As I was leaving the house this morning, there was a flyer from our community with information about healthy living. Although there were no advertisements in the flyer, it inspired me to think of new ideas for marketing our AmeriSciences business. When I got to work, I e-mailed Kirk my ideas. One of them involved holding "Health Awareness" seminars in our clubhouse, where we would introduce people to our products. Even as I was writing it, I was thinking, "I'm proposing we do something that I hate having done to me." That is, offer them information, then give them a pitch. But I wasn't sure how else to do it.
I had some time between patients, and did an internet search for network marketing ideas. Most of the sites that come up have the same basic format...they tell you that your MLM company is lying to you and doesn't want you to succeed, and that the methods that they will teach you are the TRUE keys to success. Then they either promise you free information if you provide them with contact information (I've learned this is called a landing page), or they try to get you to buy their product. If you get to a landing page and provide your information, you will get a lot of follow up e-mails, some of which may include useful information, and many of which will continue to try to convince you to join their company or buy their product. Although I avoid giving any information to most of these sites, I found one that provided enough content to make me interested in finding out what else they would send.
As promised, I received a free e-book about network marketing (along with many more e-mails trying to get more information from me, get me to invest in their product, etc.). This document talks about the effectiveness of doing seminars for people about health issues. Great! I'm on track. The author warns, however, not to make your presentation a pitch for your product. The basic point is this: Give people content. Provide them with information they will find useful, and mention how your product would fit into the bigger picture (e.g., talk about other ways of living healthy that don't involve selling them anything, as well as mentioning your product). The author also discusses the importance of having a strong internet presence, to market your product effectively and with less work in the long run.
Take home points:
1. Provide people with content they find useful
2. Develop a strong internet presence to bring customers and people interested in joining your network to you.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Private meeting: joining AmeriSciences
Kirk and I meet Paul at his residence Monday night after work. Paul is one of the founding members, and has been very successful with AmeriSciences, so he will be a good team leader for us. Anyone who joins under us will also be in Paul's group. Jerry, who is planning to run a subgroup in another area, is also at this meeting so that Paul can teach him how to run the meetings in the future. We all get our Head Start and start talking business.
Paul reviews the compensation plan with us again so that we have the opportunity to ask questions. We realize during this meeting that joining at the lowest level wouldn't allow us to have others join our team. So, although we had agreed before the meeting that we should go in at the lowest level possible, we decide during this meeting that going one level higher is the better choice for us. Another great benefit of this decision is that it will allow us to have more samples to pass out to our friends. Even though we can afford this level, I'm more than a little nervous about spending the money.
Paul doesn't pressure us to spend any more than we feel comfortable with, and he doesn't rush us through the process once he finds out that we are going in at a relatively low level. He goes over a three month business plan with us, part of which involves asking us what our goal is for the next three months. We say we would like to make $5000 extra a month. He suggests that we are aiming very low, but humors us and uses that number for our plan.
Paul reviews the compensation plan with us again so that we have the opportunity to ask questions. We realize during this meeting that joining at the lowest level wouldn't allow us to have others join our team. So, although we had agreed before the meeting that we should go in at the lowest level possible, we decide during this meeting that going one level higher is the better choice for us. Another great benefit of this decision is that it will allow us to have more samples to pass out to our friends. Even though we can afford this level, I'm more than a little nervous about spending the money.
Paul doesn't pressure us to spend any more than we feel comfortable with, and he doesn't rush us through the process once he finds out that we are going in at a relatively low level. He goes over a three month business plan with us, part of which involves asking us what our goal is for the next three months. We say we would like to make $5000 extra a month. He suggests that we are aiming very low, but humors us and uses that number for our plan.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Making a decision
After the meeting we discuss what we want to do. I really like the products, but I'm still skeptical about the earning potential from this venture. I want to continue using the products, but I don't know how much I'm willing to commit to marketing and selling them. The benefit from signing on to sell them, aside from the possibility of making money, is that you get a discount on buying the products. Over time, this discount could be substantial. I'm also confused about some of the logistics. For one, I'm not clear how to get from the sampling step to the selling or recruiting step. I'm also not sure how to approach people who I don't know about the product, and I don't meet that many new people on a day to day basis. I'm willing to mention it to my friends, but I don't want to push it. I have a feeling most of my friends are not going to bite. Kirk is really interested in trying to sell the product, and he seems to have more confidence that he knows people who will be interested in signing on as well. We decide to buy in at the lowest level, which we can can easily afford. I figure, worst case scenario we'll use the products ourselves.
