New Missionary is multi-millionaire head of MLM.

[Guest]

Good evening, I have a question:

Two weeks ago, Utah-based Stampin’ Up! CEO and co-founder Shelli Gardner stood in the center of a well-lit stage in Orlando, Florida. She’s broken news to their independent demonstrators many times during the company’s 27-year history, but this announcement was different.

This speech wasn’t about finances, compensations or product rollouts. For the company with revenues in the millions — as in, hundreds of millions — plus 450 employees and more than 40,000 demonstrators in 10 countries, this announcement was about something much more valuable.

With 1,600 in the audience and thousands more watching online, most of whom are not members of their faith, Gardner revealed that she and her husband, Sterling, are stepping down from the company to step up to a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They’ve been called to the Hawaii Honolulu Mission and report to the Missionary Training Center on March 23.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... sband.html

This mans day job has been to convince others to sell his products. He has developed a network of 'demonstrators' who then sell to the end user the goods he designates. It's an archetypal Multi Layer Marketing scheme. And he has been very successful. In every single respect he is perfect for the role of Mission President, a role where he convinces groups of teenagers to go and 'demonstrate' the Church to the public who may or may not be aware of it.

My question: Does operating the mission field in the way that this man is going to be inclined to operate it (I recognise I may have just done him a huge disservice), damage the reputation of the Church and further propagate the impression that "it's all about sales"?

[_moksha]

Hey, they paid the hefty franchise fees to get their own Mission Distributorship, so why are you ragging on them?



"Blessed are the persistent for they shall close the deal."
- Book of Mary Kay

[_Kevin Graham]

Gee, hard to imagine Mormons leading the way in something like this... Utah has always been the MLM center of the Universe. It is sad how it deceives people and makes them go broke so the top 1% in the company sit back and do nothing except count their winnings.

In fact, in accordance with US Federal law requirements, even the company's publicly available documents PROVE that well over 90% of all Stampin' Up! "income-earning" Demonstrators (people who are actually trying to work the business) earn LESS than $750 ...per YEAR from their Stampin' Up! business!! (well, only for those who actually GET any income at all -that does NOT include the thousands and thousands who NEVER earn a single penny).

Uh, that's FAR below poverty level in my country.

Are you kidding me ?!!

I thought they said this was a REAL business where you can make a real living... you know, that whole thing about “You're in business 'For yourself but not by yourself' ” and how it's a “Great opportunity”?? What happend to that part?

Looking at the numbers it seems more like something to keep you busy until you file bankruptcy.

...and if Stampin' Up! won't readily provide you with their 'Income Disclosure Statement' ask why not.
Ask yourself: "What is the company trying to hide?"

(...psst... they don't want you to find out that what they are teaching you
has been documented for over 60 years to not work to make money with Stampin' Up!)

http://www.mlmultrasecrets.com/stampinup.html

[_Symmachus]

My question: Does operating the mission field in the way that this man is going to be inclined to operate it (I recognise I may have just done him a huge disservice), damage the reputation of the Church and further propagate the impression that "it's all about sales"?

Whose impression of that reputation are we talking about? Believing members will not see it that way, and non-believing non-members think, in the main, that Mormonism is a culty mixture of Scientology, polygamy, and Christianity as imagined by John Wayne, with some of its practitioners more annoying than others.

Non-believing members or ex-members will see it as largely about sales whether this man is a mission president or not.

[_Doctor Steuss]

My question: Does operating the mission field in the way that this man is going to be inclined to operate it (I recognise I may have just done him a huge disservice), damage the reputation of the Church and further propagate the impression that "it's all about sales"?

If I'm reading the article correctly, he hasn't been called to be a mission president; he and his wife are serving a mission.

[_Maksutov]

No matter what, it ends up as Mormons Losing Money.

[_I have a question]

My question: Does operating the mission field in the way that this man is going to be inclined to operate it (I recognise I may have just done him a huge disservice), damage the reputation of the Church and further propagate the impression that "it's all about sales"?

If I'm reading the article correctly, he hasn't been called to be a mission president; he and his wife are serving a mission.

Good evening, my bad.

I have edited the title, thank you for pointing that out.

[_Zadok]

Just think of the down-line they will be able to build in Hawaii for when their mission is over.

[_cinepro]

The DN recently had an article trying to cool down the "door-to-door sales" industry that makes crazy promises to RMs to get them to sell pest control, alarm systems or satellite services for the summer:

http://national.deseretnews.com/article ... s-job.html

20 years too late for me :(

[_sunstoned]

Gee, hard to imagine Mormons leading the way in something like this... Utah has always been the MLM center of the Universe. It is sad how it deceives people and makes them go broke so the top 1% in the company sit back and do nothing except count their winnings.

You have just articulated the mission statement of the church.