are tapes that go over busi-
ness fundamentals, how to
make an invitation to a
meeting, how to follow up,
how to present the business.
There are tapes on how to
sell certain product lines
sometimes called "systems."
And there are tapes that are
plain old motivational,. "you
can do it if I did it" tapes.
Usually, these tapes and
books are not distributed by
the parent companies, in-
stead coming from in-
dividual lines of sponsor-
ships known as "organi-
zations."
One hears the saying,
"where there's soap, there's
hope," quite a bit in these
businesses. And while an-
nual rates of membership
retention hover sometimes
around the 50 percent level
(people do quit these busi-
nesses), it's hard to argue
with the success of Judy
Stillman.
Recently, the Stillman
family experienced a
tragedy when their son,
David, skied off a Swiss
mountain to his death. Even
as Ms. Stillman sat in mour-
ning for her child, she said
her business kept on grow-
ing. More and more people
joined her organization and
sales continued even though
she could not work.
The business, she said, has
helped her through her
darkest times. Her business
associates from all over the
country contacted her and
motivated her to move on
with her life after her son
died.
"Shaklee," she said, "is
different from other com-
panies because it is a com-
pany with values. It cares
about what is happening. It
offers quality. There are not

better products of this kind
anywhere."
Many Shaklee people are
earning six figure incomes
from their distributorships,
Ms. Stillman said.
It's up to the individual's
drive, desire and willingness
to handle rejection.
"When you take the finan-
cial pressure off of people,
you take the stress off of
people," Ms. Stillman said.

"I love this
business. You can
create your own
house, and you
can make very
good money."

"I teach people to have an
unending chain of income.
Also, I know that by working
hard, I see my work
multiply."
Ms. Stillman has learned
Shaklee's lesson well. She's
earned five Shaklee com-
pany cars and trips to

Vienna, Amsterdam,
Australia and Hawaii.
"What I've learned the
most from being in the
Shaklee business is that an
attitude is an important
thing to protect," she said.
"Don't ever let anyone tell
you that you can't achieve
something. You shouldn't
listen to other people unless
you want to be where they
are. This business has given
me a sense of independence,
and a feeling that I'm doing
good."

B

ob and Brenda Pang-
born of Birmingham
would like to be
where Ms. Stillman is finan-
cially. But they are using a
different vehicle to get there.
NuSkin is a popular, 7-year-
old, Utah-based multi-level
marketing business that
works mostly with cosmetics
and other personal care
items.
The NuSkin parent com-
pany recently came under
fire when the Federal Trade
Commission began in-

vestigating it as an illegal
pyramid scheme.
NuSkin isn't alone when it
comes to FTC investigations.
In the early 1970s, the FTC
looked into Amway for il-
legally fixing prices. Amway
also recently settled with
Revenue Canada for mill-
ions of dollars after a long-
time dispute over tariffs.
It is true that multi-level
marketing businesses are
based on pyramiding where
someone is on top and many
people are below him or her.
But what makes all of this
legal is that people who are
sponsored deep into an
organization can pass the
person on top. Also when a
distributor reaches a certain
level of volume in these
businesses, he breaks away
from the sponsors and, in
essence, becomes the top
guy. This differs from an il-
legal pyramid where the
man on top stays there and
gets richer and richer.
Mr. Pangborn is a prin-
cipal percussionist of the
Detroit Symphony Or-

Rena Meyers has
been associated
with Tupperware
as a full-time
manager and a
part-time
distributor.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

25