Network Marketing and retail are two different ways to bring products to the market place. But in the end they are very similar, except one thing, residual income.
In both cases we are talking about a product or a service that needs to be sold or provided to a customer. In normal retail, retailers buy from wholesalers or directly from the manufacturer and have a shop or an online outlet. In MLM or Direct sales the distributor or agents buys from the company/manufacturer, or from one of their affiliated franchise country offices. Distributors have most of the time a small shop at home, as they work from the kitchen table, office or even small outlet.
Retail Business Model
Normal retailers market their products through means of advertising, print, flyers, radio ads, word of mouth and the internet. And so do Multi Level Marketeers. A retailer buys and sells and makes profit. And so does the MLM/Direct Sales distributor.
The real difference lies in the residual income the MLM/Direct Sales marketeer can make.
The retailer has one income, he buys and sells, and anything in between he can call profit, of course he has to reduce his profit with his overhead costs, and that results in net profit.
The MLM Business Model
The MLM/Direct Sales distributor or agent also buys and sells and can also call anything in between profit. As he probably works from home (creates tax advantages) and saves lots of time in travelling between work and home, his overhead costs can be pretty marginal. The result between his buy and sale minus his overheads is also his net profit.
So what than is the real difference between MLM/Direct Sales distributor and retail. It’s the residual income.
The distributor/agent can offer others to become distributor/agent too, and when they go to work, he will be paid a bonus or royalty income on the volume sold by his partners. These extra bonuses and royalties are called residual income. The more partners introduced, the more residual income can be made. The better trained partners are the more active they will become, the more bonuses can be made. In MLM/Direct Sales, partners can also introduce partners, and also on these people residual income will be earned. Depending on the company joined, bonuses can vary per pay-out level. The more total partners created the more business will flourish. The bigger the team, the bigger the check.
Direct Sales / MLM vs Retail
In retail the retailer only can produce income when his shop is open. When he closes for one day, there is no income. When he closes his shop for a holiday there is no income. A MLM/Direct Sales distributor can go on holiday, he or she is not doing any sales, but his team of distributors will continue to produce income 24 hours / 7 days a week. This how MLM/Direct Sales distributor make income even when they sleep.
Quote: J.P. Getty
“I rather earn 1% of 100 people than 100% of one person”
Most people see MLM as a hobby. Most people involved also end up having a hobby income. But MLM, Network Marketing or Direct Sales, is a business, a serious business, and only when a MLM entrepreneur starts treating it that way, the serious income will come.
Most of the time people get introduced through a person active in MLM, inviting them for a meeting. During the meeting a hype is created, a hype about the products and why we all need the products. A hype about the company, and why we all need the company. Some presentations are so good, that even when the products are not up to standard, the stories will get people excited.
The Pay-Out Plan
Then the pay plan is introduced. People get even more excited when they hear the various incomes. You are in, you are sold, point of no return. You are not letting your friend down. So, when excited after a meeting, there is a good possibility that the next morning you wake up and you start to think (the excitement has sunk away) “who am I going to sell these products to?” You are not motivated, you have too many products to sell. And who are you going to ask, family, friends, colleagues? Your sponsor has already asked you to make a list of people you know. He told you there are at least 200 people you know personally as a friend. You are too embarrassed to put even ten names on a piece of paper. And you know these ten names will buy from you. They trust you and like you and will help you. But can you build a sustainable business on these ten names. The answer is NO.
How to Start With MLM
We offer insight on how to start, how to handle and to think before you start. Otherwise keeping the money in your pocket and have a great day with the family. If MLM is seen as a hobby, man will not succeed and after a while they will be an experience richer, and some dollars lighter. Think before you act. MLM is a business, and not the easiest one to start. But the rewards can be incredible, and even for unschooled people an opportunity to reach financial independence. Skills needed for any type of business, stamina, determination and discipline this will bring you the promised rewards.
Love the products, because they will bring the income desired. Use the products, as there are no better testimonials then your own. Love the company, as they are the ones working with you to build a bright future.
