| Computers And Internet | Miscellaneous | Work At Home | Advertising | Mail Order | Business (general) |
Multi Level Marketing Reports:
Page Two
What You Need To Know About Network Marketing And MLM Plans
Network Marketing Plans And The Pyramids Of Egypt
What You Should Know About Multi-Level Marketing
How To Pick The "Winners" In Multi-Level Marketing
What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked?
An Idea For Multi-Level People To Consider
Do You Give Your Customers Enough Information To Work Your Program?
Judging The Entrants In The MLM Parade
TopNETWORK MARKETING PLANS AND THE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT It's really the best illustration to visualize what is required if a Network Marketing Plan is going to make YOU the kind money promised. The Pyramids built centuries ago in the distant desert sands of the Middle East have layer after layer of huge blocks piled one on top of another to support the massive weight of the immense structures. Unlike the Egyptian pyramids that are already "topped out", a successful MLM program must continue to grow. Not from top, but from the bottom by adding an ever increasing base to pay commissions to more and more people. If you can't continue to recruit new people to join the plan to help support the growing structure you're just running in place all the while you're paying monthly fees for the privilege of trying! It's like lifting up the entire pyramid and adding a new course of blocks. The people that start the program, and a few "heavy hitters" near the top of the pyramid are feeding off of everyone's efforts, and are of course profiting handsomely. While it is mathematically possible through geometric progression to make the kind of money claimed, the promoter never gets around to telling you that for everyone to do well would require enrolling first hundreds then thousands, and finally millions and billions of people! To keep going further would eventually require more people than there are on the entire planet!
What You Should Know About Multi-Level Marketing MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING Just what are all those thousands of programs and solicitations spreading a swath across the country...called "Multi-Level Marketing"? Well a good portion of them are nothing but chain or pyramid schemes, some completely illegal. A true Multi-Level plan is one in which there is an agreement between yourself and a manufacturer or distributor to purchase products at wholesale and sell them at retail, also with the right to sponsor others (your down line) thus multiplying your sales base and profits by receiving a percent of the sales made through your downline. Persons you sponsor show others the program and sign them up as members under themselves. In effect you are multiplying your efforts by selling the product through a network of distributors. The downline is usually set up at three to five levels deep although it seldom gets that far, especially if it is a multi-level program being circulated through the mail. A small initial investment is all that is usually required to become a distributor. You should have a flexible schedule but little experience is necessary. For you and your distributors to have any kind of success, you must handle high quality items which can be sold at substantially below retail store prices. Distributors are charged for the program packet which includes instructions, literature, samples, etc. To be legal, the investment must be only a nominal amount. Sale or consumption of the product must be the prime objective and no fees should be collected for recruiting endeavors. A common problem in recruiting people is getting them to "Look at the Plan". If they have seen multi-level plans before they won't give anyone a chance to explain the program as they think they already know all about it. Some get around this by inserting an ad in the local paper, asking interested parties to call about "a good money-making plan". They use a telephone answering machine which advises the caller where and when to attend an "Income Meeting". The machine doesn't give them a chance to ask questions. If they are interested and not just curiosity seekers they may show up for the seminar. Multi-level selling by large party plan firms are often successful because they keep their members productive through a series of coaxing, weekly meetings, phone calls and home visits. This stimulates activity and better results are obtained. These elements are missing in multi-level mailorder programs. There is no motivation, inspiration or force applied to downliners. The meetings and personal contacts that represent strength are missing when the business is conducted by mail. Therefore a good many of the multi-level mailorder programs can't work and are basically worthless, especially on a 4 or 5 level down line position. A typical multi-level get rich scheme is where you are offered a book selling plan for $5.00. You are assigned a code number and mail out 500 brochures. When your name reaches the fifth level you are supposed to have collected something like $50,000 in commission for 100,000 books which sold for a total of $500,000. This is based on only 10 orders received by you and 10 orders received by each of your downliner's who also mailed 500 