Jan 17, 2007

The definition of Insanity...

Years ago, someone told me, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". That is one of the truisms of life. How often do we repeatedly do something only to fail each time? Each of us have that "thing" we do that crosses the line into insanity.

So, a new direct sales company is on the horizon. Word is that it's being started by the former COO of Leaving Prints. Interestingly, I hadn't heard a word about it UNTIL Leaving Prints founder, Bobby Lawrence, sent out an email to former LP consultants today. It's odd that the announcement of one followed on the heels of the death of the other... Conspiracy of sorts? Perhaps...

Oh, the DRAMA! This smacks totally of the death of Scrap In A Snap and the rise of the now defunct Leaving Prints. So, how many SIAS consultants moved into the ground floor of Leaving Prints only to have their ground floor crumble under them? Now, how many Leaving Prints consultants will run to this OTHER company to stake their claim in the "ground floor opportunity" only to have the floor possibly crumble again in the future?? I bet there are too many to count...

Now, this "ground floor opportunity" comes at a steep price - $198. And, the kicker here is that they expect you to sign up without EVER seeing their products. THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! CERTIFIABLE INSANITY!!!!!

What in the WORLD would make someone fork over $200 to a company with products you don't even know if you'll like? Hey, wanna sign up for my kit club, too? I'll tell you later what you're getting each month. Just sign up and don't worry about it, okay???

The company is due to launch around April 1, 2007. As has been proven time and time again from past history (and, to quote my friend, Dr. Phil - the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior), I predict that things will start going sour around the 4th quarter of 2008 - 18 months out. History shows that after 18 months, the honeymoon period starts to end as does the start up cash. Cash-flow becomes tight and things start getting "funky" (policy changes, shipping changes, catalog changes, etc). They may not admit that things aren't going well, but stuff will start happening that should put up yellow flags in consultants' minds.

Anyway, be smart about leaping before you look. Getting in on a "ground floor opportunity" isn't neccessarily a sweet deal. Just ask the ladies who were at the top of the heap at SIAS and LP. They are owed a lot of $$ that they will never see. Wait and see if always the best approach.

1 comment:

Kim said...

I received an email about this yesterday. I was with LP till the bitter end. My email stated that the price for "charter" consultants which is the first 500 was $198 sight unseen of course. I just hope people tread lightly..I know most of my former collegues and friends have already signed up with well established companies.
KIM