Saturday meeting: AmeriSciences compensation plan
Since we both like the product, and wouldn't mind making some extra money, we decide to go the the Saturday morning meeting, where they will discuss the business and compensation plan in more detail (as opposed to the Thursday meeting, where the greater emphasis was on the products).
The meeting is in the same room as the last. Some of the people are the same as Thursday, others are new faces (to us, anyway). Paul and Barry are the primary presenters. We are again given cups of Head Start to drink during the meeting. They talk about uplines, downlines, and the different levels within the company. At the highest level, you benefit from six generations down your downline. You can choose to enter at whatever level you want, which we are told is different from other multilevel marketing companies. You are also not required to sell a certain amount to maintain your level. In other words, once you reach a certain level, you cannot be bumped back down to a lower level due to reduced productivity. One of the men there, the first one who presented on Thursday, even took two years off for personal reasons, and was able to continue collecting money from his downline's sales, and also to return at the same level at which he left. We are told that this is also unusual for an MLM company. Your personal discount on products depends on what level you are. Income is generated through both the difference between your discount and the price you sell the product at (retail) and a percentage of the sales of your downline. The higher your level, the more generations of your downline you benefit from (up to six).
Kirk and I are sufficiently interested from what we've heard in the past two meetings to set up a private meeting with Paul for Monday after work. Before we leave, Jerry gives each of us a sample of AS10 Fusion to try.
The meeting is in the same room as the last. Some of the people are the same as Thursday, others are new faces (to us, anyway). Paul and Barry are the primary presenters. We are again given cups of Head Start to drink during the meeting. They talk about uplines, downlines, and the different levels within the company. At the highest level, you benefit from six generations down your downline. You can choose to enter at whatever level you want, which we are told is different from other multilevel marketing companies. You are also not required to sell a certain amount to maintain your level. In other words, once you reach a certain level, you cannot be bumped back down to a lower level due to reduced productivity. One of the men there, the first one who presented on Thursday, even took two years off for personal reasons, and was able to continue collecting money from his downline's sales, and also to return at the same level at which he left. We are told that this is also unusual for an MLM company. Your personal discount on products depends on what level you are. Income is generated through both the difference between your discount and the price you sell the product at (retail) and a percentage of the sales of your downline. The higher your level, the more generations of your downline you benefit from (up to six).
Kirk and I are sufficiently interested from what we've heard in the past two meetings to set up a private meeting with Paul for Monday after work. Before we leave, Jerry gives each of us a sample of AS10 Fusion to try.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Step one: using the product: AmeriSciences Sleep, Energy, Head Start, and Slim
Our sample pack has four products in it: AmeriSciences Sleep, Energy, Head Start, and Slim. We are supposed to take a packet of Sleep before bed, one Energy with a Head Start in the morning, the other Energy after lunch, and a Slim half an hour before each meal. I'm still trying to do the no coffee thing so that I know how well the products are working. I'm also avoiding Diet Coke. I would have expected it to be much more difficult than it has been. In the past my attempts to give up coffee and Diet Coke have ranged from getting severe headaches to having my boss kindly suggest that I start drinking them again because I was so zoned-out. So the fact that I've been able to cut back without getting a headache or feeling like a zombie is impressive. My goal is to go the whole week without coffee or Diet Coke.
Unlike the other products, I don't see any immediate effect from the Slim. I'm told it takes about a week to notice benefits from the Slim, and they no longer include it in the sample packs for that reason. I look it up and see a testimonial from a girl saying that she was able to lose weight using free samples of Slim her doctor gave her, so maybe it does take time. The nice thing is that I don't feel jittery from taking these products, unlike many other energy and weight loss supplements.
