MLM - Network Marketing Blog

MonaVie EMVA Launches - Does Anyone Care?

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

If I was active in an MLM it certainly wouldn't be Monavie. But I'll give them credit for out-Xangoing Xango. The products look awesome...but if you're looking for extra energy I'd take a look at your diet and maybe get off the couch and exercise.


This from FoodBev.com:

The new drink is a fusion of the acai berry and natural energy ingredients designed to deliver a boost of sustained energy to recharge body and mind.

According to MonaVie founder, chairman and CEO Dallin A Larsen, the new product is revolutionary in the functional beverage category and will be a welcome point of entry to the company’s signature acai nutritional beverages.

“With MonaVie EMV,” said Larsen, “millions of consumers will find a healthy alternative to soft drinks and overly caffeinated energy drinks.”

MonaVie EMV officially launches in the US on 20 June 2009 at MonaVie’s Salt Lake City Super Regional event. Consumers first caught a glimpse of the product’s brilliant blue packaging as the EMV branded race car, driven by veteran racer Tomas Scheckter, roared onto the track at the Indy 500 this past May.

“MonaVie EMV delivers the perfect equation for healthy, sustained energy without the ‘crash and burn’ side effects typically associated with energy drinks,” said vice president of product management, Jeff Graham. “Consumers – from the busy soccer mom to the extreme snowboarder – are looking for ways to increase their energy levels, and EMV provides the solution.”

Read more...

MonaVie Founder Dallin A. Larsen Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

This from Monavie:

SALT LAKE CITY---MonaVie, maker of the premier blend of the Brazilian acai berry, today announces that Dallin A. Larsen received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in the Distribution and Manufacturing category in the Utah Region. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Larsen was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Salt Palace Convention Center on June 12, 2009.

“I’m grateful to be involved in an industry where we talk about going from success to significance,” says MonaVie founder, chairman and CEO Dallin A. Larsen. “As CEO of a company, I know of the challenges, sacrifices, and determination it takes, and I believe that as we become more blessed we should become more of a blessing.”

MonaVie is a direct seller of nutritional beverages made from unique blends of nature’s superfruits. Launched in 2005, MonaVie was created by a team of partners with extensive backgrounds in network marketing and health products. Cumulative sales topped $1 billion in 2008, and MonaVie now operates in 10 countries, with international expansion continuing.

“We are proud to recognize the achievements of Dallin A. Larsen,” said David Jolley, Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for the Utah Region. “Award recipients of the Entrepreneur Of The Year award build leading businesses and contribute significantly to the strength of our region’s economy. Their success helps our area grow stronger.”

Scheckter to Quit Racing, Become Monavie Salesman

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

This from The Other Side:

Sources at The Other Side have learned that Tomas Scheckter's big announcement tomorrow is in fact not what people are expecting.

People around the country are waiting on Tomas to announce either his part time or full time entry into the Indycar Series for the rest of 2009 with either Dreyer & Reinbold Racing or Dale Coyne Racing. However, we have learned that Mr. Scheckter will do just the opposite.

"He's done, he has found a new passion and we can't figure out why" said a source who asked to remain anonymous since nothing has been announced yet. "It is like that Monavie stuff has brainwashed him. He went into a meeting with the founder of Monavie with a Monavie Gel in hand, and walked out of the meeting a different person."

Tomorrow, Tomas will announce that he is taking a short hiatus from racing to pursue his new goal, being the top Monavie Salesman in North America.

Apparently, part of his deal to run the Indianapolis 500 included him becoming a key distributor and salesman of Monavie products. As you can see above, Tomas was a walking billboard for the start up company during the last week of May as he pushed Monavie on everyone.

Further evidence of his decision to leave racing for the foreseeable future hit Twitter earlier today as Tomas was advertising job openings in his distribution team through tweets.

Xango - First To Market Category Creator: A Ty Tribble Riff On Innovation

An MLM Blog commenter recently wrote the following: "Xango was first to market with mangosteen."

Wow. Neat. Swell. Gee Whiz. Ouuuu. Ahhhh. Happy Day and All That Jazz.

