What I Learned From Herbalife

Mary K

Herbalife

Pampered Chef

Beach Body

Amway

How do you feel about network marketing companies??

I am not at all a hater of network marketing/ MLMs (multi-level-marketing). Generally speaking, I do not think they are scams. I think their products are good, the people are great, and the compensation is generous. Yes, many new distributors make friends and family uncomfortable with sales efforts in the beginning...but give them some latitude. They’re trying to go to the next level and are learning as they go.

I am not personally in any MLM (but I do own Herbalife stock!). It’s just not my thing. But I grew up in the Herbalife world and learned a ton. My mom has been a successful Herbalife distributor for over two decades now and even owns her own nutrition club and a fitness center. I know many people in Herbalife and other MLMs who make six figures a year.

Even now, Herbalife is a big part of my life. As I’m writing this I have an Herbalife LiftOff energy drink on my desk. Every morning I have an Herbalife chocolate-mint shake for breakfast, and every now and then I’ll have some of the protein coffee as a snack. But more important than the products I use are the business and sales lessons I learned.

Here are a few of the best things I learned from growing up around Herbalife:

1. Self-development. Every MLM I know of has self-development as a huge part of their character. When I was 15 my mom gave me “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, largely as a result of Herbalife’s influence. Since then I’ve been through that book more than 100 times. It changed my life.
2. Bravery. Have you ever seen an Herbalife distributor wearing one of those huge “lose weight now” buttons? Maybe you laugh when you see it, but they work. I’ve seen it! People would stop my mom and ask her about her button all of the time. It’s not easy doing something that you know looks weird to others. I guarantee most new distributors are not excited about the button. They face their discomfort and do the scary, weird thing. Being brave enough to be weird is an important trait for entrepreneurs.
3. Consistency. My mom is a great example...she has spent years and years selling, trying different methods, pivoting, learning. She’s hosted tons of recruiting meetings, worn her button, goes to seminars, posts interesting videos and more. She and her successful Herbalife friends keep working and learning. Eventually, it pays off big.
4. Relationships. Many people in MLMs do overstep and hurt relationships. That is true. We might as well learn from that pain: do not tarnish relationships by being salesy.  When you go into a business, whether you’re starting your own thing or joining an MLM, be successful and interesting in a way that family and friends come to you. Don’t put pressure on them. On the flip side, successful MLM distributors learn how to be consultative, as opposed to aggressive. Give people time. Give people free value. When you eventually do sell to people, don’t be too intense about your upsells...play the long game and make sure the people you connect with are comfortable with you.

The whole idea I had about this is that MLMs tend to be pretty polarizing, especially in the business community. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. There are some pretty valuable lessons to learn from these successful, multi-billion dollar companies.