TOP TIPS
Test the products first as a consumer
Invest only what you can
Advertise massively
Attend any form of training
Never work alone, always bring people
Quote: George Foreman
"The question isn't at what age I want to retire, it's at what income."
People often think about how others percept them, how others see you though their eyes. And we crawl into their minds and try to see what they see. But when you do this is your interpretation correct? Maybe not, maybe it is better to work on facts and facts only.
If you think what they think, they most probably will think what you thought. Yes, take your time to read that last sentence again.
Our minds work at full speed almost the best part of the day. And what most of us do not realize is that when we speak to other people we are actually communicating much more than just our audio signals.
We communicate hand signals, body posture, facial expressions, and variations of our eyes. Now all other people will recognize these body signals, if we like it or not, but they do. Even when their conscience mind is not consciously registering what their body is telling them. Their subconscious mind is definitely registering, and responding.
So if you think what they might think, you are probably communicating your thoughts and your perceptions with your body languages aswell. Their subconscious mind is now reading what you thought about what they might think.
Are you still with it? Or am I just thinking what you thought?
When their subconscious mind becomes aware of your body language, and the subconscious mind never lies, the conscience mind now will respond.
The best advise, do not think about what other people think. Just do what you do. But think before you speak.
Being self aware and basing information on facts rather then feelings alone, will keep communication more clear and effective.
Once traveling over the Penang bridge coming from the main land, not just an island but a metropolitan city arises ahead. An island scattered with industry, housing estates and condominiums, but also an island with a long trading and exciting history and many of these elements can still be found when excursioning around Penang.
History of Penang
The Sultan of Kedah was convinced by the British captain Sir Francis Light to surrender Pulau Penang (BetelNutIsland) to the British East India Company. The first city was named after King George III, and Georgetown is still the major heart of the island. After 100 years of British occupation the island joined the Federation of Malaya in 1957.
Pulau Penang or Penang for short (sometimes referred to as Pinang) houses a multi cultural population of nearly 1,5 million inhabitants. Pulau Penang is part of the State of Penang which can be found in the North Western tip of Malaysia.
Georgetown booming heart of Pulau Pinang
Georgetown Is the main administrative and commercial district of the island. Its heritage and colonial history can be found on every street corner, as many building and sites are kept intact and withstood the passing modern times.Georgetown definitely a modern city wrapped in a historical package.
ChinaTown and Little India are a must-visit district an exciting and well preserved area, and gives perfect insight into the lives of early settlers.
Hotels And Accommodations in Penang
Accommodation on the island is plentiful, whether one wants to be pampered in a five star hotel or resort or just basic or standard accommodation, Penang will comfort the travelers needs. Georgetown, Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi is where all the top class accommodations are found.
Food of Penang
Penang offers its own fine cuisine which of the historical background is a wild mixture from various cultures. And the seas surrounding the island bring fresh catch to every plate every day.Asam Laksa a spicy soup, and Char Kway Teow a noodle dish should not be missed. Coffee houses in Penang are called Kopitiam, and offer a wide variety of foods and desserts.
All over the island quality entertainment can be found, for nightlife the island offers plenty of pubs, clubs and restaurants, we recommend Upper Penang road, Gurney Drive and Batu Ferringhi.
Penang Shopping
Penang is definitely a shoppers heaven, the many shopping centers, bazaars and markets offer a wide variety of goods. Penang’s port brings the best from all over the world to this island of abundance. Jalan Penang, Lebuh Kapitan Keling, Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Cambell,Batu Ferringhi and Chowrast Bazaar should not be missed.
Culture and Traditions
Pulau Penang’s geographical location brought a wide range of cultures and traditions to the island. The exotic culture is found in many heritage sites open to the public, to list a few; Kek Lok Si Temple, Fort Cornwallis, Dharmikarama Burmese Temple, Acheen Street Malay Mosque, City hall, Khoo Kongsi temple Complex, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Little India, The State Mosque, St. Anne’s Church and Victoria Memorial Clock Tower. Exploring the island the toursit will understand there are many more to be to discovered.
