My second Business!

An idle mind is the devils workshop. I was invited to a business meeting in a church one day by a neighbour of mine(female) whom I had shared a few business ideas with previously and on arrival there was this beautiful presentation on Multi-Level Marketing (G.N.L.D). I want to assure those of you reading now that the GNLD business model has only acquired the notoriety it has today only recently. This was the first group of GNLD distributors in Nigeria. At that point it was being imported (nay smuggled) into the country from Ghana. The presentation was colourfully done by a very prominent lady very well dressed and made up and bedecked in jewellery. She had been a first lady in two states of the country during the military era. This one who had a sweet mouth had no need to convince us too much. So after eating the sumptuous meals she provided and being carried away by the wealth and affluence that was palpable in that room I was lucky to have secured a kit (registration bag filled with literature) for 4,000. Little did I know that it was an effort that will kill many shoes wear out many clothes and distend my mouth as this job described then as an opportunity was going to require a lot of talking and walking put together. I must say that I delved into GNLD with everything I had then. I bought samples, several lifestyle magazines (an in-house publication) traveled everywhere and talked to everyone who as much as cared to listen to my rambling. A month after registration I had lost several shoes and had nothing to show for it apart from registering so many cousins and friends of mine who were all at my level and couldn’t afford the proper business model. Incidentally we were making money for our upline while we were impoverishing ourselves. When I complained to the lady (Ex Governors wife) her response was that I was I was lazy and impatient then she invited me for a directors training programme. This training was handled by a white South African guy from Sun City. I met with this guy and he gave us a wonderful pep talk and then I accompanied him to PH, Abuja and Kano. In all these locations I watched him as conducted a massive recruitment drive. Every night I would think through the entire episode objectively and then decide that either the scheme fraudulent or that they were not selling the right package to Nigerians. However, when I awoke and attended another session in the morning my fears would be programmed away by this great talker. Something was very wrong. What could it be?

Ha, Ha, Ha OP you have never heard of the word HYPMOSIS abi?

Multilevel marketing is an early bird business as symbolized in its triangular shape.

After working very hard and sacrificing all my shoes and noticing that rather than progress I was fast retrogressing, I realized I had to do something fast if not my fathers’ house awaited me and of course a lifetime stigma of failure. A new MLM company had just berthed, it was called FORMORE and one of my former recruits(downlines) in GNLD had already taken the liberty to register me and sent me a pair of sneakers as a present. Naturally, the symbolism of this very Greek gift was not lost on me at all. I did it half-heartedly for 2 months but their products were not as good as those of GNLD and their compensation plan was way too poor comparatively.

Then I jumped to Forever Living Products and then Tianshe ,then Swiss Garde and then to latter day entrants like Trevor etc. These are only a few of those I participated in. There were lots of others and some of them were not even product based.

On the whole I can summarise my experience in MLM as educative. Currently in Nigeria there are so many misconceptions about GNLD and other multilevel marketing companies because of the ignorance surrounding the business. It took me a lot of studying and analysis to discover that the problem with MLM is the way we understand it in Nigeria. It is definitely a not a get rich quick scheme. It is a slow and steady effort designed to encourage the use and recruitment of other users. Many people have succeeded globally with MLM especially in America but they didn’t do it in one fell swoop. In Nigeria also there are many success stories and I have the privilege of knowing some of these people personally before and after their successes. Another major problem with the MLM model in Nigeria is that there is a lot of deceit in the recruitment process. Pictures of high flying success is painted and assurances are given that this will happen very soon. That is wrong. Any worthwhile success can only be attained with the right foundation and a steady effort rightly directed and periodically energized. These recruits are given these fantastic stories only to realize that all that glitters is not gold. Making money is not easy at least at the beginning. It is what it is; Hard. Please note that for the many months that I sold and marketed MLM products I could not even take them myself because they were too unrealistically expensive. This is the plight of many MLMers. And this is not the right way. You must use and refer. That is the model.

