Due Diligence

I have learned a few things in my years in this industry and they are pretty general.

1.) Look into the company and the management team find out as much as you can about who they are an what their background is in and out of the Network Marketing industry - if any. A couple of good resources for that information and basic info on companies in general can be obtained from DownLine News (212) 355-1071 for subscription info (NO I am not involved with marketing that publication - I found it helpful to me 3 years ago in doing research) and MarketWave 800-688-4766. Both of these are very objective and know lots about the people and companies in this industry.

2) How well capitalized are they - especially if they are less than 3-5 years old - This is crucial. A company can make itself sound solid when, in fact, it could fold in 90 days if volumes don't pick up.

3) What kind of computer system does the company have in place? This again could spell disaster, especially if growth is sudden. It can mean late or inaccurate bonus checks, lost or slow to arrrive orders and a host of other problems. Two good ones (and there could be others but these are the best in my opinion) are Jenkon and 20/21. This means the company has put it's money into the proper support for the distributor field.

4) What kind of training and support materials do they have in place? With the trend toward cocooning - the easier and more duplicatable the system is, the more attractive it will be to others and the easier to do. People want to do their business from home as streamlined as possible. Consider this when looking at the support.

5) Who is the upline? After thinking this wasn't that important I came to realize that it is the most important to someone who is absolutely new to the industry. If you want to bat .1000 you don't go to someone who's batting .190 - do you? That doesn't mean that your sponsor needs to be making lots of money. But look closely at the upline sponsorship - interview your sponsor and their sponsor etc. to see where and how the support will be supplied. How do they work and do they have a system you can plug into and duplicate. That's the key.

6) The Products - Have your tried them ? Are they unique (a plus) and hopefully emotional or in demand? Consumable is great but not an absolute- many companies have been successful without consumables. Most important, do you see the potential for these products in the marketplace and do you feel you would use or recommend them personally? (This is really important -- if you can't talk to others about them, how can you build a business around them?). Can you see yourself talking to others about these products? Finally, talk to other distributors and find out how happy they are with the company, the products, and the system. If you believe in the products yourself, or you can see a market out there then make a choice and then STICK WITH IT! Jumping around will never get you to where you want to go. Good Luck! Also, an excellent publication for after you get started is Upline - strictly information and training- guaranteed! 804-979-4427 or 800-800-6349.