Adventures in Marketing

ADD & ADHD, Part I

2007-10-20T19:35:00.000-04:00

Standard Disclaimer: These are actual unsolicited testimonials; they are not to be considered as a claim of medical efficacy and should be considered as anecdotal in nature. You should always consult your physician before beginning any treatment program.

On the subject of Attention Deficit Disorder, two of my children have this problem. My adult daughter has always complained about feeling detached and like she has a lot of difficulty staying focused on what people are saying – also remembering things. When she started taking OPC-3™, she was amazed. She says that the cloud lifted from her brain and she felt like she could think clearly for the first time. My son, who is now 14 years old, has always had learning problems, difficulty paying attention, difficulty following directions, lost his temper very easily, and while he isn’t a classic hyperactive type, he does have some unusual behavior patterns. When we found out that OPC-3™ could help with this, we immediately had him start taking it. Before OPC-3™, he had made little progress in his school work for the entire year before, and we weren’t sure what to do with him. In the year after he started taking OPC-3™, he advanced five grade levels in his reading skills, and two grade levels in math. He says that OPC-3™ helps him think, and concentration is much easier. He also calmed down some and is in much better control of the rages that he used to have. Another nice little side benefit; he used to get every virus that came along – it seemed that he was always sick. As soon as he started on OPC-3™, he was the healthiest one in the house, and with six children, that’s saying a lot.
Gail Weekly
Roseburg, OR

We have a son that was taking 20 mg of Ritalin a day, and that was barely getting him through the day. We took him off Ritalin all together and he takes 2 capfuls of OPC-3™ in the morning, about 15 minutes before he eats, and that gets him through the whole school day. There really is no set dose that will work on everyone, they all seem to react just a little differently. You will have to try a dosage and see how it works. We tried it on a non-school day so we could see his behavior, and we got it on the first shot.
Charles and Denise

My son was diagnosed with ADD in 6th grade. He was put on Ritalin and had been on it for almost a year. He too started having the Ritalin side effects after about 8 months on meds, including mood swings when the meds wore off. A friend told me about OPC-3™. I started him on it but didn’t notice a difference until about 2½ to 3 months in. Then I dropped his morning dose of Ritalin. No one at school noticed a difference without his meds. We noticed a difference in mood. When school ended last year, I stopped all meds, & replaced them with: 2 caps of OPC-3™ & 1 cap B-12. After a recent seminar by a doctor, I’ve added 1 cap of Calcium daily (mainly for the magnesium) and Vitamin C. He is now 13 and is completely off Ritalin. He still complains about drinking his Isotonix®, but he does it out of force of habit. I made sure of it! Kids will fight anything new. Don’t let your customer give up because her son doesn’t like the taste. I did start out mixing his Isotonix® with ½ water & ½ apple juice.

Some concerns to share with your customer:
Schools almost make it fun to be on meds at schools – my son got to leave class early to go to the office to get his Ritalin before lunch. Some kids, including my son, thought that was “cool”. I did not want my son entering high school on any medication. It just opens the door to the ease of taking other “drugs” – I know that sounds a bit crazy, but ADD & ADHD kids are much more impulsive/compulsive and therefore more susceptible to addictions (a documented fact). There are still concerns about long term effects of Ritalin type drugs. I saw side effects within 6-8 months. Good Luck.
Ginnie Esary
Corvallis OR

Acid Reflux, Part II

2007-10-20T19:07:00.000-04:00

Standard Disclaimer: These are actual unsolicited testimonials; they are not to be considered as a claim of medical efficacy and should be considered as anecdotal in nature. You should always consult your physician before beginning any treatment program.

