Friday, December 9, 2011

My Product Conversion

So last summer my Boss Travis was hired to go photograph this convention for a company called Melaleuca. I had heard of it because it is based out of Idaho falls and they have a store and call center here in Rexburg, but I never really knew what it was. I heard they sold stuff like soap and you had to call in your order. Anyway, so Travis goes to this convention and comes back telling us that the company sells tons of different products like make up, detergent, vitamins, and everything in between and what happens is you sign up to be a preferred customer and then you purchase 35 points worth of product (which is about $55 worth) every month. Then if you get your friends to join you get a small percentage of what they spend, so the goal is to get a bunch of friends to join and you could make a profit. People apparently make tons of money doing this and there are stories of people who have become millionaires, payed off their mortgage, or simple had a few extra thousand bucks coming in each month. That's all I knew about the company, and I wasn't about to get involved in a multi level marketing business so I didn't seek any more information.

I quit my job and then went back a month later to get my family pictures taken and Travis tells me that he is now a Melaleuca preferred customer and he thinks Nate and I should sign up too. I laughed and rolled my eyes because I told him before I didn't want to get into that sort of thing. Then he told me he'd take Nate and I out to lunch and tell me all about the company, so we agreed (just because we wanted a free lunch).

The next day we go to lunch and he starts telling us about the company. They are a large, international company dedicated to superior products. They are all about using natural ingredients so none of their cleaning supplies are toxic or harmful, and work even better than the stuff you get at Walmart. They are a truly "green" company back when green was just a color. They provide products that I am already purchasing and most of it is at a lower price, or it's comparable and much better quality. Because it's things I am already purchasing, there's no risk in signing up, because I'm going to be spending money on those same types of products whether I shop there or somewhere else. My one hang up was that I was worried that Nate and I wouldn't be able to purchase 35 points worth of stuff each month, or that we normally wouldn't actually spend $55 a month other places so we'd end up spending more than normal just to fill our quota. Since you don't sign a contract when you sign up to be a preferred customer and you can simple cancel your membership without any fees at any time, we decided we'd try it for a few months and see if we liked it. Everyone kept telling us how amazing the products were and how once we used them, we'd never go back. I was skeptical but willing to give it a shot, especially since it was no risk.

The first month I got cleaning supplies, baby soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner. They sell their cleaning supplies in a condensed form, so you just add water. They do this so that they don't waste your money shipping water and each bottle they send you makes 6 bottles of cleaner. I was worried that a "natural" cleaner wouldn't do as good as one with good ol' toxic chemicals and I was surprised with not only how great they worked, but how awesome they smelled! You know how when you clean your bathroom it gets hard to breathe if you don't have good airflow to the room? That doesn't happen with this stuff. It's really quite delightful. Also, (and please don't think less of me) I hadn't cleaned my shower in over a month (you try to clean a shower when you're almost due or just had a baby!) so I had a very dirty shower to test the product on and it left it spick and span. The toothpaste was also great (although I'm not really picky about toothpaste) and I decided to return the shampoo and conditioner in exchange for their fancier shampoo and conditioner (they'll let you return or exchange anything, even if it's half used).

The next month I got mineral foundation (AMAZING!!!! My skin never looked so good), I exchanged the shampoo and conditioner to the fancy kind. I got 3 bars of soap (that apparently last 4x longer than your average soap, so we'll be putting that to the test), salon hair spray, and some hair creme. I also got 2 free products that everyone gets when they sign up. I picked lotion and sports drink packets. I have just started using these things and so far I am loving them! At first I didn't think I'd be impressed with their products, but I truly am their new biggest fan. I love looking through their catalog and thinking about what else I need to get and looking forward to putting each product to the test. I haven't spent any more money than I normally would each month, and they have so many products that I am confident that I'll be a permanent customer.

Things I am looking forward to buying: Laundry detergent, facial treatment, more make up (all of their make up is top notch), first aid kit, cologne (smells freakin' amazing!), pre natal vitamins, protein shakes, hand soap, deodorant, sun screen, just to name some. They also have lots of vitamins, cold allergy & sinus medicine, candles & air fresheners, cereal, cookies, crackers, gum, creams & lotions, dental care, dishwashing aids, drinks and shakes, foot care, pet care, skin therapy, shaving stuff, nutrition bars, and more.

Anyways, I guess my point is is that I think everyone could benefit from being a Melaleuca preferred customer. It's no risk and I think you should try it out. Just e-mail me (mowerphoto@gmail.com) if you want more information and I'd be happy to tell you more about it. It's not just great for big families (that was Nate and my first worry, but we found that they provide things that we are already buying every month). So no pressure, if you like using expensive, toxic products then more power to you :) But if you'd like to switch stores, then let me know

Check them out www.melaleuca.com