May
With a multilevel marketing business, are you allowed to sell to stores?
I'm seriously considering getting into a MLM company called Reliv. They make shakes that provide 100% of all your daily nutritional needs. (www.reliv.com) I just had this crazy idea of putting it in bottles (they sell it in powders) and selling it as "nutrition in a bottle"/natural energy drink to health food stores, schools, coffee shops, smoothie shops (as the powder to put in smoothies), etc. The possibilities are endless. But is it legal/okay to do that with a MLM business? That's my main question. But if I were to do this, what kind of training/knowledge/education would it require? How much money and resources would it take to start out?
I haven't signed any agreements yet. I'm not a distributor yet.
I own a health and nutrition business and have taught fitness. There are several problems with your idea. First of all, Reliv products are one of the few that are protected by an actual US patent, so you would be guilty of patent infringement. A prosecutable crime.
Second of all, if you really check Reliv's marketing plan, and the profit built into it, they have more profit built into that marketing plan for distributors than any other business, MLM or otherwise, in America.
I have spent the last 30 years looking at various businesses - and literally hundreds of MLMs. I have not found another one with the profitability of this one.
The fact is, Dr. Kalogris, who founded Reliv and developed the original Basic Classic, had originally intended to sell this product in stores. When Mr. Montgomery - the president (now) of Reliv - discovered the benefits of this amazing product, he realized that if it would be sold in stores, people wouldn't know what to do with it, and it would just sit on the shelves. He developed the Reliv marketing plan around this product specifically to maximize people's results with it, both health-wise and financially.
Why re-invent the wheel when it has not only already been invented but also perfected? They have not only a great product, protected by US patents (which NOBODY else has!) but also established street credibility (listed on the NASDAQ, written up extensively in Business Week, Fortune, & Forbes as one of the top 100 best run and top 100 hot growth small businesses), the most profitable marketing plan around, and an established success system with all the training and help you could possibly need to be successful at it from some of the best and most experiences teachers in the world?
You need to spend some time on the phone calls, and at the meetings just doing your homework and learning a whole lot more about this company and it's products before you run off and make some very HUGE mistakes! LOL
There are lots of small MLM's out there that are scams, and get put out of business. You don't need another one, when you can have it all by doing things right, with accountability, character, teachability and honesty.
If you desire any more information, you are free to email me.
I would check your agreement that you signed when you joined this company. The company I am with does not allow us to sell their product to retail stores.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pmReferences :
I have been in MLM for many years and I suspect that repackaging and trying to resell the product would not be practical, and I would think that the company would not approve. What you are thinking about is getting very close to pyramid selling, a concept which is illegal in most countries.
If you are seriously interested in joining a MLM company then I think you should read the rest of this answer.
There are hundreds of possible businesses, but a business requires some capital to start up so I would recommend looking for one that requires less than $500 to start, but remember it is your business and it will only be successful if you are prepared to put some amount of continuous effort into it. It will take some time to build and get an income flowing, so I would study all opportunities very closely and see if your choice has any bonus schemes which can act as cash flow as the main income stream grows.
With most businesses it will take 2-4 weeks before the first income may be received, but that is normal, in fact most home based jobs will only pay monthly. But with a business the income should increase quickly as the weeks progress, in fact it is possible to be earning a significant extra income within 6 months and be financially free in 2-4 years.
Some 9 years ago I got involved with a company in the second largest industry in the world – Telecommunications. What impressed me with this company was the attitude of the owners, they were already in a position where they could have retired, but they decided that they had a company that could grow and help very many people throughout the world to realise their financial dreams.
This company now operates in 19 countries on 3 continents and expects to be opening up another 50 countries over the next few years. They have been featured in many publications like USA Today, Success from Home Magazine (twice), Fortune, and Inc 500 rated then the 22nd fastest growing company in the USA after their first 5 years, not only that but the 2nd most profitable.
Recently the multi-billionaire Donald Trump endorsed the opportunity, calling it probably the best available in the world today.
