Researching MLM?

If you have been attracted to my blog – BuildingBusinessNaturally.com – I assume that you will want to represent a product range that is valued by your customers and is beneficial to their lives. Ask yourself the following questions when considering a MLM company.

•  Are the products desired and bought?

Research your market. Products must not only be ‘needed’ or ‘desired’, but they must also be bought. That is, is your market willing to act upon their ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ to actually purchase the product at the recommended retail price?

• Are the products consumables?

A consumable product is one that needs to be purchased repeatedly such as vitamins, skincare, candles or cleaning products. Selling consumables means you can build up a relationship with your customers and have on-going sales.

•  Are the products within a growing market?

It is important that you think about the industry your products are part of. Is it expanding so that your potential customer base is also growing? For example, you wouldn’t want to be just getting into selling CDs in a world of MP3s.

•  Are the products unique?

What is the ‘point of difference’ your products have over others? This could be related to price, quality, certifications or awards. Why would your customers buy your products instead of your competitor’s products?

•  Are the products beneficial?

I assume you want to make a difference to the lives of others as well as growing a profitable business. So ask yourself if the products solve real problems for your customers. For example, do the products help clear skin blemishes and therefore increase the self esteem of your customer.  Do they contribute to your customer’s health and wellbeing? Do they make your customer happy for longer than five minutes?

•  Are the products safe for human consumption or use?

Think about the health and safety issues related to your product range. Are electrical goods and children’s toys checked against national standards? How about edible products? Are personal care products free from toxic chemicals? Any product that contains toxic ingredients is OUT!

•  Are the products safe for the environment?

Are you able to find out how the products are created? Does the manufacturing process create excessive air, water or land pollution? What waste products are created?

So…why will a great product range build your business more quickly and easily?

If you can answer YES to all the above questions you will be representing a product range you are PROUD of. When you are proud of your product range it will be far easier to ‘sell’. Speaking about your product range with enthusiasm and truth will come naturally to you. You will not feel the need to misrepresent or leave out certain details, and instead you can concentrate on building long-lasting relationships with your customers.

When you are proud of your product range it will also be far easier to promote your business opportunity with potential partners. Have a think about what kind of people you will be attracting to your business if you represent products such as these. What a privilege to be working with like-minded individuals!

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While you are the CEO of your home business, your company is your ‘partner in crime’ so to speak. They have the privilege of working behind the scenes doing everything they can to help you succeed!

Your chosen Company is an integral part to your business – obviously! They design the compensation plan and they dish out the payments and bonuses! Your chosen Company is also responsible for providing training, information and marketing resources to use as leverage. They may also be responsible for the design and function of an on-line shopping website, and delivery of products to your customers. They certainly are responsible for creating products for you to sell.

WOW! Makes you grateful you are only a representative doesn’t it?! Becoming an independent consultant for a company gives you the advantages of having your own business without having to start from scratch or go it alone. You are supported not only by the Company, but also by a community of other sole business operators eager to pass on their knowledge and skills.

So… what should you look for in a Company if you want to work according to your social and environmental values AND create wealth?

• Is the company approachable?

Can you contact the Company via phone and email and speak to ‘real’ people? Are your queries or comments being responded to in a timely fashion? Is there a system in place where you can make recommendations for Company improvement, and are these recommendation being acted upon?

• Is the company transparent?

Have a look at the Company literature – both internal (for representative eyes only) and public documents (brochures, etc). Are items such as compensation plans, ingredient lists, etc written in detailed plain English? When you ask questions are you given appropriate and straight-forward answers?

• Is the compensation plan fair?

Compensation plans vary considerably across the hundreds of MLM Companies (or other forms of network marketing Companies). What you need to look for is a plan that fairly compensates representatives for their own efforts in building their individual businesses. This means that you can potentially earn more than your up-line if you are selling more and signing more reps!

• Is the company environmentally responsible?

A forward-thinking Company will have an environmental management plan in place. Not only does this mean benefits for the local and global natural environment, but it can also mean flow-on effects to profit. For example, a Company that becomes more efficient in the manufacturing of products will produce more with less – natural resource usage is reduced meaning material costs are reduced and waste and pollution (a form of waste)  are reduced meaning reduced cleanup and disposal costs.

In addition, does the Company have energy reduction plans in place for areas such as transportation, building conditions (heating, cooling and lighting) and manufacturing of products. Reductions in energy usage means less burning of fossil fuels which contribute to elevated carbon levels in the atmosphere and climate change. Perhaps they are even savvy enough to run on green energies (solar or wind), be carbon neutral and be part of programs such as Greenfleet.

• Is the company giving back to the community?

A Company that promotes its social and environmental qualities should be putting their ‘money where their mouth is’. Find out about the charities your Company supports, and make sure they are in line with your values as well.

• Does the company practice continual improvement?

Look – no Company will ever be completely perfect! What is important is that they are continually educating themselves on how to do things better, setting goals in their planning, and conquering those goals. For example, they may have energy reduction goals in place, or they may be involved in long-term community projects.

In this process of improvement, does the Company educate its representatives and customers about what they are trying to achieve and involve them in the process? Are you able to give recommendations where business may be made better, more fair or more environmentally-friendly?

Want to join a successful Company with a safe and desired product range? Please contact me – I would love to have you on our team!