On Promos and Promises.

Networking is “Big Business”

 

“Do you know where the office of UNO is?”, one stranger asked me when I was on a mall in Quezon City. I was quite rushing for the rest room at that time when he blocked my way. “It was across POEA.”, I answered without looking at him. “Do you know anything about UNO?” Quite irritated, I said “It’s a network marketing!” I walked faster and rebuffed what he has got to say next. “Oh come on, another failed marketing strategy”, I said to myself.

Networking is now a big trend on Filipinos’ livelihood. At first, only beauty products are being sold through this kind of business. But now, as the world changes, their strategy has also taken innovation. Companies tend to offer bigger promos and promises for people to easily believe the brighter future that they are proposing. Well, I’m not generalizing. It’s just that many small-time schemes have been doing all their not-so-legal efforts for their business to be known.

Unlimited Network of Opportunities International Corporation more popular as UNO, is engaged in the distribution of health products and other services. It is known for offering “greater opportunities” to a member who recruits more. UNO is just one of the many network marketing companies that are rapidly arising that present lifetime stability for its members. Avon, Fern C and Living Power Corporation are other few examples of this type of business. I knew it because my mom is a member of the latter three.

All of them promise a better future. Since I was seven years old, Mama is a member of Avon. She always brings me with her whenever there are parties and special occasions conducted by the company. It has been almost twelve long years now. And now that I’m a grown up, I frequently (and jokingly) ask her “Why aren’t we yet so rich, Ma?”.

All of them promise a better future. I’m not saying that we are finding it hard to live by our daily financial life. In fact, we are really living a better life now than before. But the thing is, it is because Papa, Mama and Kuya are really striving hard to make our life more comfortable. I can say that only 5-10% of our family income comes from my mother’s three businesses. It’s a help though. And we are on to supporting her because she really love merchandising and marketing.

All of them promise a better future. But only few will get things to reality. And it doesn’t actually depend on the company itself. We do make our own decisions and take our chosen paths. We live to strategize and try things out. We have the right to make our own future a brighter one.