A study found on PubMed shows that Pomegranate Juice, Red Wine, Concord Grape Juice, Blueberry Juice and Black Cherry Juice all rated higher than Acai Juice for Antioxidant activity.
This certainly goes contrary to all of the talk about the Acai Berry found in MonaVie.
They study was done at the Center for Human Nutrition which is part of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Here is a link.
In my soon to be released book on The 5 Key Essentials In Picking A Network Marketing Company, I talk about products. Having a unique product is vital for long term success in Network Marketing. That point apparently rubbed a MonaVie representative the wrong way.
After I offered my opinion about MonaVie, I was told that I didn't know anything and that no product compares with MonaVie in the marketplace which lead me do a little research where I found a comparison of MonaVie with a product called Perfect Acai.
I have no affiliation with Perfect Acai (or MonaVie), but I thought the information presented was interesting:
From PowerSupplements:
How much Acai is in your product?
PERFECT ACAI™: Perfect Acai contains 1,000mg (1 gram) of 100% freeze dried Sambazon Organic Acai per serving. There are 60 servings in a bottle. Most clients do 2 servings a day, so they get 2 grams of Acai per day and 1 bottle last 30 days.
MonaVie™ Juice: Unknown. Monavie is a proprietary blend of 19 fruits and there is no way to know how much Acai is in each serving.
What is the source of your Acai?
PERFECT ACAI™: Perfect Acai exclusively uses Sambazon 100% Freeze Dried Organic Acai. Sambazon Acai is Fairly Traded. Sambazon Acai is certified organic and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
MonaVie™ Juice: Unknown. A review of the Monavie website and promotional material does not state where they purchase their Acai from.
What is the price per serving of your product?
PERFECT ACAI™: One serving is 2 capsules and there are 120 capsules in a bottle. One bottle is $39.95 and if you buy 3 bottles the price drops down to $29.95 a bottle. One serving of Perfect Acai will cost between 50 and 67 cents.
MonaVie™ Juice: One bottle of Monavie juice is 25.35 ounces and cost about $45. One serving is 2 ounces. The cost per serving of the Monavie juice is about $3.55.
To be fair, MonaVie has other juices plus the active version contains glucosamine. In my research I also found dozens of comparable Acai liquid products, similar to MonaVie. You can see these on Google.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — (MARKET WIRE) — 03/07/08 — Bo Short and Ty Tribble have formed a groundbreaking partnership, uniting their collective expertise in the Network Marketing Industry, under the name MaxImpact
International, LLC. They have affiliated their new organization with a
cutting-edge Network Marketing company called Max International. The
goal of their organization is to create a new paradigm for success for
the millions of people that have faced the conventional challenges
associated with building a network marketing organization.
According to Industry leader Ken Dunn, “The partnership of Bo Short and Ty Tribble will no doubt have people talking in the Network Marketing Industry. It’s almost like Google(TM) partnering with Costco(TM), you will get the best of online and offline training and mentorship.”
MaxImpact International, LLC has offices in the states of Washington and Virginia. They are currently building teams throughout the United States and Canada. In a recent Max International news release, Bo and Ty were recognized for their achievements in two separate categories. They were honored as Top Revenue Recruiters and Top Associate Recruiters.
Ty said, “Building a successful Network is a team effort. We are
working with some of the greatest partners in the industry that truly
care about the success of their teams and are passionate about
assisting them as they build their independent businesses. We are
honored to serve them.”
In addition, they were recently identified to be among “52 of the brightest minds inside and outside network marketing.” Included in that list were notables such as Robert Kiyosaki, Paul Zane Pilzer, and Dr. Denis Waitley.
According to Bo, “Our primary focus is to mentor individuals on our team to achieve success. We cultivate leaders, not followers. We are attracting individuals that want to build a long-term income, create value through association and establish a new paradigm of success in this industry.”
Mike Dillard, creator of “Magnetic Sponsoring” and “Building on a Budget,” commented, “Ty Tribble is one of the few networkers out there who’s really on top of the Internet marketing world… If you want to learn from one of the best, Ty’s your man…”
Rudy Ruettiger, author, speaker and the inspiration for the motion picture “RUDY,” said, “Bo Short develops great leaders. He has a talent for coaching people to attain significance in their personal and professional lives.”
For More Information Contact: MaxImpact International, LLC www.MaxImpactllc.info 1-801-461-5000
You get the top 10 start ups here. If you want the full meal deal (all 40 companies), visit Kim's site...
New School Marketing by Kim Klaver: Top 40 NM Start-Ups: Week 31
Top 40 NM Start-Ups: Week 31.
Don't see your company? Check the Top 50 here.
The current Top 50 Network Marketing Companies represents the most highly trafficked companies online, as rated each day and updated each week by Alexa. The Top 50 are also 5 years old or more.
