Hiphoppas Expose Business Cult in Baltimore... And throughout U.S.
What's the white boy way of slangin' crack rock? Well, if you've ever seen the movies Boiler Room or Wall Street you might suspect that the young ambitious craze for money, mind control through persuasion, and deception only occurs in the fast paced whirlwind of Wall Street or Hollywood. You might think hustling high price stocks or IPO's is the mental drug for people with pipe dreams. Would you ever suspect selling printer paper, ink cartridges, pens and pencils would suffice for a young buppie tycoon on the rise!
Guess what! You don't have to look too far to find white-collar boiler rooms or white-collar door-to-door sales sweatshops filled with mental slaves. As a matter of fact, a new one has just opened up in Baltimore.in the guise of face-to-face selling, this type of selling is a dangerous method of getting young people from ages 18-25 to do very hard labor for very little pay. It's called direct marketing. Do you have friends, family, or loved ones who may have alienated themselves from you?
Many young people cut ties with family and friends in hopes of financial independence through direct marketing, sales, or managing branch offices in various cities throughout the U.S. Beware, your family member or friend may have been seduced or manipulated into a business cult. If you are a past employee or relative there is a community to help you at DS-Max Aftermath (http://groups. Msn.com/DSMAXTheAftermath) or DS-Max, Cydcor, or Granton Marketing at (usacomplaints.com).
According to a website link found on www.careerbuilder.com, The idea of Chance Marketing, Inc (www.chancemarketing.net) was originally conceived in July by Sean D. Vernon and officially incorporated in April. Sean graduated from Rutgers University in the summer of 2002 with a degree in Communications and spent the next two years gaining sales experience in markets across the country, including New Jersey, Delaware, San Diego, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Chance Marketing, Inc. Officially opened its doors in Baltimore, MD for two primary reasons: strong client demand and the challenge of quickly expanding throughout the east coast. Or maybe there's just more nave hard working college graduates in Baltimore desperate for jobs. Better yet, maybe Cydcor has not had negative media exposure yet in Baltimore; as it has had all over the nation. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?!?!?
According to their own website, Sean D. Vernon officially incorporated in April. The Baltimore branch opened with the help of five key con artists: Jeff S. Katz (Ice hockey player from Chicago, IL); Matthew Kresge (Athletic trainer/Soccer player from Port Clinton, OH); Jessica Thatch (World traveler/Ex-professional bartender from Kansas City, MO); Elizabeth Solomon (Former sous chef from Lexington, KY); and Danata Janofsky (International soccer player from Cleveland, OH). Sound like the Grifters? From my day of observation, they came close.
Wellmaybe they aren't that good, especially if they try to con a Hiphoppa! These charismatic individuals are your new DS-Max/Cydcor/Granton Marketing branch cult leaders in Baltimore. Should we roll out the red carpet? How about a celebration at the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards, or M&T Bank Stadium! Yes indeed, Baltimore has a new B-to-B business cult that descends on local businesses like a parade of cockroaches every morning at 9A.M. Throughout various territories. If you've seen well-dressed people in your small business pitching office supplies, you've been JUICED!!!
For all of you second round applicants with blisters in your feet after your Day of O, (Day of Observing door to door sales). I'm sure you'll appreciate this article. For all of you who have been brainwashed, deceived, and manipulated while being enticed and addicted to the promises of Cydcor/DS-Max. I'm sorrywelcome to the kinder gentler America!
The American public education system has never been about true knowledge to relieve human suffering; it is about brainwashing students. It has less to do with building intellectualism and more to do with training socially acceptable clones. It is producing docile, ignorant lemmings that know little about the world, including cults, con artists, rip offs, and scams. This is steadily-and some say deliberately&weakening our democratic society.
May people simply do not have the discipline to embrace true autonomy and true freedom that stems from independent thought. Despite this obvious problem, President Bush and his totalitarian regime recently signed an education bill, dubbed "Leave No Student Behind", that allocated $49 billion to a system so broken, so useless, that it is a national shame and a national sham. His answer? Testing, testing, testing. If you are testing only the memorized facts that are made for the test you are a human Memorex tape. All the meaningful knowledge, wisdom, and understanding needed to actually understand REAL life is thrown out for the sake of the test score.
Hence, what you have are college graduates who are perfectly gullible victims for business cults and their well-read sophisticated leaders. These desperate college graduates and students become desperate Cydcor entry-level sales drones when they graduate from college searching for jobs.
Sales and marketing outsourcing is a growing trend for large companies nowadays. Companies looking to cut costs find it more effective to outsource to other marketing firms with focused specialized sales teams. Simple. Straightforward. Makes sense right. Not really. What about the deceptive strategies and methods used to recruit employees? What about the underworld network of mesh houses where DS-Max employees live together sometimes with 3-7 people in one commune? What about the atmosphere meetings where people are emotionally fed pipe dreams?
Browse under Baltimore or any large city on craigslist, careerbuilder.com, monster.com, or Google for that matter. You're bound to see the ads of Chance Marketing, Inc or other Cydcor/DS-Max/Granton Marketing sweat shop aliases. You may be looking for a sales, marketing, or sports management job, some extra income, a career in management, or an opportunity for financial independence. However, I'm sure you never thought you'd find yourself being bamboozled into a business cult.
Business cults are a serious disease destroying bright futures of young professionals in America. Most of these college graduates are helpless virgins in the game of business. Because of our free enterprise friendly and competitive society, many people are vulnerable to business cults. Alienation from family and friends, past trauma, financial problems, inadequacy, rejection, lack of self esteem, lack of self-education, and non-specialized college degrees could all be the weaknesses that could be exploited by a guru cult leader. These Branch managers flaunt enchanting direct marketing business opportunities promising financial independence.in actuality they are seducing young people to sacrifice their lives for a quick buck.
For these business cult leaders, it's too bad there are really people who still think in our society. A freethinking individual is like kryptonite to a cult leader. This Temple of Hiphop Member we'll call "Leo-ONE" is definitely a free thinker. His website is After having financial challenges with his real estate business start up Quick Property Solutions, LLC and writing two books on Hiphop: I Am Molecules-Time Mastery for A Hiphop Lifestyle, and The Hiphop Driven Life Discovering Your Divine Purpose; he is now 23, soon will be 24 on August 11th, and knows all to well the challenges of making money while you pursue your passions.