Unlike the other products, I don't see any immediate effect from the Slim. I'm told it takes about a week to notice benefits from the Slim, and they no longer include it in the sample packs for that reason. I look it up and see a testimonial from a girl saying that she was able to lose weight using free samples of Slim her doctor gave her, so maybe it does take time. The nice thing is that I don't feel jittery from taking these products, unlike many other energy and weight loss supplements.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Our first AmeriSciences meeting
Part of the deal of considering this business opportunity was to go to a meeting. These meetings are held weekly, at least here in Houston. Jerry and his fiance, Lexie, join us. When we enter the building we are greeted by a friendly, attractive woman. We are offered a drink, which is a sample of Head Start. We are seated around a table in a conference room. I notice that many of the people in the room look professional and like they probably have money. Most of them have also been to these meetings before, including Jerry and Lexie.
We hear from three speakers. The first speaker tells us about how he used to work too many hours and it was interfering with his quality of life and relationship with his family. He talks about how he relied on caffiene to keep going (this sounds familiar), and has more energy since he started using the AmeriSciences products. He notes that he was hesitant to get involved with network marketing, since he didn't want to be that annoying guy who was constantly trying to get his friends and family to buy things from him. He tells us that he has been able to be successful without becoming "that guy." The second speaker is a former estate planner, Paul, who realized through his prior work that most people did not save enough or think about residual income until it was too late. The third speaker is the president and CEO, Barry Cosheu. He tells us about how he was a personal trainer to the stars for 10 years, but was still struggling to keep up with his expenses, and how developing this company has changed all of that.
At the meeting, they talk about many of the health problems facing Americans in today's society, and how they have developed their products to help combat some of those specific problems. They note that their emphasis is on providing high quality products, so they hold themselves to pharmaceutical-grade standards and have their products independently tested for quality. They show videos about the products and the company, some of which are available to view on their website (http://www.amerisciences.com/28180). They also mention their business model and compensation plan. The plan sounds simple enough: use the products, share your experience with using the products, provide people with samples so that they can see for themselves, sell them the product, and share with them the opportunity to earn by becoming involved with sales themselves. They emphasize that you should not focus your efforts on trying to force people to be interested in the product if they are clearly not interested.
Before we go, we get a sample of their superfruit juice AS10, and are given a week's supply of samples to try ourselves.
We hear from three speakers. The first speaker tells us about how he used to work too many hours and it was interfering with his quality of life and relationship with his family. He talks about how he relied on caffiene to keep going (this sounds familiar), and has more energy since he started using the AmeriSciences products. He notes that he was hesitant to get involved with network marketing, since he didn't want to be that annoying guy who was constantly trying to get his friends and family to buy things from him. He tells us that he has been able to be successful without becoming "that guy." The second speaker is a former estate planner, Paul, who realized through his prior work that most people did not save enough or think about residual income until it was too late. The third speaker is the president and CEO, Barry Cosheu. He tells us about how he was a personal trainer to the stars for 10 years, but was still struggling to keep up with his expenses, and how developing this company has changed all of that.
At the meeting, they talk about many of the health problems facing Americans in today's society, and how they have developed their products to help combat some of those specific problems. They note that their emphasis is on providing high quality products, so they hold themselves to pharmaceutical-grade standards and have their products independently tested for quality. They show videos about the products and the company, some of which are available to view on their website (http://www.amerisciences.com/28180). They also mention their business model and compensation plan. The plan sounds simple enough: use the products, share your experience with using the products, provide people with samples so that they can see for themselves, sell them the product, and share with them the opportunity to earn by becoming involved with sales themselves. They emphasize that you should not focus your efforts on trying to force people to be interested in the product if they are clearly not interested.
Before we go, we get a sample of their superfruit juice AS10, and are given a week's supply of samples to try ourselves.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Not a morning person: AmeriSciences Sleep, Energy, and Head Start. Day 1.