Next Top 40 Start-ups update: Monday, March 10, 2008.Top 40 Start-Ups list.
Network Marketing companies with 1) the highest internet traffic as ranked by
Alexa, AND 2) that are LESS than five years old as of the date of the
update. That data is also obtained from Alexa for each company. We are adding more companies to this list.Alexa, while not perfect by any means, is the most widely used tracking
service for website rankings since 1996. Alexa ranks millions of
websites.Rank 1 is the highest; Rank 10 million the lowest.
NOTE:
When you click on a company, you will usually get some live humans who
are independent reps for that company. Those folks are all members of Network Marketing Central (NMC) or the iGaggle Network. For a company that has no NMC member yet, you will go directly to that company page.
- My Power Mall 21,774
- Send Out Cards 48,501
- Agel 60,828
- Freedom Rocks 68,278
- Mona Vie 74,589
- Wealth Masters International 87,399
- Photo Max 89,443
- Talk Fusion 118,790
- Max International 148,964
- Acai Plus 149,962
Well known Network Marketing trainer, Tim Sales (Brilliant Compensation ring a bell?) has launched a new web site with a goal to provide non-company specific answers to questions about MLM.
So far, so good...lots of great information. It will be interesting to see how the site progresses.
Check it out here: FirstClassMLM.com
In my last post, I talked about how Orrin Woodward's TEAM would might see great success in a Network Marketing Binary Compensation plan.
However, I should also point out that the TEAM concept (again slightly modified) would work well (perhaps better in the long run) with a Unilevel compensation plan as long as there are some additional depth bonuses. (Univera has this type of plan.)
The Unilevel plan is considered (by many) to be the most fair plan for the average person.
In the case of Univera's compensation, the added depth bonuses (called generational bonus) allows an associate to be paid (2 to 14%) as far down as six diamond level organizations in depth.
Imagine someone from the TEAM who used to spend $300/month to make 100PV, now spending $125/month to make 100PV, with every person (on their team) netting out a larger check bonus check. That is the potential of a new plan for the TEAM.
I was in Phoenix over the weekend at a Network Marketing event with Todd Falcone, Jeffery Combs, Erica Combs and Michael Bernoff, where I met the owner of a Network Marketing company by the name of Michael Wenniger. Wenniger owns Fun Unlimited which is actually being re-branded as I write this. He has a much better name coming out soon. (I'll get you the new name once I have permission).
Anyways, I spent a few hours hanging out with Mike and talking about his company, a binary compensation plan with health and wellness products. The biggest claim to fame for the company is their Power Pops which are candy that help people lose weight. Chris Angel and Britney Spears have reportedly both used the candy.
The company also has a vitamin lollipop designed for children. Pretty unique products that seem to be priced well, (50 cents to one dollar for the weight loss and vitamin lollipops). They also have a skincare line and a new functional beverage coming out soon and they do not have an autoship requirement in order to get your check.
Now, I mentioned earlier that this company has a binary compensation plan and for those that are not clear on comp plans, a binary has two legs or teams. Typically (not in every case) one of the legs or teams is called the "Power Leg" and is usually built by the leaders within the company, leaving others to focus on the lesser leg.
This type of compensation plan got me to thinking about Orrin Woodward's former Quixtar group called "The TEAM". Let me say this...I don't agree with the amount of money that the TEAM charges it's members for training, but I can not argue with their ability to bring in numbers, especially into a deal as bad as Quixtar.
What I am driving at here is that if the TEAM were to apply their strategy (slightly modified) to a company like the one Mike Wenniger owns, they would tear it up. The binary compensation plan is focused on depth. Mike's plan also has some matching bonus money that could bring in huge checks.
I'm not trying to broker a deal here, just pointing out that the main problem with the TEAM is probably not the amount of money that they make on training, it was probably the company they chose to affiliate with. If the TEAM were to build a binary with the numbers they bring in, a lot of people would be making money through products moving into the hands of consumers.
My name is Ty Tribble and I would like to welcome you to the MLM Blog. I launched this site in 2003 as a journal of my thoughts and opinions on Network Marketing.
While I write about many companies, I am only active in one, if you would like more information about myself or my business, visit my personal web site at TyTribble.com
If you have story ideas, comments or questions, you can contact me at ty (at) tribble (dot) org.
I will get to the Mannatech news after a little commentary...
How due diligence has changed in the last 15 years. 15 years ago, when you wanted to check out a Network Marketing company, you probably asked a friend about it or if you were really an academic, you went to the library.
Today, all you need is Google.
The following article is about Mannatech, but I think it is important to point out that companies and distributors can no longer say stupid things, like "my product cures cancer" or "take this, it will help your arthritis".
The internet brings transparency and transparency brings better behavior.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has yet to take action against Mannatech Inc. despite being informed by the Department of State Health Services nearly nine months ago that the agency believes that the company is a threat to public health and safety.