He reflects on the difficulty to make ends meet and retain your sense of self -preservation and dignity when doing any particular job to pay your dues. These people picked the wrong person to deceive. These "boiler room" wannabe's picked the wrong person to F* with! These kids obviously have no idea of the power Leo-ONE has in his real estate network, underground Hiphop circles, and friends and allies he has throughout the southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions in the U.S.
Nonchalantly he says, I'm always undercover. It's just not easy to make money in America. I'm not successful' in terms of conforming and fitting in. I'm more of an iconoclast. Some may even call me an outcast. I've chosen to live my life based on pursuits of my gifts and talents, rather than money. There's always a conflict for your soul in American society. Every time I seek a steady source of income outside of my own entrepreneurships, I'm asked to sacrifice a part of my soul. It really is a jungle out here, whether you graduate from college or not. The ruthless and conniving are around every corner.
I was just looking for some extra steady income to self-publish my books and supplement my real estate business. I wasn't there for a get rich quick scheme. I have already been approached countless times from all the MLM companies. I have all these bonafide personal skills in public speaking, marketing, sales, time management, and organization. I'm a self-made man. When I saw the Chance Marketing, Inc. Job listing on www.careerbuilder.com, I saw an opportunity to easily acquire a steady paying J-O-B in sales/marketing that would enhance skills I already use for my own businesses, he says.
Leo-ONE continued, When I went on the Day of O (day of observation), I saw the way these young people were being abused and exploited, my heart bled for their souls. They're being seriously brainwashed and pimped! His remarks are earth shattering, and would make any mother, father, brother, or sister cringe with rage. I talked to a lot of these twenty three to twenty five year olds, and many were fresh out of college and just not street smart, he says. They have no street knowledge. They think they were lucky to get a job with Cydcor, ' They are virgins in the business world and they're being seduced, mentally raped, and brainwashed.
All of them were acting like male and female whores hitting the track', prostituting themselves by selling office supplies up and down busy Baltimore roads in and out of local businesses tricking/soliciting small business owners. These face-to-face sellers are living a pipe dream thinking they will advance to be a Branch Manager in one year and they're all falling for it. The Branch manager is like a pimp sitting in his office all day interviewing new victims. He collects the money when salespeople come back at the end of the day depleted and exhausted. My heart goes out to their families and friends. I hope peace and justice will prevail in all of their lives.
Leo-ONE responded to an add on www.careerbuilder.com, on Monday June 28th. He wanted to speak directly to David Phillips. Lara, the secretary, told him that David was not in, and that he'd have to send in his resume by email. (Later Leo-ONE found out, Cydcor/DS-Max victims have said branch managers use the tactic of listing different ads with different contacts of people who don't really exist like David Phillips, Jennifer Hopkins, Joan Galanti, or Nancy. The reason they do this, is so that Lara, the secretary knows which ad the victim is responding to.
To this day, Leo-ONE still isn't sure if any of these contacts are real people. He used a super specialized headhunter type cover letter/resume that included all the great services he would provide for his new employer. C.E.O. Sean Vernon responded to the add immediately by email on Wednesday June 30th. He invited Leo-ONE down for an interview at 3700 Koppers St. Suite 110. Leo-ONE called and told Lara he could come in for an interview that same day, and she asked if 3:15 would be o.K. Leo-ONE agreed.
On Wednesday afternoon June 30th, Leo-ONE showed up for the interview right on time at 3:15 and met Lara the secretary who had Bob Marley music playing softly in the background stereo. He immediately complemented her on the choice of music and was pleased with the tasteful office demeanor. She instructed him to fill out a questionnaire and application. When introduced to Sean, Leo-ONE was also impressed with his Zen like posture, baldhead, sharply dressed, articulate manner of speech, and charismatic personality. According to Leo-ONE, Sean had various books on success, eastern philosophy, management, communication, leadership, and war strategies in his office. He was obviously well read, had a taste for the finer things in life, and demonstrated tremendous poise.
It's business. Illegal business like cocaine, oil, diamonds, and ganja controls America. Deception is nothing new. I've dealt with all types of misleading scams and two faced con artists belly to belly in real estate situations. I know the game. It's all about who influences who. I went in there to see an employer and make him think that he needed me. Little did I know he was a Cydcor vampire waiting for his next soul to take by proving to me that I needed him. It's really about survival, who eats who first. Little did I know, he really wanted to recruit me then break me down to be in his stable of sales whores, and did his best to make it look like I had to go through a rigorous qualification process to determine if I was a good enough' employee for his company, said Leo-ONE.
Sean told Leo-ONE that he got into reading self-improvement and success books after his father, a doctor, was making a million dollars a year, but because of HMO's his father's income dropped down to $100,000. He said ever since then he's been pursuing entrepreneurship and financial independence. After exchanging pleasantries and building more rapport, Leo-ONE was asked if he could come in for a second interview.
Sean asked me when I could come back for an interview and I said, I'm not sure, said Leo-ONE.
Sean said, Would tomorrow be o.K.? He seemed to be rushing things. I was curious about this business and I wanted to get a job soon so I agreed.
He said, What about 9am. You'll have the opportunity to spend a day observing what we do. Make sure you dress professionally.
I said o.K. I can make it here tomorrow which was Thursday July 1st 2004.
Leo-ONE showed up Thursday morning surprised to see so many bright eyed and happy faced young men and women of all different races, genders, and cultures dressed in business attire. I was just like the young black version of Giovanni Ribisi who plays Seth Davis in Boiler Room. I was sort of in a mental fog observing this chipper attitude everybody had in the hallways and office. I just wanted in to a job with steady income. I just wanted in to pay some bills. I didn't want in for any other reason. There was something eerie about it. It was too early in the morning to figure it out, said Leo-ONE
I know that salespeople are some of the most positive people on earth, and you need that attitude in sales. I even have it, but I still had yet to find out what we would be selling. I was patient, said Leo-ONE.
Because of Leo-ONE's somewhat mind-boggling credentials and self-confidence, he was the last in the hallway after other job candidates were partnered up with their sales person/evaluator for the day.
LEO-ONE comments, Everybody got paired up before I did. I didn't mind. I had a feeling the Branch manager, Sean, was going to give me preferential treatment or single me out because my skill set is undeniable. I made an effort to put Sean Vernon under MY control. I rocked him to sleep. Maybe I'm arrogant, it's just how I operate. I left no room for my resume to be rejected. Says Leo-ONE I knew they needed me no matter what the job was.
