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Message |
RayvinAndRob
Member
Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 195
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2007 16:54
Reply
"Hello, I am hoping that I have found a forum that can answer questions honestly. Am I asking too much? lol I hope not.
I have recently signed up with Melalueca again for the 3rd time. I quit the other 2 times because of the way my team leaders insisted I had to promote. I really like the products and believe they speak for themselves. That's why I joined. I again want to promote the products on line. I do not want to do any warm marketing.
Does anyone on this board have any suggestions, please. I do not want to hear from anyone who follows the Melaleuca marketing procedures. Hope I'm not insulting anyone but I want to be true to myself, and not become a follower. Any advice without creating conflict on this would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
Rita"
Hello Rita,
Several years ago my dad came over one night and shocked the hell out of me when he opened a box full of cleaning supplies and other stuff for me to look at.
He talked all excitedly about them like I talk about the Ferrari Spyder I will soon afford to buy.
Now, I love my dad. He's the greatest guy a kid could ever have as a dad. I'm the luckiest son on earth. And I wouldn't deliberately do anything to hurt his feelings.
So, after his presentation, he asked me to sign up. I knew he needed me to. He needed the money. He's had some difficult times throughout his life - cancer is the latest - and I'm a sensitive dude.
So, I signed up. I didn't even look at the company's Policies and Proceedures or the Affiliate Agreement. I just signed my name at the bottom of the form and hugged my dad. That made him happy and it made me happy and, oh! Isn't love grand!
But altruism can sometimes backfire! After he left I took a look at what I had just got myself into. Could I afford to buy these products every month?
I burried the thought. And forgot about having signed up. And the end of the month came. And I went to pay some bill. And the money for it wasn't in my account.
Then I remembered. Melaleuca! Oh sh**!
Yup. I signed up on autoship. I had even sent in all the required account information Melaleuca needed for it. How could I be so forgetful!
Now I was late paying a bill. I didn't have anymore money left to pay it. Plus I got charged for the bounced cheque on top of it all!
As I said, altruism can sometimes backfire.
And if you believe in karma how do you explain that? What had I done to deserve this, I wondered.
The reality was I only wanted to help my dad. I didn't want to build a business. And I really wasn't interested in the products either. Yeah, the products were great but I didn't care at the time.
Reality sunk in and the practical side of me kicked in. I had to give my dad a legitimate reason for cancelling my agreement with Melaleuca and find one that wouldn't hurt his feelings. That's just the kind of guy I am.
So I spent hours and hours analysing Melaleuca in a logical way. I wrote down everything I discovered and put it all into a letter format and the next time I saw my dad I gave it to him.
I forget what I wrote but it was enough to convince even him that he should cancel also. So we sent in our cancellations together.
Now the point I want to make is in Melaleuca you have five spots wide and seven down, right? And in order to make any money you want to sponsor five leaders and builders to put on your front line. You want Ferrari Spyders in there and not 1969 Volkswagen buses.
You want self-motivated individuals directly underneath you because they will propel you along. If you put buses on your frontline, then you're doomed. Now you're stuck with aunty May and uncle Bob who were just like me. They were only being nice to you when they signed up.
With Melaleuca you've got to build it right the first time around or you'll have to keep rebuiling and rebuilding again and again. All the work you previously did recruiting your family and friends was a total waste of time and often money.
So you don't want to be too quick in trying to get your mom or your brother or your boyfriend's grandmother to sign up. You have got to be careful who you sponsor into your Melaleuca business otherwise you get nowhere and you get there at such a slow pace you don't even notice until it's too late. All your frontline positions have been taken up by parked buses!
Now you get wise. You begin looking for Ferrari Spyders to sponsor so you can get you buses moving.
Rita, what do you think? Is the company really concerned about who you have on your frontline?
NO! They're making a ton of money on each and every person that orders product every month.
Now do they care whether or not the people you sponsor stay or leave?
NO! To the company, people are not people. People are numbers! It's just a numbers game, Rita. Numbers, numbers, numbers.