brochures. If only 10 people in the entire United States initially worked this one plan with the same success you are supposed to have, there would be 5,000 brochures out the first level; 50,000 the second; 500,000 the third level; 5,000,000 the 4th level, and 50 million in the 5th level. That would amount to some $11,000,000 in postage with brochures delivered to over one-half of the 90,000,000 mailorder buyers in the U.S. This type of program will collapse under its own weight. After one level there is usually a complete drop-out. Most such plans get started because of exhorbitant, dishonest claims. Tell the truth in an ad on Multi-level marketing and there are very few takers. Change the ad to greatly exaggerated claims, such as "Earn $100,000 a year working from the home part time" and the inquiries pour in. The response on this kind of ad doesn't mean that anyone will make any money! There are too many ways to make an honest living without telling lies so keep your Multi-level plans level! As mentioned previously unless the organization you are dealing with offers top quality products at discount prices it is very difficult to make a living with the multi-level marketing concept. A person has to knock on a great number of doors, or send out a massive amount of literature through the mail in order to find qualified people who are interested in pursuing this kind of activity. If multi-level programs worked as good as many of them advertise the nation would be flooded with solicitations thousands of times over for every plan on the books. Being able to work a multi-level plan on a part time basis at your leisure, with no pressure from the company as to how much of the product you purchase or the amount of business you must bring in each month, is one of the attractions of this kind of activity but results are usually negative. It's too easy forget about the business, sit back in your easy chair, and watch TV. After a hard day's work at another job it doesn't take long to forget that you have a part-time multi-level program going. That phone call or that meeting to show the plan is too easy to put off until "tomorrow". Yes; it takes a certain kind of individual to follow through and they are few and far between. You may make 200 calls and show the program 100 times before you get even one member who will take an active part in the program. Most Multi-level plans state that you can make thousands of dollars by duplicating yourself a few times and your down line doing the same. It never works that way. You are fortunate if a small percent of your down line produces much of anything unless you are able to spend a great deal of time teaching and promoting their business as well as your own. How are you supposed to get prospects and members? Most of the promotional materials suggest you solicit your friends, neighbors and relatives, at least as a starter. Many people are reluctant to "take advantage" of their friends. Of course, if you have the best bargains available "anywhere" you may be doing them a great favor. Phone calls, word of mouth, direct mail pieces and follow-up, and local classified ads are other methods used to get members and sell the products. Multi-level companies usually offer newsletters, catalogs, direct mail pieces, and Camera/Ready material which members can have copied or printed locally. They often have name lists available or advise members how to compile their own lists. Mail Order multi-level organizations will usually drop-ship direct to your customers if you wish. They are also set up to do most of the paperwork and accounting, leaving members with little detail work. If you decide to try a multi-level program you are usually required to pay a fee for which you will obtain all the materials and information pertaining to the organization, the products, and how the program works. You may also be asked to purchase some of the items you will be selling. You will contact friends and neighbors, explaining how the program works, try to sell them merchandise from the catalogs and sign them up as members if possible. You will compile lists of prospects and make direct mailings. As your business develops you will need to contact those in your downline periodically and offer sympathy, help and assistance in order to make the business grow. Many other incentives, prizes and extra commissions are offered by some firms. Make sure the organization you choose and the programs they offer are legal. If it is just a pyramid scheme whereby members are merely signing up others for a fee and little if any merchandise is being sold it could be illegal. In any event, this type of operation will produce little if any money-making opportunity. If in doubt it is advisable to check out the firm with the Better Business Bureau or with the postal authorities when it involves direct mail methods. Remember also, there are some very fine multi-level firms offering good opportunities for success oriented people. Those who thoroughly enjoy meeting and working with others, who are not afraid of hard work, not easily discouraged and who can persevere in the face of many disappointments, have made their fortunes in Multi-level marketing. With such attributes and the right program together with proper training you can be a success in this kind of business.