Finally, out walked Sean Vernon, and said, We saved the best for last! I'd like to introduce you to our top salesman Jeff Katz.
Leo-ONE was now standing in frond of their top producer, I was thinking in my head. This is their top guy!??' I could have run circles around him in my wet dreams. He seemed to be a little skinny geek, kind of nervous and intimidated by me. He also was rather young. Later, he told me he was twenty-three. Anyway, he had a full suit on and as we walked outside he began to ask me questions about my resume in a very nervous manner. I was calm and little did I know, he was probably nervous because he thought I would bail out if he revealed the truth about what they were doing. He was trying to trick me. He tried to be as professional as possible. I asked him where we would be going for the day, and he said,
I'll explain it all in detail after we're in the car. We've got to go with another guy I'm training named Mike. He's having some trouble with his confidence, and I'm going to give him some pointers, said Jeff.
Jeff said that his car needed to be fixed. We ended up riding in Mike's gas guzzling SUV. Now that I think of it, I wonder why Jeff didn't have money to fix his car if he's almost an assistant manager? When we got to the SUV we met up with Mike, another white male of medium height, they both put their coats in the back of the SUV. This is when I noticed how wrinkled and worn Jeff's shirt was. His face had a lot of pimples and blemishes and it seemed like he was very unhealthy. I chose to ignore it, figuring he probably is just a young guy with only a few suits or shirts. Who knows? I've never been one to judge people on appearance, said Leo-ONE.
Leo-ONE continued, When we stopped at the gas station. Jeff got out and had his first cigarette of the day. That was odd I thought. Most successful sales people have an aversion to habits like smoking. When he got back in the car, that's when he began to explain that we would be doing direct marketing office supplies at local businesses for Quill Corporation, a subsidiary of Staples. I thought we would be going to corporate offices all day in a corporate business-to-business environment meeting top leaders of corporations.in actuality, we ended up canvassing small businesses door to door in the area of Randallstown in West Baltimore.By foot.in dress shoes!
Leo-ONE jokingly said, I was dressed in a shirt and tie with hard sole shoes. It doesn't take a genius to see that this type of job was completely insane!!! What I was more intrigued by was how Mike was having trouble with his selling style and the determination of Jeff to keep encouraging him to be more excited, more confident, more forceful, and takes more control. The whole day, we followed Jeff, who was like a speed demon extremely fast to car dealerships, apartments, funeral homes, banks, fire departments, dance studios, hospitals, doctor's offices, dental offices etc. There were only a few businesses he would not walk into, mostly the larger corporate chains.
Leo-ONE was taken aback by all the door-to-door sales, but was curious about this whole operation.
I'm a big fan of Tony Robbins and I know he sold door to door when he lived on the streets. Part of me admired this kid Jeff for being bold enough to face all that rejection and keep on keeping on. My hustler mentality admired what Jeff was doing. However, I just couldn't help but take into perspective how miserable it is to sell office supplies door-to-door right before the fourth of July in sweltering heat. It was so hot we had to roll up our sleeves.
My shoes were giving me blisters. Nevertheless, I had fun because I'm an emcee I'm used to speaking and rapping in front of large audiences. I love people. I'm a populist. I was the comic relief all day chatting it up with people as we went along. I was flirting with women all day. I even had this pretty chiropractor give me pointers on my posture and spine. She damn near gave me a massage in the office! I considered doing the job, just so I could work on my creative confrontation and people skills while earning some extra cash, said Leo-ONE
It turns out that like many other young people who are seduced by Cydcor, DS-Max, or Granton Marketing, the job candidate is never told about the truth behind the job until they are actually in the car and are told the details of the job.in reality it's not a job interview at all. They use the formal business appearance and clothes to deceive candidates.
There is always a slow deception process from the resume submission, to the interviews, to the compensation, to the promotion. At each level, you don't find out the REAL truth, until it's too late to go back and you've been indoctrinated into the cult. Job candidates are only given information in interview phases. The Cydcor leaders are very tactical and strategic. They are skilled at deception and persuasion. They allow branch offices to break off with BRAND NEW ALIASES AS NAMES. Without prior knowledge or tracking of Cydcor or DS-Max, there's no way to do a search for a new branch office like Chance Marketing, Inc. On the web.
Like I was telling my brother Dinine-ONE (from rap group NIGHTJOHN from Gary, IN) who wil be soon moving to this area with me. We have to be very suspicious of job opportunities now a days. I tried looking up info on Chance Marketing or Direct Sales & Marketing on the web. I found some info on outsourcing marketing and sales. I just didn't find anything for this specific company. I reasoned that it was because they were a new company, said Leo-ONE
Jeff's first sale of the day was to Sylvester Watson of Call Me Up Cellular on 3539 Brenbrook Dr. All three of us were in this man's store. I was just the observer. Mr. Watson said, Which one of you guys is the best?' Mike tried a sales pitch to him and stumbled on his words. Mr. Watson cut him off and Jeff ended up talking to him and was able to sell about $358.00 dollars worth of items, such as a cash register and invoices. This sale made me feel relieved about the business, that people do actually buy from these people who were supposedly representing Quill Office Supplies. Now I'm just not sure if Mr. Watson will get the cash register he ordered! I hope he does, says Leo-ONE. Mr. Watson was a cool man, he had a snack stand in the back of his cell phone shop and bill paying center. That's street entrepreneurialism! Everybody knows that he's got the best chili dogs in Baltimore. Or so he says! Said Leo-ONE.
After that first sale, Leo-ONE could see that Jeff actually had some real sales skills and started to ask more questions about the company. Bayo found out Jeff was from Chicago, was roommates with Sean Vernon and Matt Kresge and they moved here from Chicago this past Spring in 2004 with the other key players.
Jeff said he went to college at the University of Kansas, said Leo-ONE. I asked him how did Sean form Chance Marketing, Inc. And what's the corporate structure.
Jeff said, It's kind of complicated, I'll tell you over lunch while he stuffed down one of Mr. Watson's chili dogs. I let them know I was a vegetarian so I just got myself a lemonade, said Leo-ONE. I knew that there was deception going on with Chance Marketing, Inc. I guess it's my curiosity that made me want to keep digging deeper to find out what these guys were up to. When I couldn't find any foul play, I started getting frustrated.