Abbott was notified of the department's concerns in a letter Oct. 5 regarding the Coppell-based company, among the industry leaders in selling dietary supplements through multilevel marketing. The letter accompanied a memo that outlined issues to be addressed.
"DSHS believes that these persons will continue to violate Texas law as described in the enclosed memorandum unless enjoined from doing so and that such continued operations pose a threat to the public health and safety," wrote Cathy Campbell, the agency's general counsel at the time.
Here is a recent article from rctimes.com. The article talks about how Home Based Businesses are not easy. Funny, I can't remember anything worthwhile being easy.
Jamie Gerdes of Sioux Falls, S.D., is hoping a $150 investment means she can leave her full-time job and stay home with her 10-month-old son, Boston.
"He's my first baby, and he's almost a year old," said Gerdes, 26. "I feel like I'm missing out on things."
So Gerdes looked into home-based businesses and discovered Uppercase Living, a company that creates decorative lettering and embellishments for homes.
"It's fairly new to our area, and a lot of people haven't heard of it yet," Gerdes said. She signed on as a consultant and bought her startup materials last month; she has booked three shows and will earn a 20 percent commission off whatever she sells.
Nationwide, home-based sales are on the rise, and most often involve women. But earning a living with a home-based direct-sales business isn't always easy — nor are the companies always legitimate.
There are several reasons a person looks to go into business for themselves and many are looking for an internet home based business opportunity with which they can achieve financial security as well as a future. Above all, they want the home based business online to be ethical and something of which they can brag about.
For several years multilevel marketing home based business opportunities were shied away from due to their connection to pyramid schemes in which many people lost a lot of money. True, a few people made a ton of money on these schemes, but for every one person who got rich from them, there were several others who lost that money. Despite the difference in a tangible product or viable service playing a major role in multilevel marketing, the similarities kept people from venturing into this type of internet home based business.
American Chronicle: Search For The Right Internet Home Based Business Opportunity
One in 10 Americans owns a small business. In the private sector, they create half the gross domestic output, employ half the workers and pay nearly half of total payroll. They are a piece of the American dream, promising the hope for anyone to strike gold.
Vlad Shapiro, 30, immigrated from Belarus as a boy. Now a U.S. citizen, he cut his teeth organizing events during the dot-com boom, then managed restaurants in San Francisco. Last year, he decided to buy an assembly kitchen franchise from Super Suppers, the largest operator of the new concept business.
After a long initial round of paperwork, Shapiro rolled up his sleeves for months of construction to transform a Concord furniture shop into a space where people can socialize while they make gourmet dishes to take home for later cooking.In February, the smell of food was still a long way off; his new shop was being thoroughly gutted.
In part II of 'Some Things Are Best Not Network Marketed" we will look at the characteristics of a good MLM product:
1. Consumable. You should be able to use the product and then buy more the following month.
2. Profit margin. There should be a decent profit margin in the product so that the company and the distributor can each make a nice markup.
3. Unique. The product should have unique selling points.
4. Weight. The product should be light weight enough to be shipped economically.
Some examples of good MLM products:
Nutritionals make a nice product because the ingredients can be unique, they are generally purchased monthly, they are lightweight and typically have a high profit margin. If I wanted to launch MLM Blog Nutritionals with a high quality daily vitamin, I could have it manufactured for less than $5 per bottle. Many companies turn around and sell that bottle for $30.
Part III will deal with products that are not good for longterm success with MLM.
According the Get The Facts, Amway and Quixtar IBOs associated with Network 21 have dontated $20 Million to World Vision.
I didn't see anything about $20 Million on the web site, but I did see something about donations being over $10 Million.
My hat is off the Network 21. World Vision is a great cause.
More.
Avon cosmetics are manufactured by the Avon Products, Inc. corporation. Avon produces perfume, cosmetics and even toys with markets in over 135 countries around the world. Avon has annual sales of $7.74 billion around the world. Avon’s CEO and company chairman is Andrea Jung, who in 1999 was promoted to the position.
Today, Avon’s’ fastest growing markets are in Russia and China. Though Avon has traditionally been and continues to primarily be a direct-sales company, in places like China most sales happen in retail stores. Door to door selling was banned in China during the 1990s, but this hasn’t seemed to slow Avon sales in China.
Avon Cosmetics: A Leader In Cosmetics As Well As Corporate Philanthropy
Fad products will not work. Hyped products that do not have long-term substance will not work. Overpriced products will not work. Products that cannot sustain their unique exclusivity and branding will not work. Products with collapsing margins (i.e., anything high tech, internet, phone service, etc.) or any commodities that cannot sustain high-perceived value.
The bottom line on products is: Will distributors who quit the income opportunity still buy the products?
"Can he do it again?" is the question on the minds of millions of network marketers, MLMers, industry watchers and critics.
