When I was 17, living in semi-rural Minnesota, I was delivering an Avon catalog to a family up on the main road. It was a Wednesday. I walked into the house and the lady asked how my grandpa was doing. I said something like, “Okay as far as I know.” She said, “I heard he was in the hospital.”
That was how I found out. Back then, without cell phones, the grapevine was a pretty quick form of communication.
Sure enough, when I got home, my mom told me the same thing. In the next day or two, we were all able to go see Grandpa in the hospital. He passed away on Friday evening.
I can’t say I made much money selling Avon, but it was certainly a good way to find out what was going on.
Direct sales and network marketing back then were pretty much what they sound like. Communication was direct, taking place either in person or on the phone (which would be a landline) or in print. No cell phones. No laptops. No internet.
That was back in the 70’s. Some of you remember those days. Some of you don’t.
I could have taken a computer class in high school, but I didn’t because I wasn’t going to be using computers (or so I thought). I think typing class was required, though, so I took that. We had really nice electric typewriters. In one of my classes one day, someone rolled in a cart with a computer on it so we could all see what it looked like. Another time, we walked from the classroom to the library and we squished into a back room to see something called a facsimile machine (later known as a fax). I remember another time when I got to go in a little room and see a computer that had a phone somehow attached to it. The teacher took the handset and put it in some kind of special holder thing and told us that that enabled the computer to talk to other computers. Interesting stuff, if a person was going to work with computers. I wasn’t.
Over the years since then, it has become much easier to earn money, thanks to computers of all things! Online marketing is such a common term now that we might even take it for granted.
If we tried to list the differences between then and now, there would be a lot of differences!
But what if we just started from now, with all that we do know and all the experience we have already had, and try to figure out what an ideal network marketing/online sales/affiliate program would look like?
There would be some things about the product, the value, compensation, leaders and training, loyalty, means of communication, scope, momentum, low risk, etc.
So let’s look at each of these.
Product
Ideally, it would be something that everyone needs or wants. Something that, once people know about it, they would not want to be without.
Value
Customers would need to know that the value of the product is worth what they pay for it, or even more than what they pay for it.
Compensation
A decent income needs to be attainable by anyone who is willing to put in some work. And there must be incentive for those who work really hard.
Leaders and Training
The leaders must be trustworthy. Ideally, they would have quite a bit of experience already. They should have a certain amount of availability to interact with members, and enough staff and co-leaders to keep things not only going smoothly but growing and improving.
Loyalty
There needs to be loyalty on the part of the customers as well as the affiliates, so that the company continues to grow. When customers and affiliates stick with the company, then those who are added will actually bring about growth and momentum rather than just filling in holes created by others who have left.
Means of Communication
Communication methods and procedures should keep up with the latest technology available.
Scope
With up-to-date communication and technology, the scope could be global.
Momentum
If everything else is in place, there will be great momentum, from pre-launch through launch and beyond.
Low Risk
It would be really nice if there was a way to check out the company for free–to be like a fly on the wall and join with the members without paying anything right away.
The question is…Is there any company like this?
The answer is…YES!
It’s called SaveClub.
So how does SaveClub measure up to these ideals?
Product
SaveClub’s product is a subscription that enables you to save money on things you already buy–food, clothes, automotive, travel, flowers, entertainment, etc. After you become a member, you just sign in to find your deals either online or in the geographic location where you are at the time.
Value
At just $19.97 per month, it is very easy to save at least that much or even more. The CEO of SaveClub is continuing to work on deals with other companies to be able to offer SaveClub members even more ways to save money. Companies want to drive customer loyalty, which they can do by partnering with SaveClub. So it’s a win-win, and the value of a SaveClub membership keeps increasing.
Compensation
There are weekly commissions, monthly payouts on a 2×16 matrix, matching bonuses, bonus pools, and unlimited depth and spill over.
Leaders and Training
The leaders know the industry. They know what has caused the business models of 30 of the top 50 MLM companies to fall apart since 2020, with Amazon’s great pricing, and the economy making autoships very difficult for people to continue. They also know what works, like the subscription approach of the LiveGood company. They have put together something which addresses the problems that many MLM companies have been dealing with in recent years. They have also built on and even improved the very successful LiveGood model.
I have seen for myself how dedicated the leaders are to helping people, training, and answering questions. My questions have always been answered very quickly and very well.
Loyalty
If people can save money each month, why would they want to stop? And if they can also earn money each month, why would they want to give that up?
Means of Communication
SaveClub already has good communication with members. But they are working on improving that even more. With members all around the world, AI is going to be helping out a lot with things like reminder notifications of online meetings. AI tools will also be provided to members to help them generate income.
It is up to each member to follow along and stay engaged with the company, but the resources and help are definitely there. SaveClub is keeping up on communication technology.
Scope
SaveClub is going global already.
