Lisa, an Network Marketing Central member and rep with Vitamark, wanted to buy some product from a Shaklee rep in Canada, another member of NMC. She wanted to buy, of course, without becoming a distributor for Shaklee. She just wanted to buy the products.
The Canadian Shaklee rep said that Shaklee Canada would not let her sell products to someone in the US unless she signed up as a distributor first.
Is that true?
What about in the US? Does a potential customer who just wants to buy the products have to sign up as a distributor first?
If true, it’s no doubt to link the customer to the sponsor. But there are less antiquated and less off-putting methods than that, aren’t there?
Your informed comments, please. It didn’t sound right to me, but an informed Shaklee rep will know the answer. So please tell.
I do not know about Shaklee Canada, but I can tell you that in the U.S., no, a potential customer does not have to sign up as a distributor first. I have more customers than I do business builders in my downline, so I know that at least in the U.S., we let customers be customers.
Forcing someone to sign up as a distributor before they can purchase doesn’t sound right to me either, but again, I am not sure of the policies for Shaklee Canada.
Someone can go to my company site and purchase as just a customer. They are still linked to me and they pay the same price I pay. We don’t have a wholesale/retail price. Someone can buy one or one thousand – it doesn’t matter.
These companies that will only give good prices to people on “autoship” or whatever they call it need to move into the 21st century. As I’ve said before, most NM companies have great products that people will WANT. The companies should allow anyone to buy their products and then reserve the extra bonuses for the people who join the company on “autoship”.
They are basically shooting themselves in the foot by doing this.
Roxanne
Customers can order via my Shaklee site as well, and they can either pay retail or sign up as a member (not a distributor, but a member) to get member pricing. There is no forced autoship.
I just visited the Shaklee Canada website and it looks to me as if a person can order as a non-member.
In Shaklee, autoship is not a requirement for purchase. Neither is membership. As Independent business folks we are allowed to run our businesses as best we know how and building a strong consumer base is very important to the survival of our businesses.
Not sure why anyone would tell a potential consumer they would have to become a member it seems to me that issue would come up later, if the consumer is happy with the products purchased and service received.
Well this is certainly another example of misrepresentation. Maybe the Shaklee rep in Canada is unaware of the customer program? Or
maybe they were only taught to
“recruit,recruit,recruit”.
It’s sad to hear that Shaklee is still Old School and offers an incentive to get their products cheaper if they sign-up as a marketing member.
I know this is another prime example of how little some people think about customers.And of all places to hear about this. A referral from NMC.
Kim there looks like there’s alot of work to do!
Create A Great Day
>>It’s sad to hear that Shaklee is still Old School and offers an incentive to get their products cheaper if they sign-up as a marketing member.<< How is this different than SAMs Club, COSCO, etc., where millions pay annual membership fees to shop/buy at discount rates? We even have friends who signed up – to the tune of several thousands of dollars – to be able to buy furniture, appliances, flooring, tile, other houshold improvement items, etc., at wholesale prices. And just to clarify, we have customers who are happy to buy at retail and others who have signed up as a “members only” who don’t plan – nor do we push – to market the products to anyone else. I am a strong believer in giving customers a choice and see nothing wrong in providing different levels of pricing incentives depending upon what level they want to participate. We also have a program where we donate 100% of our retail profits to charities if they communicate our special site to their supporters. We only offer our products at retail and do not provide the option to become a member and buy at discount….we have to have some profit in the mix in order to give to the charity.
First of all if someone would like to purchase Shaklee products from an independent rep with Shaklee they have a couple options:
1. Buy your products at the retail price and pay the most expensive price maybe cause you want to check them out first.
2. Pay $19.95 and get a Shaklee Membership which offers you a 15% discount off the retail price (I might add a reply here to “craig” that since when is offering a better price or a membership way of ordering “Old School”? So you are saying then that Costco & Sam’s Club are Old School too? WOW!). When you become a member you are simply being offered a discount and you have the right to also sell Shaklee products. I will add here again that if you start promoting and selling Shaklee products you will not get a bonus until you register a SS# with Shaklee for tax purposes. Once someone does this they become known as a “Distributor” with Shaklee.
3. Purchase a $39.95 Distributor Welcome Kit right away for people who know they want to do the business. With this kit and a 100 point order Shaklee will honor these individuals with a “Free” product of their choice! I will again add here that if someone wants to do the business after becoming a member they DO NOT need to purchase a Distributor Welcome Kit to become a Distributor just registering their SS#!