Hi, I have had a hyiatal hernia, therfore compounding the acid reflux problem. I had been on Prilosec or Prevacid since 1994. I always took the Rx at night since that limited the side effects
and that was when the heartburn was the worst. I have been taking OPC-3 since mid May, started on Aloe in about a week later. Finally in mid June started the digestive enzyme. The OPC-3 never added to the acid reflux cause I still took my Rx - until mid June. I just never renewed my Rx. I had some heartburn after that, but only took the pepcid ac at night. It became every other night as time went on. I found that when I was almost done with my 3rd bottle of Aloe and on the OPC-3 for almost 3 months that there was very little acid reflux. I use my digestive enzyme at least 2 times a day - my meal schedual is terrible. I occasionally get a brief touch of heartburn. When that happens, always at night, I just mix up a little bit of
digestive enzyme and it is gone. It is great over shaved ice with a little bit of water. I also serve this (shaved ice, enzyme and water) as an intermezo to dinner company, kinda like a sorbet.
I have not taken any form of anti-acid relief since 21st of August. I feel that the OPC-3 and the Aloe helped heal/shrink the hernia - so I know the flap of my esophagus doesn't open as easily to let the acid backwash. I have had this since 1982. I am 4' 10" tall and the problem resulted from being pregnant (as you can well imagine, I had no place to store growing babies :) ). The scarring in my esophagus used to be horrible, I would like to know what it is like now. Anyway, your customer should probably be taking all three. I have heard before it takes 3 bottles of Aloe to set things right and it sure seemed to do that. Good luck.
Marsha G. Whipple
828-681-2918
marsha@vysions.com

One of our first customers had reflux so bad that he had sores in his mouth, throat, & on his tongue. He was on Prilosac (spelling?) and said that the side effects of all the medicine he was taking were so bad that he had to stop taking them for a while and then he would
get back on them again because his reflux would get so bad. He started taking the Ultimate Aloe and gargling with it then swallowing it along with the loading dose of the OPC-3. Within one week of this, his mouth started healing up & his reflux began to improve. Now he doesn't take any medicine but also only occasionally needs the Ultimate Aloe. He faithfully takes the OPC-3 and says that he thinks that it has helped him more than the Aloe juice. He tells everyone about our product and now is thinking about getting into the business. Maybe your friend
could try just gargling with the Aloe & taking the OPC-3. Hope this helps.

Theresa Thigpen

Sugartown, LA

If you are talking about a person who throws up a lot, my child had this problem since he was born. We had him to all the doctors, and ran all the tests and they could not find any reason for his problem. We had him on the most of the Isotonix because of other health concerns and they were really helping him with those. A doctor involved with MA as a distributor suggested we add in Mineral Blast to help with the reflux. We did and the change was astounding. He went from getting sick after every meal to stopping completely. We know it is the Mineral Blast because when we forget to give it to him or we have run out he starts back up again. He is 7 years old now and has been using the Isotonix's for the last two years. He weighs about 70 pounds and we give him a half dose of Mineral Blast every day with the rest of his Isotonix. It seems to work the best. He also takes the Aloe, but that is more for keeping him from getting colds and the like.

Kevin Baker

Acid Reflux, Part I

2007-10-20T18:46:00.000-04:00

As I try out the myriad of Market America products, I will add my own descriptions and reviews. For now, I'll share with you some of the product testimonials that have come my way.

Standard Disclaimer: These are actual unsolicited testimonials; they are not to be considered as a claim of medical efficacy and should be considered as anecdotal in nature. You should always consult your physician before beginning any treatment program.

I wanted to encourage anyone who suffers from reflux....I had the surgery to stop my reflux 4 years ago, but like most people, it came undone and my reflux came back. People who have severe reflux know how awful it is to live with. It's major heartburn, times 100!! I've been on all the drugs, but decided to try the OPC before I went to the gastrointestinal doctor. I've tried other alternative methods and none worked, so I was VERY skeptical. I started taking the OPC hoping it would help my chronic fatigue symptoms, and what I was so surprised about was how it cured my reflux, almost immediately! I am now waiting for the other symptoms I have from chronic fatigue to leave and will let you know as soon as they do!!! Thanks for making me try this!!!
Sheila

