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View Full Version : Multi-level marketing is NOT taught at Harvard!



Emet
07-10-2010, 10:02 AM
Multi-level marketing companies love to pepper their sales pitches by invoking the name of Harvard University, especially the Harvard Business School. Very prestigious, don't you know.

"Harvard teaches multi-level marketing."
"Harvard endorses multi-level marketing."
"I believe the Harvard School of Business has already received partial financial backing to analyze the viability of the MLM/direct selling business model."



An article about this topic was even done by the Wall Street Journal in 1995. Here are some excerpts from the article:

Of particular concern these days is the increasing number of claims that the business school endorses multilevel marketing, in which distributors earn commissions on products that they or their recruits sell. “If the registrar’s office had a dollar for every call we’ve had over the years over whether Harvard Business School teaches multilevel marketing or has studies on it, we could throw a very nice Christmas party,” reads one internal business-school memo. “This claim is harder to kill than a dandelion.

“What was once a nuisance now looks like grounds for potential defamation or libel lawsuits, says Frank J. Connors, a Harvard lawyer. Some handouts, for example, now claim — falsely — that Harvard has conducted “extensive research in the network marketing industry,” and that the business school calls multilevel marketing “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Many of the current myths about Harvard and multilevel marketing stem from a 1984 article widely used to recruit distributors, multilevel experts say. The article, by multilevel consultant Beverly Nadler, states without attribution that Harvard teaches multilevel marketing.

Harvard Business School marketing Prof. Robert J. Dolan worries that people may join multilevel marketing companies because they mistakenly believe Harvard condones the practice. “You hate to see your name used in a way that you haven’t approved,” he says. “Then you think of all the people who are being led down a path to some financial distress.”



The Truth: Harvard Business School has published case studies on a variety of businesses, including Mary Kay, but that does NOT mean that MK is “taught” or “studied” at Harvard.

Pink Truth - Mary Kay Not Taught at Harvard (http://www.pinktruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=63)

The article referenced in the WSJ may be from 1995, but nothing has changed... the Harvard lie persists.

Mike!
07-10-2010, 10:35 AM
You mean to tell me that the Harvard MLM diploma I got off EBay is a fake?

:RpS_mad:

A Life Aloft
07-11-2010, 02:40 PM
This is an excellent point and it's amazing how many outright lies are propagted by MLMs and touted as fact, when they are nothing but fiction.

This one was alwys one of my faves being touted by MLMers:

"The Wall Street Journal has said that by the year 2000, 60 to 70 percent of all goods and services will be sold through MLM."

In TRUTH, acccording to more than a dozen reporters and staffers, when queried, The Wall Street Journal never once endorsed network marketing or "network marketing methods."

Yes, they have reported on some companies. But they certainly never said that MLM would be moving 60-plus percent of all U.S. commerce - goods and services -- by the year 2000. And as we can see, that certainly has not come to pass has it? lol

The U.S. sells about $6 trillion plus worth of goods and services per year - give and take ten or twenty billion. By the most aggressive accounts, network marketing (which for the sake of quoting really BIG numbers must include the Direct Selling industry) accounts for $50 billion in annual sales. More conservative estimates put the figure at a max. of $15 to $20 billion worldwide. Super-conservative folks say MLM is about $10 billion really.

Hmmm. One percent of all U.S. goods and services would amount to $55 billion. 50 percent -- 10 to 20 percent less than the journal was falsely quoted as saying -- would be $3 trillion. Not bad growth for the next six years!

Okay -- get out your calculators. This is a lie of the lowest order; not even creative -- just stupid.

If someone tried to sponsor you, boastfully claiming he or she made $30,000 per month, and you discovered that he or she really made one percent of that -- or $300 -- what would you think of that person?

Great point, Emet. You see this lie purportrated often by MLMers.

This one was always one of my faves:

"The Wall Street Journal has said that by the year 2000, 60 to 70 percent of all goods and services will be sold through MLM."

According to more than a dozen reporters and staffers who were queried about this statement, The Wall Street Journal never endorsed network marketing or "network marketing methods."

Yes, they have reported on some companies. But they certainly never said that MLM would be moving 60-plus percent of all U.S. commerce - goods and services. AAnd here we are in 20210 and that ridiculous claim certainly has not happened nor will it ever occur.

The U.S. sells about $6 trillion plus worth of goods and services per year - give and take ten or twenty billion. By the most aggressive accounts, network marketing (which for the sake of quoting really BIG numbers must include the Direct Selling industry) accounts for $50 billion in annual sales. More conservative estimates put the figure at a max. of $15 to $20 billion worldwide. Super-conservative folks say MLM is about $10 billion really.