Personally, I have no regrets in doing MLM for a while. I learnt a lot of things business-wise and in contrast to what people may think, I did make some money out of the experience. I met one wealthy man in his early eighties and attempted selling him some Hypertensive related supplements but he was very cold until I mentioned the Masculine Herbal complex his eyes lit up. I took my cue from there. This man was Eighty for goodness sake and he still wanted to get it up. Wow! I sold him several thousand Naira worth of these goods and through him met several of his friends in the same bracket who also bought these things in Hundreds of Thousands. Surprisingly even his own driver Baba Jimoh bought a packet and paid for it over two months. His wife who was always sourly appreciated the change in the man even though she was a beneficiary of the change as I later on gleaned. She invited me for a discussion and that led to my next business platform which was superrrrrr!

Allstrasse good write up. I can't wait to read about the next super job, my expectations are now high. No fall my hands ooo.

Allstrasse you just kept us in suspense. Abeg continue, eagerly awaiting the next business.

Allstrasse:
Multilevel marketing is an early bird business as symbolized in its triangular shape.

After working very hard and sacrificing all my shoes and noticing that rather than progress I was fast retrogressing, I realized I had to do something fast if not my fathers’ house awaited me and of course a lifetime stigma of failure. A new MLM company had just berthed, it was called FORMORE and one of my former recruits(downlines) in GNLD had already taken the liberty to register me and sent me a pair of sneakers as a present. Naturally, the symbolism of this very Greek gift was not lost on me at all. I did it half-heartedly for 2 months but their products were not as good as those of GNLD and their compensation plan was way too poor comparatively.

Then I jumped to Forever Living Products and then Tianshe ,then Swiss Garde and then to latter day entrants like Trevor etc. These are only a few of those I participated in. There were lots of others and some of them were not even product based.

On the whole I can summarise my experience in MLM as educative. Currently in Nigeria there are so many misconceptions about GNLD and other multilevel marketing companies because of the ignorance surrounding the business. It took me a lot of studying and analysis to discover that the problem with MLM is the way we understand it in Nigeria. It is definitely a not a get rich quick scheme. It is a slow and steady effort designed to encourage the use and recruitment of other users. Many people have succeeded globally with MLM especially in America but they didn’t do it in one fell swoop. In Nigeria also there are many success stories and I have the privilege of knowing some of these people personally before and after their successes. Another major problem with the MLM model in Nigeria is that there is a lot of deceit in the recruitment process. Pictures of high flying success is painted and assurances are given that this will happen very soon. That is wrong. Any worthwhile success can only be attained with the right foundation and a steady effort rightly directed and periodically energized. These recruits are given these fantastic stories only to realize that all that glitters is not gold. Making money is not easy at least at the beginning. It is what it is; Hard. Please note that for the many months that I sold and marketed MLM products I could not even take them myself because they were too unrealistically expensive. This is the plight of many MLMers. And this is not the right way. You must use and refer. That is the model.

Personally, I have no regrets in doing MLM for a while. I learnt a lot of things business-wise and in contrast to what people may think, I did make some money out of the experience. I met one wealthy man in his early eighties and attempted selling him some Hypertensive related supplements but he was very cold until I mentioned the Masculine Herbal complex his eyes lit up. I took my cue from there. This man was Eighty for goodness sake and he still wanted to get it up. Wow! I sold him several thousand Naira worth of these goods and through him met several of his friends in the same bracket who also bought these things in Hundreds of Thousands. Surprisingly even his own driver Baba Jimoh bought a packet and paid for it over two months. His wife who was always sourly appreciated the change in the man even though she was a beneficiary of the change as I later on gleaned. She invited me for a discussion and that led to my next business platform which was superrrrrr!

Mr man, come back here oh, you don put hand for tipper Wey carry sand.

Keep us updated please. In case you don't know so many people are gonna be guided by this write-up from your past experiences. Gracias

Madam fixed the meeting outside her home. We met in her office in Victoria Island. She explained to me that Baba was no longer interested in her. I just developed goose pimples immediately. There was absolutely no way that I was going to do what I thought she wanted. Guess what I was wron. She wanted something that could reduce her craving for you know what? Did GNLD have any solution that could quell the raging hormones of a healthy grandmother of 65? I told her that I would research it and get back to her within the week. After a proper research, it was obvious that GNLD and indeed other Food Supplement MLMs were more interested in increasing and strengthening desires rather than diminishing them. Apparently there was more business in the former than in the latter. I called her and fixed an appointment for that weekend. While taking a shower on the morning of the appointment it hit me. There was indeed a solution to the problem. Maybe not from GNLD but definitely a very practical non ingesting solution that would also make me some money. This had to be the real Mc’coy.