Seriously, do they want a medal?  I actually credit Xango with changing the way Network Marketing companies are branded.  To me, they were first to market with real branding. That was big.  But today, Xango associates and the company are still hanging their hat on this "first to market" gibberish as the main selling point for the product and business.

Well guess what?  McDonald's was not first to market with hamburgers. 

Why is McDonald's number one today? 

One word: Innovation.  The problem with Xango is that after their initial launch, they haven't innovated.  They continue to point to the past.

I suppose it's easy to get lazy when you get big. Think Microsoft.  When was the last time you heard about something innovative from Microsoft? Outside of the XBOX (where the innovation really came from Bungie, creators of HALO), I can't think of one thing in the last 10 years.

That's why I love what we are doing at EIRO Research.  "Research" is actually part of the name.

EIRO innovated with the first all natural whole food liquid antioxidant that is not just one fruit and it is not filled with freeze dried or extracted ingredients plus no preservatives.  The EIRO liquid antioxidant is now undergoing double blind human clinical trials. It's meaningful concentrations of 5 super fruits based on research, not 19 freeze dried and extracted fruits tossed in a wine bottle. But EIRO is not hanging their hat on one product, no matter how good it is.

In March, EIRO launched a healthy alternative to Energy Drinks...you will see this concept copied very soon!  EIRO Energy is all natural with nothing artificial or synthetic and again, no preservatives.

EIRO will once again innovate in October. (Nope, not telling what is coming... big brother at that company who begins with M and ends in Vie is watching).

And here is the kicker.  EIRO is not only innovating in the product arena, but we are also on the cutting edge of technology.  The Internet doesn't scare us. We Twitter and we Facebook.  We have an incredible online marketing system and we will soon offer associates the very first social media blogging system designed for Network Marketers.

Last Word: MLM Blog author, Ty Tribble is a founding partner at EIRO Research.  Of course he is biased, but that doesn't make him wrong. You have the ability to think for yourself and do your own research. Actually, the last word is yours. Comments are open.

MLM Expert, Len Clements On The Amway Global Compensation Plan

By Ty Tribble, MLM Blog Founder

I was listening to a recent podcast from MLM Expert, Len Clements and he said something about the Amway compensation plan that I found very interesting.  Mr. Clements is a court certified expert in MLM/Network Marketing and founder of Market Wave Inc,  in case you were wondering about his credentials.

So here is a quote from Mr. Clements about the Amway Compensation Plan:

"The Amway Compensation Plan is one of the worst plans in the industry."

Hmmm.  That sounds really familiar.  Oh yeah, that's what I have been saying about the Amway/Quixtar plan for years.  Here is a link to the podcast where Len makes the statement.  The podcast is one hour and forty minutes long and the quote is near the end .

Back to Amway Global...

Amway is an $8 Billion company, but my guess is that only 10% (roughly $800 Million) of that volume comes from the U.S., down from an estimated $2 to $3 Billion in the 90's.

Is Amway Global a good business opportunity in the U.S.?

Let's answer that with a couple of questions...

1. Can you name a Network Marketing company that has a worse reputation than Amway/Quixtar?

2. Can you name a company that has a worse dollar to volume ratio than Amway/Quixtar? In other words, how much does it cost you to do your 100 points?

Amway Global has a Stairstep Breakaway Plan (not a Unilevel Plan like some folks at MonaVie claim).  The Stairstep Breakaway plan is typically considered as a plan that is disproportionately weighted towards the back end.  In general, top earners typically (not always) do fairly well and the mid to low ranks suffer.

Oprah NOT Associated With MonaVie Juice, Connecticut Attorney General Investigating Claims

Beware Acai Berry Free Offers - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston

After Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz spoke about the health benefits of acai berry, some companies began claiming she had endorsed their products.

Winfrey said otherwise, releasing a statement, "Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any açaí berry product, company or online solicitation of such products, including MonaVie juice products. Attorneys for Harpo are pursuing companies that claim such an affiliation."

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating claims, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest is also warning consumers to avoid free acai berry trial offers.

