http://humanifesto.org/yehoshanah/2005/sunrider_mlm.htm

Title: Sunrider Nutritional Product and Multi Level Marketing

A few months ago I was invited to attend an introductory night in someone's house called "cell regeneration". I just went to give my friend, Susan Carew, some company. I was skeptical "right off the bat" when I discovered the plot. The whole event was wrapped and packaged within an enthusiastic sales pitch. I happily gave my opinions when ever I was not satisfied, which if you know me, occurred frequently. I reacted boldly to lofty broad statements or subversive answers to my gnoring doubts.

Though once I got use to the vibe and by the end, I did enjoy the night overall. The hospitality and product tasting was upbeat and fun. We could laugh at being test bunnies and felt more confident to say no, if we wanted. We all walked out with promotional material, I was given a DVD.

Over the last few months I received a couple of phone calls about my health and my interest in the product, which I politely said, Good thanks and no thanks". Last week I received another follow up phone call, asking if I had seen the promotional DVD yet. So I said I would watch it and then return it within a week. I shared the experience with a friend, Bianca White. We joked at ourselves, feeling foolish just to be watching it, American testimony can be a cultural shock to an Aussie.

"Well, common, are you ready to buy it?", I interjected endlessly, as I avoided from getting hooked.

It sounds foolish, but the DVD was really getting through to me. I decided to ask a broad sweep of my friends what they thought and sent out 100 sms into my personal social network.

"I've just watched an impressive DVD about a nutritional product by Sunrider (a multi level marketing company). Do you have an opinion?", I asked.

From about 100 messages cast to my network, I received about 30 replies in less than a day.

About 10 said, "Never heard of it".
About 10 said, "keep away from multi level marketing, it's a con, watch out".
About 10 said, "Yes, it's worth while", adding supplemental variations like, "but consider other products from other companies", "good quality but expensive", "requires discipline", "what is your aim in terms of health and business?".

I was warm to the product information and happy with the responses, so I decided to try it. I called my upstream pusher, who immediately started to push me to commit and sign up as a preferred customer, for discounted prices and potentially as an independent business operator but then softened when I just persisted to ask for some product just to try it for a few days.

My intention was primarily to have better nutrition, hydration, exercise and sleep. I do have some interest in multi level marketing too but not in this for profit model. I see MLM contributing to a model of an ethical and decentralized economic social network adjusted by feedback and reward mechanisms (but that's not the focus of this post). I've been focusing on nutrition and getting some fresh air with exercise for a couple of days now, which is good, but I have been up very late writing emails and postings to humanifesto.org - so much for a simple single solution to all my problems.

I'll keep you informed. Thanks for reading. Do you have an opinion?

Yehoshanah

2005 10 03


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