Now about numbers, how many do you have to have in your downline on autoship in order to make, let's say, $10, 000 per month? The answer is about 2800 people.
Pretty high. Okay. Let's say you only want to make half of that per month. You only need 1400 people.
Alright, well maybe you only want to make an extra $2500 per month. You'll need 700 people under you.
Most people don't ask for much so let's go even lower than that. Let's say you only want to make an extra $312.50 per month. I'm pretty sure that's usually enough to cover an average monthly car payment. So now you only need to have about 87 people in your organization.
Statistically, on average you need to speak to about 100 people to sponsor one distributor. So to get 87 people in your downline 870 people will have to be shown the presentation.
Now that doesn't mean you have to do that all yourself. You could sponsor the first five distributors and then hope the rest of the people in your organization will do the same.
For you personally then you would need to make a list of five hundred names on average in order to sponsor five people into your frontline.
But remember: you only want to sponsor Ferrari Spyders. So you'll have to find them first before you can talk to them.
Do you think five hundred Ferrari Spyders are easy or hard to find?
Well, I think it depends alot on many different factors but I doubt it could be done very quickly.
One of the factors would definitely be time. How much time are you willing to spend prospecting?
If you're like the 95% of people who join the industry, then you will likely want to work your business on a part-time basis. And if that's the case, it could take you years before you achive that extra $312.50 per month residual income.
Also, remember: people are people and not numbers. For one reason or another they will cancel their autoship on you and you then will have to replace that individual. That means you may have to speak to many, many more people than just five hundred in order to maintain your desired number of Ferrari Spyders.
Let me just say something here that might floor you, Rita.
I ONLY NEED LESS THAN 400 people in my organization IN ORDER TO MAKE $10, 000 per month!!
And I DON'T have to pester my family or friends to do it!!
You want to know more?
Feel free to contact me anytime: (705) 670 - 9326
Warm regards,
Rob Nyte
__________________
Source of Influence-- All our philosophy is dry as dust if it is not immediately translated into some act of living service.(Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi)
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Joey
Member
Joined: 2 Jul 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2007 03:20
Reply
Hi Yahia,
Your tips for Rita were excellent.
When I first joined Mel, I was conned into paying 30 dollars a month for a 'business' web page that was meant to generate leads for my new Mel home business. Despite my vigorous and costly promotion of this personal page, I was not getting any results, and I began to grow suspicious as to why the service that provided me with this web page were also running a service selling leads. This service is something which should not have been necessary at all if the web page that was sold to me, complete with this fancy auto fill out form, was the primary method by which these leads were meant to reach the home business owner, who actually owned a subset of this webpage, which was homebusiness.com/homebusinessownername xxxx (whatever your name is).
Anyways, so this home business page was generating its OWN home business from Mel rep's! Fancy that, a home business making money off home businesses.
Well, now that I'm on my own, and with Mel ONLY (something I was never told was possible before), I would like to ask your advice on the following: (sorry if this is intrusive on your conversation) from where can I obtain
"rotate a lead capture page (which is also free), use an autoresponder (some are free) to send your subscribers emails to explain what you have to say."
If you would prefer not to display details, please feel free to email me 
Regards,
Jo
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yahia
Member
Joined: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 90
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# Posted: 2 Jul 2007 03:50
Reply
How much is 5 to power 7 Rob? 78125. This is the number of people that you need to saturate your matrix in Melaleuca. You can start with any parked buses, and when you find the Ferrari put it anywhere in your 25 people-wide second line, and that Ferarri has to recruit 5 to power 6 in order to saturate its matrix, which is 15625 people (more than enough for the 10,000/month). Even if your second line is full, put the Ferrari in your 125 people-wide third line, it still needs 5 to power5 (3125 people) to saturate its matrix.
As a matter of fact you still can put the Ferrari in your front line. Melaleuca allows you to move people from your front line if they are not active or only customers. What you have read several years ago is now several years old.