ILLEGAL MULTI-LEVEL PLANS! In certain states most Multi-Level Sales plans can be classified as illegal since it is unlawful to organize a "pyramid club" or to induce or attempt to induce membership in a "pyramid club". In such states a "Pyramid Club" means a sales device whereby a person, upon condition that the person make an investment, is granted a license or right to solicit or recruit for economic gain one or more additional persons who are also granted such license or right upon condition of making an investment, and who further purpetrate the chain of persons who are granted such license or right upon such condition. Pyramid clubs also include any such sales device which does not involve the sale or distribution of any real estate, goods or services, including but not limited to a chain letter scheme. Pyramids are illegal because they are inherently fraudulent. In order to achieve the profits that are promised, a never ending chain of participants must be recruited. A saturation point will be reached and no more recruits will be available. When this occurs the most recent recruits can't receive what has been held out to them to cause them to join, and they lose all or part of what they paid to join the scheme. After just a few levels there would have to be millions or billions of participants to keep the chain going. Chain letters are not the only illegal pyramids. As noted above, Multi-level sales schemes can be illegal also. Many of them are nothing but chain letter schemes with the nominal addition of some goods or services to be distributed. Legal multi-level marketing systems are designed to distribute goods and services and are not disguised as endless chains. A pyramid club is present if participants make investments in return for the right to recruit, for economic gain, others who in turn recruit additional participants. Both the "investment" and "recruiting" elements must be present to constitute an illegal pyramid scheme. "Recruiting for Economic Gain" means if anything is received directly or indirectly as a result of recruiting new participants. Even earnings based on sales made by new participants recruited, also constitutes economic gain. Evaluating multi-level sales schemes is a difficult process and many considerations must be answered in order to determine the legality or illegality of each multi-level plan or program. Is there more stress toward recruitment than for the sale of the product? Are the claims, as to what the earnings are, based on actual experience of typical participants? (They better watch out for the entries made in the IRS computers pertaining to their fabulous income claims.) Are there misleading representations? You would have to get your attorney to review specific circumstances of each plan or program in order to determine which ones are legal or illegal! Even then you can't be sure. I am certain however, that if you send any of them that are questionable to the Postal inspectors office you will generally get a negative report back, regardless of whether the plan may be legal or not. The fact that the Federal Government, through the private, non-governmental agency known as the Federal reserve, can print and issue green paper out of thin air and cause usurious interest rates across the country, or that the States can hold lotteries that are considered illegal for private agencies or persons, has nothing to do with the way people are not allowed to play the multi-level or chain letter game! How To Analyze A Rip-Off Scheme This review is taken DIRECTLY from a piece of "junk mail." It is or the program that starts out with the heading: "Before You Decide To Throw This Away, Please Read The Enclosed At Least Once - Then Decide. This is Not a Chain Letter! I Threw The Program in The Trash." The first paragraph reads: "I had received this program before and threw it away, but later I wondered if I shouldn't have given it a try. Of course, I had no idea who to contact to get a copy, so I had to wait until I was mailed another copy of the program - eleven months passed, then it came. I DIDN'T throw this one away. I made $41,000 on the first try!!" Signed by D. Wilburn, Muncie IN. In order to get your attention quick, Mr. or Ms Wilburn shares their experience of making the mistake of throwing the letter away. A normal person will say to themselves: "I don't want to make the same mistake Wilburn did. He had to wait another 11 months before he had the chance, so I better really read this thing." But in reality you'll find out that this piece of garbage has been floating around for years and if you miss this copy, you'll get another one tomorrow or the day after. The next thing you see is a bold headline reading: "You are about to make at least $50,000 in less than 90 days - in the comfort of your own home. Read the enclosed program, then read it again." The average person is skeptical but the idea of money has been planted in your mind right up front. This will cause you to read a little while longer. The rest of the page is completely filled with hype - informing you everything is LEGITIMATE and LEGAL. (We all want to be legitimate and legal don't we?) Claims are made that the program works 100% every time and how thousands have used the program to raise capital to start their own business, pay off debts, homes, cars, etc., and even retire. You can ALWAYS recognize a scam because your emotions are appealed to in a big way. Think about it - doesn't everyone on the planet earth want money to start a business? Pay off debts? Have homes, cars, etc.? Would anyone turn this offer away? NO! That's what makes it so easy to recognize these scams - they appeal to everybody and do nothing! Your emotions are cruelly played with! Okay, let's move on. Frank T of Bel Air MD relates his personal testimonial at the top of Page 2. Try to look in the phone book and find either D Wilburn or Frank T. Notice how only a partial part of their names and addresses are ALWAYS presented. This is so nobody can find them. But why bother? They don't exist! The instructions are presented on the rest of Page 2. They consist of precise directions for ordering four reports, paying $5 cash for each one and moving the names around on the list. This is a typical chain letter and they don't work because 99.9% of