My role that day was that of Giovanni Ribisi who plays Seth Davis in Boiler Room; I'm a hardened awakened warrior. I don't feel pain. I walk through life sometimes with that same blank stare. My family life has never been easy. I've had similar issues with my father about school. I'm a college dropout. I've never really succeeded according to mainstream American society standards, says Leo-ONE. I've always been an underdog in my life. The Hiphop driven life I live is a life of questioning, deep curiosity, and uncovering Truth. It rarely ends in happy endings unless you have discipline. It's no surprise that I started collecting clues on these con artists and putting two and two together. I'm a whole brain thinker. I'm a Universal Metaphysician. I create my reality. I use both my left and right brain, said Leo-ONE
Leo-ONE continued, Unfortunately, many college kids these days graduate only using the analytical left side of their brain. They become followers like monkey see, monkey do. Unfortunately, Mike was falling under that category. I heard Jeff pumping up Mike, asking him if he'd seen Boiler Room. Telling him it's all about the way you carry yourself. If you act like people should buy from you they will. If you don't, they will not.
Over lunch at about 1pm. Matt, Jeff, and Leo-ONE ate at a Wendy's near or on Liberty Rd (Route 26). Jeff was trying to create analogies for Mike while they ate, so Mike could improve his sales quota. Leo-ONE says, at one point Jeff encouraged Mike to just forget about closing sales and walk into these businesses happy and be enthusiastic. He told Mike to try to brighten up someone's day. He tried to use a golf analogy to show Mike that sales is like a sport. Mike was just a mellow dude.
Leo-ONE said, He[Mike] couldn't get very excited about selling pens, paper, and toner cartridges door-to-door. Come to think of it, it's hard to see how any sane person could.
Jeff also said that he picks a certain person in the Chance Marketing office to compete with to stay motivated. I think he mentioned that he competes with Jessica Thatch, says Bayo After that he decided to show me their compensation package.' He said there were four stages to the training. 1-Entry Level, 2-Leadership, 3-Assistant Management, and 4-Branch Management. Jeff told me he is in the leadership phase and is almost an Assistant Manager because he was training a few other people currently.
He said that on entry level (2-4weeks); I could expect to make $300-$500 a week paid weekly; during leadership (6-8 months), I could make $500-$900 a week; during assistant management (2-4 months), I could make a base of $1,000 a week; and after breaking off as a Branch manager I could make $6,000 - $7,000 a week. First of all, I was upset they pulled a bait and switch' on me. The Career Builder ad has a job listing of a base salary of $30,000 - $40,000 a year. I wanted to nail him right there. I decided I would play with him the rest of the day at that point. I was having fun stringing him along. I was surprised about the Branch manager income. I questioned that last figure, it would come to about $24,000 a month. Jeff really seemed to believe he would make that kind of money. To be making that kind of money within a year selling office supplies door to door and using deceptive tactics to recruit a sales team of 24 fresh college graduates to do the same thing just seemed suspect.
Leo-ONE said, We were walking and talking the whole time. Jeff asked me several interview questions all day. I asked him questions because, I was not going to let this pimple-faced geek interrogate me. He told me his father was a business owner and had up to a million dollar income but was spending over two million. He said his father wasn't good with money, and that he hoped to one day help his father retire. He said he's a lot more bold and confrontational then when his friends knew him in high school and college.
He also mentioned that he was very shy when he started doing face-to-face sales. He said the he used to lift weights but he's lost 25lbs. Considering the fact that he said he's been with Chance Marketing, Inc for 7-8 months, this didn't surprise me. The guy was like an anemic rhino charging forward like a laser. I've never seen anybody overcome objections like him. He had a response for every rejection we faced that day. It was then I knew why he was the top salesman. We were kicked out of 3 or 4 offices. He just kept on marching. I didn't know whether to admire the guy for his tenacity, or shake him out of his frenzied nicotine laden hyperactivity, so he could see what he's doing to his body and that he's wasting his life. He smoked several cigarettes throughout the day. I could see why Jeff was so unhealthy. Smoking, eating fast food for lunch, and walking all day may cause severe dehydration and weight loss. No wonder his shirt was wrinkled, his eyes were dreary, he had a small potbelly, and pimples all over his face. He's destroying himself through pounding the pavement and over-exertion on a daily basis.
Only an individual who had been previously brainwashed and indoctrinated in a cult's ideology could subject his or herself to such torture day in and day out. There definitely is a carrot being dangled at the end of the stick for these young gifted sales people. Later, Leo-ONE read on websites about Cydcor and DS-Max that it's the Atmosphere meetings in the morning and evening that create the false promises, emotional manipulation, and brainwashing. When the sales people leave the office they're driven by mixed emotions like hope, adventure, competition, guilt, not wanting to be a loser, and the drive for money. Sometimes they have to make sales to survive and live day to day. It's sick to think college graduates are doing this for a living.
The other guy Mike wasn't doing very well that day. He did not make one sale. At one point he told me he had gone to Drew University in New Jersey and he's originally from Ellicott City. He said, I'm starting to see how useless my college degree really is.' I couldn't believe how he was bashing himself. I could sense that he felt like he could not get the skills like Jeff to make sales. It's a shame because success isn't all about persuading people through hard sales door to door. Mike just didn't have the ego maniac type aggression in him. I hope he finds his true calling. I'm sure he'd be talented at some other pleasant form of work.
The remainder of the day was the same. Leo-ONE realized that Jeff didn't make any other sales. They had tracking sheets and went into about fifty different businesses that day in the Randallstown territory. Jeff almost made another sale at Brookhaven Estates apartment complex.
One of the secretaries needed toner. Her dictator boss slapped down a credit card and said, If you can get it here by tomorrow, we'll buy it from you.' Jeff filled out the order form and placed the call, he said that Quill was going to charge a shipping fee of $97 for overnight delivery. That seemed very odd to me. Anyhow, the secretary almost had a heart attack, said she was going to White Marsh to get the cartridge and ripped up the form. So much for the second sale of the day, said Leo-ONE.