Momentum
It’s growing by the day, even before the official launch, which is set for June 1st.
Low Risk
You can pre-enroll for free, and choose if and when you want to upgrade to membership. In the meantime, you will have secured your spot ahead of all those who pre-enroll after you.
Note: This does not mean that everyone who pre-enrolls after you is placed under you. It depends on who their enroller is. But people up higher on the pre-enrollment list will be placed as high as possible in the matrix, under their enroller, in the order in which they pre-enrolled. In other words, the sooner you join, the better, to reserve your spot. Then, in order to receive compensation, you do have to become a member (~$20/month or $240/year) and an affiliate ($60/year).
To Join or Not to Join–That is the Question
Here are some reasons not to join:
- You are way too busy to bother saving money. It would be easier to just pay full price for everything.
- You don’t need any more income.
- You don’t want another thing on your mind or on your to-do list.
I don’t think there are too many people who would say #1 or #2. But I can understand #3.
To that, I would say, “Hey, no pressure. If you want to join and then sit on it for a while and decide what to do with it, that’s fine. But honestly, the wave is moving, and it’s a big wave! The sooner you get in, the better off you’ll be if and when you do decide to do something with it. Launch is June 1st. How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to join something this big before it even launches? If there is any chance that you might ever want to check it out, now is the best time.”
It’s like what my husband told me when I was thinking about joining on May 2nd. He wasn’t what I’d call excited about it, but he did recognize the importance of timing. So he said, “If you’re going to join, do it now.” So I did.
How to Join–Pre-enroll or Join as a Member?
That’s totally up to you. Either way is fine.
Personally, I decided to pay the annual subscription membership ($239.97) as well as the affiliate fee ($60), for a total of $299.97. This is called the VIP level. That way, I wouldn’t have to think about any monthly payment and could just focus on saving money and building the business. I figure I can save more than that in the course of the year, and what I earn will be in addition to that. Also, if I joined at the VIP level, I would benefit from any other VIP who joined under me—with an extra bonus.
But you could just do the $19.97 per month subscription cost plus the $60 affiliate fee, which would be $79.97 one time and then $19.97 per month after that for the rest of the year.
And of course there is the free option, called pre-enrollment, where you get your position for free initially and then decide whether or not to upgrade to an actual membership.
You may be wondering how much time you have to decide whether or not to upgrade. Well, to keep the position that you have when you pre-enroll, you would have to upgrade by midnight Pactifc time on the next Friday. It’s on Fridays at midnight that all the pre-enrollees who upgrade move up higher than all the pre-enrollees who have not upgraded. Don’t worry, once you pre-enroll, you’ll get reminders about that.
So the question comes down to this: Is there any chance that you might want to join a company like this—with all the qualifications of being the best type of network marketing company—before it launches? If there is any chance, then it would be to your advantage to do it now, one way or another—for free or $79.97 or $299.97.
This is not some kind of made up urgency. It’s just seeing the situation for what it is. Once the company launches, it’s going to grow quickly. It is already growing quickly even before launch. Where would you like to be—now, and in a couple years from now?
This was a really helpful breakdown of the different types of network marketing companies. I appreciated the distinction between product-based and service-based models, it got me thinking more critically about long-term sustainability. Do you find that one type tends to offer more consistent residual income over time, or does it really depend on the individual and company?
Thanks Marlinda for your feedback and your question. I think it really on how all the factors work together–the individual, the company, the connection with people who can most benefit from either the product or the service, the value compared to cost, the compensation for members, the training and support, etc. But I think the subscription model, which would typically be considered a service, but which facilitates the purchase of products, is a win-win hybrid.
You offers a thoughtful and engaging look into both the personal and technological evolution of network marketing. I really appreciated the nostalgic storytelling at the beginning it added a human touch that many marketing pieces often lack, the inclusion of your story in this article is touching it tell us your life journey and has some insight into it. The transition from door-to-door Avon catalogs to AI-driven global platforms like SaveClub shows just how much the landscape has transformed. It’s exciting to see a company taking such a comprehensive approach, addressing long-standing issues in MLM models while integrating modern tools and low-risk entry options. How does SaveClub plan to maintain long-term member engagement after the initial momentum of the launch?
That’s a very good question, Marion, because the momentum of the launch is such a big thing and that is what a lot of people are focusing on right now. But the CEO is also keeping long-term engagement in mind and is continually working very hard to bring more companies on board to work with SaveClub in offering discounts to SaveClub members. So the opportunities to save will keep increasing. I think as long as the savings opportunities significantly outweigh the cost of the subscription, and as members share with others how they have benefited from the savings, that will help to maintain member engagement. In order to do that, it would seem that as time goes on members are going to need to shift a little bit from emphasizing the launch momentum to emphasizing the savings opportunities.