I have Reflux (it is called GIRD*) and had it bad for years and years the only thing that helped me was Pirolosec that I had to take every day (sometimes twice a day). I got my first relief from the OPC-3 which I have taken 2 capfuls/day ever since I started it and it helped immensely. Then about two months ago I started on the ALOE first one ounce a day and then one morning and evening and my problem has all but disappeared . Once in a great while I still take a priolosec but eventually I believe that requirement will go also. The OPC-3 helped immediately though and I swear by it. The Aloe is good but in combination they are dynamite
James Augustine Team Sunshine
Orlando, Florida

My very first customer had severe acid reflux. He began with the Aloe and the OPC-3 together. Now he takes the OPC-3 regularly and the Aloe when he feels the acid indigestion starting to be a problem. He started with one cap at night then moved up gradually until he was taking 3 caps a day for his first bottle. Now a bottle lasts him about 3 months, but he takes
the OPC-3 every day and says he won't ever run out of it. Hope this helps.
Theresa Thigpen
Sugartown, La

Mass Customization

2007-09-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

This is the final theme from our original introduction to Market America and it's seemingly composed of two contradictory ideas. Mass production is a powerful method of manufacturing large volumes of products at a low price. It's what makes it less expensive to buy a sweater that's fresh off the assembly line than one that's hand made.

Henry Ford introduced mass production to America in the form of assembly lines. He made automobiles available to the masses and was famous for telling his customers that they could have one in any color they'd like "as long as it's black." Other than being amusing, the point of telling you is this: while the assembly line makes products less expensive, it also makes them all the same. For today's spoiled consumers, that's simply not enough.

Of course there is always the other extreme of completely custom orders. Companies that offer these services cater to the top end of the market. The products they offer are exquisite, but they are also expensive and often take weeks to arrive. If you're one of the lucky people who can afford this luxury, great! If not, read on.

Mass Customization falls somewhere between these two options. Rather than making products completely from scratch, it uses increasingly adaptable technology to offer individualized products at a mass production price. Think of it like Legos™ - the components are uniform, but the combinations are endless. It sounds good in theory, right? Well, let me give you some examples to round out the picture:

Custom Blend Foundation
Okay, so this part won't exactly thrill most guys, but the women out there will understand my interest. Let's say that it's May, and you just spent half an hour going thru foundations to find the perfect match (and you're lucky if you get that far). You look great, and you're thrilled. Well, at least until that weekend on the beach darkens up your skin a bit. The next week, you put on that same foundation and look in the mirror. Your face looks great, but now there's a distinct line between your chin and your neck. Lovely.

Enter Custom Blends by Motives. This foundation is mixed to create a shade that perfectly matches your skin tone, even if that's a moving target. Your Motives consultant will not only mix your first batch for you, she'll also teach you how to make those ongoing adjustments on your own. Pretty cool, huh?

Gene SNP

This one will appeal to both genders, so the guys can resume reading :-). Health and Wellness products are everywhere these days, as anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock well knows. One day it's red wine, the next day it's chocolate. Right now, Omega III and Glucosamine are very popular. I believe that each of the products out there has helped someone, but that doesn't mean that they'll help you and me. Each person is as individual as their fingerprints and DNA, which means that each person needs different things to achieve optimal health.

The Gene SNP is a DNA test that's performed using samples of cells from inside your mouth. For about $300, the premier DNA screening lab in this country will analyze your DNA and send you a customized report all about you. The test will tell you what you're hardwired to produce enough, not enough, or too much of in terms of enzymes and vitamin absorption. Based on the results of the test, you can then take a targeted approach to your health instead of carpet bombing with supplements you may or may not even need. Another good thing about DNA is that it doesn't change - your results will remain valid throughout your entire life. Now as far as customization goes, you can't get any more individualized than that! Once you receive your results, you can even order all of the vitamins and supplements you need from a single source. They will be custom packaged and loaded into a one month dispenser, so all you have to do is open a single package each morning and get everything you need.

I've given you two examples to mull over, and hopefully you've gained a better understanding of what Mass Customization is and what it can do for people. Now that we've covered the four basic components of the Market America business model, we'll move on to the actual implementation.