After being stalked and hunted down in a parking lot by a Primerica rep in a black car, getting several more rejections, cursed out by a family physician, having a few more doors slammed in our faces, and walking several more miles, it was time to go back to the office around 5:30. I have too much pride to show weakness, but my feet were killing me. I asked Jeff very matter of factly how he walks in dress shoes so many hours each day and he said, I'm Gellin' are you Gellin? I said What!?!? He said, You know Dr. Scholl's commercial about gel inserts for your shoes. My shoes don't look comfortable but believe me I'm Gellin'. It was then I realized how he had been able to walk at such a dizzying pace all day in dress shoes and not collapse from pain. My feet had blisters and my stomach was in knots. I never let my pain show to them though. I'm a warrior. I played poker face and hardball all day long. The only thing driving me at that point was the game of finding out what the scam was. I made a deal with myself that if I didn't find out what the scam was within 48 hours, I would do the job as self punishment! Said Leo-ONE.
Leo-ONE commented, I even asked Jeff why we didn't pass out business cards at the businesses. He said it was annoying because of something goes wrong with the order all these people call you personally. WOWwhat great customer service?!?! Since when do salesmen not care about their customers? Only door-to-door peon slaves sell items without building relationships with customers. Real sales is about building networks and a referral system, not coercing unsuspecting people to buy on the spot.
Upon arriving back at the office, Leo-ONE saw all the sales people coming back in droves. Again, most of them were an average age of 23 years old. He says they were still all chipper. Apparently, some had good days of sales, and even those who may have not made sales, it seemed like they were just happy to be there, to be part of the family. It was very spooky.
Jeff wanted to sit and talk to me in the chairs in front of the security desk at the building there at 3700 Koppers St. We sat down. We talked candidly I guess you could say.in reality, I think his job as the top salesman was to close me that day. He was soft selling me the whole day. He fed me information bits and pieces at a time, using my curiosity to pull me along. I love Aikido and I use an opponents force against him, so I played his game. Finally, when we sat down, he said, We'll have a final interview to determine if you CAN do this job. If we accept you when do you think you could start?
Leo-ONE says with laughter, I told Jeff that the question was not CAN I do this job, but rather am I WILLING to do this job. I told him that I would not make a decision right away and that I would let them now by Wednesday July 7th at the latest.
I just didn't understand how they could be so happy after going door to door in the July heat like that in dress clothes. Then job candidates were asked to fill out a form to see how much we learned during our day of observation. I just wrote the typical success B.S. Down (persistence, hard work, enthusiasm etc.) There was one question about rehash or something of that nature and I had no clue what it meant. I wrote B.S. Down for that too.
I talked to a white guy named Adam who was there for an interview. He lives in Annapolis and works at a courthouse in D.C. Recording trials. He was funny. I asked him if he was considering doing the job, and he said, Naw, I mean it looks pretty much like a white collar glorified door to door sales job to me. I'd like a better job than taping homicide trials but I would do anything BUT this! I noticed that he was escorted and evaluated by the blond, blue-eyed bombshell named Danata Janofsky. I said, Hey you got to hang out with the pretty woman. How was your day with her? He said, Well that was about the ONLY good part of my day! I can't complain about that!
Leo-ONE was witnessing Jim Jones like activity unfolding every second after Adam had his last interview and left saying so long. All the Chance Marketing reps were mingling, laughing and joking. Leo-ONE thinks there was even sexual tension going on between the males and females. Several women approached Leo-ONE just to say Hi, how are you? What's your name. It's almost as if. Gasp. They were welcoming me to the family. He had conversations with several of them. They seemed to be really interesting outgoing people. It just seemed like their sense of reality was kind of distorted, like they live in a bubble. They were all talking about a Fourth of July picnic they would be having together. Leo-ONE also noticed that many of them were talking about what they would have for dinner, or where they were going to go to eat that same night. It was like they ALL lived together, ate together, and slept together. It was strange to him. Leo-ONE even speculates that some of the top guys asked women to introduce themselves to him as a tactic to lure him in. Either that, or these women are extremely confident aggressive women with charisma. One way or another, something was fishy.
Leo-ONE said, There were three or four other women who introduced themselves to me. A couple of the females talked with me one on one. I thought to myself, Is it because everyone's in face to face sales that they have this incredible communication power? Am I that much of a smooth operator? Are they so friendly that they ALL eat dinner together AFTER work and are happy go lucky? Are these some of the top persuaders and scam artists in the country? I asked one woman how she found out about Chance Marketing.
The woman said, I was a sports management major, I was looking for a job in a sports related field, so I responded to their ad online and it turned out to have opportunities in management and leadership with quick internal promotion and advancement, so I decided to go with this job. She said, I like it and I KNOW I'll be on my way to be an assistant manager within the year. That was her motive. She was serious too.
I just nodded as if, oh that's cool. I really was still piecing everything together, says Leo-ONE.
It seemed like all the other day of observation' candidates had left. I was sitting in the hallway twiddling my thumbs waiting to see where this was all going, even thinking about leaving. Next thing I know, I found myself alone. Across the hall and down a bit was the blond woman Adam (the court recorder) had spent the day with. She actually came and sat down at the chair next to me and moved the plant so she could look at me face to face. She said, What's your name again? I told her
"B (*&)*)& ("" and asked for hers, and she said Danata. Pronounced (Duh Notta). She was about 5'4 5'5, blue eyes, blond hair, medium/petite build, shapely legs, definitely could pass for a soccer player and very attractive, said Leo-ONE.By that time, I put two and two together that she was one of the five "grifters" Jeff said had moved to Chicago. She was part of the leadership'.
She looked me directly in my eyes and asked me, I know everybody asks about the surface stuff. I like to know the deeper things. What's 5 questions everyone else hasn't asked you?
At first I was a bit shocked by her directness and interest in me. I told her that no one at this office really asked me what drove me. I got a little more serious and told her about helping others and changing lives. She seemed touched. For question number two I told her I'm really in touch with my culture, my African roots, and sense of community, said Leo-ONE.
In retrospect, Leo-ONE thinks she was trying to build rapport using mirroring and matching a technique of NLP. She said Yeah, getting in touch with your roots is so important, she described her German and other European roots. She maintained steadfast eye contact and he asked her: What about you? What's driving you?
She said, My own personal growth, seeing and doing things I've never done before. Traveling. Expanding out of my comfort zone.
She said that when she was 8 years old her house burned down, she said she paid her own way through college (I never asked how), and she said she played professional soccer in Barcelona. She was wearing a badge of courage about her adversities. I was amazed at the poise with which she explained all this, said Leo-ONE.
Able to relate easily to such hard ship, I told her that sometimes crisis is the best opportunity to evolve and reach true enlightenment, I said, Sometimes it's the only time your TRUE character is tested.