Reading this article brought back memories of when my mom used to sell cleaning products for a network marketing company. Only using word of mouth and not having a network to fall back on like we have with the internet, it was extremely hard work to keep going, and only the most gifted sales people made a decent living doing this.
Nowadays it is still hard work, but if you get into a decent company that supports its staff, it is a lot easier than it used to be as you don’t need to go door to door anymore.
I prefer working for myself selling various products, rather than getting tied to one network marketing company and having a downline to look after.
I very much understand your preference for working for yourself! Network marketing companies and downlines are certainly not for everyone.
Our daughter makes handcrafted items and sells them. Since she lives in another state, I help her sell some of her products here in our area, which involves going back to the old method of word of mouth and selling to people that I know personally. It’s actually pretty easy in this case, because her products are of such great quality. So I think, whether you’re selling something to a neighbor or selling online, the first thing is great quality, and the second is great service.
But even in terms of service, in a network marketing company, you make a good point about a downline needing to be looked after. That’s a part of service, too. So if someone would rather not deal with that aspect of service, then they should probably think twice about being involved in network marketing, and maybe consider either direct sales or affiliate marketing, if they want to be involved in sales. The good thing is that the internet is helpful for all of these methods.
Oh, and one other thing which has been made so much easier with the internet, is teaching. For example, someone could make a video about how they create certain types of products, or about how they serve people in a certain way, and then sell the video. Or they could write a book and sell that. It’s pretty easy now to publish a book on KDP. Two of our daughters have done that.
There are just so many opportunities now to earn money by utilizing the internet. A person needs to really be aware of what they themselves prefer, and then run with it!
Identifying the best type of network marketing company is a tricky task, especially when so many models promise quick success but few deliver sustainable results. I’m curious how do you weigh transparency and product quality when evaluating a company? I’ve found that some companies rely too heavily on recruitment, which raises red flags for me. Have you had experience with companies that truly prioritize customer value over downline growth? Personally, I believe a strong compensation plan means little without long-term product demand and ethical leadership.
Thanks for your comments, Slavisa! As for transparency, I am blessed to have known my enroller for a couple decades already. So I know that he himself is the real deal. As for product quality, in this case, with SaveClub being a subscription focused on having access to savings on a lot of different things, I made use of it right away and saved half of my subscription fee for the month with just one purchase that I would have made anyway. I plan to keep checking for more deals and keep saving money.
I agree that if a company relies too heavily on recruitment that raises red flags. You are correct that “a strong compensation plan means little without long-term product demand and ethical leadership.” I believe that SaveClub is addressing the various issues and seeking to have the right balance. They have learned and expanded on the LiveGood model, which is still going strong.
I really enjoyed reading your reflections on the evolution of network marketing—from the days of Avon catalogs to today’s digital platforms. Your personal story about discovering your grandfather’s hospitalization through a customer interaction was both touching and a poignant reminder of how communication has transformed over the years.
The way you’ve outlined the ideal characteristics of a network marketing company—like valuable products, fair compensation, and strong leadership—resonates deeply. SaveClub’s approach, especially its focus on helping members save on everyday purchases, seems both practical and timely.
I’m curious, how do you see the role of technology, like AI and digital communication tools, shaping the future of network marketing? And for someone just starting out, what would you say is the most crucial factor to consider when choosing a company to partner with?
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences!
Thanks, Alice.
You have asked some good questions, and I think your questions kind of fit together.
To answer your first question, “How do you see the role of technology, like AI and digital communication tools, shaping the future of network marketing?” I would say, with large numbers of people participating in a network marketing company, even around the globe, I see AI and digital communication tools helping to make communication much quicker and much broader in scope, which would be very necessary. For example, if there is a webinar coming up, AI could get an announcement, as well as reminders, out to millions of people. Another example would be in answering questions—AI could help in a chat context to answer questions at a certain level before possibly referring them to a real person. In both of these examples, AI would greatly help in bringing people together and in being available at all hours to help them.
To answer your second question, “What would you say is the most crucial factor to consider when choosing a company to partner with?” I would say the integrity, authenticity, hard work, and caring of the people—your enroller as well as the company leadership. In a company that’s growing fast, it’s not always possible to know this right away. But the more you can find out about the people, the better.
So the two questions fit together, because we need both AI/digital communication tools and the human/personal part of it. To do their best, a network marketing company should keep up with technology and advances in communication as much as possible while at the same time keeping the personal aspects that have been so important for decades.
Save Club sounds very interesting. Something I can do, shop and save money and show others how to do the same thing! I have book marked this post and plan on doing a little research. Then I will come back and sign up under you. It’s a win win if we can make back the monthly fee. Sounds great!
Thanks, Leahrae! I just saw that you signed up! If you have any questions at all, please email me. (You can see my email when you click on “My Enroller.”) And I will be in touch with you as well!