Hmmm. One percent of all U.S. goods and services would amount to $55 billion. 50 percent -- 10 to 20 percent less than the journal was falsely quoted as saying -- would be $3 trillion. Not bad growth for the next six years!

Okay -- get out your calculators. This is a lie of the lowest order; not even creative -- just stupid.

If someone tried to sponsor you, boastfully claiming he or she made $30,000 per month, and you discovered that he or she really made one percent of that -- or $300 -- what would you think of that person?

Here's another good one:

"20% of all the millionaires in this country were created through Network Marketing."

Twenty percent of all the millionaires in America were not created through network marketing. By most accounts, as many as 90 percent of them were created through real estate, 90 plus 20 equals 110, and that kind of math would get an F in any school -- even Harvard 'B'. And how many millionaires came from manufacturing or distribution (the family Walton of Walmart -- $25 billion plus) . . . ? High-tech . . . (Bill Gates of Microsoft, the richest man in America -- and the 300-plus millionaires his company has created . .or Ross Perot)? Franchising (Mrs. Ray Kroc of McDonald's) . . . ? Entertainment . . . ? Etc. . . . ?

We've got lots of men and women who make a million dollars a year in this business. Many more who've made $1,000,000-plus in their Networking careers. But . . . 20 percent of all the millionaires in the U.S.? Please, use some common sense.

The only possible reason I can think of as a basis for the existence of this 20 percent figure is that the founders of Amway, Rich Devos and Jay Van Andel, have a combined net worth in excess of $6 billion. That's 6,000 millionaires right there. Maybe that's where the 20 percent comes from. lmao

iamwil
07-12-2010, 10:11 AM
The Truth: Harvard Business School has published case studies on a variety of businesses, including Mary Kay, but that does NOT mean that MK is “taught” or “studied” at Harvard.

Now I don't promote that MLM was taught at Harvard. I know it was taught at a couple of community colleges...because I taught the courses...well attended too! I loved getting paid to teach MLM, the CashFlow Game, and juggling...they were fun courses... It was almost as fun as getting hired by a local medical group to teach nutrition or lack there of in our nation and the MDs got CEU's for listening and attending classes by this high school graduate MLMer! Life is nothing but interesting.

But back to good old Harvard. "Harvard Business School has published case studies on a variety of businesses, including Mary Kay, but that does NOT mean that MK is “taught” or “studied” at Harvard." So Harvard Business school publishes case studies on things it does not teach or study? So why produce a case study that you don't utilize in your education program and how do you publish anything on something you haven't studied?

As far as I can see, what most colleges teach is for students to wait till the last minute to do anything. "If you wait till the last minute, it only takes a minute."

I've often thought I should go back and get an education....but then I'd be way to dangerous...safer for the rest of you if I travel unarmed and leave the educated to teach and work for me.

Emet
07-12-2010, 10:28 AM
I know it was taught at a couple of community colleges...because I taught the courses...well attended too!

Link with course description, please.


So Harvard Business school publishes case studies on things it does not teach or study? So why produce a case study that you don't utilize in your education program and how do you publish anything on something you haven't studied?

There is a big difference between publishing a case study on something vs. stating that something is "taught". In my studies in the sciences, case reports on what many describe as "woo" science were analyzed. It was not an endorsement.

As the article I linked to stated:


The particular business plan in question focused on the prizes offered by Mary Kay, and how effective they are at encouraging consultants and directors to buy more.

A case report can be used to illustrate a point, but may not the focus of the course being taught.

iamwil
07-12-2010, 10:49 AM
No links as taught was the operative word... I moved from that area 4 years ago and drivng back in the evenings the commute and time wasn't worth the $66 I made in an evening.... I did it for about 10 years though...3 classes a semester.

However the course description was something along the lines of "Is mlm or network marketing for you? Come discuss the good, the bad and the ugly, compensation plans, methodologies and see if you have the skills and determination it takes to succeed" For cashflow game it was "over $200 for a board game made of cardboard and plastic? Come play Kiosaki's financial education game before you decide to buy one of your own." and the juggling one said something like "Juggling 101, come learn how to drop and improve from there. It is more concentration and determination than coordination" Now they were all one night courses....but it was funny that in all three I got people that repeated.

But back to harvard I doubt if they have course that is titled or focused on financial calculators...but I'll bet many folks were 'taught' to use them there. But I sure don't see a need to use any of the above to validate MLM.