How Generous are the Benefits YOUR Job Offers?
“Does your job allow you to read on the job and still send a paycheck?"
"Does your job pay you 24 hours a day, even while you sleep?”
“Will your company keep sending you a paycheck, even after you die?
“Will you get a raise this month even if you don’t show up to work?”
“Can you take a paid vacation any time you feel like it?”
"Do you get to choose the dress code, the hours, and forego the commute?"
"Does your job involve personal development as the main focus and cater to your personal hobbies and interests?"
Most people will answer ‘No’to these questions. However, some will be able to answer ‘Yes.’ Who are those people with what sounds like the perfect job? Is it really true? Is it really legitimate, or does the old saying ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’come in to play here?
Well, let’s look at a hypothetical example. Suppose you eat at a restaurant where you find the food to be very tasty and reasonably priced. You tell your best friend about it and they decide to go for their anniversary. They happen to mention your name while there. The owner of the restaurant, appreciative of your friend’s business that has added to his bottom line, sends you a letter and a coupon for a free meal to show his appreciation. Not only that, but he tells you in the letter that since you brought him a new long-term customer that he did not have to pay for through commercials, billboards, radio, newspaper or yellow page ads to attract, he would like to send you a check for 5% of the value of the meal each time your friend, or any other friends, eat at that restaurant. You would probably feel really good about this. Sure enough, every few months you receive a small ‘thank you’check from the restaurant. You are so pleased with the restaurant that you continue to recommend it to other friends and neighbors, which generates even more 5% ‘word of mouth’checks. In time you find you are receiving several small checks a month. You don’t have to manage or operate the restaurant. All you do is recommend a great place to eat. Over time you have introduced several of your friends to a really great dining experience, you have helped create dozens of monthly customers for the restaurant and have generated hundreds of dollars of extra, no-hassle, income for you and your family. The diner wins. The restaurant owner wins. You win. The ultimate win/win as best selling author Stephen R. Covey teaches.
That is the theory behind network marketing. Robert Allen, best selling author and multi-billionaire prefers to call it Relationship or Word-of-Mouth Marketing because “it is as a result of the relationship that the word-of-mouth derives its power.” He goes on to explain that, “Instead of sending these advertising dollars to wealthy newspapers, magazines and television stations, several smart businesses have begun to share this money with their best customers. Every time one of their best customers influences someone to buy one of their products, they send this loyal customer a check—a sort of referral fee.”
“One of the most amazing success stories in the power of word-of-mouth marketing is Amazon.com. Soon after launching this ground-breaking internet website, the folks at Amazon.com came up with a bright idea. Why not pay a referral fee to anybody on the internet who sends customers to Amazon.com? They launched an 'affiliate program'encouraging millions of web page owners to link their site to the Amazon.com site. If a web surfer visits an affiliate site and clicks on the Amazon.com link and eventually buys a product at Amazon, a small 3-7% referral fee is paid to the affiliate. This created tens of thousands of ‘satellite’mini-partners who have an on-going self-interest in the continuing success of the Amazon 'mother ship.'This strategic marketing move was one of the major reasons for the explosive success of Amazon.com. Now this model is prevalent on the internet. Maybe a better term for it would be Word-of-Mouse Marketing.”
As Mr. Allen points out, network marketing or word-of-mouth marketing works! It’s time has arrived! It’s the cool thing to do!
And yet, still, anyone who gets involved in a network marketing venture has surely experienced the objections and disdain that some feel about network marketing. Perhaps foremost among those objections is the accusation that network marketing companies sell products that are over-priced in order to pay the downline. Consider the fact that traditional companies spend 40-51% of the company revenues on marketing like commercials, billboards, and yellow page ads. In addition to marketing, they also pay for such overhead expenses as numerous storefronts, employees and employee benefits, inventory, etc. So in reality, traditional businesses actually have to charge more, not less, for their product than network marketing companies. Network marketing companies are able to spend that 40-51% to pay referral bonuses to their happy associates who are out sharing the product with their friends. In addition, since the company never has to pay for the ongoing business that these friends and associates bring to the table, the referral bonuses can continue to be paid out to the associates on a residual basis. In other words, even if the associate goes on an extended vacation, retires, or even dies, since the customers that they recommended the company to 20-25 years ago are still purchasing the product, the associate or his/her estate continues to receive the monthly referral bonuses. Wow! A job that keeps caring for your loved ones even when you are no longer here to take care of them! Pretty phenomenal!
Another objection brought up by some is that in multi-level marketing you are making money off of your family and friends. I have a brother-in-law who was the manager of the meat department at the local grocery store for several years. I enjoyed purchasing my meat from his store, partly because it was fun to on occasion see him while shopping and partly because I was proud to be supporting a loved one. It was even better if the meat was from the Miller meat packing company because I have several brothers and brothers-in-law who are managers there and again, I was proud to be supporting them. When looking for professional services I try to find someone I know, not only because I like working with people I can trust but because I like to support the people I know. No one has issue with me getting my car fixed or my hair done by someone I know or I have been referred to by someone I know. I would much rather buy a product from family and friends over purchasing from a retail store I have no ties to. Why would they have issue with me letting my friends and family know that they can purchase a product from me if they choose versus going to the nearest Wal*Mart? There is no coercion, just an opportunity.
