At the very least, if you're at some Hosted event "Party" or "just" a dinner in which - surprise, it's Amway! - you'll have to at the least pretend you're cool with it, or they'll try to flip it back on you, like you're the rude one for not wanting to be scammed.
To all this, there is only one defense. Okay, two defenses, but I'm speaking of the one that doesn't involve guns and defense attorneys. You must say "yes".
What? "But Dean, you hate MLMs! Why would you counsel anyone saying 'yes' to them?!"
Relax!
You tell them, "Yes, I'd love to do this, given how much of a sure thing you are telling me it is! But I'll need the start up fee fronted by you, with the agreement that I only have to pay it off with the big bucks I'll be earning!"
For all the MLMs that rely on that model of fronted money, that will basically end it. Oh, they'll wriggle and squirm and act like it's on you to come up with it, or how they aren't allowed or blah, blah nonsense. But so long as you're willing to do the job, and just need the money fronted as you're so darn poor, there's little for them to grasp on to in their little high pressure sales game.
Careful, though, as some will front you the product, but wish you to put a deposit down - do the same thing as if they were having you purchase it. You're too poor - if they believe in it so much, they should gladly front that deposit!
And still fewer will out and out front you the product, but usually with the condition that you must sell a given amount in a given time or be liable for the rest.
And fewest of all beyond that will say you can send the unsold part back, but watch out. It's rare for there to be no way of them getting money from you at all. Very rare. Like frog fur or political integrity rare.
But in the event that they are truly just counting on being able to bug your friends at a sales "party", and so are willing to front it all at no risk, then Plan B is that you simply claim idiocy instead of poverty.
"I'd do it, but I'm lousy at sales."
They'll try to counter this, of course. So here's the conversation you'll need:
You: I'm lousy at sales.
MLMer: That's okay, this stuff sells itself.
You: Then count on that. Because if I was near water, people dying of thirst would pass it by.
MLMer: Seriously, this is a great opportunity.
You: That's a pity. I really must insist that I know my lack of skill better than you do!
Now. Some of you are saying, "But Dean, if they're truly fronting it all, with no money down, no deposit, and no risk, why not host the party?"
For one, because that's never really going to be the case. If it were that easy, what the heck would they pay you for? Because you've that many great friends likely to buy? And they're failing to go to them directly why?
Oh, yeah. Because it's not that great a product, and/or it's over-priced, so they have to count on your friends purchasing the stuff out of pity for you, or to pander to you. That's then what they need of you, and why they're willing to front it all.
Because it's going to scam your friends. Which is why you still need to say, "No". Er, that is, say, "Yes", but like I explained! "Yes, but I'm too poor, dumb, and anything else bad to do this. Nope, you're too kind - I know how badly I suck. Nope, I can't learn, I'm just that dumb. Sorry."
"Can't. Sorry. Thank you. Wish I could. But I can't. Sorry. Can't. Thank you. Sorry." Just say those over and over till he/she moves on, sometimes after they give you a snippy comment on how they were trying to help or that you're a fool to pass this up. They'll do that for the audience, so that this will be on you, not them.
Repeat, "Sorry. Sorry." And let it go at that. Never engage. And never do the 20 questions where they ask a series of questions so that after you've said three "yesses", you feel like you can't say "no" to the fourth. Just "sorry", "can't", "thank you", "sorry" over and over.
This has been field tested. It's the only way to escape!
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