“He said it would knock the cancer away,” recalled Ms. McHenry, a Coldwater, Ohio, mother of three, in an interview last month. “[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][He said] I would go into full remission. He said he had seen proof in other people.”
Ms McHenry, as reported in the Wall Street Journal the other day, was talking about a Mannatech rep who sold her $1200 worth of Mannatech products. She died April 20.
Government regulators have proposed new disclosure rules for all direct sales and network marketing companies. The biggest reason? The promises companies and their reps continue to make about what the business or product will do for others.
Promises are nothing but trouble. Yet companies and reps continue to make them with reckless abandon. USANA is still reeling.
Mannatech made the Wall Street Journal with big product promises. (PDF of the Wall St. Journal piece here in case…)
In the article, the company chief seems to justify the miraculous stories by saying their company is on a mission from God. Sam Caster, Mannatech’s founder and CEO, promotes his book called “Undeniable Destiny.”
How can this be good for our industry?
Why do people keep making promises about the future based on past stories? People: STOP!
Past stories are past stories. Tell those. But do NOT NOT NOT make predictions about what will happen to anyone else.
Such big promises – that we’ve been making for the last 20 years – have led to proposals in Washington today that nutritional products be available only through MDs. Millions of us who market such products would be left on the beach.
Do we really want that?
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What if you could learn to tell your story so you can amaze and delight your customer niche: Here’s a book and CD program to help. And here’s help for talking in a human voice, like a normal person, about your business – a CD set and cribsheet .[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
God I hop not! 🙂 We most definitely do NOT want regulation. Predicting the future is not easy for anyone.
Brad Pollina
http://BradPollina.com
http://YourFreeCard.com
I take the drudgery out of sending greeting cards!
Interesting Post
I come from an extensive corporate background and have my Masters in Business Administration.
A Business, including a Network Marketing Business, is only a business when you have a customer. I have been in NM for almost three years and have NO distributors. Why? Because I am creating my policies and procedures in order to make and keep customers. They, the customer tell me how great I am and how great the products are – and that is what has been advertised. I have no need for distributors yet as have no need for expansion. I plan on starting to recruit people who will be qualified to take my Business Model forward and wider later this year as I am not coping with the workload.
And that is what is wrong with NM in general – people recruit unqualified suckers for the sake of money and not for the sake of the customer.
However talking about God. There are reports that priests rape little boys. That does not make Jesus wrong. In the same vein there are NM’ers that abuse others but that does not make the NM Business model wrong.
I say bring the legislation and let us who want to create honest business’ be free to be successful. And get rid of the people abusers!
When I first joined my company, I was almost bored to death by the focus on an extensive body of independent research done specifically on our product by hospitals and university medical centers all over the world…
I’d become so accustomed to my previous company, where dramatic and poignant testimonials moved everyone to tears, and I’d loved being immersed in those miracles. Yes, this worked for me and made sense to me, but I just couldn’t understand what in the world everyone here was so excited about.
Now, as we learn more about the problems with promises, I’ve fallen completely and unexpectedly in love with science. Because of the gold-standard research that has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals, I can rely on established proof of what this particular whole food concentrate does in the body.
We tell our own story, of course, and some of these are definitely miraculous. Still, the emphasis on proven results reduces any temptation to play God and makes me as relaxed as I am confident about what I have to offer — and, whew, no longer the least bit bored.
I still cherish testimonials by people who love their product madly because it changed their life, with or without a ton of scientific validation. I’ve just found that personally I have less angst doing business this way.
Dianne
I can tell you what this product did for me. What if it does the same for you?
No promises but a story. I let my customers tell all the wonderful amazing things it has done for them to potential customers. It is better than any line or gimic I could say. They are telling their story without any prompting because they believe it.
Nancy Carlson
http://www.perfectmombusiness.com
Whether I’m talking to a potential business builder or a potential customer, I simply tell my story. If they ask “Will it work for me?” I say “I don’t know. Try it and see.”
That is always the best response for me. If someone wants to know what a particular ingredient in a product does (you will find those who WANT that info) then direct them to PubMed.gov and let the government make the claims. Let the government tell them what studies have been done on the ingredients.
What if your ingredients aren’t listed at PubMed.gov? Then you have nothing to back up your product. Don’t make it up. If there have been studies done by the government, they will be at that site.
