Shaving with the help of electric shavers has lots of advantages. You do not need water, and shaving foam. All you really need is any form of electricity, either batteries or mains power. Cutting yourself during shaving is next to impossible as they have special safety covers to avoid this happening.

Several manufacturers are now specialising in the production of electric shavers. The Norelco range comes from Philips, one of the leading men’s shaver and trimmer manufacturers in the world. These models guarantee you an exceptional smooth shaving experience. The ultra thin heads integrating slots of these shavers enable you to shave extremely close your early morning stubble growth. You need not be worried about the running out of power when you are shaving.

Remington electric shaver, Panasonic electric shaver and other leading brands now come with power storage system. All you have to do is to charge your electric shaver. A 6-8 hour charge time will give you a 20-25 minute constant shave time. The power control system of these models allows you to use the shaver anywhere in the world. These shavers automatically adjust to any countries power rating instantly to prevent malfunction.

When you are going to buy an electric shaver, there are a few features you should look out for. The most important is the battery life and when there is battery indicator you can manage your shaving time properly. Many shavers like Philips electric shaver, Braun electric shavers and others now come with a combined cleaning and charging stand. This facility is good for keeping your shaver clean without any extra effort.

This article will hopefully help you in grooming your Goldendoodle and give you some other sham-pooch tips.  Goldendoodle  grooming and health  go hand in hand. Good grooming not only helps your Goldendoodle dog  look good, it is also important for your doodle’s  physiological as well as the psychological health.  While some doodle owners take their doggies to their groomer,  many instead decide to groom their Goldendoodle dog themselves at home. If you begin grooming your Goldendoodle when he or she is very young,  they will come to enjoy bathtime and your doodle will not be difficult to groom at all.

Brushing your Goldendoodle  thoroughly every day is an important part of dog  grooming and health.  A shaggy or curly coated Goldendoodle will need to be brushed and groomed more often than the smooth coat doodle.  Because brushing and trimming isn’t natural to a dog,  your doodle will need  to be trained in order to accept this kind of handling.  It is recommended by many dog groomers and doodle breeders  that bathing and trimming start at an early age.  It is best to proceed slowly at the beginning, giving your Goldendoodle lots of praises when they relax and enjoy the process.

As a breeder since 1996,  I always begin the grooming process with our doodle puppies when they are approx. 4 weeks of age.  I do recommend that a rubber mat be placed on the bottom of your tub which will help prevent your doodle from slipping and possibly getting injured.  Some puppies yelp and show fear when they are first introduced to water.  This fear will subside as your Goldendoodle is bathed more frequently, over time.  I personally use a small cat slicker brush on the coat of my Goldendoodles.  The slicker brush has many different sized bristles which will help pull out any dead hairs in the coat.  Some groomers do not recommend human shampoo.  However,  I never use shampoo which is made specifically for dogs.  There are many harsh chemicals which can cause your doodle to have not only dry skin,  but can cause skin allergies over a long period of time.  Instead,  I use non-tearing shampoo made for humans such as baby shampoo.  If you want to use shampoo with various fragrances,  the best ones are those with “apple” or “cherry” fragrances.  High quality shampoo can be purchased at hair specifica stores such as “Sally’s”.   I purchase my shampoo in bulk so that it lasts a very long time.  Before rinsing the coat of my Goldendoodles,  I spritz their coat with a nice detangler.  Some can be left in the coat and some have to be rinsed out.  However,  make sure to take a large, human comb and comb the detangler through the coat.  Rinse well.  You’ll find your Goldendoodle’s coat extremely soft to the touch after you have taken a blow dryer and dried your doodle completely.   In the summer,  you can simply hand towel your doodle’s coat and then let him or her dry naturally.