For question number three Leo-ONE said, No one really asked me how I stay balanced between: health, finances, family, friends. I told her, some people are so money focused that they forget about other important parts of life.
Leo-ONE comments, She was good. She built instant rapport.
She said, Yeah, I know EXACTLY what you mean, I really am careful about my money. People always make fun of my car, but I know that it's only superficial, and who I am is most important, beyond what people think. She was taking this deeper than I thought.
At that point I was thinking that either these guys set her up to mingle with me, she had a hidden agenda, or she was practicing on her seduction skills. I didn't know what to think. When I asked her about how long she had been with the company, she said she had been with them for about 5 weeks. It was then the she mentioned moving down from Chicago with the others, said Leo-ONE.
She said they call her car bruiser. Then she looked directly into my eyes and asked me: I know everybody has asked you about your 5 year goals, but what are those goals in terms of consciousness?
Consciousness??!?! At this point, I'm thinking what the F (@#&? I'm a deep powerful African man. Maybe I was wrong for seeing this saleswoman in the dumb blond stereotype, but I really didn't expect for this playboyesque pretty woman to be asking me about consciousness. It's rare that you see door-to-door saleswomen talking about consciousness. I've never seen such a thing. Maybe life is about eliminating stereotypes??? Maybe I'm subconsciously prejudice against enlightened blonds!?! God forgive me. It definitely threw me for a loop. That was like a question my friends KRS-ONE or Chuck D might ask me. That's a question my friends Dead Prez might ask me. Coming out of her lips, such a question took me by surprise. However, I welcomed the depth of her inquiry.
I would not break eye contact while looking dead into her eyes as our eyes locked in. She tried to hypnotize me with her ocean blue eyes. I told her, I see God, the Creator, and our Maker in everyone. I told her it's about inner power, said Leo-ONE.
Leo-ONE continued, She agreed and made elaborate gestures, even by knocking on the table and tapping her fingernails on it, and grabbing the chair saying some people only see this (physical material) when really there is so much more. She mentioned something about how much she's grown so much and done things she never thought she would do since her Initial-O.' I thought she was talking about orgasm! I was really about to lose my mind! That caught me by surprise. I said what do you mean Initial O' some type of slang for.??
She said Yeah it's short for Initial Observation. Sorry. Being around these guys SO MUCH, I kind of use the shorter terms. For a moment we had fixed eye contact and it froze again. This is when it seemed like I was getting buzzed, because she was seriously trying to make direct sustained eye contact with me. Like a hypnotist. We were looking into each other's souls. It was a battle of who had persuasive intensity at that point. Would I give in? Who would influence who? When she had mentioned that she plays soccer, she talked about how she just played two games with an intramural team. I thought to myself, this is deep, my favorite sport has always been soccer. How is it that she has so much in common with me? I remembered mentioning to Sean in the interview about reading something about soccer players on his web page, and that I liked soccer, but I didn't expect all this. After that, more people started coming in the hallway and our conversation was interrupted.
Leo-ONE jokingly said, I was thinking, either I'm setting myself up for fatal attraction here, this woman is a serious femme fatale, or these guys are really good con-artists.
At last Leo-ONE was asked by Jeff to go into the final interview. He said, Sean's waiting for you, he'll be deciding whether you are going to join our team. Good luck.
Good luck I thought to myself!!! This is a joke. They think I'm sweating this. They think that I'm nervous! I don't need this job. I'm just curious about what the hell is going on in this Chance Marketing underworld! Exclaimed Leo-ONE.
When I sat down with Seanfor the third interview, I asked more detailed questions. He has perverted Successories posters on his walls. One about Arrogance and another about Success. I asked him about how he makes his money, who were some other clients, and how the whole operation is run. He gave me some vague info, but not really all I wanted. He happened to pull out a brochure for the clients like AT&T, Aflac, etc. I noticed there was a photo of a man on the left, he kind of put his thumb over that. At that point, I knew there was a larger Shadow company involved. I didn't want to nail him on the spot, so I didn't probe any further. I changed the subject to martial arts.
I also asked Sean if he liked the movie Boiler Room. He said I love it, that's my favorite movie.' I asked him who his favorite character in that movie was, and he said Ben Affleck's character, ' says Leo-ONE At that point I knew these guys were trying to live in that fantasy world of business deception and power. It sickened me.
I asked him to read me a letter he said he has that's been circulating on the internet about Larry Ellison scorning college graduates, basically saying that college dropouts will be the true millionaires. He asked me about what my other interviews were for. I told him I was looking at mortgage companies and really just wanted a job for extra income to support my real estate businesses. He then attempted to tell me how much money I'd make as a Branch manager and that I would be able to always fall back on those other opportunities. He said he was making $6,000 a week. He then asked if I could start a two-week trial in the field'. Tomorrow. I told him I would probably do the two-week trial, just to get him off my back, but that I need to wait until Wednesday July 7th. I told him I wanted to hang out with some friends for the fourth of July and basically make up my mind. He didn't seem to be happy about that. Nevertheless, he reluctantly pulled out his business card from a drawer, handed it to me and led me to the door, we shook hands. He directed me back toward Jeff my Evaluator.
Jeff walked me down the hall and noticed that Sean gave me a card, so he said, Sean gave you a business card??? The he said, Well, here's my card, stay in touch and let us know when you are ready to start.
I told him I would think about it and I realized that he does whatever Sean does. I knew something was terribly wrong when I looked at both of their cards which were both sleek black. Boiler room style. Sean's says Chance Marketing, Inc, leaders in new customer acquisition.' Jeff's says Middle Marketing Firm, leaders in new customer acquisition.
Perhaps the Chance Marketing, Inc. Operation is completely legal and legitimate. There is nothing illegal with multi level marketing or direct marketing. The bigger issue lies with the deceptive tactics used to RECRUIT members and KEEP members. Companies like this should not be allowed to post their ads on monster.com or careerbuilder.com. These are get rich quick business opportunities NOT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. Helpless college graduates think they are interviewing for a job... Which puts these egomaniacs in a position of power to make you WANT TO BE ACCEPTED... STAY AWAY FROM THESE COMPANIES THEY ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!