everyone receiving it replaces their name and members of their family with the people listed. These instructions are completely stupid. They make you go through a bunch of bull just to make you believe you are doing something worthwhile. Actually - all they're doing is selling you some worthless reports - which you may or may not ever receive. Page 3 instructs you to get a mailing list to mail the letter you are reading to. Of course, when you order the reports, you will get information on where to purchase this mailing list. Don't you see that these people only care about selling you a mailing list? They could care less if you get a response or not because they made their money from you purchasing their bunch of worthless names and addresses. In fact, you are even told to get names and addresses from your phone book. Come on! This is the ABSOLUTE WORST way to sell anything simply because you have no idea what these people are interested in. Even if you sold a real product, let's say: baby-sitting services - you wouldn't sit down and advertise it by writing letters to everyone in the phone book. Instead, you'd place an ad in the paper and have people only interested in baby-sitting contact you. Now comes the guarantee. It says: "The check point which guarantees your success is simply this: you must receive 15-20 orders for Report 1. This is a must. If you don't within 2 weeks, send out more programs until you do. Then, a couple weeks later, you should receive at least 100 orders for Report 2." Notice the word "should." The fact is, you could mail until the day the Lord comes back and you'll NEVER get 15-20 orders. You'd be lucky to get even one. Believe me - 1,000's of people have put the chain letter theory to a variety of tests and actually given it every chance in the world to make money. None have ever worked. Now, here's the hype that really gets most people. Here it is reprinted in it's entirety: "Let's say you decide to start small, just to see how it goes, and we will assume you and all those involved send out only 200 programs each. Let's also assume that the mailing receives a 5% response. Using a good list, the response could be much better. Also, many people will send out thousands of programs instead of 200! But, continuing with this example, you send out 200 programs. With a 5% response, that is, 10 orders for Report 1 (ten people responded by sending out 200 programs each) for a total of 2,000. The 5% response that brings 100 orders for report 2. Those mail out 200 programs for a total of 20,000. The 5% response to those is 1,000 orders for Report 3. The 1,000 send out 200,000 total and the 5% response to that is 10,000 orders for Report 4 (10,000 $5 for you.) Your total income in this example is $50 + $550 + $5,000 + $50,000 + $55,550. Remember friend, this is assuming that 95 out of 100 people you mail to will do absolutely nothing and trash this program. Dare to think what would happen if everyone sent out 1,000 programs instead of only 200. Believe it, many people will do that and more. By the way, at current prices, your cost to send out 200 programs is less than $100. The participation fee is ridiculously low when you consider what you stand to gain! Consider yourself fortunate to be invited to participate in an exclusive program that really works. Have faith. Think positively, Keep in mind that your investment is minimal and it's easy money invested in you." Give me a break! What a bunch of lies. Anybody that reads this and really believes it can work must also believe that Snow White really lives in the forest with the 7 dwarfs. The truth of the matter is that it really would work if everyone did what they were supposed to do - but they won't. I'll prove it. Go to a place where there are a lot of people (like a mall). Walk up to the first person you meet and ask them to give you a $5 bill. In return for their $5, they will get $50,000 if they will just find 10,000 other people to give them $5 by promising them the same thing. How many people do you think will take you up on your offer? If you do find one person to do it they will either be mentally retarded or hard of hearing. So if you couldn't work the program in person, what makes you think it will work through the mail with people who have no idea who you are? The truth is - it doesn't work. It NEVER will! Page 4 tells you all about these four wonderful reports you will be purchasing. Their titles are beautiful: "How to Make $250,000 Through Multi-Level Order Sales" and "Sources For The Best Mailing Lists." I'm sure we all can't wait to order them right away. Page 5 is a personal note from the originator of the program - Edward L. Green. He doesn't have a city and state beside his name. Why? Because his full name is used. (Remember, they don't want you to try and find these people.) A real testimonial would be proud to give you the full name, full address and phone number of the individual so you could get in touch with them to find out more about the program. Anyone hiding so that you can't call them up or write to them directly is a scam artist. No doubt about it! Edward L Green tells you about how poor he was in 1979. He also says that he will never see a penny of your money. He has already made $4 million and wants to retire. Give me a break. If you made $4 million wouldn't you want $5 million or $10 million or $20 million. Why stop at a measly $4 million when you could star on the Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous and be interviewed by Robin Leach? $4 million is chicken feed if something really worked to bring in this amount of money! Amazingly though, on Page 6, Johnson Distributing gives a real name and address. But try to get a phone number on them with an address of "PO Box 7, SAFB IL 42225-0007." It doesn't exist! Page 7 and 8 contain letters from Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, A. Zurki, Carl Winslow, A.S. Jalosyk, Bill Nelson, J.T. Adams, Charles Fairchild, Tommy Jayhet and Mary Rockland. They all tell you some hard luck story about how this program changed their life. Again - try to contact them. If you live in Waco TX, try and find Tommy Jayhet and see what he has to say about all this. Do you get the picture yet? Almost all scams follow this same general theme. Don't get taken!
