You Want HOW Much Money?

     Ever wondered what it costs to get started  on the Team these days? Well wonder no more! I've got the complete break down for you.....and it's not pretty!

Option #1
Monavie registration - $39
One case of product (4 bottles of juice)  - $125-$146 (let's say $125)
TL155 "Drink it, Feel it, Share it" (brochure pack)  $20
Team Website subscription (Free 1st month) *
Total = $184 plus tax & shipping

Option # 2
Monavie registration - $39
"Leadership" product bundle (6 bottles of juice and case of energy drinks) - $280

TL155 "Drink it, Feel it, Share it" (brochure pack) - $20

Team Website subscription (Free 1st month) *

Total = $339 plus tax & shipping

* After the first month it's $19.95 per month or $60 every 4 months

Then..... we have the "System" which people are encouraged to "Get Started" with right away! I mean... really, you wouldn't get started in McDonald's and not use their system would you? Let's take a look at what that'll cost you.

Before you see what options await you, understand that CD's are valued at $6 a piece, and books are estimated at $15 each, however this is subject to change depending on the book. 

"Basic" Package

8 CD's per month = $48

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $82.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)**

"Power Player" Package

12 CD's per month = $72

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $106.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)

"Leadership" Package

16 CD's per month = $96

1 Book of the month = $15

Team Website per month = $19.95

Total = $130.95 Per Month (plus tax & shipping)

** Items are shipped every two weeks so they get you on the shipping charge twice!

Now....you can "Add On" some additional items that I'm sure will explode your "Business" further:

- A Standing Order Seminar Ticket - $25 each (add two if your married)

- A DVD of the Month - $10

- A Leadership Book of the Month - $ 15 (Estimated again)

- All Grace Outreach Pack (Christian Faith teachings, One CD & Book a month) - $21

- A Major Leadership Ticket (Every 4 Months, add two if your married) - $90

Did I miss anything? So for those keeping track at home....if you are a "Leader" and "All In" on this thing. You'll get everything you can....like I did for 6 years! Here was the bottom line for me:

"Leadership" Package = $130.95

Two Standing order tickets - $50

DVD of the month - $10

Leadership Book of the Month - $15

All Grace Outreach Pack - $21

Website Per Month - $19.95

Two Cases of Purple Juice - $250 (approx after shipping)

Total - $496.90 (plus tax & shipping)

That's $500 at least....every month! Plus $180 every fourth month for a Major Leadership! This is not including my gas, food, extra CD's for handing out to prospects, the weekly $5 fee for open meetings (add another $5 to that if your married), and last but not least.....what is YOUR TIME worth? I could rant on, and on here....but I'll let the numbers speak for themselves. These numbers are accurate according to the Team website as of April 25th 2011. I would recommend if you know anyone being prospected by Team, and they are not being told the facts.....refer them to this post! The facts are here for all to see.....and it's not pretty! 

Don't Eat The Lotus Flower!

     One of the great things that I get to do now that I'm not "running the roads" every night, is spend time with my children and watch movies. Most recently we watched the movie Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief. Good family movie, however there was one scene that gave me MLM flashbacks!

     It was the scene where the kids all enter a building that looked like a night club or casino. As soon as they arrived, the girls working there started coming by and offering food on a tray. The food was called Lotus Flowers, and they were said to be delicious! The three young heros in the movie ate some of these flowers, and everything changed! They forgot about the situation they were in, and started living for the moment. Time was flying by....minutes turned into days. Then one of the young heros decided to not eat anymore of the flowers. He became aware of his surroundings, saw that this place he was in was not designed for fun and good times....it was a prison! The flowers they ate, clouded their judgement....and kept them from ever leaving. The best part was when he started to become aware of what was happening,  more and more girls started showing up with trays of these Lotus Flowers, trying to convince him to eat them again. Come on....just one more......

     I couldn't help but see the similarities with the Team/Monavie "Business". The entire time you are "in" Team, they push the CD's, books, and meetings on you. Try them.....you'll like them....just listen to one. That's how it starts. Then before you know it, your on "System". Getting CD's and books delivered to you every couple of weeks. You listen more, and more, attending meeting after meeting, never able to get enough. You start to lose track of time. Weeks become months, months become years.... and then one day...you don't listen to as many CD's. You (heaven forbid) miss a meeting. You start to wake up! That's when the Team "Leaders" start to get worried. They start to hover.... CD's in hand! "Your not listening enough" as they hand you another stack of CD's. "The answers are in here"... "we really miss you at the meetings"....but it's too late.....your becoming aware of your surroundings. Your starting to think on your own again...... what am I doing? How long have I been at this? I've waisted how much money? Your starting to see that true freedom begins......when you leave Team!

     I've read a lot of posts on the internet recently from people looking for answers. How can I help my friend, relative, co-worker, spouse, get out of Team/Monavie. The answers are not simple, but there is one thing for certain........they have to stop eating the Lotus Flowers.

The World's Largest Bathroom Wall

     When I was still building Team/Amway/Monavie, one of the things I could count on was prospects "doing their research" on-line before they saw me at the follow through appointment. It's funny because when I first got started, it wasn't as much of a "problem" for me as it was near the end of my involvement. In response to this, Team leaders started helping us come up with ways to deal with "the internet problem" at follow through meetings. Clearly..... ignoring what was happening on-line was not going to help me this time! That's what I was told at first. "Ignore it", "They are just being negative", "The internet is the world's largest bathroom wall", "These critics are hired by other companies to put negative out there because we're growing too fast" (That was my favourite by the way!).

     So here are some of the things that I used to say to prospects at the follow through to combat Internet research. See if you've heard any of these!

     "You don't know who wrote that....or what their motivation was for writing it". True a lot of times. You don't know who the Punisher is....but my motivation is pretty clear! I spent a lot of wasted years building Team, and if I can help one person make the decision to not get involved...it will be time well spent on this blog.

     "Is that person on the internet going to help you like I am? I have a vested interest in you making money". Well if the question is, will the Punisher come to your house, sit at your kitchen table, and try to sign you up first night to hundreds of dollars worth of product and "System"....then the answer is NO. Obviously! What the Punisher will do however, is asking nothing of you other than your time to read this blog, and others just like it before you "invest" years of your life and thousands of dollars, chasing a finish line that never gets closer! By the way....if you join the Team or not....it doesn't affect my life or pocket book one bit....ask the guy who's getting you started if it's the same for him!

     "Anybody can write anything they want on-line, how do you know what they say is true?". Yep...another great point. That's also the greatest thing about the internet and the "Information Age" isn't it? An average guy like me, can get vital information out to the masses, where they can take the sum of all the information gathered and make an informed decision. The Team hates this! They want to "lead" you into the Team and their "System". Want proof? Ok...ask the guy that's trying to get you signed up, what the next step is? I'll bet you it's "come to the next open meeting / seminar". Guess what happens if you DO sign up....."come to the next open meeting / seminar"! Ask this question and then tell me I'm wrong!

     So you see dear reader.....the internet is really the world's largest bathroom wall! We can write whatever we want! Don't tell me you've never read the bathroom wall in real life....that's where the saying came from! I mean....what else are you going to do while sitting there right? The difference is what is being written on the wall? Does it make sense? Does it apply to you? Can you evaluate the information on the wall? I pray you'll do your research.....and not take years to come to the same conclusion that I did.