I worked as a sales professional for most of my adult life in several ways: retail sales, retail management, then territory sales management for wholesale manufacturers (one furniture and one giftware). As a manufacturer’s rep, I attended SO MANY sales meetings and conferences and trade shows etc etc etc. While the two companies varied in how much they spent per rep, both (and all of their competitors) paid for EVERYTHING for our sales trips. Airfare, transit to the hotel, hotel itself, meals, necessary tools (notepads, pens, the basics)…it would have been laughable if they hadn’t. Oh, we also were “paid employees” (salary plus commissions and bonuses) with full benefits, CREDITS FOR OUR VEHICLE EXPENSES because of all the driving we did in our territories, allowance to treat our customers to meals and other things, a budget of COMPANY money to use for SALES CONTESTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, completely paid-for technical training and subscriptions to industry publications/groups, FREE PRODUCT SAMPLES to take around to our accounts and their employees (mini mattress samples are kinda cute and technically accurate little buggers, and the giftware company would send me literal stacks of boxes filled with FREE samples of home decor, plush toys, jewelry and accessories, seasonal accents…so much fun…plus we could choose to “purchase” additional samples beyond those automatically sent to us for half off true wholesale and we used that benefit like crazy).

We worked annual trade shows with the company picking up all costs (we did work our tails off, but so much fun and so busy), our “basic” company sales trips (as in, trips for all employees and not the “Speshul Recognition” types like this Top Director Trip or whatever MK calls it) were held in places like The Bellagio, Gaylord Opryland, Naples, San Diego, nice hotels downtown Chicago, Marriott downtown Atlanta, so on and so on…and I wasn’t some super high paid tech rep or anything. These were middle of the road positions paying approx $50k-$70k per year. But based on what I’ve learned from Tracy here (and the Pink Truth Super Sleuths who get those Applause figures), that 50-70k PLUS FULL BENEFITS is waaaaaay more than the Cadillac directors make WHEN THEY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT their self employment taxes, costs of doing business (sooooo many costs), lack of health insurance (being a Caddy director whose husband’s employment covers your healthcare DOES NOT COUNT when you’re selling the “opportunity” to a single woman who isn’t on a husband’s insurance), just everything…it’s paltry. It might come out to what, 30-40k/year at the high end? If that? Possibly the bottom “barely-hanging-on” Caddy directors might even be under 30k/year? I’m just guessing here but don’t think I’m far off.

Lol sorry for the tangent guys, it’s a combo of my utter disgust at how the MK basic sales directors and above claim executive income, and perhaps my reminiscing about my old days in sales. Regardless, all roads lead to the fact that MK is a joke of a “career” and that nearly EVERYONE in MK (save for the top NSDs who can probably be counted on one’s hands and toes) is making less than they would with an equivalent title at an actual job (first, how many legit non-MLM professionals with a title of, say, ‘Executive Senior Sales Director’ would be making <70k/year…second, how many non-MLM professionals are allowed to put “future” in front of the title they don’t currently hold but are hoping to be promoted to lol).

It’s laughable to me that NSDs have the gall to CHARGE their “team” to attend a so-called professional training event. And not include lodging in that fee. And maybe not even a freaking meal. ONLY IN MLM.

Seriously, lurkers…ONLY IN MLM. (Or whatever MK claims its structure to be).