How To Pick The "Winners" In Multi-Level Marketing Your best defense against getting involved in illegal schemes and the "LOSERS" calling themselves Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Programs, is knowing what to look for, thereby, knowing what to avoid. After over three years experience and research with MLM, we have come up with some "guidelines" which we use to avoid the "Rip-Offs", Schemes, and "Losers". These important "guidelines" enhance the chances of picking the "BIG WINNERS' in MLM. You too, may now use this as a "check list before making any final decision: 1. Avoid the many "Get Rich Quick" offers like "Earn $100,000 Over The Week-End", or something like that. Legitimate Multi-Level businesses and consultants are at the heart of a vast communications network and have never... repeat NEVER heard of anybody earning vast amounts of money with such offers. 2. Marketing products through the MLM concept is one thing, a "chain letter" is another. Even if the chain-letter has a product such as a Report, it is still considered a chain-letter by Postal Authorities and may get you the wrong kind of attention. Some even say "this one is LEGAL... Refer to Postal Statute No.XXXX". DON'T BUY IT! A "chain-letter" is a Chain- Letter PERIOD. If you must send the name or names on the 1etter a sum of money and add your name, expecting others to send you money, you will be involved in a "Chain-Letter". 3. Avoid Pyramid Schemes. These schemes are a problem to MLM because many people do not know the difference between a pyramid plan and a merchandise based marketing plan. You can spot a pyramid plan by: A. They offer rewards for the act of recruiting. B. Large inventory purchases are required to get in their programs. C. They lack interest in retailing to the consumer and they make deceptive claims designed to defraud people of money. Legitimate MLM companies require new distributors to purchase only one or a few items of what they want and the product is probably one they would buy even if the business opportunity was not offered or available. 4. Avoid plans with more than seven levels. Firms using more than 7 levels do so to make the profits look fantastic at the last few levels. These are usually the ones that pay low commissions and offer products that are over priced. 5. Avoid programs offering to print and mail brochures for you. Because there 1s NO WAY for you to know how many will actually be mailed. Also, if any are mailed, is usually by "Bulk Rate" which is the most ineffective way to send them out . 6. Avoid programs with complicated commission formulas. This seems to always result in an excuse for NOT paying any commissions to many or, in some cases, all of their distributors. 7. Avoid plans promoting products not useful to most people, or that cost more than the retail price paid in stores. Also beware of any plan that lets people become distributors without buying a product. This is not fair because most distributors, when given this option, will not buy the product. This results in lost sales all the way down the line. Now that you know what to avoid, you are better equipped and ready to select a "genuine" M-L-M opportunity of your liking. HAPPY Hunting!
What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked? Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into business with someone that has the same interests and goals you have. You make a commitment to each other. You work with the same people. Working multi-level marketing correctly not only makes success easier, it eliminates many problems. The hardest thing is to find the person you want to work with (your sponsor). You want someone who is willing to work and assist you when needed. You should join programs under the same person all the time. This makes for a solid downline. If your sponsor isn't interested in a particular program, contact his sponsor. By doing this, you will strengthen you group. Many people complain about others stealing their people. They seem to think that just because they signed someone up once, they should always have them. If someone gives their downline the help and assistance they should, there would be no need for them to worry about someone stealing them away. They should want to continue with you because they know you will help them. Why should someone stick with you if all you do is collected commissions from them? Can you really blame them for not following you into other programs? Take a look at the other side of the "coin". Having the right people in your downline is just as important as having the right sponsor. If someone sponsored you into a program and helped you, don't expect them to sign you in another program if you haven't tried to do anything on you own. Granted, they make money for those they sponsor for you, but why should they make you money if you don't do anything? Mailing out hundreds of brochures may get you several people in your downline. This may look good on a printout, but what about on a commission check? Would you rather have a printout a foot long with a small check - or a small printout with a large check? Be choosy in whom you recruit. Let them know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. Level with them completely about the program you are trying to get them into. Having 2 or 3 good people will make you more money than having 10 or 12 deadbeats. Don't join every program that comes along. Find one you like and work it. It takes time to build a solid downline. Help your downline and have them do the same. This way everybody will make money. You can't expect to keep your downline if you leave them stranded when you get into profit. You have to help them get in profit too. They will be more apt to follow you in other programs this way. Be careful what you promise people. Remember, nothing is guaranteed. Be as honest as you can. Don't tell someone you'll do something if you can't. Offer your help, but guarantee nothing. No matter how good something might seem, it might not work. If you mislead people, how long do you expect to keep them? Doing things this way may take a little longer, but look at the advantages! You have a solid downline. You don't have to race to the phone or mailbox to be first to contact someone. Because you are working with the same people, you will get to know them. You will have a steady income. You don't have to worry about finding new "schemes" and new "victims" every few months. Actually, four things are needed to be successful in MLM. A good product, a good marketing structure, a good sponsor and a strong downline. The time and money spent to find these four things is well worth it. Don't settle for anything less. To do so will only restrict the goals you can achieve. Once you have found these four things, it's easy. All you have to do is keep in touch with your 5 or 6 people. If everyone does this, no one will fail. Everybody will be a success.
