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The Internet and MLM
One look online for MLM reveals the trememdous level of hype out there about this business. I want to respond to one article and then talk more generally about how you should react to all that's out there.
One of the more popular results when you search online for an MLM opportunity is an article from the small business info site in the Canadian about.com. Towards the end of the article, there are listed six questions to ask before getting started in any MLM. Good advice, I say. Here are my responses. I won't say we meet all of her criteria exactly. No surprises in Wellness-- we defend our model, and leave it for you to decide if you are ready to pursue this opportunity.
1) Are you required to "invest" a large amount of money up front to become a distributor? This investment request may be disguised as an inventory charge. Legitimate MLM businesses do NOT require large start up costs.
There are no required purchases in Midwestern Wellness, save for a distributor processing fee of $99 annually. That said, ours is a business where we use products and give them away and that's pretty tough to do with no product. How much you start with is up to you; enough to motivate you to act, but not so much as to paralyze you. So there is no requirement, but our sampling model is tough to do without products. Yes, Virginia, this is a real business, and there are costs.
2) If you do have to pay for inventory, will the company buy back unsold inventory? Legitimate MLM companies will offer and stick to inventory buy-backs for at least 80% of what you paid.
It is hard to offer a buy back of consumables with expiration dates. I take exception to her claim that buybacks are a requirement. If you don't quit our program, at the very least you'll eat all your product, lose weight and be healthier. We do not offer a buy back program for active distributors and that's clearly stated on everything you sign in this company. If you quit, exceptions have been made, but don't start if you are going to quit.
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3) Is there any mention of or attention paid to a market for the product or service? MLM depends on establishing a market for the company's products. If the company doesn't seem to have any interest in the consumer demand for its products, don't sign up.
Spot on here. Wellness is a trillion dollar industry and we're on the forefront. We have the leading, cutting-edge products such as our Omega 3 supplement, the purest available without a perscription! Our products pave the way for our opportunity, simple as that. How could you run a sampling model for 14 years without a good product to take to the market?
4) Is there more emphasis on recruitment than on selling the product or service? Remember, the difference between MLM and a pyramid scheme is in the focus. The pyramid scheme focuses on fast profits from signing people up and getting their money. If recruitment seems to be the focus of the plan, run.
Our business model is simple: Use, share results, sample, and share the opportunity to buy at retail, at wholesale, or an opportunity to earn. All distributors build up a retail base by using and sampling consumables. Furthermore, we have to certify 10 retail customers monthly in order to qualify for residual income. This is not a recruiting business and not a business of doing nothing.
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5) Is the plan designed so that you make more money by recruiting new members rather than through sales that you make yourself?
Selling yourself: 10% to 44% discount
Residual Income: 2% to 28%
The numbers speak for themselves. We are a marketing company, bringing goods and services to the market.
6) Are you offered commissions for recruiting new members?
One word answer. NO! This would really be an illegal pyramid.
I wanted to share this article to show you that we are a legitimate business and we are not afraid to operate under the MLM or network marketing model. We're well positioned for success.
One final word before you run off and look up all the MLM articles online. A little bit of common sense for your journey-- WIN has been around for 14 years. They pay hundreds of thousands of dollars of sales tax in all 50 states each year. They have legally done business in a dozen countries. The owners and founders, when they were distributors, invited the Attorney General's office in on their meetings to make sure they were "doing it right." To this day government regulators come to our trainings, and we welcome them. Doesn't it stand to reason that if we were a scam, the government would know about us? Go ahead, do your research, and when you're ready to see beyond the hype and seize this business opportunity, WIN and Midwestern Wellness will be here.
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