Now I do respect Michael and his 10 steps ebook. His book changed my life, and based on his advice (indirectly) I pulled out form a business I was promoting after I realized it is not taking me anywere close to my financial goals. He changed the way I see business issues. Even people, I see people in a very different way now thanks to his "colors" CD.
With all the respect that he deserves I disagree with him at some points. If you want to know more please go to my profile and send me a private message.
All the best
Yahia
__________________
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yahia
Member
Joined: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 90
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# Posted: 5 Jul 2007 01:23
Reply
Hi Jo,
I am glad you asked, and I am also sorry for your bad experience.
I recommend tetoolbox for the splash pages, as a free member you get up to 5 splash pages that look very professional.
And for the autoresponder, the free ones are ok, but the deliverability is limited. You can try getrsponse.com or freeautobot.com. I was using them when I had my splash pages through tetoolbox. Now I am hosting my splash pages on one of my own domains, which enables me to upload and run an autoresponder software. This one has a greater deliverability because it sends from my own email address that had never been reported as a spammer before.
Anyway, the autoresponder will give you the html code for the lead capture form .. just copy it and paste it in your splash page.
If you need more details please feel free to email me.
Good luck
Yahia
__________________
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beckie1229
Member
Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 69
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2007 18:03
Reply
Rob, you did a lot of math and calculations.
But it's impossible to calculate due to the fact that Mela reps make 3 different levels of commissions from 7% up to 20%.
Another variable is one's business volume depends highly on who is below them: strictly 35 pt. customers or business builders as business builders have to buy 75 pts. once they have 8 people under them.
another variable is the monthy bonus pool that one can join each month that earns people thousands in exchange for hard work.
I would suggest that one be trained in a comp plan's ins and outs before posting like that.
Top earners' status and check amounts are published monthly in the company's magazine, Leadership in Action.
I'm sure your math is correct based upon the straight matrix/35 pts. but the comp plan is very much more detailed.
Thanks for letting me share.
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yahia
Member
Joined: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 90
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2007 19:35 · Edited by: yahia
Reply
Hi Beckie1229,
Thank you for your contribution.
I just wanted to mention that Rob's maths was in case you want to retire fast how many do you need to recruit. In that case you won't be sharing in the bonuses because you won't be actively marketing in your retirement and you'll only depend on your residual income.
Rob's way of evaluating Melaleuca comes from his saturation with the evaluation of Michael Dlouhy, who I do respect for his experience in the field of network marketing.
Michael considers a company with a large overhead, like Melaleuca, is obligated to pay less to the reps than a company with a humble overhead. And that's why he considers our compensation plan unfair.
What he considers a disadvantage in the company (the large overhead) is what I see our guarantee of stability. A company that invested millions in the land and buildings, equipment, laboratories, and training of the staff ... and is really breaking records in growth as published by the company ... such a company is less likely to just give up and close if there are any problems or new turns in the industry trends.
The opposite is true for a company with a low overhead investment ... if after a few years of success there is a change in the business atmosphere the company, or the individual who owns it because in this case it is unilateral decision, will simply close and start another business that goes with the current situation. Especially if that company doesn't manufature its products, they rent a lab that manufactures and packages for them as well as for other companies. This is not a sign of stability because they don't have any control on their products.
Also, our residual commission is not only the 7%, 14% or 20%, Melaleuca pays upto 20% on purchases made by our direct referrals, and 7% on our indirect refferrals. If that direct referral is in our first line that will be 20% + 7% x 6 levels = 62% which is the maximum commission one can make with Melaleuca. This is very generous and matches Michael's favorite company that pays upto 60% in commissions.
Still, Michaels book about network marketing is very helpful and I wish I found it earlier, it could have saved my time and effort.
