MLM:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF NETWORK MARKETING
By Jeffrey A. Babener
Excerpted from Network Marketing: What You Should Know, Jeffrey Babener, Legaline Publications
MLM consultant practice tips. MLM Compensation Plans come in all forms, including unilevel, stairstep, matrix, binary, etc. Proper implementation requires consultation with an MLM Consultant on MLM Consulting, an MLM Attorney and MLM Law Provider and MLM Software provider for input on MLM technology and MLM Software Programming. . MLM Legal and MLMLegal.com and Babener and Associates provides expert MLM Consultant and MLM Consulting advise on MLM corporate, MLM software, MLM Compensation, MLM Taxes, etc. MLM Consulting is an important component for MLM startup. Careful Choice of MLM Software is another component of MLM Corporate. A MLM Consultant and MLM Law and MLM Legal is part of the MLM Startup Team. MLM Compensation must be reviewed by an MLM Consulting standpoint by an MLM Consultant and MLM Legal and MLM Law professional and programmed by a MLM Software and MLM Technology provider.
Cycle 4. 1900-1950 - The Springboard to Modern Giants - Selling Empowerment to the Consumer
Modern giants of direct selling, Tupperware, Mary Kay, Home Interiors and Jafra, trace their roots to the Fuller Brush man. It was in 1906 that Alfred Fuller, of New Britain, Colorado, started the Fuller Brush Company. Yes, he sold brushes door to door, but he also sold empowerment to the consumer. Some people thought he sold brushes. Yes and No. His theory was to sell service to the consumer, i.e., to show the customer what the brush could do for them. The Fuller Brush man was immortalized in 1948 in the movie of the same name with Red Skelton. Today, although everyone has heard of Fuller Brush, the door-to-door salesman is gone, replaced by the network marketing type-organization. Late in the game, Fuller Brush attempted to adopt multilevel marketing, but there is somewhat of a clash of cultures between armies of networkers who can recruit but are amateur salespeople and door-to-door salespeople who can sell, but are not recruiters.
Out of Fuller Brush, however, came the birth of the party plan in Stanley Home Products (Stanhome). Frank Stanley Beveridge was hired by Fuller in 1912 and stayed until 1929. In 1931, he started Stanley Home Products. Like Fuller, it was originally door-to-door sales of home cleaning and home care products. Again, like Fuller, he was not merely selling home care products - he was selling empowerment. (Later, companies like Mary Kay and Amway applied an analogous principle to recruiting by "selling the dream.") The Stanley sales call was a home cleaning lesson. The salesman was selling clean walls, clean ceilings, health and cleanliness. They were selling a goal, not just a product. (Similarly, in later years, direct selling lingerie companies would boast that they were not in the business of selling lingerie, but that they were in the business of selling "hope" and saving marriages.)
The most important contribution of Stanley was to pioneer the party plan - the Stanley Hostess Party Plan. It is no surprise then that out of the Stanley dealer pool came the founders of the marketing programs of Mary Kay, Home Interiors, Tupperware and Jafra.
And, during this same period in which demonstration of use of the product and empowerment of the customer became important, came famous vacuum cleaner and home appliance companies in the 1920's, like Kirby, West Bend and Electrolux, as well as famous encyclopedias such as Britannica (1915) and World Book (1917).
NETWORK MARKETING/MLM consultant practice tips. Every NETWORK MARKETING/MLM company should establish an NETWORK MARKETING/MLM distributor relations and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM compliance department. Success in the NETWORK MARKETING/MLM field is dependent on continuous NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Support and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Communications relationship that demonstrates ongoing support in NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Marketing issues and is clear on guidelines for compliance with NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Business and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Law issues. NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Legal and NETWORK MARKETING/MLMLegal.com and Babener and Associates provides expert NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consultant and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consulting advise on NETWORK MARKETING/MLM corporate, NETWORK MARKETING/MLM software, NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Compensation, NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Taxes, etc. NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consulting is an important component for NETWORK MARKETING/MLM startup. Careful Choice of NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Software is another component of NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Corporate. An NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consultant and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Law and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Legal is part of the NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Startup Team. NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Compensation must be reviewed by an NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consulting standpoint by an NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Consultant and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Legal and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Law professional and programmed by a NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Software and NETWORK MARKETING/MLM Technology provider.