While I have no desire to debate whether Scientology is a cult or not (the French say it is, so debate it with them) I wish to point out that cult sales is a real problem.
Cult Sales, as opposed to normal "sales job", is sales job with a dose of cult indoctrination to keep you producing, often with your own money. And many network marketing companies, along with a few abusive direct sales companies, are essentially cult sales companies. Whether their products are real or valuable is irrelevant.
Some signs of cult sales:
- Always hiring / looking out for new blood
- Rah-rah chants and songs in the morning to get you "pumped up"
- Daily or weekly confession / recognition of sales results (or lack of)
- Shadow new recruits with a "mentor" (and you will later shadow a noob, treat noobs to social events, indoctrinate them just like they did to you)
- Fake it till you make it (fund your own attire, even before you can afford it)
- Overwork you, always selling around the clock, portrayed as "dedication"
- Dominate off-work hours too with "social" events and training and such
- If you don't recruit you're not "dedicated" enough to the company
- Guilt-trip if you tried to quit
So what are the PROBLEMS of cult sales?
- You get estranged from your normal family and friends as you don't see any one else
- You can only talk about your work when you do see them, further estrangement
- You start to get really really tired (you can't work all day, party all night forever)
- You're guilt-tripped if you are too tired or tried to quit
- When you realized you've been manipulated all along, you will HATE yourself (for a while)
So how is this related to some ABUSIVE forms of network marketing which we will just call "evil network marketing"?
Evil network marketing is cult sales, PLUS you put in your OWN money, rather than just earning a sales salary / commission.
In cult sales, you are being used / abused / manipulated, but at least you didn't empty your pocket. You'd have wasted time and ruined relations, but you probably won't lose money.
In evil network marketing, not only you are used / abused / manipulated, your bank account are emptied slowly through various means (buy inventory, buy training, attending seminars, buy sales aids, buy leads, promotional expenses...) through YOUR OWN HANDS.
Here are a few more stories of sales cults / cult sales.
Do NOT join a sales cult. You will regret it.
If you were a victim of a sales cult or suspect a loved one is in cult sales, rather than regular sales, you should start complaining to your state attorney general with as much evidence as you can. Government will only take action if enough people complain about the situation. Doing nothing helps no one, and only allows the problem to persist.
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