Roxanne Green
Mentor With A Servant’s Heart
I agree that we cannot predict results for others based on the results we have seen in ourselves others, as miraculous as they may seem, and as much as we would like to rave about them. However, I think the same rules should apply to those commercial products that make all sorts of predictions and promises in their tv commercials.
It’s not as simple as this: I say bring the legislation and let us who want to create honest business’ be free to be successful. And get rid of the people abusers!
The legislation would make our products into drugs, that could only be prescribed by doctors. That would put us all out of business, not just the “people abusers.”
This is a complex issue, and by making healing claims and promises, mlm’rs are playing into the hands of big pharma and others who would prefer to see DSHEA dismantled and nutritional supplements removed from the market.
Might sound a little wacky maybe, but all I can say is, look into it. It’s a very real possibility, mostly because we, the people who can stop it with our collective voice, are not paying attention.
Tracy
About me
Organic Foods Mom
I don’t see how Federal regulation is avoidable. Media shines a light on a problem; constituents whine and pressure lawmakers to DO something about it; they see an opportunity for their next political platform, and there ya go–worse problem than before. IMHO, the resulting laws almost always create bigger problems. Cases in point, 1) the Do Not Call List that hurt ALL sales folk, as under the law we’re ALL telemarketers; and 2) the FACTA Law, which creates two victims out of one and still doesn’t address the identity theft problem except in a very limited way.
I won’t go off on those tangents on Kim’s space, though. Email me at barbarahgarrett@bellsouth.net and I’ll link you up, or just go Google those laws yourself and see how they’ve fouled up more than they’ve helped.
I believe the masses are smart enough to take care of the abuses themselves, one at a time–SANS governmental regulation. For instance, yesterday a Pre-Paid Legal Services prospect called ME in desperation, wanting a membership immediately. Seems one NWM company (Omma? Omna? Onna?) rep had put him on autoship against his expressed wishes and was steadily and relentlessly draining his debit card. Repeated calls to the rep were unanswered, and my client was compelled to cancel his debit card. He’s out money, he has product he doesn’t use or like, he’s furious and now he’s contemplating legal action. Mainly, though, he just wants legal advice on stopping those danged shipments and charges! Idiot rep, trying to build a business on coercion.
My point: although my client won’t buy from that rep again, he did NOT put us into the same category, although we’re both technically operating NWMs. THIS rep is going to be spanked and deserves it. As it turns out, it WILL be a case of the industry correcting itself. : )
I think maybe we NWMers need to be more public about our outrages over the abuses in our industry, not just whispering amongst ourselves. It would seem that when one of us is attacked, albeit justifiably, we NWMers have a general tendency to circle the wagons and get defensive in an “us against them” fashion. We’re setting ourselves up. I guess that’s what Kim’s blog is all about, eh, busting through that NWM religion mentality? I know the first time I read here, I felt like I was sinning. LOL! I swear, I did. My eyes have been opened. I’ve seen the light. 😀
One of the things that attracted me about the company I am associated with was the science and the published papers behind the products. While I do not understand most of the science behind the stuff, it offered a huge amount of credibility for me.
Close to that were the stories because I understood why the stories were there – and maybe why the bodies were getting healthier – and that excited my husband and me, too. The early stories that meant the most to me were from people I’ve known for 40 years and knew their health situation and then to see them finally having a life!
When a company gets as big as USANA and Mannatech (et al) are, they will be under scrutiny. And if they don’t survive that they will go down. Every reporter going to the offices, interviewing the people etc., have their own agenda. And what you say to the reporter and how it is edited is totally out of your hands. You may say “I am better” and the reporter will translate that to “The products cured me.” and you have no come back.
But companies that have survived over 5 years and the heavy scrutiny and negative press are either extremely good at spin doctoring or are the real deal.
And look at the publicity! Even negative publicity (on the front page even!) doesn’t hurt in the end!
Just my opinion!
Come on Kim, Tell us how you really feel about this. Just kidding, I know how serious this subject is for each one of us.
I think by now most of us here on NMC have stopped saying they can fix any and everything. We know we’re not God. We have to reach a much broader population.
Recently I had a lady ask if my products would help her dog that had thunderstorm phobias. I told the truth, I don’t know, I can’t say it will help. Even if I’m pretty confident something will help or be a fix for someone I’m not going to ever tell them it will work. Why would I want that responsibility? I can’t see into the future. She placed the order and now we can see if it works.
Thanks Kim for being so passionate about changing and improving the way we do our businees. We all apreciate you.