Tuesday morning-
I can't say that I slept better or more soundly last night. Strangely, I do feel sort of well-rested. I can't remember the last time I felt well rested in the morning. Especially lately. It's gotten to the point where my morning coffee doesn't do anything for me anymore, and my consumption of other caffienated beverages has been on the rise. I like to keep my Diet Coke intake to one a day, and that's been creeping up. So this is a nice change. I still want my coffee, but Kirk asks me to try the AmeriSciences Energy and Head Start instead. In order to see if it really works, he kindly requests that I forego my coffee. Ugh. He only has one of each, so we split an Energy packet (one pill each) and a Head Start.
Head Start is a powdered drink packet you add to your water, kind of like Crystal Lite single serve packets. It tastes kind of like lemon-lime Gatorade. I hate Gatorade. You cannot get me to drink gatorade. The mere thought of it makes me cringe! And I particularly hate the lemon-lime flavor. But I promised to give this a *real* try, so I choke down my half. Between the Sleep, Energy, and Head Start, I'm not fighting the urge to fall asleep on my way to work. I don't feel the need for coffee, but I do stop at Starbucks for a green tea latte. I feel more alert throughout the day, but I still feel like I'm dragging a bit.
I take the other Sleep packet before bed.
I can't say that I slept better or more soundly last night. Strangely, I do feel sort of well-rested. I can't remember the last time I felt well rested in the morning. Especially lately. It's gotten to the point where my morning coffee doesn't do anything for me anymore, and my consumption of other caffienated beverages has been on the rise. I like to keep my Diet Coke intake to one a day, and that's been creeping up. So this is a nice change. I still want my coffee, but Kirk asks me to try the AmeriSciences Energy and Head Start instead. In order to see if it really works, he kindly requests that I forego my coffee. Ugh. He only has one of each, so we split an Energy packet (one pill each) and a Head Start.
Head Start is a powdered drink packet you add to your water, kind of like Crystal Lite single serve packets. It tastes kind of like lemon-lime Gatorade. I hate Gatorade. You cannot get me to drink gatorade. The mere thought of it makes me cringe! And I particularly hate the lemon-lime flavor. But I promised to give this a *real* try, so I choke down my half. Between the Sleep, Energy, and Head Start, I'm not fighting the urge to fall asleep on my way to work. I don't feel the need for coffee, but I do stop at Starbucks for a green tea latte. I feel more alert throughout the day, but I still feel like I'm dragging a bit.
I take the other Sleep packet before bed.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The beginning of a written "blogumentary": AmeriSciences MLM--business opportunity, or scam?
Who gets involved with multi-level, or network, marketing? Certainly not me. Or so I thought.
In this blog, I will take you with me on my journey into the world of network marketing. I'm investigating one company, and it's products, from the inside out: AmeriSciences. I hope to be able to provide others with information that I couldn't find in my decision making process. I'll discuss the products, the people, and the sales/marketing experience. I never thought I would become invoved in network marketing. I'm not a sales person. I know next to nothing about business and marketing. I'm skeptical of promises of easy money, and the products attached to any such promises. So how did I get here...?
The other day my fiance, Kirk, told me that his friend, Jerry, wanted to talk to us about a "business opportunity." Jerry had recently become involved with AmeriSciences, a company that sells vitamins and supplements, and markets them to doctors to sell through their offices. Since I am in the medical field, Jerry wanted to talk to me about selling them through my office. I was immediately uncomfortable with the idea, but Jerry and Kirk are so close that I had to at least pretend I was considering the option. I shared my ethical concerns, but agreed to hear him out.