Recreation in Penang
However a large part of the island is changed into housing and industrial estates, Pulau Penang offers a wide range of fascinating natural attractions. Penang’s Northern shores are reserved for sun lovers; the pristine beaches offer idyllic sites and sceneries and stretch for miles, Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang are world famous and all water sports can be found here. But Penang also offers a National Park, Tropical Spice and FruitGarden, Botanical Garden, Butterfly Farm and BirdPark. Penang Hill has to be done once in a lifetime, either hiking or taking the charming Penang Hill train to the 830 meter high summit, the views from this standpoint will awe everyone. The island also offers excellent Jungle trekking trails and absolute top notch gold facilities and driving ranges.
Museums on Pulau Pinang
If museums and galleries are preferred, Penang has plenty to offer too. Venues to put on the checklist, Penang Museum, Forest Recreation Park Museum, P. Ramlee’s House, WarMuseum, ToyMuseum, University of Science Malaysia Museum and ArtGallery, USM ABN-AMRO Arts Centre.
Getting to Penang
Whether travelling by road, rail, sea or air, Penang will cater to every traveler’s needs. PenangInternationalAirport connects to all major capital cities in the area. From Butterworth its only a small crossing by ferry, and sometime is faster than the congested Penang bridge. The island offers plenty of taxis, and within Georgetown small three wheelers are found called Trishaws, very smart and inexpensive way to get around town fast.
Pulau Penang, an exciting island with enough entertainment and leisure activities for every traveler. Tourists will go home, satisfied and with lots of stories and pretty pictures.
South East Asia is the place where East meets West, and this is definitely true when we look into culinary affairs. All cultures unite in kitchens around this region. For all means we can place Kuala Lumpur In the center of this dining universe.
Whether one is looking for cheap and inexpensive dishes or in search of fine dining adventures, Kuala Lumpur offers the best of all worlds. Prices are reasonable for the quality and services offered. Tips are not expected.
Malaysia’s Food Obsession
Malaysia is truly obsessed with food, it is a food culture and the whole nation evolves around food.In this country one will never go hungry and the variety offered is enormous.
Malaysians love to eat outside, either in well air-conditioned restaurants, mamak stalls, food courts or road side hawkers.
Lets look at the basics first, most Malaysians love to feed themselves on a high carbo basedbreakfast, which are mostly taken between 8.00 am and 10.00 am. Most favorite dishes are; nasi lemak which is a form of sticky rice with mild to hot sambal, roti Chennai little fluffy pancakes eaten with a curry or Mee Goreng which is a noodle dish. Most people arrive first at work and then go for their breakfast.
Lunch is taken at 1.00 pm, the moment the whole nation goes for lunch, we advise to avoid this time for lunch, unless one loves crowds and waiting in line.Nasi Champur (rice with mixed dishes) is definitely a most favorable dish.
High tea and a coffee break at 4pm, is part of the working day routine. Most people will consume their beloved Kuih, a variety of sweet or deep fried snacks and wash it down with a Tea-O or Kopi the local variety of milky tea or coffee.
For dinner there is no set time, and Malaysians love supper, a last meal of the day around midnight shared with friends preferable at a local coffee shop
Food Paradise Jalan Alor
When talking about food in Kuala Lumpur the first thing that comes to mind is Jalan Alor. Jalan Alor is a bustling side street of Jalan Bukit Bintang during the day, but a 400 meter long stretch of outdoor food festival during the night. A wide array of local and international dishes can be found here; sitting at plastic tables and chairs does not sound very romantic but is an absolute must to have done once in a lifetime. It’s an exciting street with lots of activity and sublime mouth watering bites.
ChinaTown and Petaling Street
Petaling street food paradise is smaller in scale than Jalan Alor but definitely worth a visit, a semi open air food paradise with savory delights from all regions of Mainland China.
Kuala Lumpur Restaurants
Kuala Lumpur has one of the finest arrangements of restaurants to be found anywhere. All countries and cooking styles from around the globe can be found in the heart of K.L. The Middle Eastern influence can be felt, as Malaysia is becoming a more popular travel destination for this region. Culinary food establishments are spread out all over the Golden Triangle, but the main concentrations can be found at
Starhill Gallery – The cluster of restaurants in the basements breaths a welcoming atmosphere once decending down the escalator. Up class dining in a candle light ambiance with soft live jazz music in the back ground, a great place to unwind the day.
