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I'm not against being pitched to, I'm not against sales talk, I'm self employed myself and I get we all have to make a living somehow.

But I don't like the way network marketing upsets relationships. My bookkeeper decided she wanted to sell a nutritional supplement and when I was not interested she was offended and her bookkeeping has seriously gone downhill. She has yet to reconcile August for me.

Another person in my small town was all friendly until I said no to attending a sales meeting of the same nutritional supplement. I said it's not right for my business and he responded with a snippy email asking how could I tell it wasn't right for my business if I didn't go to the sales meeting. OK.

Now one of my clients, who just turned 20, is selling the same nutritional supplement with great enthusiasm. I sat him down today and explained that I have a business policy not to do network marketing, that I already work with professional line supplement companies (his is not professional line) and so I am not his ideal client. He listened with a smile but still told me I 'needed' to take this supplement.

I am a nutrition instructor and know my subject and have worked in the field for a long time. None of these people have any health training at all. I could tell in 5 minutes that this product has a lot more hype than solid science behind it. This client told me there were 200 studies on it, I looked it up and there were 4, all done by the company. Two on a handful of mice. I am aware of many professional line companies with so many better products with 3rd party lab testing and much more solid science backing them up.

It's uncomfortable on so many levels to be on the receiving end of this. I hope it will not mess with my client relationship.

[This message edited by InnerLight at 7:43 PM, November 26th (Tuesday)]

Ha...that's why my paycheck is so tiny. I refuse to try and sell to people and as my clients lost weight I got new clients but eventually the word of mouth growth died down.

I never want to make people feel like I see you feeling in this post.

There's someone in my church group that has given me the cold shoulder for quite some time. Until she started selling a supplement. Then all of the sudden FB friend requests and PMs...I ignored. She approached MrH. He told her, "Not a chance. Holly sells (competing diet program)." He didn't say and I wish he had was that we knew darn well she knew that.

Oddly enough, though she recruited more people than I have, none of them have lost he weight my clients have. Yet she'll still chase anyone she can down to try and get them to not only buy her products, but sell them.

I feel for you. Soon enough the furor over this will die down. I'm glad you have an answer/policy to fall back on, that's always good.

Best way to lose friends is to sell this stuff! Amway all over again.

My cousin barely talks to me anymore because I wouldn't go to a meeting to learn how electricity could make me rich and super pumped up and positive. Her entire law enforcement office is into this. I won't be speeding through that area anytime soon. I'm probably on the naughty list.