Navigating the Pyramids: The Cheetah and Gazelle Revisited

Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing a grassroots multi-level marketing movement. On average I probably end up at one of these per year. And I’m finally reaching the point mentally where I can tune out the subject matter and see these operations in a blueprint sense.

The theater involved hearkens back to holy big-top revivals. Gospel and brimstone beneath the Tent and miracle healing before the crowd. A slick preacher and gang of crones hiding among you to testify. Go and watch “Leap of Faith” and you’re equipped with all the foresight you need to view the core of this industry at which point you can start to appreciate not only the entertainment value but more importantly the ties to our own lost primal nature.

For all the fanfare involved in a well-presented network marketing product, you should be entertained. So while I was enjoying myself, doing my best to disguise overt laughter at frequent absurdity and half-facts as enthusiasm for a product, I scanned the crowd. Listening to the questions. More importantly listening to the answers. When is a genuine concern actually a template for promotion? It’s hard to say. It’s probably safer to assume it occurs at every point.

Trade out the legs of a gazelle for the brain of a human and this is what makes it primal. It’s a classic wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing scenario: With no idea of who is in the herd and who is leading the pack, the big cats clean up. Or dogs. Whatever.

But doing my best to tone down my obvious prejudice and give the devil his due: this thing was efficient. No energy wasted.

This is it. It’s the best. Best buy in.

Because once we are in the room, we are at the mercy of our heads. We are about to be bombarded by a steady onslaught from all sides for the next 60-90 minutes. Our frailty and ignorance will be tossed in our face as our most material desires are made paramount and we are handed salvation and a shiny new pen.

I’m not denouncing or celebrating. I’m merely impressed by the nature and the evolution of capitalism.

With the illusion of corporate structure, these operations are a sleek temptation. And I wonder what are the expectations as the pack enters the Tent. How many people do they need to convert to consider the thing a success? How many to drive the Jaguar? How many to “make Director?” How many to feed themselves?

For the cheetah, it just takes one.

And it could be you.