Gordon, is there anything you haven't tried?

Gordon, I am amazed at all the different businesses that you've been involved in. Singing telegrams, candle making, remote hypnosis, to name several.

I have a serious question for you and others. Have you been involved in any MLM type companies? If you'd like to send me your responses privately, this would be fine. I don't want to start an MLM thread to promote anyone's products.

Here's my story. One of the reasons I divorced my ex. was he was an MLM junkie and if we didn't go our separate ways, we would have both been bankrupt. So, I hate MLM companies with a passion, mainly because of all the bad memories associated with it.

I'm a real alt. health junkie. I don't believe in traditional medicine unless it's a life threatening situation, in which case, I would incorporate both western and alt. therapies. I always use the analogy of a car engine when I describe our bodies' digestive system. If we take care of our cars, give it regular maintenance, fix problems at the early stages rather than later, it'll perform for us when we most need it. Same as our bodies. If we give it the right nutrition, and so on, on a regular basis, not occasinally, we'll have less disease and live healthier and happier lives.

Several years ago I got into taking green drinks for breakfast. You may know them better by the brands at your local health food store by Greens+, some containing spirulina, green algae, and a whole host of ingredients that I feel help supplement the raw green veggies that I don't eat, nor do I enjoy eating. As well as some soya based drinks that I take as a shake for my meal replacement when I'm too busy to eat.

Recently, I discovered that one of the green drinks that I've been buying at my local health food store is an MLM product. And I found this out by pure accident. I actually saw a posting on Paulette's board about a guy in Canada who had pre-sold 1000 copies of his booklet. So, I wrote the guy and found out that not only is he selling his booklet and making money at it, he's also got a backend product - his MLM line of products. Very clever marketing I thought.

So, after making some very genuine promises to both my husband, family and friends that I would NEVER EVER get involved in an MLM type company, because of all the money I lost years ago, I signed up. Why? I'm already using the products and I like them. So, why not buy wholesale rather than retail. But somehow, MLM has such negative connotations attached to it, that I won't tell anyone that it's MLM. I get around by saying it's a network marketing company, or anything other than MLM.

So, given the wisdom of the minds on this group, what advice would you give me? The company has been around for a long time, has a good track record and the fact that the product is being sold at some health foods stores and by health professionals, is a good endorsement and not a real hard sell. But the MLM stigma is one I have a real hard time coming to grips with.

Any comments??

Thanks.

Eliz.

Eliz.:

My first experience with MLM was wa-a-a-ay back ... with William Penn Patrick's Holiday Magic. At the time, I was selling "Avon" (I wan a ding-dong Avon "lady" out in the farm lands of Kansas) at the time.

Holiday Magic was as good as Avon but their commissions were better, so I picked up the line. Then, I started getting extra commission checks when some of my satisfied customers bought into the opportunity.

Some years later, I signed up for the "Koscot Interplanetary Cosmetics" Mink Oil line (Glenn Turner). -- At the time, I owned a chain of Women's Wig Shops across the Southeast and simply wanted to sell the cosmetics in my shops. -- The first month, the girls who managed my wig shops turned in over $25,000 worth of orders from the counter displays I had installed in each of the shops. BUT ... I couldn't buy any of the cosmetics from Koscot. All of the cosmetics were being used up to make sales kits so there were none left over to "retail."

In 1978 (or was it 1979), I sold "subscriptions" to the first business opps newsletter sold by MLM. -- I just sold subscriptions to a good newsletter ... the customers signed up for the opportunity ... I was making over $20,000 per month; even after the newsletter quit publishing (which put the company out of business for accepting payment for something they weren't delivering).

Over 5 years ago, I wrote an article about what MLM had become; after being approached by literally DOZENS of promoters wanting me to help them create MLM plans for their products. -- That's when I learned what the industry was becoming. None of them really wanted to sell their products. All they wanted was to "do a MLM" to make some big bucks. -- Unfortunately, that experience threw me into personal contact with some of the big name MLM con-men and left a very bad taste in my marketing mouth.

I feel the new generation of "opportunity seekers" need to know what they will be dealing with in the vast majority of MLM deals.

Jim


MLM - What it was. What it became. What it is today!

Just simply sell my products as straight mail order?

I read your very well written article on MLM and agree for the most part with what you're saying. These are the same reasons I don't like MLM.

So, I'm being devil's advocate here. I really don't need to tell anyone it's MLM unless they ask. Sure, I won't get the residual income from building a downline, which is really not my motive anyway; instead I want to educate people on ways to maintain good health by using the products.

Having expeienced the death of a spouse at a very young age, I've always had this compulsion to help people fight disease. I know there won't be big bucks for me in this venture, if I go the route that I'm suggesting.

So, I'm asking for your expert advice. Do you feel this model can be marketed as straight mail order or am I dreaming?

Thanks.

Eliz.

> Just simply sell my products as straight
> mail order?

Elizabeth, it's a good question....

Richard Dennis did this and he had success with that approach.... He wasn't recruiting, just selling the product....

He first sold the MLM nutritional product as "back end" sales to an audio tape he had recorded.... But as you read, it seems that being able to write a good ad was part of the key....

You can read Richard Dennis's earlier post here....

Dien Rice

Dien, thanks for the link to Richard Dennis's article. Lots of reading. I'm a bit confused on some issues, so I'll probably have to contact Richard directly.

Dien, BTW, I've been meaning to ask you. Is there any way for me to go back to some of the older posts say 3-4 months ago. I could not find a way to achieve this?

Thanks again.

Eliz.

> Elizabeth, it's a good question....

> Richard Dennis did this and he had success
> with that approach.... He wasn't recruiting,
> just selling the product....

> He first sold the MLM nutritional product as
> "back end" sales to an audio tape
> he had recorded.... But as you read, it
> seems that being able to write a good ad was
> part of the key ....

> You can read Richard Dennis's earlier post
> here.... Dien Rice

Hi Elizabeth,

> Dien, BTW, I've been meaning to ask you. Is
> there any way for me to go back to some of
> the older posts say 3-4 months ago. I could
> not find a way to achieve this?

YES, they're all there.... There's really some great stuff in the archives, even though this is still a pretty new site....

There are two things you could do....

At the top of the main forum page, you can click on "Set Preferences". Then you can view messages as far back as you'd like.... Remember to click "View Message Index" at the bottom after you've set your preferences....

The second way is to use the Search function. To do that, click on "Search" from the top of the main forum page. Then you can search either for keywords, or posts by certain authors, as far back as you'd like....

The forum officially opened on Sept. 1, but we were fooling around a bit before then too.... :)

I hope that helps Elizabeth.... There's quite a lot there, and a lot of it is really great stuff.... :)

Dien Rice

anyone had asked me to guess how long sowpub.com had been around. I would probably have said "oh, probably as old as Gordon." or at least 3 years. It's amazing the kind of popularity and good content that this forum has generated.

I guess because of the diverse nature of the discussions, and the generousity of the contributors and moderators, these are probably SOME of the key ingredients that make it succesful. You have also attracted intelligent people with some very diverse backgrounds, which is also refreshing to find in one place.

Keep up the good work.

Eliz.

As a matter of fact that is really the ONLY way to go with MLM.

Why?

Because, if you can't sell the product (or service) without selling the MLM program, it's a scam.

When the only way you can buy the product is by buying the program, the company isn't looking to sell its products ... it only wants to get the MLM (Mooches Losing Money) people; not the sales.

I have NEVER been involved in MLM - but - I have made some very good money selling MLM products.

Jim


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