Another major issues is the Cydcor/DS-Max cover-up job with branch offices with disguised names. Brainwashing vulnerable desperate college graduates with liberal arts degrees is a crime against humanity.influencing members to attain higher consciousness through totalitarian rule, guilt tripping, sexual coercion, mind control, and atmosphere meetings is all brainwashing. Leo-ONE still hadn't found out the bottom line to this scam. Staying true to his mission of busting these guys in 48 hours, he was going to remain undercover. The next few days, Leo-ONE even thought about going deeper into the organization for the two-week trial. He purchased some Dr. Scholl's gel for his aching, throbbing, blistered feet after that first day. Later he sat down at his computer looking up information on Quill Corporation's website and office supplies. He did a few more searches on the internet and EUREKA!!!
Up popped Cydcor at www.cydcor.com. Go to this website and look at the picture of those face to face sellers. That is what a sales army of clones or drones looks like, whatever you want to call them. We really are in the matrix after all... NEO! A brief visit to the volumes of consumer complaintss at usacomplaints.com revealed the inner workings of this Cydcor/DS-Max business cult. The following breathtaking, modern, and attractive websites were also helpful at cracking the code to this underworld expose of white-collar door-to-door sales sweatshops. Www.cydcoruniversity.com and http://wolfram.org/scam/cydcor.html., www.marketingendeavors.com, www.comquestmarketing.com, http://groups. Msn.com/DSMAXTheAftermath)
Just like Seth Davis at the end of the movie Boiler Room, Leo-ONE, a true Hiphop entrepreneur vowed that he would do the right thing this time and send his expose to the media in various cities and markets all over the United States. This will be an ongoing and continuous process to expose the snakes behind these companies. Consider it a calling.
As Leo-ONE walked out of the office building at 3700 Koppers St on his Day of O, rain began to pour under the hot July evening sun. What are the odds of it raining? Maybe it was a sign from the Most High that there is hope for humanity. Maybe there would be a rainbow after some people are rescued from this reign' of terror called Cydcor. Just as Seth Davis walked out of J.T. Marlin without making one peep toward the seductress Abbey, played by Nia Long (his racial opposite) as the FBI swarmed the building. Likewise, Leo-ONE now walked out of 3700 Koppers St. After shaking off a temptress, played by Danata (his racial opposite) with the media having story that will make a feast for a feeding frenzy for years to come. Sometimes it's amazing how much life resembles movies and vice versa. This is the precise illusion that seduces young people into business and corporate cults. If these Cydcor/DS-Max clones and drones want to be in the movie Boiler Room... We hope they're prepared for the dramatic ending.
Not taking one thought that anything that occurred amongst those people was real, Leo-ONE relieved himself of his own feeling of being violated, cleared his conscience, and hopes to prevent more young college dropouts OR graduates throughout the nation from wasting their time. He has hope that all the young happy faces he saw in that Chance Marketing, Inc. Or other Cydcor/DS-Max sweatshops might have a chance for a brighter future. After their darkness is exposed.
Sadly, Leo-ONE's experience only repeats like a broken record replaying all the countless consumer complaintss on Cydcor/DS-Max/Granton Marketing all over the United States. Maybe Leo-ONE should just get a J-O-B at Home Depot or Lowes. Maybe these face to face sellers will all wake up and face themselves in the mirror instead of the field one day. Maybe these people will find real jobs and make real friends. Maybe Cydcor/DS-Max/Granton Marketing is all a terrible nightmare and all the broken families, lost friends, crushed dreams, and ruined finances will be repaired after they wake up. Maybe the businesses who are bombarded by these sales rhinos every day will empathize with this story and offer counseling and a warm meal to these malnourished mental slaves (sales whores) instead of slamming doors in their faces. Maybe America really one day really will be a kinder and gentler democracy. Maybe Cydcor/DS-Max drones will go on to bigger better more healthy lives and businesses.
Maybe Martin Luther King, Jr's dream really is manifested in a Hiphop driven lifestyle of health, love, awareness, and wealth. Maybe the international soccer player Danata Jonafsky really has a truly enlightened caring soul. Maybe we all still suffer from subconscious stereotypes, labeling, predjudice, and racism and our differences were only a physical characteristic to test our tolerance, whereas our true selves are pure consciousness toward liberation, peace of mind, and democracy in America. Maybe she learned from her own independent thought how to live a conscious life of awakening and not from Cydcor cult leaders brainwashing her. Maybe the lies and deception will stop. Maybe a Hiphop renaissance man rejected by society and a Divine genius is the ONLY person who can clearly see through this business cult to the source of their evil. Or maybe not...
Cydcor's Cowardly Leadership
Avie Roth, a native of Toronto, Canada, is the Chairman of Cydcor. Gary Polson is Chief Executive Officer of Cydcor. Mr. Polson has more than 20 years of experience in business operations, including accounting, legal, and senior management. Berney Silverberg, President, International for Cydcor is one of the company's original founders. Jim Majeski is the Vice President of Business Development for Cydcor. Ron Nathanson is Chief Financial Officer for Cydcor. Joe Wolfe joined Cydcor in 1999 and brings more than 20 years of experience working with major business and consumer service organizations. Bobby Park joined Cydcor in 2000. James Stone is the Vice President of Business Development for Cydcor. Jack Geiger joined Cydcor in 1997 with more than 20 years of sales experience with specific expertise in the distribution of goods and services through wholesale, retail, indirect and direct sales channels. Holly Collins joined Cydcor in 2002 As Director of Business Development for Cydcor. James McCarthy is Director of European Marketing Development for Cydcor. Mr. McCarthy joined Cydcor in 1997. Vera Uzelac is Director of Operations for Cydcor. Ms. Uzelac has earned this distinctive role since beginning her career with Cydcor's parent company in Toronto, Canada almost a decade ago. Henry Kouffman is Vice President of Marketing for Cydcor. Mr. Kouffman received an Oscar Nomination for his dramatic short film, Dexter.
