This conversation goes wrong more often than any other, and usually for a predictable reason: you are excited, they are sceptical, and within two minutes you are defending an entire industry instead of describing what you have actually done.

There is a better version of it.

Understand what they are reacting to

When someone winces at the words "network marketing", they are not doubting you. They are recalling something specific:

  • A friend who became unbearable to be around for six months
  • A relative who lost money on stock they could not sell
  • Being added to a group chat without being asked
  • Reasonable general scepticism about anything presented as a life-changing opportunity

None of that is unfair. Some of it is the industry's own fault. Treating their reaction as ignorance to be corrected is the fastest way to prove their concern right.

Lead with the boring version

The instinct is to explain the potential. Resist it. The unglamorous description is more credible and happens to be more accurate:

"I registered with Faberlic. It was free. I get a discount on things I already buy, and I'm going to see whether it's worth doing anything more with it."

That is it. No compensation plan, no vision, no numbers. If they want more they will ask, and an answer given to a question lands very differently from one delivered unprompted.

Answer the questions they actually have

"Did it cost you anything?" Registration is free and there are no compulsory purchases. Say so plainly - it addresses the fear underneath most of these conversations.

"Are you going to try to recruit me?" The correct answer is no, and then you have to actually mean it. If you pitch them three weeks later, everything you said here becomes worthless.

"Is this a pyramid scheme?" Do not get drawn into a definitional argument. Say what is true: you buy products at a discount, you can order for other people, and if you introduce someone who also does it, that is part of how the compensation works. Point them at Faberlic's own published plan if they want the mechanics. Defensiveness reads as evasion.

"How much will you make?" Be honest: probably very little, especially at first, and it depends entirely on how much you put in. Anyone giving a confident number is guessing or selling.

Set the boundary yourself

The most reassuring thing you can say is the thing they are hoping to hear:

"I'm not going to talk about this constantly, and I'm not going to sell to you. If you ever want something from the catalogue I can get it cheaper - that's all."

Then keep to it. One mention, and then nothing unless they raise it. The discipline is what makes the relationship survive the venture.

If they are hostile

Some people will be, particularly if they have been burned before. Two rules:

  • Do not argue. You will not win, and the goal was never to win
  • Do not go quiet either. Hiding it makes it look like something to hide

"I understand why you'd be sceptical - a lot of people have bad experiences with this. I'm treating it as a discount for now" ends the conversation without either capitulating or fighting.

If they want to join

Slow down rather than speed up. Family members who join out of loyalty rather than interest are the ones who quietly stop after two months, and it is awkward for everyone.

Ask what they actually want from it. If the answer is "to support you", say thank you and suggest they just order something instead.

The long view

You will be a year into this at some point, and the relationships will still be there or they will not. Almost nobody regrets having been understated at the start. A great many people regret the opposite.

If you want the honest picture of earnings to share with a sceptical relative, the business section has a piece on exactly that - written to be shown to someone who does not believe you.