Facebook is a blessing and a curse for many reasons. We all know this, but we seem to deem the good as bearing more weight than the bad. At least, I do, for the time being. One of the things I have been frustrated with lately is the massive amounts of people marketing their mlm businesses on Facebook. I'm sure the network is a blessing for them, but it sure feels like a curse to me. Let me add a quick note here that I can still love and like people who do this even while being frustrated with all their sales pitches. I often just barely look at any of their posts anymore. This makes me sad because I'm sure I miss out on some good parts of their lives. But one incident in particular pushed me over the edge.
After we announced to the world that Sam is autistic, I got a message from an aquaintance (if you can call her that, I barely remember her from high school). This aquaintance wanted to sell me her product for Sam. While I'm sure her intentions were not evil, what I felt was extreme irritation towards her. She wanted to capitalize on my son's struggles! I get it; she believes in her product. But really what she did was absolutely tasteless. Don't you think I have researched just about everything possible to help Sam have a quality life? Don't you think I am capable as his mother to find the products we may or may not need? But no, you don't think. You obviously don't know me at all. I am just another dollar sign to you. This is exactly how your sales pitch came across to me. So no, I do not want your product!!!
I was much kinder than that. I simply stated that we have a local friend who sells this particular product. And that was the end of our conversation. Shortly thereafter, it was also the end of our online "friendship."
What I said was true. We do have a local friend who sells this product. She is actually the one testimonial I truly believe. She has been helped tremendously by her product, and I am thankful. But after researching, I do not believe these products are for my family. I do not believe they are one size fits all like they claim to be. And truthfully, we as a family prefer to avoid multi level marketing businesses.
So let this be something to consider if you are part of a mlm. Don't try to sell your product to someone you hardly know in the midst of their struggles. If we hadn't been in the midst of the fight for Sam (for his happiness, health, engagement...) for more than 2 years, her message would have really hurt me deeply. Just don't do that. Don't see people and their struggles as dollar signs. If you can't be supporting as just a friend without ulterior motives, leave them alone to struggle without you. Good friends who truly know you and truly believe in the product get a one time pass (even that is a bit dicey, but at least these friends care about more than the dollar sign). If good friends persist, they might not be such good friends (thankfully, I have not experienced this). If you have to be an agressive seller, just be mindful of the suffering of others.