__________________
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shepherds
Member
Joined: 6 Jul 2007
Posts: 6
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# Posted: 7 Jul 2007 06:03
Reply
Hi everyone,
I joined Melaleuca 6 months ago,payed nearly $400.00 on a product pack to get started,as I live on a farm in Victoria, and experiencing the worst drought on record, I thought I could do this to earn some extra money, all I seemed to do was spend money every month and purchased products whether I needed them or not, I didnt recruit anyone ,although I wasnt in it very long, maybe it would have worked if I stayed in for a bit longer, I could not justify spending nearly $200 a month sometimes less sometimes more,and not getting anything in return,I liked their products, but some of them gave my daughter asthma,I had no trouble getting out of it, which I was relieved to do,I wish anyone good luck who joins Melaleuca , I am sure they are a good company, probably was bad timing on my part to join, as money was hard to come by with the drought, and I really couldnt afford to spend money on this business.
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yahia
Member
Joined: 8 Oct 2006
Posts: 90
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# Posted: 9 Jul 2007 10:53
Reply
Hi Shepherds,
I am sorry it didn't work for you, and I do admit it is not easy to make it work, especially without the proper support from your team.
I assume you didn't get the right support from your team because I see you were mislead about what your monthly commitment should be, 35 product points in Melaleuca cost $45-55 ... and the value pack is $199 ... the $400 you spent to start and the monthly $200 are far away from reality. There is something wrong about your experience with Melaleuca ...
Or maybe your team was charging you money for leads and advertising ... whatever the case is please clarify it for us.
Sorry about your drought problem. I hope you don't have to go through this again.
__________________
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trbishop
Member
Joined: 4 Sep 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2007 13:19
Reply
I am looking to purchase meleleuca products at preferred customer prices without a monthly commitment. If I can order through you let me know.
tr bishop
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Casper
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 276
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2007 23:55
Reply
I am thinking about going with Melaleucca for a home business I really enjoyed the presentation but I do agree that having too pay each month is stupid, I also don't like the marketing options available when it comes to advertising.
Since I live in a remote area I was thinking about doing my business totally online would that be a good way to make a decent profit.
__________________
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Casper
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 276
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# Posted: 5 Sep 2007 03:55
Reply
Quoting: shepherds Hi everyone, I joined Melaleuca 6 months ago,payed nearly $400.00 on a product pack to get started,as I live on a farm in Victoria, and experiencing the worst drought on record, I thought I could do this to earn some extra money, all I seemed to do was spend money every month and purchased products whether I needed them or not, I didnt recruit anyone ,although I wasnt in it very long, maybe it would have worked if I stayed in for a bit longer, I could not justify spending nearly $200 a month sometimes less sometimes more,and not getting anything in return,I liked their products, but some of them gave my daughter asthma,I had no trouble getting out of it, which I was relieved to do,I wish anyone good luck who joins Melaleuca , I am sure they are a good company, probably was bad timing on my part to join, as money was hard to come by with the drought, and I really couldnt afford to spend money on this business.
Since I have several medical conditions which requires me too take 7 different kinds of medication this is money I can't afford, If you have found any other opportunities working from home then post on this thread or send me a PM.
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JimS
Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 3
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2007 15:09
Reply
...
Casper,
Melaleuca is not perfect. And neither are you and I.
For some Melaleuca is a good solution. For some. who
don't have what it takes, it is not.
As for buying $60 or so a month of Melaleuca products
so you can continue to live more healthy plus qualify
for commissions and bonuses, that is not a problem
for me. Melaleuca offers more than enough necessities
that are better quality than the seconds offered at WalMart,
et al, and often less costly. Anyone who cannot find $60
worth per month must not have a non toxic and clean home.
They probably smell bad too.
I order laundry detergent, laundry spot remover, dryer
tissues, dish washing liquid for machine and hand washing,
cleaners for windows, counters, and floors, dental products,
and bath products. And I order the large economy size for
better price. Plus I order vitamins and health products
to keep this 69 years old cancer survivor body fit.
In other words I'm smart enough to put together
well over $60 purchase each and every month.
And how about them Melaleuca cookies!!!
I know some people just can't think very well and can't
put together at least a $60 purchase month after month.
I feel sorry for them, but such is life.
