How to politely decline an opportunity to be involved in a pyramid scheme?

Question

I have a friend who is involved in a Multi-Level Marketing scheme (which sounds a lot like a pyramid scheme). She often invites me to events where she sells things. When we meet outside these nights, she keeps saying I should become a sales person, and pressuring me to go to an information seminar.

I have tried saying I am not interested, and had excuses for not going (I have other plans, etc.), but she keeps inviting me.

How do I get her to stop?

Edit: To add context, the MLM scheme involves me buying some clothes at a discount, and selling them to my other friends. She will get a % cut of my sales. If I were to recruit others, I would get a % of theirs.

Answer 1

Be honest with her. Emphasize that it's a stress on your relationship and that you're not completely comfortable with their business style. I wouldn't say "pyramid scheme", if only because that's something concrete she can argue against. If you need some help, consider watching the Last Week Tonight episode all about Multi-level Marketing Schemes. They're not all bad, but many of them are.

If you're not interested in the products tell her that you're not interested in the product enough to buy it and definitely not interested enough to sell it yourself. You're glad that she's happy with it but explain that her continued pestering is causing stress in your relationship with her and that you'd like her to stop inviting you to these events and particularly stop asking you to join in.

If it's getting to the point that you'd cut off your connections with her entirely due to this, tell her that. Some people either have short memories or are so happy with their work they can't help but think that it's for everyone. You need to be firm. Don't equivocate. Don't say "I can't right now" or "I don't have time" or make an excuse. If she relapses, remind her.

Unfortunately, if you've already tried to explain and were firm, she may simply not be the sort of person who's willing to take "no" as an answer and you may have to sever your relationship (or at least reduce your interaction with her) until she moves on to a new revenue stream.

It's all about how close a friend she is and how willing you are to continue to deflect her pressure to join the "cult" of the MLM scheme.

Answer 2

Next time anyone approaches you for get involved in something that you don't want, just say:

No, I'm not interested.

No need for sorry or similar excuses.

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This helps me each time I receive phone calls from my Bank or other similar situations.

Answer 3

Be direct, but be proportional too.

Level One:

"[NAME]. I'm glad that selling [COMPANY NAME] going so well for you, but this isn't something that I would be interested in."

Key elements:

• It is direct, it doesn't involve an excuse like being busy.
• I've avoided the word "no" because it tends to be more confrontational.

This suggestion is mainly to help people other than the OP who may have the same question, but it sounds like the OP has tried it.

Level Two:

"[NAME]. No. I'm just not interested. I'm happy it's going well for you, but I'm not interested"

If directly saying that you weren't interested didn't work, now is the time to be even more direct. In particular: - I included the word "no" because a direct "no" is very confrontational - Repeating that you aren't interested twice sends a very clear signal that you are getting slightly annoyed by the request.

Level Three:

Try the responses in Catija's answers about it putting significant strain on your friendship or tell them explicitly that you are finding their repeated requests irritating.

Level Four:

Consider ending the friendship.

Answer 4

Tell your friend you need her to distinguish between business and friendship.

This will go against the pressure (subtle or overt) her business venture is applying to treat her entire friend list as leads, but it has to be done.

MLMs exploit personal relationships for profit, pure and simple. They decentralize the data mining to have downlines do the work of finding leads. While this doesn't have to be a bad thing, of course, the real world is full of friends who don't want to be marketed to. It shouldn't be your job to correct the distortion that a marketing organization is imposing, but maintaining a friendship takes work on both sides. Then it's up to her to pay attention and understand that pushy persistent recruitment makes you want to stay away.

Answer 5

There is one incredibly effective strategy (although quite offensive): if your saying 'no' is ignored, ask openly:

• Explain me what do you not understand in the word 'no'?

It usually turns off even the most hopeless troll mode, because people understand, that 'no' means 'no' and not 'maybe'.

Answer 6

My approach is to keep the product out of the conversation. Often times it really is a great product. For me, the problem lies with the set up of the company. I do not support MLM period. 90% of the time that ends the conversation. 10% of the time you'll get a seasoned salesperson and they'll want to know why. They only want to know why you dislike the structure of the business to open up the lines of communication with you to sell you the business. My answer to that is "I don't need you to understand why, I'm requesting you respect my opinion." I have great success with this approach.

Answer 7

I turn down things like this (or family members suggesting business ideas) all the time.

"I'm glad you've been successful! Running your own business takes a lot of work and requires a passion for your product. Unfortunately I don't think it's something I could get behind, clothing isn't where my passion lies and I don't think I'd have the motivation to sell something I'm not passionate about"

Running a business, especially selling something to people, requires a lot of work and dedication. If you're not behind the idea of the product, it's not going to work. Your friend can't argue with that. If you don't feel passionate about the product, nothing she can say can convince you otherwise.

Answer 8

Only a few people succeed at multi-level marketing programs, even the ones that are "on the level." There is a reason; you need two distinct set of skills. This fact is your way "out."

The more obviously needed skillset is salesmanship. Not everyone is cut out to go door to door selling soap, nutritional supplements or whatever the product is. (My brief career with Amway, over thirty years ago, lasted all of two days).

The second necessary skillset is as an investor. Basically, you are being asked to "front" money for products that you may or may not be able to sell. (In my Amway experience, I bought a starter "kit" of products for $100, couldn't sell any, and used the goods myself, hopefully breaking even.) Knowing how much product to buy for resale is a job that will tax the capacities of a merchandising manager. "Whole" (and famous) retailing chains have gone out of business because they overordered inventory.

So tell your friend that you must pass on this "opportunity" because you lack one (or both) of the above skill sets, and don't need to do more jobs plus your day job. If she insists, tell her that you don't think you would make a very good "downline," and that the problems she would have in managing you would not make things worthwhile for her.

Answer 9

Your answers so far always told her that you would be considering joining some seminar but you can't do so right now for some reason. Psychologically, telling her that there is a chance to convince you will make her persist. Which is annoying to both of you.

Make it clear that you have no interest whatsoever to join a pyramid scheme. Ever. There is a chance that she will be annoyed - because you didn't tell her months ago and made her spent effort to try to get you to join, when there never was a chance to convince you. That can't be helped. The earlier you tell her, the better for everyone involved.