On Monday Kirk came home with samples of AmeriSciences Sleep, Energy, and Head Start. This is when I learned that the company we were being approached about was AmeriSciences (Kirk hadn't remembered the name before). I immediately jumped online to find something to discredit the products or the company. Preferably both. I also look for anything pertaining to vitamin sales by doctors for profit. What I found:
1- Kirk had told me that these were the only FDA approved vitamins. False. The FDA does not approve vitamins. However, AmeriSciences does use standards similar to FDA regulations to manufacture it's vitamins and supplements to a phamaceutical grade. Here's what AmeriSciences has to say about it's standards: http://www.amerisciences.com/science/quality.asp
2- Kirk said AmeriSciences had a contract with NASA. This appears to be true. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28993
3- I can't find anything reliable about ethics specific to AmeriSciences sales by doctors. I do find one comment from a patient complaining about her eye doctor's AmeriSciences display, with a response suggesting it is unethical. Jury's still out.
4- I learn that AmeriSciences is a multi-level marketing company. Alarm bells sound! Isn't multi-level marketing the same as a pyramid scheme? (I later learn it's not.) I don't want to be that (annoying) friend who tries to push a product on all of her friends and relatives. I don't think most of my contacts would be interested in such an "opportunity." I'm not sure I am.
5- There's nothing to suggest that AmeriSciences products are in any way unsafe. If anything, what I find suggests that the products are probably high quality. I see no contraindications, except that certain supplements are not advised for pregnant or lactating women. I'm not pregnant or lactating, so I decide the products are safe to try.
Kirk brought home two packets of Sleep, one Energy, and one Head Start. He doesn't need help sleeping, so both of those are for me. I take a packet (2 pills) and go to bed.
SES by business degree online promotion team.
In this blog, I will take you with me on my journey into the world of network marketing. I'm investigating one company, and it's products, from the inside out: AmeriSciences. I hope to be able to provide others with information that I couldn't find in my decision making process. I'll discuss the products, the people, and the sales/marketing experience. I never thought I would become invoved in network marketing. I'm not a sales person. I know next to nothing about business and marketing. I'm skeptical of promises of easy money, and the products attached to any such promises. So how did I get here...?
The other day my fiance, Kirk, told me that his friend, Jerry, wanted to talk to us about a "business opportunity." Jerry had recently become involved with AmeriSciences, a company that sells vitamins and supplements, and markets them to doctors to sell through their offices. Since I am in the medical field, Jerry wanted to talk to me about selling them through my office. I was immediately uncomfortable with the idea, but Jerry and Kirk are so close that I had to at least pretend I was considering the option. I shared my ethical concerns, but agreed to hear him out.
On Monday Kirk came home with samples of AmeriSciences Sleep, Energy, and Head Start. This is when I learned that the company we were being approached about was AmeriSciences (Kirk hadn't remembered the name before). I immediately jumped online to find something to discredit the products or the company. Preferably both. I also look for anything pertaining to vitamin sales by doctors for profit. What I found:
1- Kirk had told me that these were the only FDA approved vitamins. False. The FDA does not approve vitamins. However, AmeriSciences does use standards similar to FDA regulations to manufacture it's vitamins and supplements to a phamaceutical grade. Here's what AmeriSciences has to say about it's standards: http://www.amerisciences.com/science/quality.asp
2- Kirk said AmeriSciences had a contract with NASA. This appears to be true. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28993
3- I can't find anything reliable about ethics specific to AmeriSciences sales by doctors. I do find one comment from a patient complaining about her eye doctor's AmeriSciences display, with a response suggesting it is unethical. Jury's still out.
4- I learn that AmeriSciences is a multi-level marketing company. Alarm bells sound! Isn't multi-level marketing the same as a pyramid scheme? (I later learn it's not.) I don't want to be that (annoying) friend who tries to push a product on all of her friends and relatives. I don't think most of my contacts would be interested in such an "opportunity." I'm not sure I am.
5- There's nothing to suggest that AmeriSciences products are in any way unsafe. If anything, what I find suggests that the products are probably high quality. I see no contraindications, except that certain supplements are not advised for pregnant or lactating women. I'm not pregnant or lactating, so I decide the products are safe to try.
Kirk brought home two packets of Sleep, one Energy, and one Head Start. He doesn't need help sleeping, so both of those are for me. I take a packet (2 pills) and go to bed.
SES by business degree online promotion team.
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