Whole Foods: Better Than Extracts and Freeze Dried Powders

Tonic youth | RedEye | Home

Pomegranate juice. Blueberry powder. And don't forget beverages and capsules containing the allegedly miraculous acai berry. These so-called superfoods have been identified as anti-aging weapons, but can you actually eat or drink your way to smoother skin?

There are certainly foods that are good for you, and antioxidant foods, which are rich in vitamins including E and C, can help in the fight for healthy skin and longevity in general.

But simply cramming pills, juices and powders with antioxidants into your diet could be counterproductive, said Joanne Slavin, a spokeswoman for the Institute of Food Technologists, an organization of food scientists headquartered in Chicago.

"Everything should be consumed in moderation," said Slavin, who also is a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota. "People think if they throw blueberry extract in a soy drink, they'll live forever. Blueberries are great, but that has not been proven as true."

What does work: You might want to punt the powders and extracts.

Eating whole foods, including blueberries, cherries and other fruits and vegetables with antioxidants, is one of the keys to getting the most out of the experience, Slavin said. "We haven't found many studies where an isolated antioxidant has proven very effective in anti-aging," Slavin said.

Olshansky says that subtracting some things from your diet can improve your health, and, therefore, your appearance.

"There's lots of scientific evidence that eating too much fat is bad for you, so that's an area people can address," Olshansky said.

"The general rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

California Attorney General Goes On Record About Traditional MLM Replicated Web Sites

The California Attorney General sued YTB Travel as a pyramid scheme and one of the things they referenced as evidence was the following:

"There are at least 139,000 of the company's travel Websites, all virtually identical, on the Internet."

Network Marketing companies who squash creativity while thinking that they are protecting themselves (see Send Out Cards and MonaVie) may want to rethink their strategy.

In my opinion, the smart strategy is education.   Teach people the right things to say and they will say them everywhere.  Making crazy claims appeared to be part of MonaVie's strategy at one point until they found that strategy all over the Internet, then they had to clamp down and instead of clamping down on the claims, they clamped down on the method of communication. See related story about MonaVie Health Claims and Benefits.

Dr. Tim's Brazilian Botanicals Exposes MonaVie?

Here is a video I found online that talks about the "watered down", $42, MLM, Acai juice:

Click the picture below to see the full scale comparison...

Brazil Botanicals Launches Super Juice For $12.95 Per Bottle

This is what juice deals like MonaVie, Vemma and Tahitian Noni have to contend with.

13 bucks a bottle and claims to have the highest ORAC.

If your main product in your MLM business is a juice, you better figure out a way to distinguish yourself or you will be lost in the clutter.  Sadly, most juice companies attempt to distinguish themselves through health claims and hype and in the long term, that won't work.

Remember this, "they can't all have the best product".

Read what I have to say about juice companies in my new book:

The 5 Keys To Choosing The Right Network Marketing Company (Free To MLM Blog readers)

Brazil Botanicals Introduces Dr. Tim's Brazilian Acai, Tibetan Goji, Thai Mangosteen and Polynesian Noni Super Juices

Each of Brazil Botanicals' Super Juices contain up to 85% of the basic juice-whether it is Acai, Mangosteen, Noni or Goji. All of our exotic juice products contain a much higher percentage of real juice in delicious blends. Additionally, we are extremely careful to protect and maintain the bio-activity of the juice. This sets us apart from the other suppliers. For bargain-minded buyers, Brazil Botanicals offers an extraordinarily low promotional price of only $12.95 per 32 ounce bottle. If you compare the price per ounce of real juice (85% real juice in Brazil Botanicals' juices) in each bottle with the per ounce cost of real juice content of our competitors juice, you will see what a great value Dr. Tim's Exotic Juices offers. When it comes to quality, taste and value, Brazil Botanicals and Dr. Tim's Exotic Juices lead the pack. This is a company whose products and services you can always trust. Brazil Botanicals, a Super Juice company, launches the highest value exotic drinks that combine the proven highest juice content, best taste, highest ORAC per serving, lowest price lowest shipping cost per bottle.