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?
Do You Give Your Customers Enough Information To Work Your Program? Of course you do - right? Check again! More often than not I have watched people join a program, receive a camera-ready circular and are expected to know what to do with it. While the originator of the program knows exactly what to do, most of your customers do not. What may seem like common sense to you is not as understandable to others who purchase it. Every program you sell should come with an instruction sheet. Just like any product you purchase will come with an instruction sheet. The blow dryer for my hair even came with an instruction sheet and who doesn't know how to operate a blow dryer? It just makes good business sense to include an instruction sheet or booklet with anything you sell. And guess what? This sheet or booklet can be used to YOUR advantage. By explaining step-by-step how the program works, what it's goals are, the benefits of working it and what steps to take in order to work it properly, you can offer different options to your customer to help them. If you supply camera-ready circulars, you could offer to print copies, supply preprinted envelopes and mailing list names for an additional price. This is called "back-end" sales. And if you don't provide these items, you can find a wide range of mail order dealers that can. Hook up with a good supplier who will reduce their prices slightly so you can make a profit and send orders directly to them from your "back-end" sales. This little bit of extra money is what helps your program become more financially solid. One problem that so many programs fail is because they are not managed and structured properly. Remember the old saying: "A 3-legged stool is not easily broken?" It's true. The more "branches" you have in a program that generates some cash flow the better. DON'T get this confused with nickel-and-diming people to death. Just give them the product they pay for and offer them extra products they can purchase that compliments what they already have. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you are the Prime Source of any program is to promote the program your dealers are also promoting. Instead of it bringing in more money it has the opposite effect - it destroys the program! Let's say that Melanie joins Jeff's program. Jeff is the Prime Source and provides Melanie with a camera-ready circular with her name on it. Melanie begins printing and mailing the circular in her own mailings but one day she spots Jeff advertising his own circular in a tabloid. What does Melanie do? She STOPS mailing her circular. Why? Because Jeff looks like a greedy dealer who is after all the profit. Jeff is only giving Melanie 50% when people respond to her circular and Jeff gets 100% if people respond to his circular. Also - Melanie does not want to be in competition with Jeff and drops out of the program. It's not fair to Melanie. And what happens to Jeff's potential income when all his dealers see the circulars with his name on them? You got it - they all drop out. Now what happens to Jeff's income? Right again - it drops considerably! Instead, Jeff should pick out a few of his dealers who are trying their best to make money with his program and offer to mail pre-printed circulars for them free of charge. Remember that Jeff is making money from every sale generated by his dealers, so by promoting his own product he is still making money. Besides - if he helps his dealers make a few dollars, what will his dealers do? That's right - they'll keep participating in Jeff's program and most of them will re-invest the commission money they make into printing and mailing more of them. Also, when they begin to make a little money, they will tell everybody they know what a wonderful program Jeff has. And guess what? Jeff will get more dealers promoting his program - which means more money for Jeff in the long run. Jeff's a success because he made his dealers a success. And finally - Jeff's reputation will be escalated because all his dealers will know he's an honest guy to do business with. Guess what? Jeff's business income increases! Not just because of the program but because people are interested in other things Jeff sells. It's only good business sense to help your dealers by providing them with tips and information to work your program. Sure, there will always be people who buy into your program and not work them - but you'll lose a lot more money if you step on their toes and become their competition! Be wise!