Network marketing, and particularly MLM have a bad reputation. I came across a question online about whether people had had any luck in AmeriSciences, and the only response was that it was listed on scam.com. I searched scam.com, and was not able to find anything suggesting that AmeriSciences was a scam. It was only mentioned on a list of companies represented by a particular law firm. I tried to post this as a response, but my response was never accepted. Anyway, I digress...
The point is, that people have a negative preconception about MLM and network marketing. And I'm not really an exception to this. Which is why I was surprised to find out that Avon, Mary Kay, and Tupperware are all considered network marketing or MLM companies. Yet they all have decent reputations. Some relatively new companies without the MLM stigma have also joined the list, such as The Pampered Chef and Stampin' Up. Even Donald Trump is getting in on the MLM action.
It seems to me that any company or product that chooses to use an alternative method of sales and advertising is looked at with some skepticism. Take, for example, infomercials on late night t.v. I seem to remember a time when the products that were sold in this manner were considered a joke. After all, if these products were so great, why didn't they sell them in stores? Why did they use cheesy videos on late night television? Weren't they just trying to take advantage of the poor vulnerable people who were still up watching television at that time, with no other options? Yet several of these products are also now household names, and can even be found on store shelves (e.g., Oxy Clean, Sham Wow, and Slap Chop).
The evidence seems to suggest that alternative marketing techniques, even MLM and network marketing, are viable options for quality products--although they may face more public skepticism--and can even work to turn products into household names (one of the goals of AmeriSciences).
No comments:
Post a Comment