As for recruiting new customers, it hasn't been easy, but
then again, I have learned how to learn and have adapted.
Now I buy cheap leads on the Internet and make calls.
This is not for everyone. Some people can't take rejection.
You can't be a farmer and cry every time a seed doesn't
grow. I have started my 2nd retirement garden and
no crying, no excuses, just work and the garden grows.
A clean, non toxic home and a clean body are good for
us having medical conditions. Plus our love ones see
that we are still trying to live right and haven't become
lazy, fat, self centered slobs in our old age. And a little
work on the side to keep the old brain functioning
is healthy too.
...
__________________
JimS
The Survivor
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wealthmentor
Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2007
Posts: 10
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2007 17:29
Reply
I just wanted to drop in on this thread and say some positive
things about Melaleuca. While I didn't find it to be the most
friendly company for the marketer, I do believe that they have
wonderful products.
I am no longer a member today because they made internet
marketing very difficult. However, I still get some products from
a friend. There are several of the products that our family loves.
If you want to try them, I certainly recommend.
We did have some recent good news. We discovered a company
that offers very similar and even better products in some situations
that is friendly to the distributor and provides you an online store
front. I can sell products directly from store to make commissions
and qualify me for my monthly volume requirements too. It is a
great concept.
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itsjoanne
Member
Joined: 9 Apr 2007
Posts: 23
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2007 02:46
Reply
I was a marketing executive for a number of years.
Am no longer active in Melaleuca but I do like their products.
Joanne
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Casper
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 276
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2007 03:10
Reply
Quoting: JimS Casper, Melaleuca is not perfect. And neither are you
By the way one more thing JimS no one is perfect not me or you.
__________________
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Chickybabe337
Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2007 11:57
Reply
My mom sells Melaleuca I can get you the pc price through my order. Where do you live?
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JimS
Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 3
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# Posted: 28 Sep 2007 22:17
Reply
///
IMHO, "Having to pay each month is stupid" is incorrect. We all should want better, safer products. We have to pay for them or grow them. Also Melaleuca must make a profit to stay in business.
When we become Preferred Customers with Melaleuca, we agree to purchase 35 product points worth of products each and every month in exchange for several benefits. In USD this is about $50 to $60. This 35 points seems to be a boundary, above which Melaleuca may find customers have enough "follow thru" - staying power. Below 35 pts - are the immature customers, ones with little for no staying power, and not worth Melaleuca's costs in giving extra benefits. This is just a guess and may not be fact or the whole story.
But if you are a Direct Customer with Melaleuca, you are not under any agreement to make a minimum purchase, get commissions, get bonuses, or pay lower prices,etc. Direct Customer is just a plain and simple customer. Try it, you may like it.
A Preferred Customer (here is USA) is also able to get numerous Income Tax advantages. I saved several hundred dollars last year, just for mileage. Everywhere I go I give out a business card. Therefore everywhere I go I am conducting business and all business travel is a deduction. With the travel deduction along I saved enough to pay for a year's worth of minumum purchases. I also deduct for meals out, purchase of business cards, and for my Melaleuca purchases. Yes, I deduct my Melaleuca purchases. See this website for more tax info: [Link removed - Admin]
Uncle Sam pays me to be a Melaleuca customer! Who would have thunk??
JimS
///
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JimS
The Survivor
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Casper
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 276
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# Posted: 29 Sep 2007 06:19
Reply
Quoting: angiesapp this may not be for Casper and it works for Jim so why get into a pissing match about it?
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JimS
Member
Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 3
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2007 23:06
Reply
///
Melaleluca is not an MLM, since all purchases are made directly
between the company and the customer. No multi level here.
No pissing contest either, right Casper. As a prostate cancer surviver,
I pissing disadvantaged. It would probably not be a fair contest.
Plus I suffered sexual multilation (circumcism, the unkind cut) shortly after I was born.
///
__________________
JimS
The Survivor
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Casper
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 276
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2007 04:07
Reply
I'll re-fraise that as a slanging match then.
