subject: Shaklee Distributors-read This Before You Do Business [print this page] The Company The Company
It would'nt be fair if I didn't give the Shaklee Corporation some exposure here so here goes with the 'company review'.
Shaklee manufactures and distributes nutritional supplements, houshold cleaning products, beauty products and products related to weight management all along the lines of environmentally-friendly and containing natural ingredients.
The Shaklee concept was actually founded in 1956 well before anyone knew what vitamins were by a man named Forrest C. Shaklee. He incorporated Shaklee in 1956 and emphasized 'natural' and 'environmentally-friendly' in his marketing, terms that were again not heavily on the public conscience.
Shaklee is a private corporation, which means they don't disclose their financial records to the public.
The Compensation Plan
This orporation uses the MLM or Multilevel marketing business model which means in laymens terms you make money by enrolling Shaklee distributors into the company and find products customers that have nothing to do with the business side of things and earn commissions. You also earn commissions from product orders from Shaklee distributors who are in your downline.
The Problem
Shaklee is a great company that has quite a long history and it looks like they'll be sticking around awhile.
The question I know that you're about to throw out is, 'why do so many fail?. There are quite a alot of answers but only a few bear mentioning.
First of all not very many like to sell, when people join up as Shaklee distributors they join up to buy hope and that is what they buy because that is what they're sold on.
When they buy something that was supposed to change their lives and they don't get their desired results immediately they go around crying 'Shaklee scam' and go bad mouthing the industry.
The bad reputation of the MLM industry comes from people like that.
The Bigger Problem
Then you have people that don't complain and know instinctively that work is required to make anything a success. However they too fail and there is a good reason for this. The reason is no-one remembers them.
When you market your companies products up front you're seen as salesman. When was the last time you remembered the name of a salesman that sold you something? Do you remember any of them? I didn't think so.
When you sell your companies products up front you pass on the value of your company and if you want to succeed you have to pass on your value first.
If you look at the big names in this industry Randy Gage, Mike Dillard, Jay Kubassek, Brian Fanale and Norbert Orlewicz you'll notice they won't try to sell you their company on first meeting. They sell themselves first and offer value that will help you in business before you actually get into business.
In the 21st Century the business should be YOU INC. If you choose to be one of the Shaklee distributors then form a partnership with that company but don't put all your eggs in one basket and never take the focus off YOU.
