You all have seen ‘em… Your friends posting things like: “What if I said you could make $2,000+/month from your phone?!” or “Join my team today!” or “Hiring 5 Badass Boss Babes who want to reach their goals!”… Well, I am a consultant for one of these companies and you will NOT catch me posting things like that but I love being apart of it – even though I’m not actually making any money.
Network marketing companies are taking the world and social media by storm. Every time you look, it’s as though another one pops up. From jewelry and clothing to weight-loss, skincare and haircare, there seems to be a network marketing company for all. The knee-jerk assumption when a new one pops up is –> Pyramid Scheme. While there are a slew of these companies out there that brought that stereotype to fruition, there are plenty of real ones out there with products that are actually good for you and effective. Too good to be true? I thought so too. Which is why I joined Arbonne three years ago.
Arbonne is a European based health and wellness company that is dedicated to bringing all natural and botanically based products to the international market place. This brand is vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free, using only the safest and purest of ingredients – extracted right from the beauty of nature’s resources AND in line with Europe’s health and beauty standards.
Image courtesy of Salesforce
Nice pitch, right?
That’s enough of that. I’m not here to sell you. This isn’t a sales pitch. And it is this mindset that has left me and my business unprofitable! I believe in the mission. I love the products. I have experienced the real results that switching over majority of the products I use every day. But I am in NO WAY a sales person. I don’t have it in me to push and nag and bombard you with social media advertisements. The result? A failed business attempt.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are girls (& guys) age 22/23 making an absolute killing off of their Arbonne businesses. I am talking upwards of $22-30K A MONTH – not to mention their fully-paid, brand new Mercedes Benz (provided by Arbonne) and annual trips to Maui (also paid for by Arbonne). Imagine…23 years old and not having to worry about grad school, getting a regular job, or any of the typical worries of a recent college grad…? They preach how they “took the risk” & started their businesses at age 19 “out of their dorm room”.
Image courtesy of PIKDO
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? Sure is… for them…
What I have learned over the past three years is that the key to these kinds of network marketing businesses is exactly that – your network. If you don’t have that right network, no matter how persistent you are, you’ll never be able to establish footing or come CLOSE to those kinds of profits. If you, like me, are not surrounded by the right demographic, people who have the extra money to prioritize their own health and wellness, then you will not be successful. Those girls who started their businesses in college all have established networks who will spend money on their health and wellness simply because they can afford to. Whether that means they come from a family that is well off or whether they are in large social groups on campus, like Greek Life, which are often filled with people who have that extra spending money – they have access to Arbonne’s target audience. This fact may not be out in the open or they may not admit that it’s actually the key to their success – but trust me, it is.
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So…why do I stay with Arbonne? Why do I love it so much? Because the products work! My skin is clearer, my hair is stronger, and within the first two months of using the full 30 Days to Healthy Living nutrition line, I lost 15 pounds! Despite this, I am not in this to make money anymore. I understand that it’s not in the cards for me. However, I have seen the results and the products really do make a difference in my life. So I stand to be here if and when people see the results I see and want to learn more. If someone approaches me and asks about Arbonne, I tell them. If they want to buy based on what I said, I help them. Will I make money off of one sale? Likely not. But did I help someone else see the results in their skin/hair/weight that they were seeking? Yes. Is that enough for me? You betcha. I continue to register as a consultant year after year, not only for the larger discount and consultant perks, but also because it is still an outlet to help people if the opportunity were to present itself – and who knows? If later in the future I did want to try again, I could.
Image courtesy of The Vegetarian Blog