The services the company offers are local and long distance calling, Internet, Digital, Voip with video phones, Satellite TV and cell phone services with all the major cell phone providers. Now everybody knows plenty of other people who use these services in their homes every day, and this opportunity allows you to save people money on these services, but at the same time it allows you to earn a percentage of the monthly billing of all the people, who are saving money on the services you recommended, now you have created a residual based income, you get paid every month for as long as the customer continues to use the service. This can be a very profitable business as the industry turns over approximately one Trillion dollars annually.
Now just a little bit of information about myself, I am nearly 62 and spent most of my working life in traditional manufacturing companies at Director level, so I know a bit about business. What I have discovered in the last few years, I wish I had known about when I left college. It has taken me over 30 years to discover a business that I can honestly recommend to anybody, although they will have to have drive and determination to succeed.
If you would like any more information feel free to email me.
Douglas
May 27th, 2009 at 1:38 pmReferences :
Hi Laura,
Don't sign any agreements yet until you have explored all of the opportunities available to you. There is no better way to become wealthy than MLM but you have to do your homework. The ones like you have mentioned start out great but with the current economy the first thing people quit buying are things thay think they can do with out. Also the life span of the miracle juice and drink MLM's is short lived. Read my profile and if interested contact me and I will share my story.
Val
May 27th, 2009 at 2:20 pmReferences :
I own a health and nutrition business and have taught fitness. There are several problems with your idea. First of all, Reliv products are one of the few that are protected by an actual US patent, so you would be guilty of patent infringement. A prosecutable crime.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:37 pmSecond of all, if you really check Reliv's marketing plan, and the profit built into it, they have more profit built into that marketing plan for distributors than any other business, MLM or otherwise, in America.
I have spent the last 30 years looking at various businesses - and literally hundreds of MLMs. I have not found another one with the profitability of this one.
The fact is, Dr. Kalogris, who founded Reliv and developed the original Basic Classic, had originally intended to sell this product in stores. When Mr. Montgomery - the president (now) of Reliv - discovered the benefits of this amazing product, he realized that if it would be sold in stores, people wouldn't know what to do with it, and it would just sit on the shelves. He developed the Reliv marketing plan around this product specifically to maximize people's results with it, both health-wise and financially.
Why re-invent the wheel when it has not only already been invented but also perfected? They have not only a great product, protected by US patents (which NOBODY else has!) but also established street credibility (listed on the NASDAQ, written up extensively in Business Week, Fortune, & Forbes as one of the top 100 best run and top 100 hot growth small businesses), the most profitable marketing plan around, and an established success system with all the training and help you could possibly need to be successful at it from some of the best and most experiences teachers in the world?
You need to spend some time on the phone calls, and at the meetings just doing your homework and learning a whole lot more about this company and it's products before you run off and make some very HUGE mistakes! LOL
There are lots of small MLM's out there that are scams, and get put out of business. You don't need another one, when you can have it all by doing things right, with accountability, character, teachability and honesty.
If you desire any more information, you are free to email me.
References :
Here's the way I look at it, Laura:
Why? Why would you want to cripple network marketing's greatest benefit: leverage.
“I’d rather have 1 percent of 100 people’s efforts than 100 percent of my own.” - J. Paul Getty, one of the world's first billionaire.
The reason network marketing is the best way for the "average Joe" to build wealth is this idea of having a little bit of other people's time. To achieve this, you don't only need to move product, but you need to teach other people to move product on your behalf.
Your idea is awesome, from a purely retail product standpoint, but here are some things to consider:
(1) The whole idea of repackaging and retailing Reliv's product is, most likely, against their distributor policy.
(2) The end product in stores would be quite expensive, compared to cost-focused retail brands. Without a distributor there to "tell the product's story," it's unlikely the average consumer would spend the difference.
(3) You immediately lose your leverage. Instead of being able to work from home, teaching people how to be successful Reliv distributors and multiplying yourself, you are driving a delivery van around town to supply your retail clients — one by one.
Meanwhile, the top performers in your company teach two people to do what they do, and those two teach two, and on and on, until you have literally thousands of people moving Reliv products to consumers on your behalf.
So, to sum up: succeeding in network marketing is not about "tweaking" the product to be different. It's more about marketing YOURSELF uniquely, which will bring you the network, which will give you the leverage.
Before you know it, you'll have 1 percent of 100 people's time working for you, while you spend 100 percent of your own doing what you like.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:22 pmReferences :