“Refer your friends to a company you trust, and earn over $500 in the process.”
That promise with the screaming $500 was the header in this month’s phone and Internet bill from AT&T. The blurb continues:
“When you refer people you know to AT&T and they sign up for service, you can make some fast cash. Get Aunt Mary to return to AT&T local phone service and get $50. Turn your friend Pete onto AT&T long distance service, and you earn $25.
“With so many great services to refer, it won’t take long for you to earn $500.”
The punchline: “Start earning rewards for referrals today!”
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? What are you waiting for?
Sodden thought: Will the day come when people can’t trust the motivation of their friends’ recommendations anymore? Because we won’t know if their recommendations have been bought by big business?
Or is it already too late?
There was a big flap last year about “news” people being paid to “sell” the current administration’s agenda. That followed reports from the previous year, that “fake news” was being produced by the same administration.
The public was generally not happy to hear about these and other instances, and I think that if private companies continue to promote this sort of quasi-selling, Federal agencies will more seriously pounce down on network marketing in general.
So be upfront – it can’t hurt……
Lynn
http://growolderbetter.com
K-squared,
I’m not surprised. Not in the least.
It’s so amazing isn’t it – traditional businesses are doing network marketing in it’s most basic form: Referral Marketing with rewards attached.
This is just one of MANY businesses doing the NM thing. Many airlines and credit cards, for example, have offered mileage or earnings bonuses for referring others.
Again, NM, is cutting-edge and others are following suit.
Cheers,
Rani
Sunrider Integral Health Solutions
Lynn – yes it’s all about being UP FRONT.
Rani- this AT&T tactic is not something to be admired, in my view. Without them suggesting HOW a person might say why they’re suddenly referring the service for which they are being paid, not because they just love it, they are encouraging deception – of the worst kind.
Because it’s among friends.
What if the friend finds out later that her friend recommended AT&T (or a networked product) because she got paid for it?
I’d never listen to another recommendation from such a ‘friend’ again, without my ‘sales ears and protective gear’ fully functional.
This sort of thing will ruin what good is left in word of mouth among friends. Once pure, now bought and paid for.
Not good. In my opinion.
All can be remedied by telling UP FRONT. And then, it’s no longer that pure word of mouth among friends that goes into another’s ear unfiltered.
Think?
Kim,
This is a double-edged sword.
Whether what AT&T is doing is to be admired or not, it’s still Network Marketing, albeit more Old School.
The fact that traditional businesses are taking any NM type approach validates Networking as a solid business model in the public eye. This validation is good for our industry overall. I also know other Networkers who use this kind of example of AT&T or the airlines as a way to sell prospects on the legitimacy of NM.
However, I do agree with you that anyone doing NM of any kind has to be upfront about their motives and should give honest referrals because they love something, not just for the monetary benefit.
It would be awful to be told by your best friend that some restaurant is unbelievably amazing, go there, find out the food is terrible, and then find out that it’s her brother’s restaurant. . .
Cheers,
Rani
I would never recommend anything to a friend that I didn’t use and like myself, and if I did recommend it with the knowledge that I was going to be paid, I’d be sure to tell them that up front.
I feel that most people I know would do the same, but maybe not? I think that for most of us, friendship is more valuable then $25 from AT&T.
Agree, Melanie, “…friendship is more valuable than…” One of those treasures in life beyond measure, right?
My feeling: integrity takes more than just a correct spelling…
Carolyn
Kim,
I agree that if you’re going to recommend something (whether it is to friends or strangers) you must believe in that product yourself. One of the benefits someone should state up front would be that you are receiving compensation for your endorsement, however, that statement should also be followed by a statement of “and so can you IF you agree with me that it is a REAL benefit!”
So go the claims of every NM business and corporate structure in the US. I also agree that this type of marketing by big business only validates the NM industry, itself.