Taking this from another point of view, let’s say that the product or service the network marketing company offers has the potential to be of great worth to a family member or friend. Wouldn’t it be counterproductive to NOT share the information? How would my family and friends feel if I didn't share the opportunity with them? Richard Paul Evans calls this being guilty of the sin of the desert-- knowing where the water is and not telling everyone else. All products and services may not be for everyone, but they might be, and why would anyone want me to make a decision for my family and friends? Shouldn't it be their decision whether or not my product or service is right for them?
So the question arises again—is network marketing a legitimate business model? Andy Sernovitz, in his latest best-seller Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking states, “Traditional marketing is no longer the safe way to go. It may make you more comfortable, but it is becoming gradually less and less effective for more and more companies.”He also states that, “Real consumers, with real communications power, have added their voices to the mix. And their voices are drowning out traditional media. A single consumer voice, in the end, has far more impact than any ad could.”
So network marketing is legitimate. Is it profitable? Again, multi-billionaire Robert Allen, after sharing his story about the first time he was exposed to network marketing and how he avoided it like the plague, goes on to say, “. . . why do you think I voted against my own intuition at first? Perhaps it was because I had heard some negative things about network marketing—and without checking things out for myself—I made some snap judgments that turned out to be completely wrong . . . But the real truth was, I was afraid of looking foolish. I didn’t want people to think I’d gotten suckered into some fly-by-night opportunity.”
“. . . We decided to check it out and get involved. We eventually went on to earn several million ‘legitimate’dollars.”
“We’ve been involved in a lot of businesses over the years, but network marketing has been one of the most rewarding things we’ve ever done. We have no overhead. No debt. We maintain these powerful streams of income with zero employees. We don’t even need a secretary. And it’s completely portable, which means I can run this business from my own home in my bathrobe . . . from my car phone in my jeans . . . or from a mailbox in Tahiti. It has very little downside. And the income is residual.”
“When people ask me today if I’m involved in network marketing, I reply with a resounding ‘Absolutely!’”
“I don’t know what your experience with other network marketing companies has been, but my experience has been FANTASTIC! Once the income starts to flow, it’s like an oil well in your backyard. It just keeps pumping out profits. Looking back, I wonder how I could have overlooked such a powerful money-making idea for so many years. And I’m saddened how the same misconceptions that held me back are holding back so many other smart, reasonable, intelligent people.”
“. . . When I compare my network marketing income to the businesses I’ve owned and operated during the past 25 years, our network marketing business is the hands-down winner. I’ve owned restaurants, clothing stores, a chocolate factory, apartment buildings, commercial buildings . . . I’ve invested in Broadway plays and independent movies. I’ve even owned a piece of a major NBA basketball team, the Utah Jazz.”
“But network marketing beats them all..”
Let’s consider again the questions in the beginning. Perhaps those with issues about network marketing will give you that look, or even say something to let you know, that they think you are crazy for being involved in network marketing.
Consider this: With Bookwise, my network marketing business, I get to spend my days doing things I absolutely love—reading, promoting literacy with others by giving away books for free, learning from some of today’s greatest minds and authors, listening to live interviews with some of my favorite authors, writing books to publish and meeting people who can help me get published! As a double bonus for someone who is involved with many local non-profits, the unique Bookwise plan provides me with an opportunity to directly benefit the non-profits I am passionate about. So where is the work? Well, I do hand out cards to let other people know about this great opportunity and I do respond to email and answer the phone. Other than that I just share my magical life and this little pot of gold I found with those I meet throughout the normal activities of my day. Meanwhile, my residual income continues to grow—income I will be able to pass on to my children. whether I am working my business or vacationing with my family. I will never have to worry about getting laid off, making ends meet after retirement or not being able to take care of my children if something were to happen to me. The foundation is in place, the harvest is growing, and now I can just focus on spending my time wherever and however I see most beneficial. Is that crazy?
Robert Allen's definition of crazy is:
Crazy, n. Work for peanuts at various jobs you hate for 50 years. Then, die poor.
His definition of intelligent is:
Intelligent, n. Work hard for a much shorter period of time doing something you love. Retire with multiple streams of residual income.
So, who's crazy here? Me or those that would ridicule my choice of careers? I prefer to take my lead from successful individuals like Richard Paul Evans, Robert Allen, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, and others who have chosen Bookwise as another tool in their toolbox for success rather than those who would try to stop me with their ridicule.
Financial freedom, free books, the choice of where and how to spend my time, flexibility, Robert Allen and Richard Paul Evans as my personal wealth and life mentors, traveling the world with the likes of Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield, and the ability to be a philanthropist to the non-profit organizations I am passionate about. Am I sold on the value of network marketing? You bet I am! For more information go to http://winninginthemargins.com (passkey: 101213). I'll even send you a free e-book just for viewing the presentation. Send an email to Sharilee@americatakingaction.com to let me know you viewed the presentation and I will send your free book. Welcome to true financial freedom. Welcome to network marketing!
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