One-to-One Marketing

2007-09-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

The one-to-one marketing concept is nothing novel - it's simply the formal way of saying "personal referral." It's something people do every time they talk about good experiences they've had with a product, service, or business. We do it constantly... looking for a good plumber? Ask your neighbors first. How about a new car? When I had to replace my poor Honda Civic, I did my homework. I checked Consumer Reports, read online reviews, and quizzed everyone in my family and office. I gathered volumes of information, but the experiences of those I trust carried the most weight.

Like I said, it's a simple concept, but that doesn't mean it's easy. First off, I'm not going to recommend a product to someone, especially a friend or family member, if I don't really believe in it. So before I do anything else, I'm going to start by trying out the products. Prior to becoming a distributor, I had a really good experience with one of the products (OPC-3), so at least I wasn't completely ignorant when I signed on. I'll be posting product reviews in their own category as I go.

The Partner Stores are already brand names that everyone is familiar with, but the brands that are exclusive to Market America are largely unknown. They are not advertised in traditional media or sold in stores. In fact, if an existing distributor or customer doesn't mention them to you, you'll never even know that they exist. When I first heard that, I thought that Market America was really limiting itself with this approach. When I stopped to think about it, though, it's really no different than Craftsman Tools being exclusive to Sears or Pampered Chef using house parties as their sole distribution method. And as a distributor, it works to my benefit because I'm not competing for sales with established store fronts.

Aside from the products, there is also the business itself. This is the part that requires a small leap of faith in that you learn as you go, so I have to start out talking to people without being able to say "this worked for me, and you're in a similar situation, so I wanted to recommend it to you." What I can say is that I understand the concept and have spoken with dozens of people for whom it does work. Given the relatively low investment, that's good enough for me. That being said, I'll be approaching the most adventurous and open-minded people I know first. There are always tons of people who are happy to jump on the bandwagon once they've seen someone else succeed first, but everyone has to make a start somewhere, and this is mine.

Internet Maketing - The Wave of the Present

2007-09-09T17:28:00.000-04:00

Before we get started on this one, here's a fun fact for you: Last year is the first time in history that consumers spent more money online the weekend after Thanksgiving than they did in stores on "Black Friday." This was a big milestone for a lot of people, but I'm actually surprised that it took this long.

When online shopping first became available, I was very skeptical. Maybe it's the way I was raised, but the idea of sending my credit card information over the internet really creeped me out. It didn't help that my parents had a yo-yo like dial-up, either :-/.

Nowadays, it's a whole new ball game. With fraud protection and Verisign, I'm no longer terrified of losing my shirt, so the benefits outway the risks. I can get my Christmas shopping done without battling traffic or fighting for parking spaces. There is also a much greater selection when you have the whole online world to draw from instead of being limitted to local shops. Judging by the statistics, there are millions of people who feel the same way.

Okay, so how does all of this relate to Market America? Well, in addition to the proprietary product lines I wrote about earlier, we're also partnered up with 1000+ brand name stores. These include Ebay, Circuit City, Wal-mart, Disney... virtually anywhere you would want to shop. From a distributor web portal (mine is www.marketamerica.com/ams) you can buy what you want from all of these stores and check out a single time using the Universal Shopping Cart. As a distributor, I get credit for all purchases made thru my site (though I don't get to see what anyone bought, so no worries there). As a customer, I have another powerful tool that makes shopping that much easier.

This is the part that really sold me on Market America. I've seen plenty of marketing companies that have strong product lines, but they are each limited by what they can produce. By partnering with established companies instead of competing with them, we have created a one-stop shopping destination whose product offerings are limitless.

The biggest challenge I can see will be driving traffic thru my website. I've told my friends and family about it, and I use it myself, but I'm going to need more than that. I'm not exactly the sorority girl type with 100's of friends who love to shop. I've considered AdSense, but that would be money going out instead of coming in. I'll have to think about this one... Ideas?