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FREDY
Member
Joined: 3 Oct 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2007 11:37
Reply
I went to a meeting last night i saw the presntation, im gonna get my wife invlove in it,im doing something else right now and it working so great i just can't mix it with that eventhough there are two different market.But afterall it seem there is a great avenir in malaleuca.
__________________
vision2020.mylightyear.com
There is no failure except in longer trying.
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others let go.
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niddy
Member
Joined: 7 Oct 2007
Posts: 6
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2007 16:07
Reply
I love Melelauca and their products. Truth is, to make money with any MLM company, it helps and is almost crucial to get in at the top.
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verocan74
Member
Joined: 8 Oct 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2007 20:42
Reply
Can someone help me, I have alot of Melaleuca product I need to get rid of if anyone knows someone who would be interested email me.
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stacy
Member
Joined: 9 Oct 2007
Posts: 82
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# Posted: 12 Oct 2007 15:40
Reply
Wealthmentor.....Can you tell me more about your products? I'm looking into Melaleuca or Shaklee products, but I want products that I really believe in so I can talk about them to others withour being embarrassed.
Email: [email protected]
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stacy
Member
Joined: 9 Oct 2007
Posts: 82
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# Posted: 12 Oct 2007 16:33
Reply
yahia - I agree about not being about to use the name in the ads. I just heard about Melaleuca yesterday and listened to one of those conference calls today. The turn off for me right away was that when the lady called me, she wouldn't tell me anything about her company. She wanted to call me back the next day to talk about it. So, now I understand why becasue she had to set up the conference call with her company. But, she couldn't even tell me that is was Cleaning products, she just called it a home based business. I got the impression she was embarrased by her company.
I am still thinking about it. I don't mind promoting a product if it is something I love to use and it's reasonably priced, but I'm not sure if I can buy enough product each month. I don't go through cleaning products often enough and just laundry soap won't make the minimum. Can anyone tell me exactly what they order each month to meet the minimum requirements? I'd just like to see a real list of what I could order every 30 days.
In the meantime, I'm using my PowerMall to order stuff and I get rebates back on everything I buy. It's not as lucrative, but I can buy name brand products at stores like Target and PetsMart.
My rep is calling me back Monday, so any advise before then would be great!!!
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worknathome
Member
Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2007 11:22
Reply
I love the products, I love the business side, I love my mentors, I love it all. I have been with Melaleuca for 2 months and I have no negativity about them at all. As a matter of fact one of the professors that helped formulate one of the products use to be one of my salon customers, I have retired from the cosmetology industry. I respect him and the fact he uses the products as well. You get as much training as you want and your main website gives you all the tools you need to build your business.
__________________
Stacie Soddy
Marketing Executive
http://www.workathomeunited.com/ssoddy or
http://www.livetotalwellness.com/ssoddy
Start Living Your Life Like There Is A Tomorrow!
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chas
Member
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 18 Oct 2007 22:00
Reply
maybe sounds like you don't clean your house very often?  the 35 pts is based on one person...very easy to do if you are showering, shaving, brushing your teeth, and cleaning your home on a regular basis.
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gracia
Member
Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 15
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# Posted: 28 Nov 2007 02:13
Reply
Don't know how anyone can say they have products left after several years. We are always running out of our products & always having to buy more.
No, you cannot sell the products. You won't have to sell them, just buy what you will use. The 35pt min is geared toward a household of one There is no need to get extra products & if you don't wish to go into business, there is no need. Just be a satisfied custiomer. If I didn't make any money, I would still be with this awesome company. The products are amazing. I run out of the vitamins, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, some cleaning products & need to buy them every month. This is far beyond the 35 pp & I get 1-2 free products every month because we receive points that are converted into money for each product that we buy.
There are no deceptive practices. There is a huge difference between MLM & CDM & we are a CDM, not an MLM. THis is not deceptive.
There are some ingredients that are not natural. We don't claim to be natural, just the best of science & nature.