After my shower, I went to a shop I had heard of and bought a unit of something I felt would solve the problem and this time in going to her office I indulged myself in a taxi. I needed some time in quietude to plan my sales pitch.



I got there on time and her Assistant announced my arrival. She requested my presence immediately. On getting inside I noticed that as much as she tried to hide it her expectations were very high. This made me develop cold feet and I started stammering and apologising that the solution I had might not just be right for her after-all she is a deaconess in her church. She became very quiet and then I decided to assume control, I first brought out the accompanying cd which was essentially a user manual in digital format. She wanted me to use her DVD player as connected to the TV but I refused and opted for her laptop. When the images came on she gasped and screamed at me supposedly very angry. On the screen was a middle aged lady demonstrating the use of a Love Machine and very graphically too. I quickly put if off and retrieved the C.D and put it back in its pack and made to leave. Then I had a brain wave. I quickly upturned the open packet and allowed the content to spill. Mumbling apologies profusely, I immediately bent down and picked the contents and dropped them back on the table and made to repack them. The Love Machine was shining in all its glory. I stole a glance at my prospect and saw that while both hands covered her mouth her eyes were asking several questions. Without waiting for her to ask them I carried the beautiful tool and inserted the batteries and put it on. I worked very well. I now put it back in the pack and thanked her for her time and exited her office. As I walked down the stairs, I started counting the seconds just to see how long it will take for her to call me back, but alas it didn’t happen. Í felt really bad. I had bungled it and here was I with a tool I really had no need for and probably wouldn’t be able to sell and thus a lost investment and dashed hopes. But somehow I just felt that I didn’t handle it well. She should have bought it.

I went to bed early and yet couldn’t sleep. I was tossing and turning till the wee hours of the morning. At about 1.00am my phone rang I picked it and your guess is as good as mine. Madam called and told me to expect txt message and I should reply immediately. It came in promptly and all it said was that I should see her as early as 8.00am at her office. I was overjoyed and was there even before the appointed time. On being granted audience she asked why I felt she needed the tool. I explained to her doing a terrible job in the process. All I could put together was a mumbo jumbo about her getting the satisfaction that no man could ever give her. And that with that kind of fulfillment her hormones wouldn’t torment her ever gain and then even they did she would always have her companion within arm’s length. She then went into preaching on how she didn’t really need that kind of solution since she was a deaconess in church, an aspiring Pastor and a role model for many young girls. However, she did have a few friends who had been widowed in their prime and this may be a good alternative to being deceived by various men since they were very vulnerable. She offered to buy one as a present for one off the widows. I tried to make her feel good by telling her that even though she didn’t subscribe to it herself she could help other people in need of it by using one so that she could show other people how to use it. She seemed to agree and bought the sample I had bought that day (I made a 500%) profit…….supposedly for her widow friend. That night at about 1.00 am I got a very short text message. All that was written there was ‘Thank you’”.

Through Madam, I was able to sell quite a number of Dildos. I also made some cold calls and sold to many strange women. I learnt some tricks in that trade and it was quite profitable. In my roll-call of people that patronized me you will be shocked at the names that graced that list. We are all human after-all.

I could only spend 8 months in that business for about 8 months but I was able to buy first car and rent a decent 2 bedroom apartment for myself. I was also able to raise some capital for myself but I planned to move on because it was a business that could only take you so far. It wasn’t also something you could pride yourself in doing. Both the buyer and the seller were always ashamed to admit what they were doing.

@Allstrasse we are waiting for update oo. Pls make out time to update us. Thanks

Allstrasse we are waiting oo. Pls update

Waiting eagerly ....
Or has the message been passed already without knowing
I'm confused .

Woah!!!! Woah!!!!! Woah!!!!
Sir, I am captivated by your story and feel encouraged. Please, find time to update.

Sir, please can I get the links or name of those ebooks or biographies that you read.

Thanks for your efforts to share this wonderful experience with us.

May God bless you

Dear Allstrasse,

Please update, biko.