False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes (Paperback)

~ Robert L. Fitzpatrick (Author), (Author) "Aboard a plane heading for Kansas City, the attractive young woman sitting next to me turned to the person behind and asked, I noticed you..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Age, Fund America, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

False Profits is about the "old" American dream and the new which, at its worst, turns a longing for inner prosperity, to greed. "False Profits is a true story about someone who lost faith in the prophets, profits, and promises of pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing, but gained profound knowledge of themselves." It is also a call to quest into the self and come out changed. False Profits is a call for Americans to salvage all tendencies toward greed - in this sense the book is a 'confessional' story. The love of riches by Americans is, of course, complex; a long story going back to the day the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, hoping for freedom previously denied them. In a style available to the casual reader and seasoned business-person alike, False Profits succeeds in giving another perspective to what dominates so many Americans - the obsessive need to get rich quick. This book asks us to consider another self - the soul that is inner and waiting for recognition within the extraordinary business of being alive. -- From Independent Publisher

Product Description

False Profits is an in-depth examination of the multi-level marketing

industry and related illegal pyramid scheme phenomenon which have grown rapidly in the US and abroad in the last 15 years. The examination looks at the MLM field from the perspective of its social, personal and spiritual effects on those enrolled and solicited.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Herald Press (NC) (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964879514
• ISBN-13: 978-0964879515
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #819,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Approaches MLM In A New Light..., September 8, 2002

By	William Hefner (EUREKA, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

False Profits takes a fascinating look at the world of illegal pyramids and multilevel marketing. The book approaches MLM and the MLM industry like no other book I have read. Instead of explaining it from a pure business point of view, it explains it from a psychological, spiritual, ethical and social point of view.

Make no mistake, the author of this book loathes MLM. As far as he is concerned, there is little distinction between most MLMs and pyramid schemes, other than the fact that the latter are illegal. Even if you are pro-MLM though, you must admit that many of his observations are correct, and that the MLM industry in general has a long way to go before it reaches any level of acceptance in our society.

My favorite aspect of the book concerns its look at the psychology of many multilevel marketers and get-rich-quick schemers. It focuses on the guilt trips that these people lay on their own friends and family, their compromise of integrity and interpersonal relationships for the sake of greed, their deception of unsuspecting strangers, and the overemphasis on materialism that has made many of these people morally bankrupt.

Of course, not all MLM participants behave like this. These are largely the actions of "MLM junkies" and hard-core recruiters. Unfortunately, MLM companies and the industry itself often encourage this type of behavior amongst their reps, which has helped to give the MLM industry a black eye over the years and made multilevel marketers looked upon as people to avoid. Hopefully, by recognizing these ugly traits, you can avoid becoming one of these people.

About the only downside of this book is its occasional delve into spiritual and deeply philosophical theories of how MLMs and cults operate. While I have seen many MLMs that resemble cults, and many multilevel marketers that resemble little more than brainwashed zombies, I think that the author's view of all MLMs being tied (somehow) into the new age movement is a bit of a stretch. Not all people get involved with MLM for the same reason, and not all multilevel marketers become blathering idiots. Many do, but certainly not all of them.

Despite the author's occasional forays into the esoteric, the book is quite enjoyable to read. It is obviously very well researched and the culmination of many years of hard work. Although it may go a bit far at times, I think that it should be read by anyone contemplating getting involved in the world of multilevel marketing. It will really make you question EXACTLY why you are getting involved, and whether your involvement is for the right reasons.

Unethical multilevel marketers will absolutely HATE this book. Those involved in blatant pyramids and get-rich-quick schemes will probably want to strangle the author, since he will likely expose them for the shallow con-artists they are. Ethical multilevel marketers will learn how to avoid the pitfalls of becoming a participant in these types of schemes, and the book's lessons will serve as a reminder of how NOT to do business.

Fitzpatrick explains exactly how illegal pyramids work, and exposes many MLMs for what they really are. After reading this book, you should be able to tell the difference between a quasi-pyramid and a legitimate business opportunity. You should also come away with a strong sense of what is ethical and right, and what is not. Ethics seems to be a dirty word to many in the MLM industry, but it shouldn't be. Read this book, and you will likely discover much about MLM, and yourself, that you did not already know.

46 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating expose` of the multi-level scheme "industry", June 12, 2000

By	Cindy Province (Defiance, MO USA) - See all my reviews

After watching friends squander hard-earned money on worthless "network marketing" schemes, I found this book and read it. Proving that there really is one born every minute, authors Fitzpatrick and Reynolds have lived the lie--that easy money is to be had, merely by offering "business oportunities" to all of one's friends and aquaintances--and to their credit have written this remarkable book to warn others. Most helpful was the authors' comparison of multi-level schemes and illegal pyramid schemes. The only difference between the two is that in the former, a product is exchanged. This distinction without a difference allows "upline" MLM racketeers to exploit the gullible legally. Very telling also, was the authors' description of the training these MLM's provide, the standard lines, the stock answers and finally, blaming the almost inevitable failure to produce the promised financial independence on the recruit "not having what it takes" to "succeed". Blame the victim...one of the oldest lines in the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering participating in a multi-level scheme.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars False Profits - A long overdue examination of MLM., October 6, 1997

By A Customer

I found this book to be fascinating and difficult to put down. It offers a very thorough treatment of the multi-level craze and examines the psychology and motivations from a very personal perspective. Readers who have participated in multi-level marketing will likely find some sections to be painful and embarrassing, eliciting a knowing smile and blush from the all-too-familiar experiences. False Profits is highly recommended for those who wish to avoid or even escape the lure of MLM.