Neways founder and legend in the network marketing industry, Tom Mower, has sold his interest in Neways and is preparing to launch a new company named SISEL (pronounced like "sizzle").
According to the US Census Bureau, more than one in five children live below the poverty line. And 13.8 million children reside in "food insecure homes." Studies have proven time again that malnourished children are likely to suffer life-long "brain, cognitive, and psychological impairment." It's not just that these children are going hungry - they're also lacking any semblance of proper nutritional balance.
It goes beyond our impressive statistics and growth figures.Today, most people you'll talk to about network marketing know of someone who's had a positive experience. We're less apologetic and more sensible. We have a proven track record, and we're getting much, much better at what we do.
John David Mann
TransformingMLM: John David Mann, from the book, It's time...
This country was built on free enterprise, and that iswhat MLM offers. Network marketing is more consistentwith the original "American Dream" than just aboutanything else you can do to make a living and a life.
- Kimberly Rhodes
TransformingMLM: Kimberly Rhodes, from the book, It's time...
The trade publication Nutrition Business Journal estimates that $7.7 billion in supplements was sold in U.S. vitamin stores last year, $6 billion by food markets and big-box outlets and $4.2 billion via MLM distribution. "It's a substantial figure," says journal editor Grant Ferrier.
It looks like it is my day at Transforming MLM. Below is a snip from my contribution to the new book on Network Marketing by John Fogg...
MLM Goes Mainstream
While you were busy tying to convince your brother-in-law that network marketing is a viable business, the business world was busily adopting the concepts behind MLM network marketing, labeling them word-of-mouth, buzz and viral marketing.
TransformingMLM: Ty Tribble, from the book, It's time...
The book is only available for purchase online. You should get a copy.
Network Marketing Times via Network Marketing Today:
"We were talking about MLM 'grinders.'
These are the 'loyal soldiers' who soldier on year after year,
but never really breakthrough to achieve the big bonus checks,
recognition, and lifestyle the industry promises. They work
hard, do all the stuff their sponsor or company tells them to,
but they never really get the payoff.This is a tragedy. And unfortunately it happens all the time.
The reasons are numerous. But mostly they can be traced to one
deciding factor. They have a sponsorship line who has never
really breathed the thin air at the top, so they don't know how
to coach and guide their people there. They keep handing out
the same marketing materials, making the same presentation, and
spouting the same clichés.
To start a network marketing business in direct sales you do not have to give up your full time job. You can begin to earn income from product sales while you learn the business in your spare time, working three or four hours per week. Maintain your consistency and this will build into a respectable check within reasonable time. Some do very well from the very start. Others it may take a while longer. Almost all will succeed if they persist with a good company, excellent product and acceptable compensation plan.
Many highbred compensation plans today have elements of Binary plans in them. The highlight of the Binary plan is the depth of the pay structure. The lowlight is the percentage of pay-out for the volume created.
A program that is somewhat similar in concept to the Australian Plan is the Binary Plan. Again, they are not easy to understand or in my opinion work efficiently. Binary plans started several years ago (late 80s) with land and other types of contract sales, mostly in gold or silver coins. The plan provides lots of roll over (in this case, people reenter the program usually directly under themselves or their first level). Quite recently there have been some variations again. The type explained was the first wave of binary and where there have been additional or changes I've tried to explain.
Everyone starts as a Business Center (called by other names as well). Each Business Center has two legs (also called Business Centers.) You can be (buy) up to seven Centers but understand that each Center must have two legs so you have just filled you second level. In order to gain any compensation rewards both legs must produce the same amount of volume or some companies require a two thirds/one third ratio. Example: A becomes a Business Center and signs up two centers, B & C. B & C must do the same for A to progress. B's downline does $2000 in volume and C's downline does $1000 in volume. When the pay period comes around, A is paid on $1000 in volume on each leg (B & C). C must produce an additional $1000 in volume within a given period of time (check this out) or there is no commission paid on that (additional $1000) amount from leg B.
http://www.mlmia.com/blibraryarchiveJune03.aspx#stair
technorati tags: MLM, Compensation
The Matrix plan is perhaps the plan that is most closely related to a pyramid scheme in the industry and my least favorite among the 4 main plans.
Some times called Forced Matrix (which AGs love to take a look at - the word forced is the key) or Fixed Matrix, this type of plan usually provides quick growth and some quick depth for Company and Distributor. The Matrix plan is relatively new compared with Stair Step and Uni-Level first hitting popularity around 1984/85. Companies' not understanding this type of program and it's true potential have failed miserably and missed tremendous potential for both themselves and their Distributors. See those factors that apply to all types of plans.
