“Look into the bad reviews… then run!” One former rep shares her experience with MLM It Works!

Business

Find out why one former It Works! reps recommends dong ANYTHING but join the MLM company.

Since we started investigating MLMs over four years ago, we’ve been approached by many former reps wanting to tell us their story.

Most are too scared of repercussions from their former team to go public with their experiences (and with good reason – one woman explained how her former team tried to destroy her husband’s business by accusing of being a paedophile on his Facebook page).

But sometimes they want their story to be shared, to help warn others from the same fate. Here are some of the experiences we’ve shared from former MLM reps:

We’ve also spoken to two former reps from the MLM It Works! and shared their stories:

And recently, another ex-It Works! rep contacted us to say her (thankfully short-lived) experience with the company was very similar. She was keen to share her story too. So here it is.

When you joined It Works!, were you make any promises about the kind of lifestyle you could expect?

When I joined It Works! in July, my team said the company was amazing, and that they were all working towards a seven-day weekend living from their phones.

And did you achieve that?

No. I was told that you only get out what you put in, so I was working on my phone from the moment my eyes opened every day. I was constantly dreaming of ways to engage potential clients.

How much did you earn?

You’re supposed to get 10% commission of your sales on average, yet when I worked out what I was meant to get and what I actually got paid there was a huge difference. 

And how much did you spend on business costs?

You don’t want to know! They ask you to put some money in with the prize pool each month, and they have training camps, books and podcasts that you are encouraged to buy to help further your business. 

My BBK (Business Builder Kit) was on sale when I joined, but then I signed up for three auto shipments, at an average of US$208 per month. That is the minimum PBV (Personal Business Volume) you have to spend to remain qualified each month.

My upline did remind me if I couldn’t afford it any month to just put it on hold. 

Were you encouraged to use the products yourself?

Yes, but I was also given scripts that made it sound like I’ve used the product when I hadn’t. I never used them as it felt dishonest.

I did like the coffee, and will miss it, but it’s ridiculously overpriced.

What was the training like?

The training process leaves a lot to be desired. There are a lot of videos and groups to help, and they want you to ask questions if you don’t understand, but my upline was rubbish. I don’t think anyone has been trained properly.

Were you ever asked to do anything that made you uncomfortable?

Yes! Asking for people’s CCV numbers on their bank cards. I did it once and I couldn’t really sleep that night. Never again.

Were you encouraged to ‘fake it til you make it’?

Yes, we were also encouraged to post on social media, even if we had no product – anything to gain curiosity. That’s their main goal: to create curiosity. 

What happened when you told your team you were leaving?

Actually they were fully supportive, reminding me I can come back at any time and they will all be there ready to support me again.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining It Works!?

It’s not fair at all how they market it. So before you sign up, look into the bad reviews, look into everything. Ask every possible question. THEN RUN! Go buy some seedlings and grow them instead! ANYTHING but join It Works!

Read more about MLMs

If you want to learn more about the MLM industry, we recommend reading these articles:

We also highly recommend reading this article: Are MLMs pyramid schemes? And other questions you need to ask before joining one.

And finally, if you’d like to learn more about individual MLM companies, you can read our investigations into some of them here: