Tag: MLM

From the Desktop of Stephanie Robey, Internet Entrepreneur

Why Read This 5Linx Review?

I am NOT a distributor or an employee of this company. I have an MBA and have spent many years learning things the hard way that eventually led me to be an expert in this industry. I have over 2 decades entrepreneurial experience in various businesses, primarily start-ups and am writing this so you can make your own decision about 5Linx as a business opportunity.

5Linx provides technology through a traditional Network Marketing business model. I see a huge opportunity for distributors in this company and will tell you exactly why at the end of this review.

Any business start-up will require your money and your time. Lots of both. MLMs are unique in that the startup costs are considerably less than say, a franchise, or a start-up. Never the less, you’ll need a mindset for success and the ability to really focus and get things done on your own.

The company has a sensible management team and a great compensation plan. I believe there are opportunities here to make a decent income if you understand how to market this company utilizing new technologies and marketing systems.

Read below for specific details.

Review of Pros & Cons

Reputation

No glaring complaints jumped out in regards to the company. There were several distributors online that had switched to other companies with similar product lines but all were professionally handled with no “word slinging”.

Looking online at the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) site revealed no outstanding complaints, either. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Rochester, NY, showed dozens of complaints, all resolved. No government action or ad infringements currently existed against the company.

Years In Business

According to the BBB, the company has been in business since January, 2001. It’s always good to go with a company that has been established for a few years because statistics show most businesses will fail in their first 12 months.

5Linx Review: Management

The Company has a well-rounded team that encompasses each area of the business: cellular sales, product development and direct marketing. Sales expertise is always helpful and this team has it. Companies lacking sales aren’t in business for long. The sales criteria is met with this company.

Craig Jerabeck, CEO and President has been with the company since 2001. With a background in cellular sales at the retail level and plenty of management experience, Mr. Jerabeck is an excellent choice for this entrepreneurial venture.

Jeb Tyler, Executive Vice President – Marketing, holds a degree in Business Administration focused on Marketing but the corporate website says very little about his experience elsewhere. Mr. Jerabeck’s experience probably compliments Jeb’s.

Jason Guck, Exec VP of Sales, has experience in the direct marketing industry, critical for the distribution method the team has chosen. Mr. Guck has had years of success building sales orgainzations.

5Linx Review: Financial Stability

At the time of this writing, the company is privately held and listed on INC 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. Not a bad sign. Growth has been over 800% in a 3 year period.

5Linx Review: Products

Wireless Phones and Accessories, Internet and Long Distance Services plus High Speed Internet and Satelliet TV make up the company’s product line. VoIP calling plans comprise the most popular of their services. I found no complaints about the quality of their products or services.

5Linx Review: Competition

This market has a lot of competition with familiar brand names which could make it difficult to convince people to switch. However, positioned properly with the ability to identify prospects, this could be a lucrative opportunity. Today, everyone uses phone services.

5Linx Review: Compensation Plan

This is a traditional MLM direct marketing model. You can earn money when you sign on new distributors to work the business as well as a residual income when customers pay their monthly bill for services. There’s also a monthly profit sharing bonus pool.

Plus, the top producers also get a leased BMW and benefits similar to traditional corporate executives like vacation time, health care and others bonuses. The top level also receives a car upgrade to a Bentley and more profit sharing.

Opportunities start at $99 (limited) and increase to $499.

5Linx Review: Leadership

The biggest disappointment about the business is that they are still using the old-school methods of marketing: the 3 foot rule, home and hotel meetings, personally contacting people. Interesting, considering they are selling such a high tech product.

Remember, you need a lot of people looking at your opportunity daily, in order to reach the goal of one new sign-up per day. Take a look at the top producers. Interview them and sit in on one of their trainings. How do they market and train their team? Look for a “blueprint”, or a “system” that will get you started step-by-step.

See Training below.

5Linx Review: Training

Marketing materials, group trainings conferences and calls are provided at both the local and national level. This is pretty typical of MLM companies. They pitch the “old school” style of marketing and it’s the #1 reason people fail: chasing prospects and attempting to convince them that they want your offering. This is a difficult way to work the market and strange considering the products they sell.

On the Internet, you’ll be able to get between fify and 200 leads, daily.That’s actually, several hundred people per day, looking at your opportunity. Physically talking to that many people is tough and that is the beauty of the Internet where they come to you. People will actually flock to YOU.

Massive Income Awaits 5Linx Distributors

Leverage the Internet. The big questions – where is it people shop when they purchase electronics? ONLINE. This is a great business, expecially when the products are sold via Attraction Marketing and the Internet. The distributor who uses the Internet for their business will dominate the market in a matter of months and that’s exactly why I put together this website.

No more:
Home and hotel meetings
Approaching strangers
Burning out your friends and family

Instead, powerful online sales funnels:
People help themselves to the information on your website
They buy online from you, any time day or night.

I’ve done it for my business and many, many others. I can teach you the same exact things that I did.

Trump Network Review

When I first heard Donald Trump was starting a multi-level marketing company I thought, here we go again, Donald Trump is going to prey on a bunch of simple, naive people who will buy into all the hype and probably end up getting burned. We all know Mr. Trump likes to make money, money, money, money! So, Im thinking, what is his plan with this Trump Network launch? He must be just promoting this company, or letting them use the rights to his name for a certain period of time for a big pay check, or some type of royalties. Is he really entering the MLM world??