Melaleuca Oil comes from the leaf of the Melaleuca Tree in Austrailia. It is not Tea Tree. Tea Tree is a very watered down version of Melaleuca Oil.
Even the Poison Control knows our products & they say no need to go to the emergency room as the children will simply have some diarrhea or be sick to their stomach if swallowed.
Gracia
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JonStrong
Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 1
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# Posted: 29 Nov 2007 10:57
Reply
I have to chime in too on this. I've been in the working world for 28 years. Half of my time was as a "corporate citizen", in roles from programmer up through CIO of a NASDAQ-traded company. I have run global consulting organizations, and also ran my own boutique technology consulting firm for 14 years.
I have also been exposed to an enormous variety of "work at home" businesses, most based on some variant of the MLM model. I was roped into Amway when I was in grad school: whatever the potential rewards of that business, it was an awful experience for me, and I finally threw out all my left over "inventory" (which had cost me a small fortune) after about 12 years of having it sit in boxes under my sink and in the basement. I've watched friends put in endless hours and enormous effort in business like Tastefully Simple, PartyLite, Arbonne, Avon, Mary Kay and more. The best result I've personally witnessed in these was about $1,200 a month net income, after years of hard work. Not terrible -- but not enough to motivate me, because quite honestly, I can do better with far less effort using my primary career skills as a technology consultant on the side. But I really wanted to find something that I could get behind, that had the potential of making a significant difference in my personal financial situation.
To this day, I still compare notes with colleagues and friends about various businesses we could work on together. We have discussed creation of virtual phone companies (one friend is doing just that), technology recruiting businesses, health care billing businesses, etc. All have their plusses and minuses -- and I never close on the door on a feasible sounding possibility.
My wife was involved in a couple of network marketing businesses a couple of years ago, and had posted flyers and business cards in local grocery stores. This didn't get us any new business, but it did earn us a phone call from a gentleman who lives pretty close to me. He wanted to know how the business was working out for my wife, if she was enjoying it, and if it was growing and making money. In fact, we were slightly cash negative each month, and my wife was putting in something like 20 hours per week, and had already flown out to one of the company's big meetings in the mid-west (don't recall if this was PartyLite, Tastefully Simple, or one of the others).
The person who called her asked if she would be interested in looking at an alternative business model -- and she declined for the moment, still being determined to make the current business work. He very graciously accepted this, wished her luck, and hung up. However he apparently also noted that her "no" answer wasn't "don't call me again" -- but was instead, "not at the moment". He called again a year later, about 3 or 4 months ago, and this time my wife was open to talking to him, having given up on all the other home-based businesses early last year.
He spent a few minutes on the phone explaining that he was marketing executive with Melaleuca, and told my wife that he wanted to spend an hour with us to explain the whole thing in greater detail. I tend to be "Mr. Skeptical", and insisted that I be given an opportunity to research Melaleuca thoroughly, myself, before we sat with him. Having spent many years on the Internet, I am hypersensitive to scams, exaggerated claims and urban legends, and I generally pride myself on debunking things like this. So we told this caller that I would do some research and we'd get back to him.
I thought this would be quick, but in fact I wound up spending several hours over several days reading online articles, websites and discussion forum posts about Melaleuca. I read a lot of misinformed posts, posts by embittered people who thought it was a "get rich quick" scheme that would generate money automatically or that it wouldn't require any effort. I've learned to recognize posts and commentary by people like that, who expect an opportunity to "work itself", and who will happily trash something good because it never met their impossible expectations. But what really impressed me were a couple of aspects of the research:
- the majority of the comments I read, in virtually every online forum in which people discussed personal experiences with the products, company and business model, were positive. My impression is that at least 80% or 90% of the comments were positive.
- the company is not a fly-by-night organization. It has been in its present under, under present management, for 22 years. It has shown annual growth in revenue every year it has been in operation. It is privately held and profitable. From what I understand, sales revenue will probably be somewhere north of $900 million for calendar year 2007, and likely pass $1 billion in 2008. It started with 5 products 22 years ago, and now offers something like 400 products.