If you have a grooming table,  you can trim your doodle’s coat very easily.  A great place to purchase a grooming table is by ordering it online.  Revival Animal  has a nice list of grooming tables you may find for  a low price.  Some groomers use a clipper called “Groom Master”, however,  I will personally tell  you that I found better success with the “A5 Turbo” clipper.  I began with the “Groom Master” clipper but found myself going through three of them before discovering that the “A5 Turbo” clipper worked entirely better and I could also find replacement blades locally instead of having to specically order blades that were only for the “Groom Master”.   The “A5 Turbo” clipper has two speeds and will allow you to shave down your Goldendoodle in less than 30 minutes!  This clipper is very quick and reliable.   There are also various sized blades that will work great for this particular clipper and allows you to give your Goldendoodle various types of hair cuts.

If you decide to groom your Goldendoodle yourself,  you will want to go to your local “Sally’s” store and purchase an apron which specifically helps repell hair.  It’s a great investment.  Some groomers spend hundreds of dollars on scissors,  but you can find some great scissors that will last a very long time at your local department store in the “Crafts” or “Sewing” section.  A $15 pair of nice scissors will work and last just as long as the $150 pair.   Let me forwarn you that using scissors can be dangerous on your doodle if your Goldendoodle is not calm and relaxed during the grooming process.  You can easily cut your doodle or  yourself.  I can’t even tell you how many times in 13 years I’ve cut myself or a dog, accidentally, if they turned their head quickly or jerked their foot away at the exact time as beginning to trim.  Some doodles have “ticklish” feet and will constantly jerk their feet as you try and trim around their pawpads.  Over time,  they get use to the scissors touching their feet but in the beginning,  you will need to be very careful with scissoring.

Your Goldendoodle  also has to learn to sit still or lie on his or her  side as and when needed.  Teaching your Goldendoodle to enjoy the grooming process is just a matter of time and repitition.  Other grooming tools needed are various types of brushes, combs, a wash cloth, ear cleaners and spritzer bottles.

If your shaggy or curly coat Goldendoodle’s  hair is tangled, grooming can take longer and become  a bit tricky.  Proceed gently to avoid irritating your Goldendoodle’s  skin.  Despite some doodle breeders’ claims that Goldendoodles do not shed, your doodle will lose some hairs,  particularly during the dry winter months.  Some Goldendoodles can even have bouts of dry skin,  so care is necessary when grooming him or her.  Don’t over bathe your doodle!  Unless your doodle dog is outside every single day getting into muddy situations or doing a lot of swimming at the beach or lake,  do not bathe your doodle more than twice a month.  Bathing more frequently will cause your doodle to have dry skin.  Even if you own a smooth coat Goldendoodle,  who needs relatively very little coat maintenence,  you will want to groom him or her on a regular basis simply because this process is good for your doodle’s over all grooming health.

Grooming your Goldendoodle helps keep the dog’s skin healthy and coat nice and shiny, not to mention,  it helps him or her smell good. Grooming your doodle dog  helps to improve the blood circulation; helps  keep  the coat free of ticks, fleas  and other less welcome visitors.   Remember to trim the hair underneath your doodle such as the inside of his or her legs and under the belly.  Close attention to your Goldendoodle’s ears are especially important!  Hair can grow into the ear and that can cause yeast infections or ear infections.  Another important area for your Goldendoodle is around the eyes. Shaggy coated Goldendoodles have the most problems with their hair growing over or around the eyes.  If you do not pay careful attention to this,  hairs can curl inward and cause a corneal abrasion by touching the eye itself.  Always keep the hairs trimmed around your Goldendoodles’ eyes when he or she is an adult dog.  Puppies do not require this type of trimming because their coat will change and go through 10-15 different coat phases before he or she turns 1 year of age.