Pavilion Shopping Complex – More than fifty high end and mid class restaurants can be found at The Pavilion. The up class food court in the basement is a real treat. The Pavilion is a true paradise for the palate, and a fabulous venue to start the day or evening.
KLCC Suria – On all floors of this immense mall in between the Petronas towers, nourishment for the inner body can be found, a wide range from fast food and budget restaurants to seriously chic establishments can be found here. A visit to the food courts are good value for money.
Berjaya Times Square – In this ten floor shopping arena, restaurants can be found on all floors, the main food court is at the tenth floor, and the main restaurant area at the second and third floor surrounding the entrance of the indoor theme park. Time Square for long and timeless dining.
All 5 star Kuala Lumpur hotels offer multiple fine dining and lunch accommodations which are available to non resident visitors.
Fast Food in Malaysia
All the world renowned fast food brands are found on any corner in the city and on every floor of every mall. Malaysia loves fast food. And the wide variety of chains and franchises are here to tickle the fast food taste buds and truly will not disappoint you.
Outside of Kuala Lumpur fine dining can be found in areas like Ampang, Bangsar, Sri Hartamas, Damansara Utama and Bandar Sunway.
During one of our trips to foreign dive sites we meet sometimes brilliant people.
This tale will take you to the year 2003 in Northern Spain to a little fishing village called L’Estartit not to far from Barcelona.
I want you to meet my diving buddy Patrice; he was a bit of a weird Frenchmen, old tatty shoes, blue jeans, very colorful knitted sweater, an even more colorful scarf around his neck and wearing a pink cap. He must have been in his mid forties, bold on his forehead and long curly brown hear, nearsighted minus 11 on both eyes. He looked funny, but he also was very funny, and full of life. We had some incredible laughs together.
Risking Traffic
One day we needed to go to the shops for some groceries and he offered me a ride in his old banger. Driving through L’Estartit on the main road you will find huge ditches in the road to drain the water running from the mountains when it rains. Every time I warned him there was one coming up in front of us, he looked at me, while testing his shock absorbers. We flew from left to right, and I was hanging on to anything I could put my hands on
Then the look on his face changed in “oohw, this is what you meant “. When I warned him for the roundabout (big roundabout, with an even larger statue in the center), he missed the statue by an inch, and the roundabout completely.
First Dry Suit Dive
First time we met was the day before, on a dive boat. At the end of the day I heared he tested his dry suit for the very first time. Never in the pool, straight down to 22 meters. The dive was a disaster, from the tails he told us. I don’t have to explain which risks he took on a test dive like that.
Taking the Plunge
My own buddy did not feel well that day, when I turned up at the jetty on the sunny morning of my second diving day. Patrice was already waiting for me, waiving when my car was close enough for him to recognize it. He noticed I was using a dry suit, and asked me to team up with him to show him some tricks of the trade. We agreed on half an hour in shallow water, and then progressively take it a bit deeper on his second dry suit dive.
While I was kitting up I started explaining some techniques. Here I noticed that his eyesight was even worse then I thought. His nose was on my pressure dump valve to recognize what I was doing to it. You might be laughing but remember I went to the shops with this guy driving through a busy tourist area. He convinced me, he was an
experienced three star diver with CMAS and I did not have to worry a thing. I was not convinced, but more then aware.
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Let’s Go Diving
The boat moored in one of the little bays around one of the islands of the Isles Mides. I’m all dressed up and ready to go. Hanging back on a bench and enjoying the morning sunshine. During my kitting up I always watch my buddy kit up. This for two reasons, one - to see if he is competent with his equipment, and two - I can help him when he needs me. I could see that Patrice was very competent in handling his dive kit. He had a bit of a struggle to get into the dry suit, but he managed to pull the seals over hands and head. I helped him with the zip. He tested the suit by putting lots of air in it, all was working fine I saw him putting on his weight belt, and going for his fins. He could not reach his fins (to much air in the suit), he cleared the weight belt and drops it behind him while he was still sitting on the bench. I stood up and walked to the back of the boat. The captain would let us as the most experienced divers go in last, and was taking care of some new students while I watched. The captain shouted to a group of Germans beginners, GO GO GO! I look at my friend Patrice, he responded to the captain’s voice, dropped his fins. Straitened himself, walked past me and jumped into the water. I was too stunned to stop him.
