Multi-Level Marketing. The only people who love this system are the people on top. It's an unfortunate fact of life that when you are an "Independent Sales Consultant" your credibility drops. Nothing you say matters. Your product is a sham. You might as well be a dirty used car salesman (complete with diabolical laughter) trying to close the deal because as soon as they drive that lemon off the yard, it's their problem.
My heart bleeds a little when I think about MLM. I am not trying to recruit people. I also don't care enough about making money to fuel a successful sales career. At heart, I love the trades. I feel great charging people for something that I created! Maybe because people have proven to me that they will pay for my creations and I know it's worth the investment for the sake of quality.
Quality. This is where the shift has to take place. I know that quality is important. I want products that will last. Norwex isn't phone cards, weight loss, or cheap crap from a catalogue. I have never heard of another company giving a 2 year warranty on a cleaning cloth. I love warranties because that means that the company believes in it's own product enough to back it up. Not just a 30 day money back guarantee. 2 years. If my cleaning cloth falls apart in a year and a half, I get a new one for free? That I like.
I also enjoy feeling like I'm trying to contribute something to our planet. Oh, and there's the health of my children. I like to sit around and think about how much better our quality of life would be if the FDA kept toxins off the ingredient lists of our daily consumables. But since no one is prepared to overhaul the whole system, we need to be made aware of what we use. Avoiding the "dirty dozen" is challenging enough. Try to find better cleaning supplies in Wal-Mart. It's hard to stand there with 2 kids for 45 minutes and read every product label. There are no standards for "green", "eco-friendly", "natural", or any other new terms that sound health conscious. It is so confusing, I'm sure many people have given up right there in Isle 9.
This is where I remember that I don't have to read labels anymore. I don't have to memorize the list of the 12 chemicals to avoid. I have a cloth that kills just as much bacteria as those other products. I have laundry detergent and dish soap with NO fillers. I have also learned not to use blind trust, but to look deeper into what we use. Look at the first ingredient in your cleaner. It's water. Always water. Ingredients are listed in order of most to least. 95% of your product is in the first 3 ingredients. Why are we paying so much for water?
Okay, so that was a bit of a tangent. Back on track now... Quality. I am not paying for water. I am paying for quality. I can make no apologies for the fact that the founders of Norwex (I have met one of them - actually a very neat lady) have chosen to use MLM as a business model. I can only promise not to pedal cheap crap. This is why I am testing the products for myself. I am doing my own research as to how well Norwex works. I am very impressed at what I have already used, and will continue to test the limits (I am currently working on an old spaghetti stain).
I am not a Pyramid Scheme. I am one person cleaning my own house, clothes, and kids. Searching to find a better solution to our chemical exposure. I pay for quality, do you?
Getting closer. I'll probably convert when I see how much money I'll save over the long term, but that has to account for cloth replacements, etc. You're tugging at my heart though, Kim!
ReplyDeleteIf you take care of your cloths well (using detergent without fillers, not putting them in the laundry with high lint fabrics, no fabric softener or dryer sheets) then your cloths will last anywhere from 7-9 years. I have met people who have been using their same cloths for longer. Because the silver is embedded in the threads and not just a coating on the top, it won't lose it's ability to kill bacteria over time.
ReplyDeleteAlso you can take into account, using less paper towel, not buying cleaners and not buying makeup remover. ;)
I don't advocate that you can't use soap (because there are safe soaps on the market) but I know from experience that you can get your skin clean without it.