Cydcor/DS Max (Direct Sales Max)/Granton/Innovage Clients
Write to some of Cydcor's clients and tell them you're boycotting their product because of Cydcor's deceptive practices and cult following: AT&T, BellSouth, Calortex/Npower, Centrica/Direct Energy, First Data/Cardservice International, Optus Telecommunications, Quill Corporation, Qwest, SBC, Stamps.com, UPS, Sparkletts, First Horizon Merchant Services (FHMSSM), Dominos, Papa Johns, Quiznos, Pizza Hut, Mateo's Santa Fe Caf, Bennigans, Il Cigno, Damons, Memphis BBQ, Roanoke Express, Frederick Keys, Bowie Baysox, Northern Virginia Regional Waterparks, Sterling Cinema Draft, Jillians, Merchants Tire and Auto, Midas, Firestone
Cydcor/DS Max Aliases and Underworld Corporate Entities/Branch Offices
Company List Across Entire United States
http://groups. Msn.com/DSMAXTheAftermath/companylist. Msnw
Baltimore www.chancemarketing.net
Chance Marketing, Inc. - 3700 Koppers St. Suite 110 Baltimore, MD 21227 Phone: (410)-646-1561
LaraDave Phillips, Jennifer Hopkins, Joan Galanti, Nancy
C.E.O. Sean D. Vernon, [email protected]
Jeff S. Katz, (847) 571-5523 [email protected]
Danata Janofsky (An article onthe "International" Soccer Star)
Cut and paste website below
http://www.lawrentian.com/news/11/01/Sports/Vikings. Of. The. Week-313372. Shtml
Matthew Kresge, Jessica Thatch, Elizabeth Solomon
Indianapolis - Colleen Hamilton via email at [email protected]. 317-872-7288
Bravo Promotions - 8770 Commerce Park Place Suite D, Indianapolis, IN 46268 (317)-872-7286
St Louis Cydcor Offices
The Everest Group www.everestgroup.Biz, Emily Watson at [email protected] (314)-962-4101
New York
Cambridge Communications Cory Slipakoff NY (631)-752-3300
Phoeniz, AZ
Westward Innovations - http://www.westwardinnovations.com/
Houston, TX
Aurora Marketing Group - Kim Miller - www.auroramarketinggroup.com (713) 682-007
Fax: (713) 682- 8408 Aurora Marketing Group, Inc.,
1213 West Loop North, Ste 130, Houston, TX 77055 - [email protected]
Orange County, CA
J. Starr Advertising, Inc. - Danielle Carper - 765 The City Dr S. #375 Orange County, CA 92868 714-748-0018
Louisville, KY
SC Marketing Group, Inc. (False names in Ads: Skyler Banks, Melissa Prunty, Madison York,
Michael Nash, Kelley Connelly, Faith Watkins (502)-897-6852
(502)-897-6957 (502)-891-0443
Cincinnati, OH
MJ Promotional Group - Courtney Davis (513)-674-1414 (513)-674-1655
Gen X Promotions - Callie Mitchell [email protected] 130 Tri-County Parkway Suite 240
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246 513-771-4640 513-771-4641
Columbus, OH
Lear Marketing Group -Cindy Jacobs Recruiter [email protected] 515 Village Park Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43065, (614)-846-9330, or call 448-2058
Winter park, FL
R3 Enterprises - Robert R Reger, President - Brea Bateson - http://www.r3enterprises.Biz - 1 Purlieu Place,
Suite 150 Winter Park, FL 32792 407-677-0564 Phone 407-677-4542 Fax
Tampa, FL
Niko-Laos, Inc. (False Names in Ads: Heather, Jennifer, Maria at 813-251-9110 @ 813-251-9110
nikocareers @aol.com
San Francisco, CA
S.A.S. Marketing Group - Jason M. Winkler, Owner; Richard Robertson, Assistant Mgr.;
Erin McIntosh, Administrator - Phone: 510-658-4047 Fax: 510-658-4057
5801 Christie Ave. Suite 230 Emeryville, CA 94608 San Francisco [email protected] - http://www.sasmarketinggroup.com/
Chicago
. Marketing Sessions - Alex Moore Phone: (630) 571-3200 Samantha Fox - [email protected]
Fax: 630-571-3204 (False Names in Ads: Janet Lee, Shelly Lear, Sara Saunders, Katie Frankie, Samantha Arrington,)
Pittsburgh, PA
DeFrancesco Aquisitions, Inc. - Susan - [email protected] P 856-317-1255 F 856-317-1237
DeFrancesco Acquisitions Inc. -4350 Haddonfield Rd. Suite 101
Pennsauken, New Jersey 20503 (Names in Ads: April)
Northern, VA
CRC Advertising - Heather Samson, [email protected], 803 West Broad St. Suite 520
Falls Church, VA 22046 703-534-7088 703-534-7076 [email protected]
www.crcadvertising.com
Vienna, VA
Madison Marketing - [email protected] or call Elisja at 703-847-5810.
8229 Boone Blvd. Ste 110 Vienna, VA 22182 (703)-847-5810 (703)-847-5815
Sloan O'Hara, Katrina Matthews, Heather Herman (President)
http://www.madisonmarketinginc.com /
Madison Marketing Group Baltimore 2405 York Road, Suite 202 Timonium,
Maryland 21030 [email protected] Phone: (410) 308-9071
Fax: (410) 308-1402 [email protected]
Aspirations, Inc., Hilltop Solutions, Inc., The Everest Group, or Cambridge Communications, Premier Marketing Concepts, Cambridge Communications, Atlantic Consulting, Broaddus Marketing Inc, Wincor, Inc.in Houston TX, The Everest Group, Inc. DUNN HILL ENTERPRISES, Yenkro Enterprises, Inc. Greco Marketing, DeFrancesco Acquisitions, Direct Link Marketing, COR Concepts, JM Concepts, and Triple Crown Marketing ect., 5 Point Marketing, Elite promotional Group Greco Marketing, Infinity Group Advertising, The Advertising Group, Inc. D.B. Consulting, J.S. & Associates, Darr Innovations, Top Flight Enterprises, Northside Marketing, Quantum Marketing Group, Strictly Advertising, Inc. Wentworth Marketing in Denver, Black Diamond Solutions, The Advertisment Group, DSMax, Crescent International, Platinum Marketing ("they are in the process of changing there name to Madison Marketing"), Emprise, Arsene-Lee Advertising Group, International Marketing Strategies, MJ Promotional Group/Trinity Advertising, both part of grantonmarketing.com — granton marketing/dsmax has three other divisions in Milton Marketing Inc., Wentworth Marketing, Playermakerpromo.com, D.B. Consulting, J.S. & Associates, Jenlyn Consulting, Woodlynn Advertising, Inc. CSC Advertising, JSJ & Associates, the Kaizen Group, and MPMD, Inc, Compass Global Network, Gemini Communications, The Yasny Group
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