Product Brokerage - Fancy Name, Simple Concept

2007-09-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

A product brokerage (a.k.a. "distributorship") is any organization that sells products it doesn't manufacture. Many small retailers and online businesses fall into this category and it's one of the simplest ways to get into business without spending a fortune on start-up costs. So how does it work?

Market America has exclusive contracts with 70+ manufacturers in the United States, but doesn't physically produce a single product. They work with whichever company is the best at producing any given type of product, and then funnel that product to waiting customers. They don't pay for R&D, tooling, or advertizing and their employee expenses are limitted to support staff and Quality Control.

In addition to these cost savings, this approach also means that they are not tied down to a single product family, but can move freely to follow the market trends. If a product stops selling, they simply stop carrying it and move on to something that is in greater demand. Rather than producing products and trying to convince people that they need them, Market America asks it customers what they want and then finds the best way to provide it for them.

So what does all this mean?

Well, the customers get the best products available at the best price because they aren't paying into all of the development and advertising of "brand name" goods (a single 30 second Super Bowl commerical cost $2.5 million last year!). For the distributors, it means retail profit and commission checks. It seems like a win-win situation to me, so make sure to let me know if I'm missing something...

Market America - What Is It?

2007-08-30T18:29:00.000-04:00

That's the first question I asked, and the first thing people ask me when I bring it up. That doesn't mean it's easy to explain, though. When I did my research, what I read made sense. There was a lot of material to cover, but it followed a logical progression, and was a hell of a lot less dry than the text books I was used to :-). What I quickly found out, though, was that just because it made sense to me didn't mean I could explain it in a way that would make sense to anyone else.

Here is the best Reader's Digest version I've been able to come up with: Nearly everyone has been to see a really great movie and then told their friends or family about it. The people that they tell find out about a good experience and the movie theatre makes a killing on the free advertising. The only person who doesn't benefit is the one doing all the work. Market America shows people how to change that.

I know that's a really general answer, but I think it's better to see if the person you're talking to has an interest in the big picture before going into any of the details. I don't believe in pushing myself on anyone, and I don't believe in wasting people's time. So if I've caught your interest, please read on.

The published answer is this: "Market America is a product brokerage and internet marketing company specializing in one-to-one marketing and mass customization." Yeah, I didn't catch all of that the first time around either - that's why I'm going to break it down in subsequent posts. To be continued...

A Statement of Purpose

2007-08-28T18:09:00.000-04:00

About a year ago, my father returned from a business meeting with a folder full of Market America information and a broad, mischievous grin. When you take an intelligent, creative man and tie him to a mindless job, you can end up with some interesting results.

In my father's case, all of that excess mental energy transforms into some of the most thought-provoking, though often unrealistic, business plans. I wasn't surprised by his description of this new opportunity, but I was touched that he wanted my advice. I've always enjoyed being his sounding board.

I spent the next 2 months dissecting Market America, but I never went to a meeting or presentation. If there is one thing I learned in college, it is that fabricated research can be dressed up and sold for an "A" while a brilliant breakthrough, poorly communicated, is worthless. I read the literature and did the math for myself.

To make a long story short, I ended up giving Market America my blessing when I got back together with my Dad. I also told him that I wanted to give it a shot. I've always wanted to run my own business, and if nothing else, this would be good practice. I didn't have to quit my day job and the total investment was under $1,000, so I'd consider that a reasonable risk (luckily my husband agreed).

In doing my research, I found plenty of information of the UnFanchise Business Plan and Market America as a company, but there were surprisingly few writings by people with actual experience. I didn't just want theory - I wanted to see the plan in action! Where were the war stories? And what was the learning curve for someone more familiar with numbers than interacting with people?

I want to document my experiences as a Market America distributor. It may help others in my position and it will keep me honest in my efforts. I plan to publish approaches, product reviews, examples of what works for me and what doesn't. I hope to hear advice and stories, not just from Market America distributors, but from anyone with experience or ideas about direct selling and marketing. Wish me luck :-).