The Matrix incorporates many of the characteristics of Uni-Level except that it always has a fixed number of people on the 1st level and pays bonus for a fixed number of levels in multiples of that fixed lst level number. For instance, in a 3x3 Matrix, each Distributor would have 3 people on the lst level, 9 on the 2nd level and 27 on the 3rd. Like Uni-Level, the Matrix can go down as many levels as there is money to pay out. Again, for those who like the Matrix there are lots of possibilities for variation.
The unilevel plan is widely used today, and is considered to be the most fair plan for the average associate. Many plans such as Univera LifeSciences use elements of several plans including the unilevel.
The ''Uni-Level'' plan also has a good track record. Although, as with the stair step plan and any other plan, there have been successes during the last twenty years, it is not necessarily the result of the compensation plan. There have also been many failures, again not necessarily the result of the compensation plan.
As with any type of business it takes more than one factor to make or break a company.
technorati tags: MLM, Compensation, Plan, Unilevel, Network, Marketing
The Stair Step Break-A-Way is probably the best known and most often used of the five basic different programs. It was the first type used and once it was declared legal because of Amway fighting a great legal battle for it, it got copied more and more. Most of the copycats are no longer around cause they didn't take the important things into consideration.
It calls for unlimited first level personal sponsoring and limited depth (levels) depending upon the amount the company can afford to pay out and how they want to pay it. The Stair Step Break A Way is called by many different names - Conventional, Amway, Management, etc. and has a great many variations. Different names were given to appear to have a different approach.
http://www.mlmia.com/blibraryarchiveJune03.aspx#stair
How are you doing with the World Wide Group?
When I was digging into my WWDB line of sponsorship for my last post, I took a couple of minutes to look at the current Diamonds in World Wide. I looked at the names and tried to think of when each couple went Emerald and Diamond and I tried to guess what year that got in to Amway. Yes, I said Amway, because every single one of them had been involved with Amway before it changed it's name to Quixtar.
After thinking about it for a while, my curiousity peaked and I decided to look into the Pin Winners section of AmQuix.info to see if I could find the exact dates that each WWDB Diamond hit Emerald and Diamond.
Here is what I found:
Based on this information, WWDB has only 4 qualified new Diamonds in the last 10 years!
*note: I did not find information on Puryear, Severn, Felber, Hawkins, or Nelson because they more than likely pre-dated this information. For whatever reason, a handful of other diamonds did not show up on the Amquix site.
If you are not finding the results you had hoped for, it might be time to look for an alternative to Quixtar and World Wide.
Corporate Leadership: Univera LifeSciences has a management team that has represented Fortune 500 companies and has been responsible for tens of billions of dollars in sales. Quixtar has a management team consisting of the founder's kids.
Compensation Plan: Univera LifeSciences has a hybrid compensation plan that pays 3-15% on 4 levels and an additional 5-14% down 6 generations. Quixtar has a stair-step breakaway plan that has been basically the same since 1959. As soon as someone starts producing significant volume, they are cut off from you and you are paid only 4% of 1 generation.
Business Volume: One Business Volume is Univera LifeSciences is about $1.30, meaning 100 Points cost about $130. One Business Volume in Quixtar is equal to about $2.50, meaning 100 points cost about $250.
Business Tools: CD's in Oasis cost about 75 cents each and are sold by the company. Other tools are regulated by the company. CD's in Quixtar range from $6-8/ea. (or subscribed to for $40/month) and are a profit center for the Quixtar Diamonds. Other tools are produced by the Diamond kingpins and are likely the main source of Diamond income.
More soon.
What would you do if you found out about a Biotech company that has a pipeline of products commited to run through a Network Marketing company?
Would you gather more information?
As Passport's distributor force merges into Univera LifeSciences, a fair question is why Univera LifeSciences?
Part 1
1. Company Infrastructure and Resources.
ECONET Global Resources
2. Unique Products
We (Univera LifeSciences) start with the highest quality raw materials from our farms and forests around the world. We then test the ingredients and formulas at the DNA level - a process called Genomics. No other natural products company uses Genomics to test its products. Finally we complete the chain of bringing those products from farm to family to your door by using state of the art manufacturing techniques and equipment.
Liquid Supplement/Energy Drink Products
- Ageless Xtra - AgelessXtra contains herbs, vitamins, and nutrients all known to play key roles in energy production, mental clarity and focus, stress management, healthy aging and joint comfort and flexibilitly.
- Ageless Essentials - (launching in less than 2 weeks) Nutrient - Dense Superfood containing, protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, calcium, essential vitamins and minerals. Scientifically formulated to address the nutrient ingredients that promote optimal cellular development.
In part 2 of "Why Univera LifeSciences?", I will talk about the compensation plan, which I believe to be the most lucrative compensation plan in Network Marketing today, based on my research of dozens of other plans.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
In November of 2003, I wrote an article about my stance on Network Marketing. In that article I talked about four areas that Network Marketing needed to improve on in order to come out of a place of resistance into a place of acceptance.