Not all varieties of dogs need a bath everyday. Some short haired dogs require very little coat maintenence.  Some can make do with a bath once a month.  For smooth coat Goldendoodles,  you can simply use a washcloth to wipe the coat gently if you do not want to fully bathe him or her.  Shaggy coat and curly coat Goldendoodles have facial beards.  These beards tend to collect food particles or even dirt or grass if your doodle is outside playing.  I never recommend using shampoo around the face of your Goldendoodle.  Using a wash cloth that is damp and without soap or shampoo is best.  Some doodles require their mouths to be cleaned every day.  Coat staining can occur around the eyes or the mouth if this area isn’t cleaned every day.   If you want to help your doodle not have a “tangly” coat,  spritz your doodle’s coat prior to bathing with a “detangler”.  Comb it thoroughly through the coat.  Then wet your doodle’s coat completely and use your slicker brush to brush through the coat as you are wetting his or her coat.   This will help remove any tangles in the hair before their shamoo/bath.  Always keep soap away from your doodle’s  eyes and ears and make sure to use an ear cleaner to help clean the insides of the ears.   An inexpensive ear cleaner can be made with White vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.  Use a spritzer bottle and mix an equal portion of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together.  This not only helps clean your doodle’s ears,  but helps them smell nicer too!   Never use Q-tips for cleaning the insides of your doodle’s ears! Never!  Use a  washcloth or cotton balls. 

Grooming your Goldendoodle also helps you bond with your loving, wonderful tempered new pet!  It should  be quite obvious why dog grooming and dog health are so closely associated.    Even if your Goldendoodles  does not need daily brushing, it is necessary to check your doodle  every day. Keeping the skin of your Goldendoodle and his or her  body parts cut free and sore free is also an important part of your doodle’s  grooming and health. If you discover fleas on your Goldendoodle’s coat during the grooming process,  fleas  have to be removed with a fine-toothed comb, and embedded ticks have to be removed carefully with tweezers and alcohol.   Pouring a small amount of alcohol on the tick will help loosen its grip prior to removing it from your doodle’s skin with tweezers.  A new flea prevention product called “Comfortis” is on the market and we use this on our Goldendoodles as well as other dogs.  It is a once a month tablet that helps flea prevention.   Always examine your doodle’s nails,  ears and teeth as part of your dog grooming routine, each and every time you groom your lovely Goldendoodle dog. Goldendoodle and other dog  grooming and health are so closely associated also because the skin is the first indicator of the state of your pet’s health. Flea allergies, contact allergies, skin rashes and irritations need to be stopped at the earliest.  Ears should be regularly checked. The insides of the ear should be a pale pink. If they show any discoloration or give out an unpleasant odor,  this could be a sign of an ear infection or mite infestation.  Have your Vet look into the matter before proceeding with medication to treat the problem.  Make sure to take your doodle to your vet for a closer examination if you see discoloration inside of his or her ears or smell an odor coming from the inside of the ear.  Your doodle’s  toenails have to be clipped every two or three weeks, depending upon how much exercise your doodle gets every day.  Nails can be trimmed with human nail clippers if your doodle is a puppy.  If an adult,  the guillatine type of nail trimmers works great but you must use these type of nail clippers with extreme care.  You can actually lose a toe or your own finger if you are not care.  Have your vet show you first,  how to properly clip your Goldendoodle’s toe nails before you do it yourself.  If you do not feel comfortable in nail trimming,  always have your groomer or your vet perform this procedure.  Examine your Goldendoodles’ paw  pads to see that there is nothing stuck between them.  Sometimes hair grows between the pads and pebbles or small rocks or twigs can get tangled up inside of the hair that will cause your doodle pain as he or she walks.  Make sure to check your doodle’s pads every day.  If hair is growing around the pads,  you will need to carefully trim the hairs with scissors. Teeth cleaning is  important to your doodle’s over all health maintenence as well. Your doodle  can develop cavities or periodontal diseases, just like humans,  too. Cleaning the dog’s teeth twice a week with pet toothpaste and a small toothbrush is advisable.  There are some very good teeth cleaning products on the market.  You can also clean your Goldendoodle’s teeth during his or her grooming process.Regular grooming not only helps keep your doodle  healthy, it also offers bonding time for you and your Goldendoodle.  In the natural world, dogs lick each other and groom each other. I don’t think you want to lick your Goldendoodle in order to clean him or her?  This licking by other dogs  reinforces pack behavior and subordination. But you can reinforce pack behaviour and subordination by regularly grooming your doodle with brushes and combes.  Brushing or combing your Goldendoodle’s coat  for 10-20 minutes every day or as often as necessary will bring your Goldendoodle  immeasurably closer to you, immense pleasure and will also help keep your doodle  healthy.  Goldendoodles can live up to 20 years under ideal circumstances and if immaculately cared for.Some Goldendoodles may require professional grooming to maintain their  hair and coat health  if you are not experienced in grooming your doodle,  yourself.  If you do not have the time to groom your doodle on your own or if you do not feel comfortable in grooming your Goldendoodle on your own,  then your doodle will have to be trained to stand properly and to tolerate the attention of a stranger.  Dogs  that have no hair on the skin will need special skin creams to keep the surface oily and germ free. If you own a hairless dog,  then of course you will want to also use a sun screen to help protect your dogs’ skin from harmful sun rays.Dog grooming and health are mutually dependent. Without grooming,  your dog will not be able to retain good health; Without grooming,  your dog could have a shorter life span.  In spite of all the exercise and good food you give to your canine, without proper grooming health,  your pet will have a shorter life.   In case of dogs that shed heavily, regular grooming helps you to combat floating tufts of hair and speed up the shedding process. Dog grooming is not only about dog health, it is also about bonding, trust and love.

