Recruitment Tips From Gang Members, Cult Leaders, and MLM Founders That Work

If you're an entrepreneur, then you already know how hard it is to find (and keep) good talent in your company. That being said, you will need people to do the work that needs to be done.

It seems like most companies are constantly struggling to find a way to get better staff members, and in many cases, they may even feel lost about how to get people to their doors. What most respectable companies don't realize is that there are ways to recruit good talent and keep them on board - and they've been mastered by some of the least respectable groups out there.

Think about this for a moment: gangs, cults, and MLM groups all manage to get people to join their organizations and stay there for years. Did you ever wonder what strategies they used? Well, if you look at their patterns, it's pretty easy to copy the same techniques they've gotten over the years.

Gang Technique: Glamorize it

Gangs have mastered the art of making a difficult and unethical lifestyle look good - and it's so glamorized that they even have entire music, movie, and book genres dedicated to it. They made the word "gangster" turn into something that youth aspire to.

How did they do it? It's simple. They showed that gangsters get a lot of money, fancy clothes, cool cars, and sexy women. Flaunting the financial benefits, especially in the form of fast money, is attractive.

Most companies can't promise that they can get fast money and women for their new employees. But, what they can do is bolster the company image by showing how happy employees are, how famous they're becoming, or how wealthy longterm employees can be.

If you're a company that works in the nonprofit world, discuss how you're making a difference. If you're a company that deals with finance, talk about the money you can make. It doesn't take long to see perks you can flaunt.

Cult Technique: Subterfuge.

Technically, this is used by gangs and MLM groups as well. This technique works by explaining to people something that could be a lot like the job that they are being recruited for...and then slowly revealing what the job really is like once people begin to like the idea and accept it. Yes, it's misrepresentation.

For example, many cults recruit people by saying that they are actually a "wellness program." They ask people to go there, and start talking about philosophy with them. Next thing you know, the cult recruiters will slowly reveal that they believe certain things as part of their spirituality. As people slowly get sucked in, they reveal more and more - until the people in the "wellness program" are fully immersed in the cult.

Now, in the working world, this can cause a lawsuit to happen, so it's not something that you may want to try. However, it's still a very common technique to see happen when people are trying to recruit sales teams. This is often done by saying, "Be your own boss! Work for us!"

MLM Technique: Find the right target for your business model, and tailor your recruiting to them.

Did you ever notice how often MLM schemes seem to have base groups that just eat up their products and company rhetoric? Usually, the people they recruit come in the form of broke students, stay-at-home-moms, and people who are totally desperate for a chance to get out of poverty.

There's a reason why this is; most MLMs know that people who are broke, desperate, and unable to get hired due to scheduling issues will be more willing to sell goods to friends for a pittance. By knowing this and knowing what they want to have happen, MLMs are able to recruit them in droves.

Ask yourself what kind of employees you want to recruit - and what price range you're looking for them to agree to. Then, using a general idea of the personality that would mesh with them, market the job to them.

Cult Technique: Lovebombing

One of the most common ways to keep people in a cult and attract them to the cult is via the use of lovebombing. Lovebombing is a technique that involves befriending people, complimenting them, and just really trying to bond with them in order to get them to a position where they feel more inclined to do things for you.

Many people, believe it or not, are lonely to some extent. They often feel like they don't belong anywhere, or that they aren't appreciated. When they see that people genuinely seem to appreciate them and offer a sense of community, they tend to jump at the chance to join it.

This doesn't just happen with social circles or churches, either. There are quite a few people who feel underappreciated at their jobs, or just feel like an "odd guy out." If you offer them a lot of community or support, guess who will end up working twice as hard for you - that's right, them.

MLM Technique: Show proof that your system works.

If you've ever sat through an MLM presentation technique, you'll hear stories of people who have made it work. They will show that it was hard, but they overcame it and are now millionaires.

The reason why they do this is because they want to give people some solid proof that "their system" actually can create wealth - even if only 1% of the company actually makes any money through it.

Most people do worry about being fleeced by a bad employer, or being stuck working for a company that's actually a step down from what they are currently doing. Your job as a recruiter is to dispel those myths and do what you can to show them that you are their golden ticket.

The best way to do this is to get positive Indeed ratings and Glassdoor ratings.

Gang Technique: Build off reputations of members.

Kids who are looking to join gangs don't want to join a gang that is known for being lame, stupid, or weak. They want to be in gangs that have people who are known for being scary or people who have ties to music industry personas in them. Gangs know this, and to get better recruits, they often make a point of showing that their members are terrifying, famous or both.

Companies might do well by showing who their past employees were - or who their CEOs are. After all, people do want to hobnob with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg, right? Of course they do. So, if you have a big name, use it.

Gang Technique: Give them the power

A common reason why kids join gangs deals with power. They feel powerless or disenfranchised, so they want to fight back. They're angry, and they're tired of being pushed aside. Gangs offer them power in numbers.

Many workers feel the same way, too. They feel like they may be taken advantage of or otherwise hurt. By giving them a job offer that makes them feel empowered, you're making your company way more attractive to them.

The bottom line is pretty clear.

The simple truth is that recruiting is all about meeting your potential employees' needs as much as your own. If you meet their needs, they will do whatever it takes to get a job and keep it at your place. That's what most of these sketchy secrets are based off of - and what most recruiters don't understand about getting new employees.