you to know is that my personal experience with the large, long established and well known network marketing company I was associated with was a complete bust. I never made one thin dime of profit after subtracting my expenses. In fact, I lost money.
Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I wasn't cut out for that kind of business. Maybe I didn't try hard enough.
Maybe.
Or maybe it just felt too familiar to my religion and that made me feel uncomfortable. Maybe I experienced so much malaise from this familiarity that it was difficult to overcome mentally.
Maybe I should explain...
The recruitment = field service
As I was washing my hands in the restroom at my place of employment one day, a friendly chap with a British accent struck up a conversation with me. He began telling me about financial freedom by working for myself rather than slaving away for some uncaring employer who only made money from my sweat. Intrigued, I accepted his offer of a free lunch to hear more.
During lunch, he showed me a simple plan to become fabulously wealthy. He claimed that he had only been in his own business for a few months and was well onto the road to financial freedom. He mentioned that the field we both worked in made peanuts compared to what his new business was raking in. Since he was doing what I did longer than I had been, and since he made more than me, I was impressed that his other business was that lucrative. He bluntly claimed that if I were to "join his team", he could make me as successful as he was, and in short order too.
The recruitment technique that he used on me that day was not all that different from the field ministry approaches used by Jehovah's Witnesses. They are taught to strike up conversations anywhere and everywhere about the Kingdom of God. This is called "incidental witnessing". Rather than offer financial freedom and wealth, Jehovah's Witnesses offer a new system of things in a fabulous earthly paradise where everyone will stay young forever. That paradise would be coming very soon too, just about as quickly as all that money was to be hitting my bank account for starting my own network marketing business.
...
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The chapter goes on from there making parallels to all the network marketing techniques and approaches. It was eerie for me when I joined that company because it felt a whole lot like being a Jehovah's Witness, only they promised me financial paradise rather than a literal one.
I hope to fininsh my book in the next month or so.
Brock Talon
