MLM Blog – Network Marketing Blog

Growth appears to have slowed at Avon and I'm not sure how a Johnson & Johnson executive with no Direct Sales experience will be able to right the ship.

Avon is hoping a new CEO can give it a much-needed makeover.

The struggling cosmetics seller on Monday tapped long-time Johnson & Johnson executive Sherilyn S. McCoy as its new chief executive. The announcement ended a four-month search to replace embattled CEO Andrea Jung, who had come under fire for failing to stem the company's declines and wrap up a bribery investigation.

Avon Products Inc. said Jung - the first female CEO of the 126-year-old company - will remain executive chairman after McCoy takes over later this month. Shares of the New York-based company fell more than 3 percent Monday.

McCoy's emergence at Avon comes less than two months after she was passed over for the top spot at Johnson & Johnson, which in February announced that Alex Gorsky would take over as CEO. Bill Weldon, who has served as J&J's chief executive for the past decade, plans to step down at the company's annual shareholder meeting April 26.

The announcement from Avon comes just a week after the company rejected a $10 billion takeover offer from the smaller beauty products maker Coty Inc.

Founded in 1886, Avon became a fixture in households across the country as its legions of "Avon ladies" went door to door selling makeup to family, friends and acquaintances. Its brands include Avon Color, Skin-So-Soft and mark.

The company markets its products in more than 100 countries through about 6.4 million independent sales representatives. Its annual revenue is more than $11 billion.

But North American sales have dropped off over the years and about 80 percent of Avon's $11 billion in annual revenue now comes from overseas. The company has frequently missed analysts' earnings expectations and posted weak sales in some of its largest markets.

I have kind of kept "The Factory" under wraps during what I call our private launch phase.  But as we near completion of the private launch and move into our Beta Launch phase, I thought I would share a little with my MLMBlog friends.

I hesitate to call The Factory a marketing system because it was really developed as an "anti-system".  

There are two main goals with The Factory and along with a "Keep It Super Simple" mantra...

1. Help you get leads.

2. Help you learn money making and list building skills from some of the top experts and leaders in Internet Marketing, Network Marketing, Finance, Personal Development, Leadership, Best-Selling Authors and more.

It's a "kill two birds with one stone" kind of proposition.

We create lead pulling capture pages centered around the guest trainers content, you give the content away to people in exchange for their name and email address and...<<shazzam>>, you have yourself a lead.

A new guest trainer and new lead capture page will show up every two weeks in your Factory Office so the content is always fresh, instead of the same old pages and gurus people see over and over again.

In keeping with the keep it super simple mantra, this video takes less than 5 minutes to explain The Factory.

 Friend of the blog, Troy Dooly interviewed the COO of Zeek Rewards in this video:

...their old arena. = )

OK, I couldn't resist the headline.  One would think that it might be a good idea to remove your corporate logo from a building before it is demolished. Just sayin'...

Amway has actually been on a growth tear internationally so maybe is wasn't a bad idea to leave the logo up on the building.  Got me to say Amway on the front page of this blog...

Apparently, the fine line between complying with the law and putting your distributors through the wringer is blurred when you get a bunch of lawyers involved...

Here is a copy of the lovely disclaimer that MUST BE READ ALOUD whenever the ZeekRewards compensation plan is presented verbally or by telephone, or included in it’s entirety when communicating in writing:

“If you make a purchase from ZeekRewards you are purchasing a Premium eCommerce subscription or you are purchasing bids to give away as samples. You are NOT purchasing stock or any other form of “investment” or equity. You MUST actually use the bids that you purchase or give them away as samples to help grow your business. Affiliates who present our products to others in a misleading manner or in a way that leads the buyer to believe he or she is making an investment or purchasing equities will be terminated and all commissions and awards will be forfeited. Buyers MUST read the entire How It Works and Get Paid pages on the ZeekRewards website and the Legal Disclaimers.”

Watch me read the disclaimer here:

Sounds like so much fun...

Do you think the Zeek lawyers are going overboard or do you think this is needed to reign in the get rich quick scammers who were running rampant?

Arbonne has not only fired all of it's Canadian Regional and District Sales Mangers but it seems that the company also thinks you are a stupid idiot.

I can not possibly think of another explanation when I read the email blast that was sent to me by an Arbonne associate.

Just take a moment and read the following quotes from the email and make your own judgement:

We would like to take this opportunity to let you know that effective yesterday, March 7, 2012, a business decision was made to eliminate the Arbonne Regional and District Sales Manager positions in Canada. 

OK, it was a business decision, but don't business decisions typically have to do with how your business is doing, right?  I mean if you are firing a bunch of regional and district sales managers in a particular location, you might suspect that business is not so hot in that location. 

However, Arbonne wants you to believe that everything is great.