**About the author:  Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World has been a private, professional, hobby breeder since 1996.  Dee Gerrish has written extensively about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999.  More information can be obtained about the Goldendoodle dog at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com

*Copyright protected March 9, 2009.

Once upon a time, multi-level marketing was a legitimate business which provided a way for small companies to get their unique products to consumers in small towns and rural areas which had no access to these products. At this time, the products sold themselves, and the multi-level aspect was a way of giving a small reward to those who had worked hard to build the organization. Multilevel marketing also called network marketing is a form of direct sales in which independent distributors sell products, usually in their customers’ home or by telephone.  Today, products are even distributed via the Internet.In this article, MLM, multilevel marketing and network marketing are all synonymous.

There is simply no real need for distribution systems as there once was and indeed the focus of many of the programs is not on the products they sell – which are usually either bogus or are available somewhere else to the public at the same or lesser prices. These may not be the exact same product, but are comparable and often much less expensive.  You may be selling the best multivitamin in the world (according to the company that produces it, anyway), but there are thousands of manufacturers and distributors of quality and inexpensive multivitamins.  Why should I buy your product at $25.00 a bottle when I can get a product with the same ingredients for $10.00 a bottle at the drug store and not pay shipping costs? 

This is one of the things that a potential MLM distributor needs to consider before joining an organization.  Is the product available elsewhere for less–meaning that you’re going to have to be a super salesperson in order to hawk your wares?  Most of us are not sales people, but can be successful in network marketing if we find the right product and if that product is unique. 

Today too many of the multi-level marketing programs are scams. In today’s Internet economy, there is simply no need for multi-level marketing or the overpriced products that they sell – meaning that the only thing they are selling are memberships in anticipation that future memberships will be sold, which is the classic definition of a pyramid scheme, and thus fraud.  Because products are available over the Internet to everybody at lower costs than ever before, claims that “Multi-Level Marketing will take over the World!” are completely false. So are you being hired to sell products, and you have to buy into the program? This is a sure sign that it is a scam.

The Thirteen Step Program for Avoiding MLM FailureOr When to Run Screaming!

Warning #1:  If there’s a cost involved to become a distributor, is that cost of value to you?  If you’re simply paying a nominal fee for some basic training materials, it might be worth checking into.  If you are paying an outrageous fee and a portion of that fee is paid to the person signing you up as a bonus, there’s already a problem.  For example, a now defunct MLM company required $300 just to “get in on the program.”  $100 of that went to the person that signed me up.  Hmmm…why couldn’t I just pay him the money directly and save myself $200?  Because everyone else up the line had to get a piece of the pie.  The company training programs talked about getting rich and paraded a couple of millionaires (the people who started the company or who got in on it in the very beginning) around as if everyone could do this. 

