Hi Hal,
> On the one hand, I'm glad you're not going to answer what company
you're
> with, on the other hand, it could be topical so we understand whether
> you're in an MLM in which tools or other non-product sales are
> important.
>
You'll have to clarify what it means by important. If you mean whether
you need tools & training to build an MLM business, then yes. It's a
new industry that you're going into, so training & learning happens as
you go along. If you mean whether it's forced onto members, then no
it's not. It's always optional. If an MLM makes money off you from
selling tools & training, get away from it. It's not ethical. Unless
it's an MLM selling tools & trainings that is. My members are informed
of their choices, and the consequences, and other means of getting
whatever tools and training they might need to build their business -
for free sometimes. Alot of the stuff online is free.
> Since you are pro-MLM, I do have a few questions for you:
>
> 1) Do you make a full time living in an MLM?
Yes I do now. But not in the first 2 years. I tried. It was hell -
went back to work in the beginning and built my MLM biz consistently.
Now it gives me income whether I work or not. I went through alot of
MLMs as well. Including Amway. :) That was the first one, a few others
in between till I found the one I'm in now. The whole process took 8
years. Btw, it's not a good idea to quit your job immediately. Only
when the income to replace your job starts coming in every month for 6
months consistently, do not quit your job no matter what your uplines
say. You can't build a business with dignity with no cash flow. Again
this is applicable to the majority only, because some people do do
better if they had no back door to fall back on. I found out the hard
way that I'm not one of those.
> 2) Are you willing to submit to Paine Webber's challenge and prove that
> you are making a good living through your MLM? (For this, I would
> accept privacy concerns and be okay with the papers submitted ONLY to
> Paine Webber and him verifying and reporting the results.)
Yeah sure. If you can give me the link.
> 3) What kind of tools and meetings are considered normal for someone in
> your organization?
All our training tools are provided as part of the business, online
audios and videos with no extra charge. Additional international big
training meetings are held 2-3 times a year, optional but recommended.
Local training meetings are held twice a month, and it's free entry
because it's held in the local office. Other meetings are the business
presentations - we only charge members to cover the room cost - of
which is announced to the whole team beforehand anyway. Guests don't
pay to enter. As for business building tools, it's up to us to do what
we want/ need to. We (distributor teams) provide videos and audios at
slightly above cost as an option, websites as an option or they can
use the free websites without any cost.
It's important that members coming in to the business knows that this
is their OWN business. The tools & trainings are there, but they are
welcome to produce, find, use, or purchase any of their own, as long
as they don't misrepresent the company & its products. It's an option,
not a must, although it is recommended to get yourself equipped with
the knowledge on how this business is built. (which btw, is not about
selling, unless you want to be totally frustrated & angry.)
> 4) Does your company focus on selling product to those outside your
> organization? What percentage of your sales are to those outside
your organization?
I won't be able to honestly say that the company focusses on selling
the products to those outside the organization. Because MLM is not
conventional business, which is a closed profit system (meaning only
the owners, shareholders & employees have a vested interest in the
profits) & products are sold to ppl outside the organization.
MLM companies only sell to their distributors (who have a vested
interest in the profit system of the company, so it's different from
conventional business), the distributors are the ones who sell to
those outside. We have a preferred customer program, where
non-business owners can purchase the products at distributor price,
but do not have the option of making an income from the business. In
this system, they are also placed inside the organization, but they
are users contributing volume on their own use. So none are outside
the organization, although to answer on your question about the
percentage, it's approximately 50% at this point in mine.
> 5) What percentage of your income is from business tools, admission
> tickets, or other things that your members buy but cannot resell to
> those outside the organization?
O%. My income from the business is from product movement only.
> > My personal vision is to promote a balanced awareness about the
> > industry (which, I confess, I love very much), and to stand for it
> > being conducted in a manner that is professional, ethical & with
> > integrity through firstly, my own personal actions. And my goal here
> > is to learn from all of you - and serve if I may, to contribute
> > constructively where I can.
>
> You want a balanced awareness. How does that include the MLMs that
have
> been proven, in many ways, to make huge profits at the expense of the
> downline population? Do you hope that MLMs will reach a point of
> balance, or do you just want people to think that MLMs are a good way
> to earn money?
LOL. My vision has nothing to do with the other MLMs. It's not the MLM
company btw that messes up the entire industry, it's the distributors.
