No, I am not talking about Arbonne selling cute little dogs. This is a sales methodology that Arbonne uses to sell products. All Arbonne consultants are familiar with the term . This term sounds cute & harmless although it is a major recruiting tool for new consultants to invest BIG BUCKS in starting there new business.
In previous posts, I have warned women that are considering starting Arbonne business that it is smoke & mirrors…buyer beware. If you have a great product and a good opportunity then why use deception to recruit? Lay it on the line right up front.
Back to puppies…Have you or your child every brought a lost puppy home? Darling & Adorable with no tags? You fantasize that your mother/father would say “WONDERFUL! Let’s keep her”. Actually sounds harmless until you realize all that is involved not to mention the financial obligation for many years. This is exactly the selling technique that Arbonne uses to sell product.
- I will deliver the products to your door witha SMILE on my face
- FREE OF CHARGE!
- You may use them for one week
- I will stay in touch to ensure you love them
- YOU PAY UP AT THE END OF THE WEEK
- Or GOD FORBID you return the products to me Very Simple! The more puppies (products) I have in warm homes the better my chances that they will have permanant home. Interesting concept and it does work.My personal feeling is that once again Arbonne is participating in unethical business practices. Sell your products in a legitimate upfront fashion. Recruit women and train them to sell products. You will retain a very happy customer/consultant base.
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS KING
My SeneGence Skincare is purchased when I present it to a customer. They actually hand me the money. Novel thought? My customers have the option to return the products if for any reason they are un-happy.
NO PUPPY ACTION HERE!
How is giving the consumer a chance to try the product first and decide whether they like it or not deceitful? Most Arbonne consultants give the prospect a “tester” and return a week later. If the prospect likes the product they order a brand new set for the client. Again, how is that deceptive?
The problem with your criticism is that it is misleading. Letting someone try the Arbonne products in their home is a great way for them to really see if they like them or not, as opposed to trying them for 15 minutes at a party and making a decision. This is not the only way to do the business and everyone has a choice. There may be Biz Builders who are encouraging new consultants to spend lots of money but that is not coming from Arbonne. Arbonne also has a 45 day money back guarantee so that you can have a sufficient time to see if the products work for you.
You are exactly correct in saying that it is not bad for the customer.
It can however be a financial disaster for a distributor. “Testers” in most cases are not FREE products. The consultant actually purchases the products to use as a “puppy” to generate sales. My customer that was an Arbonne Consultant in the past went through 8 puppies for 2 sales. That’s ridiculous and she was deceived by her up-line who preached the goodness of a financial wreck of a business model. The only Happy one in the crowd is her up-line that made money off of the consultants order.
Kathleen…Why is it the all Arbonne consultants I come across preach the puppy method? and how will you every make money without a bunch of puppies? Ugh…as to the greedy upline. Please understand that the deception begins in the recruiting process. I feel that in order to have good recruits, You must teach them how to run a profitable business. This cannot be achieved by having puppies out all over town. My post is sincerely not about customers. As I said before…Customer Service is King and I have customers that I have accepted returned product from 6 months after the sale. No Problem… because SeneGence guarantees my product purchases and will return to me a brand new product replacement. This process ends with a completely satisfied customer and a financially sound distributor. Additionally, I will also accept installment payments from my customers provided I have a credit card on file.
I don’t know why. That is not what my upline teaches. You are encouraged to do the business the way it works for you, whether that is with parties or doing it with demo kits or sample packets. Some people hate parties and wouldn’t do the business if that’s what it took and then you have men who aren’t going to do parties. Arbonne is a 27 year old company and they built it on inhome presentations and handing out sample packets. I personally use all those methods. People love trying the product in their home and it is easier than a sample packet.
Instead of bad-mouthing the company, you should be telling people to be careful who they sign up with, investigate the company and ask questions and realize that any business is going to take some upfront money and you need to decide how much you can spend without keeping you up at night. Your harsh criticism only makes you look bad, it doesn’t make me want to find out about your company.
I feel the same way about politicians-if all they ever do is badmouth the competition I’m not interested in hearing what they have to say. Arbonne is very clear on not talking about other companies.
Kathleen…You obviously have a wonderful upline. Count yourself as blessed! Nice thought that everyone would complete a Thorough due Dillegence before signing up.
Do not misinterpret!what I am addressing in the post. This is not about your products. This is about a situation that has affected several of my clients. MY OPINION is that the puppy method is not sound. When any issue is in my face, I will take a stance for what I believe is right. It’s called backbone.
You know the great aspect of a blog is that it is my own point of view. Do you have one? In my world, where I have 3 business partners, 1 husband, 4 children and 2 dogs, this is a wonderful place to vent my feelings.
As for you not being interested in my products…That’s OK! I know that you are happy with yours.
SeneGence is not for everyone! Only women that expect to look there best all day, every day.
PS. I went to a FABULOUSLY FUN party/demo that a man presented the products…cosmetics.
Kathleen- I don’t understand how someone talking about a selling point that they don’t agree with is bashing or criticising? Can you explain possibley? Also, you are obviously interested in what Carol has to say by leaving a comment on her blog and replying to her comments regarding your post. So for you to say…
“I feel the same way about politicians-if all they ever do is badmouth the competition I’m not interested in hearing what they have to say. Arbonne is very clear on not talking about other companies.”
I think your running around in circles and trying to be argumentative! Thats all..
I don’t understand how being able to take home a product and try it at home for a period of time is misleading or unethical. I just spent 4 days trying Arbonne products at home. Before even taking them home I told my friend that I would absolutely not buy them unless I loved them. She was 100% supportive of that and didn’t badger me. She showed me the retail prices right from the get-go and left me to make my own decision. I’ve just now given the kit back to her and told her I loved them. I will probably be buying some stuff from her and I don’t feel that I was in any way misled. I have never returned any cosmetics to a store – but not because I loved them. Who saves receipts for 6 months? I find it refreshing that I was allowed to take samples home and decide before making a purchase.
Lena,
Please understand that it is just a tactical way of selling that is a true advantage for the customer but not at all for the consultant. Conducting your Arbonne or in my case SeneGence business in that manor on a large scale would be very costly for the consultant. It will in fact benefit the Company in a HUGE way because they will have product out all over the place that will generate a great deal of income for them whether you choose to purchase it or not.
When I was with Max Factor, Revlon, and Givenchy returns were a necessary evil and I took many every month. You can return cosmetics in many stores with or without a receipt. Yes…6 months later it will be an issue.
I am happy to let any prospect/customer try any product I sell with a full satisfaction Money Back guarantee!
Do you understand the difference?