The answer is an astounding YES. Anybody that has read all of Donald Trump’s array of books or been to an event where he was a guest speaker, then you would probably know that he has always been a big admirer of network marketing. He was actually giving a speech 5 years ago and someone in the crowd asked him what he would do if he had to start all over, and he said I would get into network marketing. Of course that brought a few chuckles from the crowd. Then do you know what he said? A few of you might be laughing, but you know what? Thats why youre down there and Im up here! True story.

Donald Trump has never been politically correct, and he has also never been someone who gets to the show late. He has made many risky moves over the years that has had people cringing down at him thinking he was crazy. But in the end most of his moves have ended up making him look like a genius. He has literally helped transcend areas of New York City with some of his risky real estate moves, arguably the most powerful city in the world.

After hearing about Mr. Trump entering the MLM industry I did a little research and found out that the Direct Selling industry is a $32 Billion industry in the U.S., over $100 Billion worldwide, and not ONE company has more than 5% market share!! Not even Amway! What does this mean? This means that there is a serious opportunity for a company to come in and take over a large portion of the market. In almost every industry there is usually a few major players who dominate the market and build barriers to entry for its competition. Theres Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Theres Nike, Adidas. Theres General Mills, theres Proctor and Gamble, theres Microsoft, Dell, Apple. I could go on and on

The one thing there has never been in the network marketing world has been a brand name. Anyone that understands true marketing understands that branding is EVERYTHING. Once you build an influential brand, bringing new products to market is a completely different game than it is for the company that does not have that brand presence. That other company must spend MUCH MORE money and time promoting their new product or service in order to have a successful launch.

I dont think anyone in the world could mobilize the network marketing industry, give it the credibility and the exposure that Donald Trump could. The MLM industry is a very competitive industry and that is the main reason why there is so much bad press out there, but when you look closely at it, all the companies in MLM have different products or services, but they all have ONE thing in common: they are promoting an opportunity to earn an income building an organization of people selling that companys particular product or service. So who better than Donald Trump to be marketing a new business opportunity that anyone can get involved in and have unlimited earning potential? When you really think about it MLM companies are selling the ability to become an entrepreneur and own your own business. And Donald Trump is a worldwide icon of Capitalism and the poster child of an Entrepreneur.

I know that Donald Trump is VERY protective of his brand so I would be willing to bet that he did some serious investigation before taking the leap into the MLM world and putting that brand at risk. According to some executives over at the Trump Network, Mr. Trump and his team looked closely at 26 companies before they chose to partner with Ideal Health and re-launch as the Trump Network. Ideal Health is a twelve year old company that specialized in one main product line for ten years: customized nutracueticals based on metabolic functional testing. They use the premier metabolic functional testing lab in the world, Metametrix Labs, based in Atlanta, GA. Yes, they are another health and wellness company, BUT they have a unique line of products that are actually priced much lower than you would be able to get them through a natural path doctor or nutritional specialist. The master plan is to launch many best of breed products over the next few years that fall into the Trump criteria of quality.

The most compelling reason however, that I believe the Trump Network will end up taking up some significant market share is because of this new Wealth Creation System they are launching in the middle of May, 2010. They have created a system that I believe will transform the network marketing industry forever. This will not be an industry where the only people that can be successful are people with a huge power of influence and/or a huge database of people to tap into. The most difficult part about this business has always been getting enough people exposed to your opportunity, and being able to invite those people to take a proper look at the business so they can make a sound decision.

Donald Trump and the Trump Network have created a system called The Wealth Creation System that will give the average person, who may not have a huge network of people to talk to about the business, the ability to get massive exposure and funnel those exposures into a professional sales funnel that gives professional presentations and plugs new marketers and customers into a training and education platform seamlessly.

The reason I know this system will work and will explode peoples’ businesses is because of one thing and one thing only: The Trump Brand. Because of this new system, getting enrolled in the Trump Network will be more like buying into a franchise, instead of rolling the dice and spending your time and energy in a typical network marketing company with no brand recognition. I own multiple franchise locations with two separate successful franchises myself, and the reason we were able to be profitable right out of the gate was because we had a strong local brand already established, so when we opened our doors people recognized our name and came in. But more importantly, when we send out direct mail pieces and do radio and TV campaigns, our potential customers open the mail, or listen to our ads, because they know who we are. This is why several mom and pops have closed their doors around me over the past 6 years. They cannot compete.

Most people that are involved in the network marketing or direct sales industry do not understand the power of branding and marketing. Even if they have been successful and have huge organizations they have built these organizations with serious dedication, hard work, and a lot of time. The reasons I have outlined above are why this company will dominate the MLM world and become a powerhouse people will build organizations in one to two years that took several years to build in other MLMs. Do you realize how much time and money has been spent on opening up different countries as these other network marketing companies have gone international? MASSIVE AMOUNTS. As the Trump Network expands into other countries, the marketing strategies will be so simple compared to other MLMs it is almost laughable. Trump is heavily branded in 18 countries and he is revered as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time. When this company goes international toward the end of this year GAME OVER. I just hope all the people out there who are smart and savvy, but might not quite yet understand the power of branding and marketing, dont miss out.