So to answer the question does someone need to become a Distributor in order to purchase Shaklee products….NO!!!!
Hope this information is helpful!
Amber
Hi Amber:
This is the whole point of Kim’s book If My Product’s SO GREAT How come I Can’t Sell It? Let customers BE customers.
Yes, Costco and Sam’s Club and BJ’s all offer a club membership in order to SHOP in their store.No
Costco card, no shopping in the store.This is how you get the discounts.However, I don’t get an opporunity to sell Costco brand merchandise to my family,friends and neighbors when I become a club membership nor do I want to.
Kim uses another example, you’re going to buy a new car and the car salesman says “Would you like a dealership with that”?
Yes, this is Old School networking.When you lead with a “retail price” and encourage a membership for the “wholesale price.” New Schoolers offer 1 price to customers as well as marketers.This way insures that customers can BE customers.
Create A Great Day
Craig
Comments on Kim’s question from people who are NOT Shaklee reps simply added static instead of information to this communication. They obviously did not know what they were talking about — but in their ignorance on the question were willing to bash one company and promote their own. That is an ugly side of network marketing.
I suspect that the Canadian rep may have been misunderstood by the potential customer when she told her she could be a member, save money and also be qualified to earn money if she sold product. OR that rep may simply be choosing to run her business by signing every customer as a member. OR since one is in the US and one in Canada, there may be cross-border selling rule that I do not know about.
Either way, without specific information, no one should be bashing the company.
Hi everyone. I posted yesterday but for some reason it did not show up.
I am a Canadian Shaklee rep trying to build in the US.
To answer the question directly – a Canadian distributor cannot sell to a US customer without them first becoming a member themselves.
A Canadian rep can sell to a Canadian customer without them becoming a member and a US rep can sell to a US customer without them becoming a member.
There are a number of reasons for this I am told however the main reason is that the DSA does not permit Canadians to sell directly to US and vice versa. (I have not verified this and to be honest find it hard to believe).
This is a big time roadblock for building a global business.
With all that being said – Shaklee is a company that is growing steadily and have an exciting future ahead so I am guessing if there is a way to make this happen they will find a way.
Hope this helps.
Thank you, Joel, for clearing this up.
There must have been a miscommunication somewhere or maybe the potential customer didn’t realize that being a member is not the same as being a distributor.
Dear NMC’ers
Sue said
Comments on Kim’s question from people who are NOT Shaklee reps simply added static instead of information to this communication. They obviously did not know what they were talking about — but in their ignorance on the question were willing to bash one company and promote their own. That is an ugly side of network marketing.
I don’t think anybody is bashing Shaklee or any other comany that is represented here in NMC. Shaklee is a wonderful compamy and has some wonderful products. I do have to disagree with you in that I find the information contained in this string to be informative.We did find out that there are cross-border considerations for Shaklee Reps and I can say with confidence that the DSA is not responsible for this lack of free-trade. And noone got into name calling or character assassination so perhaps you need to consider your own lack of sensitivity
It is not true that a Canadian Shaklee distributor cannot sell Shaklee products to any customer in the US.
In fact, it is even extremely easy too.
Any person living in the U.S. can call Shaklee using the 1-800-SHAKLEE phone number and when the operator answers the customer will give the operator the Canadian (or U.S.) distributor’s ID.
The opposite is true too, however Shaklee Canada’s website allows for internet-based orders for any Canadian to order from; they would again simply need the ID from a current U.S. or Canadian Shaklee distributor.
https://www.shaklee.ca/Register.jsp
The toll-free phone Shaklee Canada number is 1-800-263-9138 and any Canadian can order that way too. Again they would simply provide the ID of a U.S. (or Canadian) Shaklee distributor.
For a Canadian distributor to sell products to U.S. customers from a web site, they would simply subscribe to a Shaklee U.S. Personal Web Site. But that is not necessary, as I explained above, because anyone can call the Shaklee 800 number and place an order if they have a current distributor’s ID.
I hope this cleared up any confusion.
In order to get paid commission, you should sign up as a distributor. You can sign up as a member to get a 15% discount up front. You can also just buy SRP. If you plan on using the product regularly, I recommend becoming a member because you will save the money which will amount to your first purchase. Doesn’t that make sence? Also, if you sign up as a distributor, you must purchase 100 PV worth of product to get commission. If you do not use the product, how do plan on selling it to someone else? Get it!