What was going through this guys mind, at that moment?
Like Bob the Buoy
The moment he hit the water, all the air in his suit was around his neck, and without his fins or weight belt he had no change of going anywhere. He looked like a big mooring ball with a funny smiling face. This facial expression, I will never forget. I threw a float with a line at him and pulled him back to the boat.
When he climbed the ladder, we could not resist to laugh with him. Tears we’re rolling down our cheeks. Even the captain, who never spared a laugh, walked away with a large grin from behind his moustache.
I will spare you the rest of the dive details, but I abandoned the dive after 25 minutes.
Later over a beer, he explained that his eyesight did not allow him to oversee the whole picture and he responded to the captain, as he thought it was time to go.
See the big picture?
Buddy check starts when you walk onto the boat, until you enter the water together.
Asia is notorious for its bad manners seen from a Western point of view. Burping in public seems to be normal. Picking the noise deeply in front of other people or even in a restaurant seems to be daily practice in Asia. Scratching the backside while in public places is no exception. And spitting while people sit or walk is a regular seen habit.
Some countries are getting better and better, but some habits are imbedded in ancient old cultures and no one seems to care or worry about them anymore. But when arriving from the west, some of these old habits are part of the culture shock. Asians are adapting to western lifestyles and most countries are slowly changing and understanding that not everything they see as normal, is very polite to others.
There is another type of rudeness. A rudeness which is unprofessional, does not help trade, friendships or the community. And it’s the habit of not being able to say: “no”.
Asian public lives from excuse to excuse. They make up one excuse to cover the previous one. So called white lies are daily practice. No matter in which country you are around the Asian continent it’s everywhere the same protocol.
Coming on Time for Appointments
Coming on time at a preset appointment is professional. Coming late is normally accepted in Asia, however it hampers business growth, and from the person being on time point of view is rude. When one comes late for an appointment, no matter what the excuse might be, you are using someone else his/her time. Time, which is as valuable as your own time. Better to leave a message or call to let the other person know that you are not able to meet at the set time. Even more important to let the other party know, when you will arrive. That is more important than the excuse you have made up. The excuse only serves a peace of mind deal for person making it, and does not serve the other party. You were late, that’s the bottom line and respect is lost because of that. Learn to say; “no, I am sorry I can not be on time today”. Honesty is often the best advise, and will be more respected then excuses like, hospitals, accidents, weddings, sickness and the weather.
No message for cancellation
As a business man, one books his appointments well in time to make the business grow and try to book as many appointments in the day, taking in consideration, travel times, lunch and coffee breaks. But booking the appointment list too full, puts you under stress from the moment you look at your schedule. Better is to have lesser appointments on the day, and have the freedom to travel, have lunch leisurely. Able to get to your appointments on time, and you might even have time to prepare your meeting better, and visualize the appointment and the objectives. Being relaxed sells more products. If you really can not make it, no problem, but cancel well in advance so you are not wasting the other parties time and you can be professional about a reschedule of your planned appointment. Learn to say; “no, I am sorry I can not make our appointment today, let’s reschedule for next week”.
Saying yes, but meaning no
Often we walk out of a meeting and both parties agree to contact in a few days.
How rude is it to not answer that expected call? Often calls are not answered when the other party already decided not to go ahead with the agreement. More professional would be that you either answer the call and just say “no, I am sorry we are not interested”. Not picking up a phone call is very unprofessional and rude. Learn to say; “no, we do not take you up on your offer”.
Communication is the key to every business deal. It makes live easier, more pleasant and reduces stress. An open communication will leave the door open for future contacts. You never know when your contact might become important in the very near future.
Asia, learn to say: “no”, and make your business grow.