MLM companies in most of their Policies & Procedure statements +
Distributor Agreements, do not do more than provide logistical &
product support. The distributor teams are the ones responsible to
devise methods of how it is best to get the objective of moving the
most products out to the public, hopefully abiding by ethics & the
agreements they signed (sometimes unwittingly) with the company. All
companies go to business with the sole intention to make a huge
profit. MLM or otherwise, yes? Ok, so with an MLM company, a large
number of the public can have an active "share" of the amount of
profit they want to make with the company, something like a normal
company's shareholders, except that in MLM we have the choice & power
to write our own bonus check every month & we don't the liberty of
just sitting back & hoping our investment in the company's shares or
stocks make a huge jump in the market. The up-side to that is we get
paid exactly what we are worth, the down-side of that is we have to
work. I suppose people participate in an MLM business not
understanding that this is their own business, and they are partnering
with the company together with the field support of their sponsorship
line to build their own income based on how the compensation plan is
designed (which btw, they are all different - there are good ones and
bad ones). Each distributor is INDEPENDENT, but everyone in the
sponsorship line above this one distributor, have a vested interest in
his/her success, because it contributes to their checks as well.
So back to your question, what I meant by balance awareness is this:
a) A MLM company is just a vehicle for everyday people to make
unlimited income if they so choose to. The company owes them nothing,
and they owe the company nothing. It's a partnership by choice. So
make sure no one tries to force or coerce you into one, never join a
company/ buy a product just because it's a friend. It's a business,
and if you participate, it'll be your business - so you better be
clear why you want to participate in the first place. Treat it like a
business, and it'll pay you like a business.
b)There is work involved. Like every other legit money making model,
the money does not just materialize if you go for meetings, and buy
the product for your own use. There's alot to learn, before you can
expect to earn the big bucks some people seem to love to push. If
someone tells you about income potential, make sure you understand
that it is projected & ideal. This is what the company has put aside
to reward those who have earned it (i.e. based on their results).
There is never such a thing as something for nothing. So if someone
tells you that, they either don't know what they are talking about/
they are straight out lying.
c) And MLM is one of the best vehicles to create WEALTH. Not just
income or some money, but Wealth. You do the work right one time, and
it pays you over and over. Your income is not dependent on the hours
you put in anymore after a few years working an MLM business. And this
is dependent on the company, compensation plan, product, timing, etc
of course. Do your own due diligence, review it like you would review
a company before you buy their shares/ stocks. The company & what it
offers plays a big role too.
So the awareness I want to create is, MLM doesn't hurt people, people
hurt people. It's a business, and a business model. And comparatively
to other business models, it's one of the best for anyone to create
wealth. And, it is NOT for everyone. It is only for those who want
more in their lives and they are willing to work for it, willing to
learn, and willing to help others win. I know you guys have been hurt,
trust me, so have I in this business with unscrupulous people out to
make a quick buck for themselves. People like that won't last very
long. I have spent tens of thousands in this industry, of course i was
angry, and felt cheated, but still, it doesn't mean the business model
doesn't work or that every single one is the same. It works, and it's
not the same! Just approach this business model for yourself with
knowledge, discernment, controlled excitement (don't let all the
promises make you stupid) and be prepared to see it for what it really
is, not just what your past experiences in it or worst, other people's
past experiences in it were. It's a great business, if people are
willing to think of themselves last, and others they bring in first. I
want people to know that this business is legit, and it only works if
you approach it like a business with ethics and integrity - meaning do
your homework, and do your work, not everyone is suitable for it, and
you're not a salesman. You're a business developer. The faster people
get that, the less pain they would feel when their friends approach
them, and if they choose to enter the business, they won't get hurt at
all. Also, know that maybe your friends don't understand that. Ask
them if they were the CEO of their own company (which they are in this
sense, the CEO of their own business), would they keep badgering
people to join them/ buy a product that these people are not sure
about? Of course not! If they do that, they're shooting themselves in
the foot. And tell them, not every thing that walks is a prospect. So
yeah, I love this industry, but I don't discount that the impression
of it ain't so hot - but I'm ok with that and can only do what I have
power over, which is my own actions.
> Yes, I'm being my regular curmudgeonly self, but you know the kind of
> group you are entering. You know we are suspicious. If you can answer
> all of these questions openly and completely, then you will have made a
> good start toward proving that you are not just someone who believes
> what they've been told to believe.
Oh shite Hal, I just scrolled up to see my own reply. Sorry it's so
long. But yeah, sometimes I think I failed so many years before
because I wasn't one of those who believe everything I was told. It
wasn't easy to keep an open mind after being so hurt, but i did alot
of research, reading and thinking. The biggest impact was when I met
Robert Kiyosaki, and found out that he was advocating the industry
(this was 7 years ago) - i just told myself, that someone like him
can't not know what he was saying, because i was looking for a vehicle
to create residual wealth & couldn't afford properties then. So I
never gave up on the industry, but I do review new opportunities etc
after that with more discernment. Some are good deals, some are legit,
some are outright lousy, and alot are scams. Just like in any other
industry, it's a fact that this one is just more susceptible to
scammers that's all.
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