1. Product Price and Value
2. Questionable Training
3. Questionable Leadership
4. Confusing and Hyped Compensation Plans
I believe it is time to add a 5th point (Stop Hounding and Start Building Relationships) and I also believe it is time to turn this into a Network Marketing Manifesto (more on that soon).
My friends, I believe that we in Network Marketing, are at the beginning of a fantastic trend - a revolution in the industry.
For years, the top levels of this business have been dominated by red personalities. You know the type I’m talking about… the “hard hitting, no remorse, all go, never quit until you beg, plead, and bribe every innocent grandmother into your organization” kind of personality. This behavior, among other things, has led to a public misunderstanding of the potential of Network Marketing.
There’s a reason that as soon as one of your friends hears that you’re a Network Marketer, they head for the hills and join the Witness Protection Program. It’s because they’ve probably been hounded by someone else in Network Marketing and lived to tell the story. And BY GOD do they tell the story! They share their negative experience with everyone they know.
WELL GUESS WHAT - THE TIME OF HOUNDING IS OVER
Read the rest of Andrew’s article at ezinearticles.com.
The Next Millionaires explains in detail why the 21st century will be known as the age of the entrepreneur, and how you can stake your claim to being one of these next 10 million millionaires--especially if you are in direct selling, technology, home-based business, product distribution, or an emerging trillion-dollar industry like wellness. It explains how old models of opportunity in physical distribution have given way to new opportunities in intellectual distribution, defined as teaching people about products or services that they didn't even know exist. And, drawing on Pilzer's 33 years of experience as an entrepreneur and employer, it explains how to use your past to find your place in the new economy and your ticket to becoming one of The Next Millionaires.
Before I tell you why I think Podcasting is so important to Network Marketing, I wanted to direct you to the latest Network Marketing Podcast of a conference call on leadership by Passport CEO, Bo Short.
You can subscribe to the MLM Blog Network Marketing Podcast feed here.
From an earlier MLM Blog post:
It's one of those nights. Your daughter has a swimming meet at 7:00PM and your son has a soccer game at 7:15PM and then there is the Network Marketing conference call by the # 1 MLM trainer in 2004, Michael Oliver. You have looked forward to this call for months, but the call starts at 7:30, right in the middle of your kid's important events.
What do you do?
How about plugging your iPod into the USB port on your computer and having the conference call automatically feed into your MP3 player?
It's called Podcasting and according to Glenn Garnes at The Perfect Networker, "Podcasting can be used to distribute audio content to people wherever they may be, and have it be mobile so they can take it on the road with them, listen to it in the car, or anywhere else people go. You can distribute news, music, training, personal development content, or virtually anything else you can think of all on the fly.".
Podcasts can also be listened to right on your computer, but the neat thing about it is that you will be able to subscribe to the content you want, such as Passport Training or a weekly leadership radio show with Bo Short and it will automatically be delivered to you via RSS feed.
I can only think of two reasons why a company or a business building system within a company wouldn't be Podcasting their training.
Money and Money.
Money from CD sales and money from meetings.
If I had Jedi powers, I would make a soapbox rise out of the floor right now...
If you want to sell CD's and charge money for meetings, be my guest, but you should also provide the material for free to anyone that wants to learn.
I purchased some Noni Juice at Costco today so that I could compare it with a batch that a manufacturer was sending me to try.
You might think that testing the samples of potential products is a cool perk of being the President of Passport LLC, but I am here to tell you, when it comes to testing Noni Juice, Dave Stone, Passport LLC, Vice President is now in charge of that department.
I simply can not understand how millions of bottles of a product that tastes that bad gets sold. If you like the taste of prune juice mixed with spare tire extract, Noni is for you.
I am a big fan of liquid supplements and there is a good chance that Passport LLC will carry one in the future, but here is my promise, Passport's liquid nutritional supplement will have real nutritional content and it will taste good.
Hard to believe, but it's been a year since my post with the following information on evaluating Network Marketing. Far too many people sign up with companies before giving these types of questions much thought.
Think.
6 Questions for Evaluating MLM
1. Do you understand the compensation plan or is it confusing?
2. Would you buy the products for the retail price or are they too expensive?
3. Are the start up fees reasonable and is their value added to the start up?
4. Is the training included, or is training something you have to pay extra for?
5. Is the company using today's technology or are they still meeting 2-3 times a week in hotels and conference centers?
6. How good is the company reputation?
The FTC's TIPS TO AVOID PYRAMID SCHEMES
1. Avoid any plan that offers commissions to recruit new distributors.
2. Beware of plans that ask you to spend money on costly inventory.
3. Be cautious of claims that you will make money by recruiting new members instead of on sales you make yourself.
4. Beware of promises about high profits or claims about "miracle" products.
5. Be cautious about references; they could be "shills" by the promoter.
6. Don’t pay money or sign contracts in a high-pressure situation.
7. Check out all offers with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General.
The FTC on Multi-Level Marketing
1. Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid.
2. Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive inventory. These plans can collapse quickly -- and also may be thinly-disguised pyramids.
3. Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your "downline" -- the commissions on sales made by new distributors you recruit -- rather than through sales of products you make yourself.
4. Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Just because a promoter of a plan makes a claim doesn't mean it's true! Ask the promoter of the plan to substantiate claims with hard evidence.
5. Beware of shills -- "decoy" references paid by a plan's promoter to describe their fictional success in earning money through the plan.
6. Don't pay or sign any contracts in an "opportunity meeting" or any other high-pressure situation. Insist on taking your time to think over a decision to join. Talk it over with your spouse, a knowledgeable friend, an accountant or lawyer.
7. Do your homework! Check with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General about any plan you're considering -- especially when the claims about the product or your potential earnings seem too good to be true.
Passport CEO and Former Quixtar Diamond, Bo Short will speak live on Tuesday, January 4th at 6PM Pacific/9PM Eastern Time.
To log into the free conference call, dial: 641-478-5008 and enter Code 491560#.
Bo will be talking about what sets Passport apart in the Network Marketing industry, but the call would help anyone in evaluating Network Marketing.
This post from lawBlawg should be required reading for all current MLM - Network Marketers as well as those that are researching Network Marketing - MLM.
I am currently reading Seth Godin's book titled 'Purple Cow'. The book talks about having a remarkable business, stating:
"You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice."
Mr. Godin goes on to explain that "Cows...are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something".
This got me to thinking about my network marketing business. Through Passport, I market 26, (soon to be 27), products. These are good quality products at good prices, but I couldn't think of anything truly remarkable about shampoo, vitamins, and skincare products. We have nice packaging, a money back guarantee, and quick delivery, but so do hundreds of other companies.
Something dawned on me while reading a press release from a new MLM company that, (according to the press release), "is poised to be the fastest growing opportunity in MLM." What followed was a few hype filled paragraphs talking about the "cutting edge" product known as water. One thing I know about water is that it's heavy. Shipping costs will be hard to swallow. I don't care how special you think your water is, it is not a Purple Cow when trying to sell it over the Internet. Network Marketing companies all seem to tout Purple Cow like products, typically high in hype and price, but very few are truly remakable.
Which leads me to Passport. The Purple Cow in Passport is not the products, it is the business itself, a combination of things unmatched in the world of Network Marketing:
1. Affordable, Good Quality Products.
2. Free Training and Support
3. Truly Home Based
Whenever I do a conference call talking about What Sets Passport Apart, I read the following statement from the company brochure:
"The combination of teamwork, your independent thinking, our support, and the current market trends lends iteself to our mutual success."
The products do their job, but what is truly remarkable about Passport is that they understand that the average person looking for a home based business just wants a fair shot. They want the truth and they don't want to be misled. It is a somewhat sad but amazing statement that the Purple Cow in Network Marketing is simply centered on telling the truth. No hype. No six-figure income claims. No fancy suits. Me. You. Truth. Purple Cow.
A friend of mine made the following post on a message board:
IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, you will want to seek out a company that teaches you to become a true entrepreneur and not a company that teaches duplication. One teaches you how to operate a business and the other tells you how to operate a business. The subtleties are enormous!
New Network Marketers often pull aside their sponsor or upline and ask them the following question:
How do I build this business?
Nine times out of ten the upline guru answers this question by regurgitating how he has built his business, not even realizing that wasn't the question. New Network Marketers could care less how the upline guru has built their business; they want to know what will work for them.
Duplication is an overblown and hyped word that keeps people in line and buying the latest tapes and books from their upline. Network Marketers should consider their own core competencies and strengths and build a business within those areas, while working to improve themselves in other areas.
It is well known that most people don't make money in Network Marketing, perhaps it is time to change that by allowing people to work within their own comfort zones instead of pushing them threw a small hole called duplication.
From: Zongoo.com
So how do you identify the best MLM's, those Top Picks?Here's the litmus test I use: Would a real person buy this product or service at the price being offered to the end user even if they couldn't earn a penney by being associated with it?
It can be a premium product at a premium price, but it needs to be unique and at a reasonable price even if it's a premium product.
Here's the second test I use: Could a distributor make a living just selling the product if they never recruited anyone? Not everyone can sell, but *could* a living be made by simply selling the product? (Yes that still applies whether you're MLM sells shampoo, vitamins or financial products. And in the best companies, this is still completely "doable".)
In January I released an article discussing my Quixtar story. The release was picked up by several news agencies such as Excite Money & Investing, MSNBC, and Yahoo! Business.
There were two main reasons behind releasing my story. First, I wanted to let people know that they are not alone and that lots of people had similar experiences with Quixtar and Amway. Second, I wanted to let people know that there is a viable alternative to Quixtar available called Passport.
