MLM and Candles? Well, I wasn't open to the idea to begin with, until I did some research...
When I was introduced to the concept of Candle as
an MLM Business Opportunity, I was not impressed. Maybe you are scratching your
head, too, so please indulge me while I explain.
Possibly, you may end up seeing what I saw!
I came into the world of MLM as a recruiter. My
first company did not offer much in the way of a product (it was actually a
service) that could be retailed for any significant profit. So, I was taught to
recruit and team build.
As my dissatisfaction grew with that company and
I looked at other MLM Business Opportunities, I found that nutrition companies
offered much of what I was looking for.
Or, so I thought.
If you've been in MLM
for any amount of time, you may have had that feeling of a fish swimming
upstream against the current. Or, even like a fish out of water. No one seems to
want your product, your MLM opportunity, and they certainly don’t understand
why you are doing this.
Have you ever felt this way?
I felt this way for years in the business. And, I struggled with my thoughts and
feelings of being out of alignment. I felt that way until I finally found what
was right for me in this business. I want to share that with you and see if it
might help you in deciding where your fit is in the industry and how you might
reach that place of feeling "in balance."
This may shed some light on Candles and MLM as a
Business Fit.
My journey down the "path of least resistance" started with
determining who my target
market is within the industry and defining what the characteristics are of
this market.
Women make up the majority of network marketers, and that was a bonus for me,
since I am a woman. I am also
a stay home mom, raising my children and determined to be at home for that
aspect of my life. I found that many in the network marketing industry also fit
that characteristic.
Now, here are a few of the characteristics within that target market that are
also prevalent.
First, many women do not control the checkbook in the family and this gives them
a limited amount of money to invest into a business. Their spouses will okay a
certain amount to invest in a business, and that is usually not enough to truly
cover what is required to make a network marketing venture successful.
Second, women are not "natural born recruiters." Many must experience
success with the product
and have a sense that it performs as it should before they will naturally share
the idea with others.
Third, women do not typically like to see themselves as "sales
people."
Now, let's talk about some characteristics within the industry and how these may
affect the performance of the female target market.
The network marketing industry is built largely on the concept of having an
"auto-ship" of goods and services to the distributors in the field.
Each month, a set product, or dollar amount ships out to the active
distributors. Depending on the company, this product is meant for either
personal consumption, or can be retailed to others.
Most typical auto-ship costs range any where from $100 - 300, depending on the
company.
As I mentioned before, if a woman does not control the check book in her family,
this leaves very little budget for marketing the business, which is required to
build a large, successful organization.
And, in most companies, there is no real way to earn an income retailing the
product. In most nutritional companies, the wholesale cost of the product is at
or even above the wholesale cost of an equivalent product at a quality vitamin
and supplement store. This means that $100 -300 auto-ship of products is left to
the distributor to consume.
So, the whole focus is on sponsoring. In order to make money, one must be able
to sponsor others into the program.
I also found that in many programs, as you move up the ranks, you must increase
the amount of your auto-ship in order to earn your full paycheck.
While I do believe that network marketing is an awesome business and an
incredible way to truly develop a "work at home" income, many of these
characteristics about the industry were making it difficult for my target market
to be a success. It could be done, but it likely would not be done by the
masses.
Many women are looking first and foremost for a way to earn a couple hundred
dollars extra a month. They want to find a
product they believe in and a method for getting that product out there and
pocketing the money.
They don't want to recruit or feel compelled to build a team of others.
And, I have found that given the chance, they will fall into team building in a
very natural way if they can first experience some success within the other
aspects of the business.
As I began to look for a company that would be a fit for me, I realized that a
few things really needed to be in place for me to access my target market, and
offer something that would appeal to them; that they could see themselves doing
successfully; and that would fit into the monthly budget they have to put toward
a business.
Here are the characteristics I determined must be in place for a business I
pursued to be successful -
1. Product with strong market appeal - others would want the product without
needing to be convinced.
2. Product had to have a wholesale price that was low enough to allow a retail
mark-up where a distributor could put cash in the pocket right away.
3. This would allow the distributor to make money without being forced to
recruit.
4. This would also provide a way for the distributor to develop a budget for
advertising that came from the
business itself - retailing the product. So, no extra money needed to come
out of the family budget to fund the business.
5. Had to have a low,
monthly auto-ship cost, and the ability to recoup that monthly investment
through retail.
And, I am thrilled to report there are a handful of companies out there that fit
this criterion. This meant there was something out there I could be successful
with and then truly teach others within my target market to do the same.
Once I began to pursue network marketing from this angle, things really changed
for me. Not only was I able to make my opportunity a success, but I have been
able to sponsor others into the program and teach them how to also be
successful.
Today, I am back in balance and no longer feel like that fish swimming against
the current. I am on the path of least resistance within the network marketing
industry.
If you do or have felt this way, I encourage you to spend some time defining who
your target market is, and what fits this target market. Know the parameters you
are working with for success within this market. Then, find the companies who
will offer what you need to provide in order to be successful.
Keep in mind that most nutritional products are
already overpriced at the wholesale level, which leaves no room for a person to
earn any type of retail profit from selling the products to others. A person is
forced to recruit in order to be successful, and this is often an MLM deal
breaker!
And, think how many juice and nutritional
companies are out there, Thousands! And, what are the true differences between
them?
With candles as an MLM Opportunity, we are
talking about maybe 6 companies total that are competitive with what we offer,
and most are much smaller than our
company. The number one candle company in the world is not an MLM business,
either!
After a study of Direct Sales, I realized that
the blend we offer between a retail product; the ability to recruit (but not the
requirement); and the uniqueness of our product made this the perfect MLM
Business Opportunity for me! How about you? Need to know a little more about how an MLM business works? Here is some information to assist you >>>>>>>
Ready to know more about getting started? Contact
me!

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