Robin (& the fur gang)
Truth Networking
No, we don’t want more regulations, yes, we do want to be careful, and:
I went to the Wall Street article.
It mentions that the seller RETURNED the $1200.
The customer only took the products for 2 weeks, then she had to quit because they made her nauseous. I wonder how many patients get refunds for chemotherapy that made them nauseous and did not cure them either?
As a law enforcement officer (deputy), in Bakersfield,Ca a quick
way for a person to get a ticket
or the “fine line” of going to
jail is telling a LIE or LIES to
a officer!If those of us who care
about this industry passionately,
like we care about our company
don’t start reporting people
within our companies who are
master deceivers, then this
wonderful industry will have so
much RED TAPE attached to it by
the goverment,people will need
additional oxygen to breath
because big brother will do some
serious rectal exams on all MLM
companies.
Raven
I see one major problem with the scope of this legislation (well, at least one) and one possible workaround.
The major problem is that nutritional supplements are not just sold by network marketers. They’re sold over-the-counter just about everywhere, including on direct-selling web sites. Legislation to make nutrition supplements prescription-only will never go through as it would have a huge economic impact. Network marketers are a relatively small part of that economic piece, so I feel confident that the big players with political clout will keep this sort of legislation from getting very far.
As far as a workaround; it’s always a good idea to keep your options open. You may love the nutrition company you’re currently with (as I do), but you have no guarantees that they’re still going to be around tomorrow. As much as we all like to consider ourselves independent business owners, we set ourselves up to be dependent on just one product source: our chosen NM company.
While it may be against your company’s charter for you to be a leader in another NMC, you could certainly create (or be an affiliate for) your own training program for marketing a business. This has the upside of insulating you to a certain extent from an unexpected collapse or downturn of your company.
People you bring in through your training program (and that you’ve taken the time to train) will generate an income through the sale of the program, and are more likely to make the transition to another business if it ever came to that.
-Roger
Why blame a company?
Every company or corporation that I can think of has at some point had or has a sales rep who makes unsubstantiated claims. Do we then say the entire company is rotten? Or that the entire industry is rotten?
For example – in clothing stores one often gets told “oh try this on; it will look great on you.” If it looks terrible on you – do you then lambaste an entire industry or the parent company? I doubt it – you laugh it off.
How many have been told while buying cars that they will just love or need: this color, model, accessory, warranty package, etc [fill in the blank….]
If you do not love it or need it – do you stop buying cars? Do you post on a blog that one salesperson has ruined car sales for everyone?
What if you have been told a certain medication is necessary for your health and it does not work for you? Do you stop seeing your physician and tell everyone that the one physician is to blame for all problems in the medical world?
Please stop throwing the bath water out with the baby. Yes ALL industries with products need to be more honest. It’s not just an NM issue – it’s a larger issue – and blaming an entire company for the poorly chosen words of a few reps is as bad as that rep saying “try this – it will look good on you.”
Both types of language need to be moderated.
Anonymous:
Why did you stay Anonymous? Much more fun if you give your name. I do.
I’ll assume you’re a Mannatech Associate. I have worked with Mannatech reps for probably 10 years. Of course you have a point.
Perhaps it’s more like: Mannatech’s bad publicity here may be the straw that broke the camel’s back re getting us into trouble with the regulators is concerned.
First they’ve been in the news for this “claims” problem several times this past year. Second, on the heels of much other bad publicity, e.g. USANA, ALL having to do with making promises and claims about either product wonders or income, this is very bad news for us.
And I’d say that suggesting a product will help serious diseases like cancer is not quite the same as a clerk saying a dress will look good on you. In the first case, there might be very serious consequences if the person doesn’t respond to the product. In the second, she tries on another dress.
I know that Mannatech products have helped people. And for some, the results of not only their products, but others, from Shaklee to Sunrider to Melalueca, AND many others, the results HAVE been miraculous to those who got them.
There is no need to deny that. I do not, certainly.
But – promising such results for others, THAT is the problem.
We do not know enough about people’s bodies to know how products will affect them. Neither do MDs.
Why do you think 2000 people died taking VIOXX? Do you think anyone planned that or expected it?
No promises. No problems.
Think?
consider the source. sam caster was convicted of fraud (basement waterproofing, i think) and then subsequently pled guilty to yet another felony fraud (bug repeller?). now he is “born again”, but won’t answer as to why steve lemme and betina simon abruptly left the company a few months ago “without explanation”. kind of doesn’t pass the smell test.