We live in a dynamic new world of Internet marketing today. For those of us who are Baby Boomers, we have personal experience of our Industry’s founding fathers. Remember when…?
“Ding Dong, AVON Calling”- Do you remember that little jingle, and did you know Avon was founded in 1887 as a perfume line, and in 1997 their sales topped $5 Billion dollars with over 2.6 Million representatives and continues to providing quality products, self-fulfillment and a home business for individuals globally? How about this one?
“You Can Do It” Those words embody the very spirit of Mary Kay Ash and the Company “Mary Kay Cosmetics” that she founded in 1963 with just $5,000 in savings. Now with more than 1.8 million Independent Beauty Consultant’s throughout the world, Mary Kay products reached $2.6 Billion in Sales in 2008. Not bad for a home business.
AMWAY’S -Fundamental principals are; Freedom, Family, Hope, and Reward. A 50 year history extending 5 decades of success, with 13,000 employees and more than 3 million Independent Business Owners. In 2004, 60% of gross sales were attributed to health and beauty products and in 2008 AMWAY sales exceeded over $8.2 Billion world-wide.
“A Better Tomorrow” was the SHAKLEE Corporations’ slogan for over 50 years. Leading the way since 1956 with Natural Health Products, and a sustainable home business practice. In 2007 SHAKLEE’S was worth over $146.7 Million and still one of the leading vitamin and supplement producers in the industry.
” Knock Knock” It’s your FULLER BRUSH MAN! The Name Family’s Have Trusted Since 1906. Founded by a 21 year old entrepreneur from Nova Scotia, Alfred C. Fuller started out with a fiber suitcase, filled with home made brushes. Now more than 2,000 items are manufactured on his bustling twelve-acre 5,000 Sq. Ft plant. Today “Fuller” remains the mayor employer in Barton County, Kansas.
” Let’s Have a Tupperware Party”- TUPPERWARE was founded by Earl Silas Tupper in 1946. He developed a plastic container that lady’s lavish. For over 60 years Tupperware has created a life long home business connection between people across the globe from the USA to Germany, and France, followed by Mexico and Australia. Tupperware is still producing billions of Tupperware products out of their Corporate Headquarter facility in Orlando, Florida.
How did all these Companies become so huge and successful with such staying power, making so many millionaires and having billions in sales, with no modern day technology? What was their secret back then and how do they still compete and prosper in this fast paced ever changing world?
The answer is simple ” People Working with People”. The money that normally was paid for overhead, rent, insurance and so forth was kept in the hands of the people performing the work. Back then it was door to door, home parties, and yes; family and friends. It worked back then and the same concept is continues working even today. For some us however we simply don’t have the time, for the old conventional ways and we don’t need to, with just a click of a mouse, a computer and Internet access you have more than just family and friends to help you build a successful home business.You literally have the world at your finger tips.
Just think of where Earl Tupper or Alfred Fuller would be back then. What if they had Face book, Twitter, and My Space? What if they had their own Blog and could downloaded a videos on YouTube or a Google Advertising account or maybe LinkedIn? What would they think now of webinars, chat, and the soon to be a dinosaur email? I can assure you that if they had the Internet as a tool back then they would have been the Granddaddy of Internet Marketing.
The reason why these companies were so successful was the fact that they had a good product, and people wanted to share the good news and a valuable product. Isn’t that what all the marketing Guru’s are talking about today with Web 2.0 and now expanding to B2B? No one trusts advertising anymore, It’s a “people to people” business today, just like it has been since the beginning of time. The only difference is the label they place on this endeavor: Direct Sales, Network Marketing or Internet Marketing.
No matter what they call it, never before in the history of this Industry has there been a better opportunity to create more millionaires than today even in this economic climate with Internet marketing. In the past century these founding entrepreneurs believed that this business model was ideal for all people; man or woman, regardless of race, color or creed, young or old. You can fulfill your dreams, find success and wealth and have fun doing it. You’re only limited by your own efforts. And it still holds true today.
In today’s world according to Forbes Magazine 79 million people plan to start their own home businesses in the next 3 to 5 years and the majority will do it through Internet Marketing, Network Marketing or Direct Sales Industry. There are over 1.4 million people searching the web daily for a home business.
Today Internet marketing is very sophisticated we promote through “Self Branding”, we incorporate “SEO” into our landing pages, we use “split testing” to determine our effectiveness and incorporate the “V-1” variable to gain relevance with our targeted customer. In addition, Blogging, tweets, Facebook and videos play an important role in web 2.0 exposure.
Education is the key ingredient for all Internet Marketing, in a world where the only thing constant is change. Going door-to-door in cyberspace is a difficult task unless you have the best Internet Marketing System on the planet.
For all you who have blazed a trail for us and this Industry, we are eternally grateful.