Here's more from the email:

Please understand that this was strictly a business decision and has no bearing on the future of Arbonne Canada. Arbonne Canada's future has never looked better and we know 2012 will be our best year yet!

Wow.  If this wasn't so sad, it would be hilarious.  Who in the world writes this crap?

Let me see if I have this straight...

Arbonne is firing all of it's Canadian Regional and District Sales Managers and it's a business decision but the business decision has no bearing on the future of Arbonne Canada.

Even though the company just eliminated a bunch of jobs that support Arbonne reps in Canada, the future has never looked better and they expect 2012 to be their best year ever!

Kind of like: "Hey we just went bankrupt and because of that great news, we are going to do $2 Billion in sales in 2012".  Sources tell me that Arbonne actual sales in 2011 were under $350 million. Pretty hard to get from $350 million to $2 Billion when you are laying off sales support staff, don't you think?

I haven't heard much from Mannatech recently, they seem to be flying a bit under the radar since their 2008 run-ins with the SEC.

But here they are, preparing to open up in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus:

COPPELL, Texas--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Mannatech, Incorporated (NASDAQ: MTEX), the leading innovator and provider of nutritional supplements based on Real Food Technology® solutions, launched its Pre-Registration process on February 18, 2012 in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. This process signifies Mannatech’s ongoing strategic commitment in conducting due diligence necessary to maximize the company’s impact in these countries. This process allows those who pre-register to be among the first to take advantage of the market potential should Mannatech open for business in these markets.

It looks like trouble is brewing for Zeek Rewards.

In the company's effort to move from an illegal scheme to a legitimate opportunity,  they risk losing the vast majority of their affiliates because they are actually going to require some effort.

There is an in depth article over at BehindMLM.com that makes a very interesting point about Zeek Rewards:

Before March 1st, 100% of the purchases made within Zeek Rewards were by members (VIP bids).

In other words, "no actual customers" could be found.  Now it looks like the company is adding a new rule, requiring two new preferred customers per month, which (like I mentioned above) will likely slow growth to a halt.

I always find it interesting when companies like Zeek Rewards pop up and gain some serious momentum.  Because, hey...running an illegal scheme can be very profitable.

However, I've seen it before, once a company begins to move toward legitimate opportunity, they inevitably will slow way down.

Schemes attract the easy money, something for nothing crowd and when the easy money dries up, the something for nothing crowd will move on to the next scheme.

Zeek Rewards is in a tough spot.  

They have to allow the lawyers to move the company in the direction of becoming a legitimate opportunity before the FTC and Attorney Generals come in and slam the doors shut.  But if they move too quickly, you will see an exodus along the lines of iJango ort AGLOCO.

OK, Arbonne didn't actually make me break out, but there are a lot of people over at (forgive me in advance)...PissedConsumer.com that are (well) "pissed" with Arbonne.

I have heard from several (mostly former) Arbonne reps that the quality of the products has taken a nosedive and I was skeptical but this looks like the problem might be worse that I thought.

Here are some examples from the site (these are all from the last couple of weeks):

"CLEAR ADVANTAGE FAILURE"

I started using the Clear Advantage line of Arbonne. I had a few spots of acne that I wanted to get rid of and smooth my skin out. I started using their products and my skin started to itch a bit, just a small uncomfortable one. I slowed down the applications to every second day and my skin started to peel, the redness of my acne increased severely and it has actually expanded to my whole jaw line and neck.

I am quite unsatisfied with this product, I was expecting much more from this company.

As a student I took a risk paying for a quality product which has given me much disappointment.

Here is another:

"Major Breakout"

I went to a party and used several products during the demonstration. Because of the price of the merchandise, I ordered just the facial cleanser and face cream. The next day my face was on fire! It took several days to eliminate the redness and dry skin. I thought maybe since I had added some daily vitamins to my routine at the same time, that they make have reacted. I eliminated the supplements and when my order arrived, I used the products ONCE. My face looks like I have a sunburn! I hope my experience in returning the merchandise is better than others have posted.

And another:

"Arbonne Sucks!"

I hosted a party for Arbonne in my home...everyone LOVED the stuff so I TOO wanted to try it out. I used it all over my face, hands, feet etc at the party, I now, am broken out, HUGE pimples everywhere on my face and chest and it SUCKS. I NEVER break out, ever. and the sales lady said OH NO WORRIES nobody is allergic to our stuff, bullshit. why am I broken out everywhere??? I just do not understand why it happened, two other grls at my show who used it also broke out and are having the same pimple problem. never using this crap again.

Below is a video introduction for Troy Dooley's 90 minute interview with Robert Dean. In the interview, Dean talks about Noni, Monavie, Evolv, Visalus, Limu and his newest company, Momentis. great work by our friend, Troy Dooley.  

To listen to the interview, head on over the MLM Help Desk.