Here is the release in full:
SEATTLE, WA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/21/2004 -- What do high priced products, leaving home 3 or 4 nights a week, expensive training, and time-consuming meetings have in common? According to Ty Tribble, CEO of Tribble.org, "Everything that is wrong with network marketing."
Tribble learned the down side of network marketing the hard way, as a Quixtar independent business owner (IBO). He says, "All I knew about it was what I heard from my Quixtar sponsor. He had a very nice home, luxury cars, and traveled around the world. It just seemed reasonable that if I listened to him and worked hard, I would have those things too." But it didn't work out that way for Tribble -- or for many other Quixtar IBOs.
Dateline NBC recently released a letter sent to Quixtar President Doug DeVos charging that " . . . distributors for Quixtar and formerly Amway have overstated the amount of money that distributors can earn." The letter goes on to say that "lawsuits have been filed in recent years in which Diamond-Level distributors state that 85 percent and more of their income as top Amway/Quixtar distributors was generated by the tools system (books, tapes, seminars, and meetings) . . . not by the income from being Quixtar IBOs."
In March of 2003, Tribble ran across a web site about a Diamond-level IBO who had quit his Quixtar business. Bo Short had seen the problems firsthand -- in fact, he resigned his successful international Quixtar business because of the practices he encountered.Short says, "I believe that many network-marketing companies overprice their products and offer compensation plans that, while they may look lucrative, pay out to a very small minority." He adds, "The overwhelming number of people participating as distributors are ambitious, hard-working people who care about their families and want to accomplish more in their lives." It was with this concept -- and his distaste for deceptive business practices -- that Bo Short created his own network-marketing company, called Passport.
After lengthy discussions with Bo Short and an in-depth analysis of the compensation and business plan, Tribble launched his own Passport business in late March. He has since put together one of the fastest-growing teams of associates in the company.
Tribble knows why the Passport approach works. "People just want a fair shot. They don't want to be mislead any longer. Our formula for success is pretty simple: Have fun and tell the truth. I'm surprised no one in the industry figured this one out before."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Ty Tribble at:
ty@tribble.org
www.tribble.org
206-686-8899--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The things that separate a legitimate MLM from a scam are quite simple and are things that you should look at closely when you are starting your own business whether it is a home business or one of the many other small business opportunities that are out there.
Here is the article from: webpronews.com
6 Questions for Evaluating MLM
1. Do you understand the compensation plan or is it confusing?
2. Would you buy the products for the retail price or are they too expensive?
3. Are the start up fees reasonable and is their value added to the start up?
4. Is the training included, or is training something you have to pay extra for?
5. Is the company using today's technology or are they still meeting 2-3 times a week in hotels and conference centers?
6. How good is the company reputation?
The FTC's TIPS TO AVOID PYRAMID SCHEMES
1. Avoid any plan that offers commissions to recruit new distributors.
2. Beware of plans that ask you to spend money on costly inventory.
3. Be cautious of claims that you will make money by recruiting new members instead of on sales you make yourself.
4. Beware of promises about high profits or claims about "miracle" products.
5. Be cautious about references; they could be "shills" by the promoter.
6. Don’t pay money or sign contracts in a high-pressure situation.
7. Check out all offers with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General.
The FTC on Multi-Level Marketing
1. Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid.
2. Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive inventory. These plans can collapse quickly -- and also may be thinly-disguised pyramids.
3. Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your "downline" -- the commissions on sales made by new distributors you recruit -- rather than through sales of products you make yourself.
4. Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Just because a promoter of a plan makes a claim doesn't mean it's true! Ask the promoter of the plan to substantiate claims with hard evidence.
5. Beware of shills -- "decoy" references paid by a plan's promoter to describe their fictional success in earning money through the plan.
6. Don't pay or sign any contracts in an "opportunity meeting" or any other high-pressure situation. Insist on taking your time to think over a decision to join. Talk it over with your spouse, a knowledgeable friend, an accountant or lawyer.
7. Do your homework! Check with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General about any plan you're considering -- especially when the claims about the product or your potential earnings seem too good to be true.
Good Network Marketing Companies do exist. info@workathomedad.info
I would like to announce two new websites that have recently been launched. The goal with these sites is to provide "no hype" information for people that are looking to work from home, whether full or part time.
I believe good opportunities exist. Let's discuss them.
Work At Home Dad:
If you have thoughts, ideas, or opinions on working from home, send them to: info@workathomedad.com
1. Do you understand the compensation plan or is it confusing?
2. Would you buy the products for the retail price or are they too expensive?
3. Are the start up fees reasonable and is their value added to the start up?
4. Is the training included, or is training something you have to pay extra for?
5. Is the company using today's technology or are they still meeting 2-3 times a week in hotels and conference centers?
6. How good is the company reputation?
