I am often asked about different MLM’s (Multi-Level Marketing Companies or Direct Sales) and I definitely have an opinion about these and sometimes the people that sell the products but I have held back from writing about it. Since it seems to be coming up more and more lately, I have decided to fully address it. This might save me time in the future too. Now I can just refer people to this blog post. 
I was also asked by another Esthetician to write something so here it goes…
Before I was an Esthetician, I was part of an MLM (I will not reveal the name). I believed in the product I was selling. This company had high standards and I was lucky enough to get started at the beginning, which if any of you are familiar with these, is key to making money. I loved skin so I wanted to be part of something I thought was good. I thought I had an edge because I knew a lot about skin since I had been obsessed with it for so many years. I was not the typical stay-at-home mom (yes, I can say that because that is what I encountered) with no previous skin care knowledge.
This was my experience:
1. We had tons of training (available to us and I took advantage of it) on how to sell the product and gain new consultants. New consultants was how you actually made money.
2. I flew to Chicago for a weekend to learn more about the company and how to sell. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. Just not about skin care.
3. There were sheets that would tell you what products the client “should” use based on their skin type. Now, most skin care companies do this, even the professional ones, but if you are a professional you understand how to tweak the regimen if necessary for the client. If you are not, then most likely you will not understand that not everyone falls perfectly into a category.
4. There was no training about skin. I was not taught (luckily I knew) what skin needed and why. If something went wrong with a product or someone reacted negatively to a product, I wasn’t taught how to fix it. Again, I knew a lot more about skin so I was able to troubleshoot but if you don’t know anything and someone has a reaction, what do you do?
5. We were supposed to have these parties and just introduce these products. I didn’t like that. I don’t like sales. So, I taught people about skin and then showed them the products and why they were needed. When I did these parties, I was successful. Just selling people stuff doesn’t usually work but if you explain to them WHY, then they will keep up with it.
6. I was not good at this and I lost A LOT of money. I could sell the product but I couldn’t get people to sign up to be consultants and like I said before, that is where you make your money.
I’m not worried that the MLM’s will take over the professional lines because they have been around since the 60’s. Every year another new “miracle” product comes out and people believe it changes their skin until they realize it didn’t. I’m not blaming or faulting these people because we all want better skin and want to believe that this next thing will be the answer. Just remember that OTC products CANNOT do what a professional can. That is a fact! OTC products, for the most part, do not go deep enough into the skin to make a lasting difference. What you are seeing is temporary. If you stop, the damage will come back immediately. OTC also offers no prevention and that is key to anti-aging.
When it comes down to it, I would much rather have a professional help me with my skin because of their experience and knowledge. Personally, I know how much research I do.