- getting involved in this can happen essentially one of two ways: you can become a preferred customer, which is pretty much like signing up for a discount buying club (i.e., I pay Sam's Club or Costco an annual fee to be allowed to make discount purchases at their stores), the difference being that if I choose to do so, I only do this once with Melaleuca, and I have the opportunity to be a "member" for life. If I decide that I also like the business model, I essentially do the same thing, but also recommend share the business model with other people who have the same choice that I do: do nothing, sign up as a customer, or also become involved in the business.
- the startup cost is minimal, and any and all products purchased have a 100% satisfaction guarantee: if I don't like a product, I have something like 2 months to get a full refund.
- the products tended to get rave reviews from just about everybody who tried them and reported back online about them.
- marketing executives do not take product orders, stock products, resell products, etc. That's simply not part of the business model.
The last point is critical: "multi-level marketing" businesses generally depend on "reps" buying products, marking them up (optional) and reselling them do downline reps. The nasty side effect of this is that MLM reps often wind up "purchasing" their status and "levels" in the business by buying product that they plan on reselling -- and often wind up stuck with thousands of dollars in unused, and unsellable, product. I've seen this with just about every other home-based business before running into Melaleuca. That simply can't happen here, as the business model is NOT about buying product and reselling it. Marketing executives do not buy and resell product. People who want to purchase the products do so exactly as I do: they either call the 800 number, or get on the company website and order for themselves, and the products are drop-shipped directly to their front door. I am involved in their orders, shipping, delivery, etc.
Once I ascertained that we wouldn't really be at risk for anything more than our time, I agreed to attend a one-hour meeting, along with my wife, with our local Melaleuca marketing executive.
Everything I saw and heard matched my own independent research. Only difference was that we found that we were apparently lucky enough to be sitting with one of the shining success stories in this business. I don't want to post earnings claims here in any detail -- that really shouldn't be done unless somebody can also look at accurate and verified statistics about real earnings from all the real participants in a business. But I'll share this much: the gentleman (let's call him "GL") has been, for the past 10 years, making about two to three times as much per year as my best year as a C-level executive, working in a NASDAQ-traded firm in NYC. He works from home, wakes up in time to walk his kids to the bus-stop, spends an hour at the gym, and finally starts accepting phone calls around 10am. He's about the most mellow and relaxed businessman I've met.
No question that he's one of a handful. But in the time we've spent with him, I can see how he's built his business, and I can see what the real potential is. I've read dozens of case histories about what other people have done in the business, even having started just in the last year or two. In short: I can see that, even if I never achieve his level of success, there is excellent potential to build real income, in a reasonable time, and be using first-class non-toxic products in the process, getting rid of a lot of the products that we used to use that had additives like bleach, lye, phosphates, etc. My house is safer, and we're starting to build a business that I am comfortable touting and sharing with others -- at virtually no financial risk to us whatsoever.
Sorry if this post is too long. I'm just very excited about this, after having been a skeptic and naysayer about home-based businesses for so many years. I love the products, I love the company's philosophy, and I see a solid business model that I can respect. It's also taking off quickly for us -- faster than I would have expected, and the people we've introduced it to are running ahead, building for themselves and for us in the process.
The company provides great support, lots of available training, and is an organization and product line I can really respect. Having one of their "super stars" available helps me, but it's not necessary to make something good out of this opportunity.
I don't want to violate the rules of this forum, especially being a new member. I'd like to learn here, participate in various discussions, and share what I'm learning. I don't think I can post a lot more about this than I have already, but if anybody wants more detail, please don't hesitate to get in touch via email.
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Namaste,
Jon
[email inquiries welcome - let's talk!]
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Dianeblogs
Member
Joined: 5 Dec 2007
Posts: 2
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# Posted: 5 Dec 2007 13:07
Reply
Well, there are additional ways to build a team in the Melaleuca industry. Look outside the box . There are great opportunities if you have the right guidance - and that goes for any networking company. Diane
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