Another company, for which I am still a distributor, required a nominal fee (less than $30) to get your initial training materials.  There were a lot of materials and most of the additional sales brochures and forms are available free to distributors online.  I am not required to purchase a set amount of product each month, but in order to get a commission my customers all in total need to purchase a minimum of $50 a month in products.  That’s a deal and it means that the company is selling products, not memberships in the company and a chance to “strike it rich.”  At no time has this company ever talked about getting rich.  They’re realistic and talk about additional income which equals the amount of time you put into it.

Warning #2:  If a company requires you to pay for advertising or marketing materials well above the cost of these materials it is a sure sign that it is a scam. We have often seen people encouraged to take out thousands of dollars in credit card debt to go to these seminars with the promise that they will make so much selling the MLM program that they will quickly pay back the credit card debt.  This is almost never true.  If you’re immediately going into debt to get into a network marketing program it is probably not legitimate. 

Warning #3:   Does the distributor and the products seem genuine?  Does he/she seem like a pushy salesperson?  If the distributor who wants to sign you up is selling you a dream then take a nap and dream for free.  If its hard sell and you feel like you can’t get out of the room without buying something then take a deep breath, be brave and walk.  Your checkbook will thank you.  Active distributors will defend to great lengths their program and their products, to the point of slandering naysayers and often buying the products themselves in substantial quantity in order to “prove” their worth. 

Warning #4:  Does the distributor have products in stock ready to sell you?   If the distributor has products, ask him/her if these purchases are required.  If they are required to buy a certain amount of product every month, this could be a sign of a scam.  There are legitimate companies out there who have minimum purchase requirements or who give “preferred pricing” to those who buy minimum quantities.  If these are not products that are of a value to you or that you will not use up before the next purchase is required, walk away.  This means you’re stuck with product you probably can’t sell.  Unless you’re already a door to door salesman and you know you’ll have no trouble selling the product you buy, walk away!  It is an interesting phenomena of MLM that the hardcore and brainwashed distributors who defend the products the hardest almost always quit using those great products completely when they move on to the next program!  Many network marketing distributors go through several programs before either settling on one legitimate program or getting out of MLM entirely.  For example, if you’re selling household cleaning products that you feel really are better than anything out there, will you use those products you’re required to buy?  If the products you’re required to buy are replacing something you’re already buying, there may be merit to this if the products are not outrageously priced.  Using our multivitamin example, if the vitamin you’re buying really is a great formula (based on what you know already or research you have done) and is comparable in price to what you’ve been buying at the drug store, there may be merit in this since you’ll stop buying the vitamin you’ve always used and use the one you’re selling.  You’re not being asked to spend more money than you’re already spending-you’re just switching brands. 

Warning #5:  “You’ll get rich” or “You’re building a lifetime of residual income” or “This is the road to a quick retirement” or other such phrases.  The promise of MLM is that if you are successful in selling others that you will create this big “down line”, i.e. multiple layers of sellers under you which will quickly lead you to riches and allow you to retire forever with a never-ending stream of seven- or eight-figure revenue. The idea behind multi-level marketing (MLM) is simple. Multi-level marketing is system of marketing which puts emphasis upon the recruiting of distributors and on the selling of products. For every MLM distributor who makes a decent living or even a decent supplemental income, there are at least ten who do little more than buy products and promotional materials, costing them much more than they will ever earn as an MLM agent. Don’t be surprised if a friend or acquaintance tries to sell you vitamins, herbs, miracle remedies, weight-loss supplements, work out equipment, or other health-related products. Millions of Americans have signed up as distributors for multilevel companies that market such products from person to person. Often they have tried the products, concluded that they work, and become suppliers to support their habit.  Many times, however, due to lack of support within the organization they fail and get out of the business.

Warning #6:  Beware of pyramid schemes. A pyramid scheme looks like multi-level marketing, but there is no tangible product being distributed.  These are illegal.  If you’re selling memberships in a down line and no product is being sold, walk away.  Better yet, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.  Pyramid schemes are systems of marketing which puts more emphasis upon the recruiting of distributors than on the selling of products. Usually, there are no real products at all.  Pyramid schemes give all network marketing programs a bad name and many online advertising pages and online auctions like eBay do not even allow legitimate MLM advertisements.  You can sell an MLM product on eBay, but you cannot sell a distributorship.

