Some 15-odd years ago I got sucked into the American dream… no not the American dream you’re thinking of, but that very American idea of Network Marketing and the dream that it will reward recruits with enormous wealth (and, in this case, excellent health).

Well the various tablets didn’t cure my father’s cancer, give me boundless energy or improve the strength of my family’s nails and the shampoo and conditioner left our hair in knots – and when you consider it’s 21.30 and I’m still hard at work, it’s clear that I didn’t end up with enormously wealthy either, so all-in-all I reckon I was sold a bit of a bum steer (am I allowed to say that? Oh well...).

The only thing I can say I took away with me was the resolve never to do it again and the mantra that we are more likely to buy from people that we know, like and trust -which had been drummed into me from the beginning to encourage me to sell to my family, friends and neighbours.

I’m not in the type of business that needs a machine which wraps toilet rolls in plastic, but if I were, I know where I’d go for one! I’ve just had the pleasure of dealing with two employees from the US-based Paper Converting Machine Company, and their prompt and cheerful turnaround of my request for some words and an image in a format I could easily use for Cleanzine (the other e-zine John and I produce), left me with a smile on my face and the thought that if the rest of the staff are as friendly and efficient as they are, the products must be exceptional. Although I don’t know them that well, I like and trust them already and they reminded me that however good the product may be, without the right people on board there will always be something missing and customers may find somewhere else to spend their money…

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Yours,

Jan Hobbs