AN IDEA FOR MULTI-LEVEL PEOPLE TO CONSIDER
Let me start off by letting you know that I am NOT involved in any MLM
programs -- I am only speaking from a "consumers" point of view. This is
important because I won't spend time cramming multi-level marketing down
your throat and people who are already involved in multi-level marketing
will appreciate the opinion of the general public.
A couple of days ago when I was reading through my mail. I came across a
plan called United Dental Plan of America. Everything sounded great and
wonderful! I wanted to get involved right away. I was ready to write a
check and send in my application! The only problem was that it was a MLM
(multi-level marketing) plan!
What's so wrong with that? Well, there are a lot of people who don't get
involved in MLM plans. It's not to say that I dislike them -- I just lack
the deep down enthusiasm that's needed for the long term in a MLM
environment. Besides, I didn't want to sell their plan to others -- I just
wanted to purchase the product!
There are lots of people like this. My mother likes to order Avon products
because she likes certain things that they sell. At 82-years of age, she
has no interest in having parties at her home or running around town trying
to be a representative to earn a car. She just wants a tube of hand cream
once in awhile.
So why don't MLM businesses advertise their product and have less emphasis
on recruiting their downline? In fact, I never see advertising for products
-- just the invitation to join someone's downline. It's because most MLM
organizations are set up with "money" being the deriving force in their
business. They make more money by recruiting people into the program and
the purchase of marketing materials and sales aides. While this is not true
with all MLM companies -- it is true for most of them.
Did you ever get one of those announcements in the mail for free tickets to
a seminar that claims to set you up in business? Have you ever attended
one? Well let me tell you -- the speaker is trained to push and motivate
their audience. Most people are hit with such a sales pitch that they
almost run each other over buying the starter kit for $349.95 at the end of
the meeting. Then, when they get home they want to shoot themselves for
buying something that still doesn't put them in business. It's sad for the
average guy or gal who really just wants to make some honest money in a
business of their own.
Wouldn't it seem logical -- if someone put together a catalog of products
that other people could purchase WITHOUT joining into a MLM program? In
fact, they could generate some sales for their products instead. What holds
them back from doing so? It is the fact that the organization wants people
to sell the $349.95 package today because the $5.95 order for the product
itself doesn't make them any money?
Please understand that I'm not talking about every company out on the
market. Watkins, NuSkin, Nutrition for Life and Golden Pride/Rawleigh each
have catalogs of products you can buy without joining their program. The
only problem is that you don't see very many ads for them. Instead you find
ads that state "Make money with me and increase your income." or "Earn a
new car within the next 24-hours!"
Back in the 1940's if you picked up a mail order magazine you saw REAL
products you could order from REAL people. If you wanted a saw blade for
your saw, you sent in a check and ordered one. You didn't join downlines to
sell the saw blades to others in your area. Now -- if you want a blade for
your saw you'd have to either wade through so much hype and bull that you
may never find one. Instead, you just rely on Montgomery Ward or Sears.
See people -- money is being lost in the regular world of mail order simply
because their are no REAL ads being run for REAL products. Pick up a mail
order tabloid and you'll see immediately what I'm talking about. Why is
everyone selling everyone else's stuff? What happened to our individual
creativity? Most of the answer lies in the fact that so much hype is being
pushed on the general public it is ridiculous. People come on TV and tell
you that you can make millions of dollars by running tiny little classified
ads. They show you scenes of people relaxing on their yachts and making
huge bank deposits. Society makes the mail order business world look like
something easy, carefree and non-tiring!
But perhaps, if I purchased a REAL product and loved it so much I might be
enthused enough to join the MLM concept later on down the road Wouldn't the
ultimate goal of building a downline be accomplished also while at the same
time selling the product?