Warning #7:  This isn’t really selling.  Bologna!  You’re selling a product and you’re selling a business model.  While MLM does help non-sales people (I personally couldn’t sell ice water to someone in hell) make a living at sales by providing a more comfortable framework in which to operate, it’s still selling.   Multi-level marketing is a system of selling in which you sign up other people to assist you, and they, in turn, recruit others to help them.  It’s a way of having your own sales force without hiring people.  You share a little bit of commission for everything people you recruit (and people they recruit) sell.  This is one reason that MLM is attractive.  You can take a week off and you still have an income because your down line (your “sales force”) is still working.  Just make sure the program is legitimate.  Most people who sell products via MLM are good and honest people who genuinely believe in their products.

Warning #8:  These products sell themselves.  If that were true, there wouldn’t be millions of dollars being spent on a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl.  Most products are not unique.  There are similar and sometimes better products out there.  The sales portion of MLM comes in making sure that the product you’re selling is a quality product that people will actually use.  You can’t successfully sell an electric razor to a group of men who all wear beards!  Look at the product and do some research before you actually commit.  Go on the Internet and find out if the product is all over the place.  There was a pet nail trimmer that was all over the TV and in every drug store, pet store, and discount store.  If you’re trying to sell the next generation pet nail trimmer, you can probably bet that there are hundreds of them out there for a song at every garage sale in the country and you’ll have a difficult time selling another one. 

Warning #9:  Sell to friends and family.  Wrong!  I don’t want my friends or family running every time I visit or screening my calls because they’re afraid that I’m going to try to sell them something or “sign them up.”  If a friend or family is genuinely interested, make sure they understand that you’re giving them the information on the business or selling them the product because they wanted in on it and not because they’re doing you a favor.  I have personally lost two or three friends who were distributors for network marketing companies because they insisted on bringing in the products to our relationship so that every phone call became a masked sales pitch. 

Warning #10:  Products are not returnable.  This is a major red flag.  This means the company is interested in selling products and they’re making millions.  By not offering returns, especially if you’re required to buy a certain amount of product, you’re immediately in jeopardy of losing a lot of money and getting stuck with a lot of product. 

Warning #11:   You have to become a distributor to buy the products.  Walk away.  Every company needs customers to buy a product.  They don’t need every customer to also sell the product.  Some people are genuinely interested in a product, but have no interest in a home business or what they perceive as a sales job.  Many people who buy products become word of mouth advertisers for the product.  At this point, one could become a distributor.  It’s not always right for some people-or at least not right now.

Warning #12:  You just didn’t have enough belief in yourself or the company.  Guilt does not sell products!  Your faith in the product means nothing.  You do have to actually have some interest in the product and to be honest you should also be using it.  Do you really think that the movie stars who advertise hemorrhoid cream really have hemorrhoids and use the product frequently?  Doubtful.  If it’s in their medicine chest, it’s because they get in free by the case for being the company spokesperson. 

Warning #13:  You’ve only got one product to sell.  Run away!  If the business model you’re interested in does not have multiple products, you’ve got a long row to hoe.  I may not be interested in your multivitamin but I may be interested in your weight loss drink mix.  Saturday Night Live used to do a skit about an adhesive tape store.  That was the only product in the store.  You could find any kind of tape you wanted, but they didn’t sell glue.  Retailers don’t sell one product.  And they try to give you choices of products in the same line (ten different types of tape, for instance) and in different package sizes.  No one will be successful opening a tape store and you won’t be any more successful trying to sell that one item via network marketing.

