HBSA contacted me and offered me a chance to hear how I could add 20 to 30 people to my home based business a week. They had me listen to a presentation in which they claimed they would teach me marketing techniques that were a cut above traditional network marketing. They mentioned how I would be able to find or in their words target only those people who had a want, need or desire for what I had. They had inferred to me that I would only be in touch with those people who had a real serious interest in my product unlike the other form of network marketing in which I got a hold of people who were not really serious or ready to buy.
I really thought I would be taught where I would find leads of those people who were already ready to buy. I had decided to jump on the opportunity since they guaranteed a generation of $50K or more in my business within a year and I felt like it would be so wrong to throw away an opportunity like that since it seemed like the opprtunity of a lifetime.
I finally started listening to the training materials, and it was not until their 7 day return policy had already expired that I caught on to what it was really about! When I had gotten a little further in my training, I was shocked with what I heard. What they were teaching was that to target individuals, you would with the help of a middleman, profile people over a widespread database network, thereby invading their privacy by checking into their private information and records about their spending habits and other demographic information such as age, income and health, thereby violating their privacy rights! You were to then call them over the phone via, you guessed it, telemarketing! I protested to my mentor, hoping he would decide that due to my strong feelings against what I had found out, cut me loose and get me refunded. But oh no, he did not even hear what I had to say. He glossed over what I had to say and "corrected" me and had the teacher of the school talk me into moving forward with the program.
I finally got to the point where I had purchased leads via a middleman and went ahead and started dialing. It turned out to be much worse than I could have possibly imagined! I could tell that the people I called were feeling threatened, preyed upon, violated and disturbed etc. Based on their words and behaviors and it just made me miserable! It isn't right calling people like that violating them, invading their privacy. They were asking me who I was and how I got their information because they were frightened that I was able to find out about their private information! I can't say I blame them! These people certainly do not have a want, need and desire for my product! I understand that if I call hundreds of people (including those who do not want to be bothered) I will eventually get some people who will want what I am selling and sign up. It does not matter how well it works or how much money I make, I absolutely cannot live with myself bothering people like that for a living! It isn't right spying on their habits and calling them unaware!
I am adamantly against telemarketing! I refuse to live my life doing something like that! I despise it! I will not make a living doing something I am opposed to period! You cannot be successful in business doing something you strongly despise. This is immoral!
I was duped into joining a telemarketing school for my business. It does include targeting people over the internet once you become more advanced, but you would still be invading their privacy! They do not teach what they claim to teach! They purposely make their education seem what it is not! The reason being, you guessed it, they are smooth telemarketers themselves! They called me yes, but I had already found out about their school over the internet and got on their list. That's why I thought I could trust them. I signed up because I was really serious about expanding my business! However, I will not use telemarketing techniques to market my product. I stand my ground.
I contacted my mentor first, and he alleged that I was living in a dreamworld because I adamantly opposed using telmarketing techniques to market my product! He really does not value anything I have to say no matter how important and true it is! I then asked the corporate office for a refund explaing how I can not do something that violates my values and my morals and they completely ignored me and disregarded everything I said! They shifted the resposibility on me as if it is my problem that telemarketing is unethical and against my conscience. Of course they used smooth language using politically correct non-judgemental sounding words but the message was clear they they did not care how I felt and that if I dropped out I would just have to forfeit my guarantee! They refused to honor my requests even though I had a legitimate argument!
I have already contacted my local consumer affairs office. If they can't help I will contact a lawyer for advice and/or report them to the BBB. They have or so they say a strict qualification requirement before being accepted into the school. I expressed skepticism, becuase I have been duped many times before, I am more wise and aware of how sneakier companies are becoming. The person who signed me up and I haggled for almost 2 hours! If he could have sensed I was not the right person for the program, then he should not have have qualified me. I believe it is another deceptive tactic, so that you feel at ease like you are making the right decision. They appear as a reputable company because of the way they phrase things.
Anybody considering expanding their home based business by investing in a HBSA education beware! These people are underhanded wolves in sheeps clothing. They are a business and yet they are not even listed in the phone directory. When you use reverse phone lookup, the address is blocked! There are better more suitable as well as effective ways (I hope) to successfully expand your business using more moral marketing techniques! Even though traditional network marketing may not work for everyone, at least you are using more moral less invasive marketing techniques. Not all marketing techniques are created equal!
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