MLM is a fantastic way of getting products out to the public without relying on the goodwill and acceptance of the retail distribution system which strongly favors big, established companies over small, newer ones.  I worked retail for over a decade and retailers are paid billions of dollars each year for product positioning.  Manufacturers will pay a lot of money to have their product at eye level in the supermarket or drug store.  This is the spot where most of the high profit items in a store are shelved.  We’re taught that the bargains are usually on the bottom shelf, but we’re in hurry and that glitzy eye-level ad and product display is what catches our attention. 

Most successful MLM distributors tend to focus on selling the business rather than the products; the products are incidental to the business.  It should be exactly the opposite or business emphasis should be equal in importance to the product.  The sales pitch you get to get into a particular business should focus on the products and how that product will affect you.  The business discussion should be last.  If you’re selling the next $19.95 widget, then the focus should be on the quality of the widget, how well the widget sells, how well the widget will work for you and why you need this widget.  Making money by also selling widgets should come at the conclusion of the presentation.  I focus on customers.  The MLM company I work with does too.  I’m only required to have $50 in sales monthly (me plus all of my customers).  When one of my customers regularly begins purchasing $50 a month on their own, I approach them about becoming a distributor.  I never do it the other way around.  I want them convinced that it’s a good product and to use the product.  I can’t convince anyone that a line of women’s make up is the best thing out there since I don’t use make up! 

Some MLM companies can successfully trade in second-rate products because they have such a great payment plan for the distributors, and so the company can still do well, but usually only during the initial growth spurt stage, after which the company soon implodes.  Again, the product should be the focus.

MLM also tries to appeal to our innate herd mentality by giving the impression, invariably false, that everyone is involved in MLM, that it is the marketing method of the future, and that all the top business schools and business newspapers are endorsing it.  “Everyone can do this,” “This is so easy it practically does it by itself,” “These products really just sell themselves-you just have to share them” are all MLM hooks and they’re all just words.  If this were true, the entire country would be involved and everyone you know would have a down line. 

No program that requires you to buy into the program is real, meaning that all are scams. If you have to buy into the program, forget it! It is not a real program.  If what you’re paying isn’t simply a fee for the initial training materials, walk away!  Someone very high up in the company and the owners of the company are the only ones making any money.

Why shouldn’t the training materials be free?  In reality, 99% of people who enter an MLM business give up for various reasons after a short time.  Legitimate companies would go bankrupt or suffer severe losses if they did not recoup the cost of those training materials.  One company that I am still involved with charged about $30 for the initial packet of materials (which included a couple of DVDs and an audio CD) and an additional $10 or so monthly for a website.  The materials were valuable and contained a lot for the $30 investment.  The website was brilliant, in my opinion, because it allowed you to steer people toward the Internet where they could read about the products, watch some videos or listen to audio recordings.  They could do their own research, make up their minds, then sign up or buy the products without someone hassling them.  I often do not give a sales pitch to anyone who wants to “get in on this.”  I give them a business card with a URL on it and tell them to check out the website tonight and then tell them to ask me about it tomorrow if they’re still interested.  It also allows me to get listed with search engines and make “passive” sales where someone that I never met simply orders the products from the Internet.

The odds of anybody in your down line making any money are incredibly small–smaller than yours.  This means that they will probably drop out and be mad at you for getting them into a program where they lost money -this is why I do not recruit friends and family members.  It is also why I concentrate on helping my down line as much as they’ll allow.  I don’t want them to feel like I got them into it for the quick buck and am moving on to my next “mark.”  If your down line is not successful, it is doubtful that you’ll be successful and it may earn you a bad reputation to boot!

MLM can be a way to earn additional legitimate income and can be enjoyable.  It is also work, no matter what anyone tells you and the amount of money you make is directly proportional to the amount of work you put into it.  You can work MLM a couple of hours a week or full time.  You’ll make money either way if you pay attention to what you’re doing, tell the truth, and find a legitimate opportunity.  Remember also that just because you’ve never heard of a company does not mean that it’s a scam.  MLM relies on “door to door” type selling and there is no advertising of the products other than through the company’s distributors or agents.

Do your homework and remember that if it sounds too good to be true-it is!

Randy Waldenwww.castlehillsoaps.com

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