Why me...

As Watkins Independent Associates and members of The Summit Group we have access to an exclusive weekly conference call. This past Thursday the call dealt with “Why I Joined Watkins” and it made me think a bit.

According to The Summit Group web site (article 100310) the three main reasons people join Watkins are…

• To get high-quality Watkins products for yourself at a significant discount.
• To earn extra money by sharing catalogues or retailing products to friends, relatives, and coworkers.
• To build a large organization that provides the total time, flexibility and financial freedom enjoyed by successful Watkins leaders.

So, why did I join…?

First of all I remembered the Watkins Man coming around to my grandmother’s house when I was just barely old enough to climb on a chair and look out a window. He, along with the Fuller-Brush Man and the Raleigh Man were regulars along with others such as the chimney-sweeps and occasionally the Electrolux man. My grandmother always tried to buy from the Watkins Man as she said he had “the best” and looked forward to his visits especially when she was running low on vanilla or some other spice. Being a great cook she went through a lot of these things and I wish we had bugged her to write down more of her recipes for us. She was an old time "a bit of this and a dash of that and maybe some of those" types who, just like her mother before her kept it all in her head and not in a book on the shelf. I also remember when my grandfather had an accident down at the local Union Screen Plate factory and broke a rib or two. Guess what they would rub on to make his aches feel better? Yup, Watkins Red Liniment. Anyway, that was reason one.

Another was that yes, I’m looking to earn some extra money as both Gloria and I are hoping to retire in the next 2 or 3 years and I suppose like most we’re wondering if the reduced pension cheques will be enough to get us by into our old age. A little extra income wouldn’t hurt right?

The third reason sort of intrigued me but since at that time I didn’t understand much about it there wasn’t a solid reason for buying in. Network marketing was a hope, but not a reason. Now that we have been in for over a year I can really see the value in the creation of a personal downline but especially in helping the downline create a downline. There is a LOT of money to be made in this side of the business, not to mention the free travel and other perks. No, for anyone thinking the word out there, this is NOT a pyramid scheme and any bonus payments we receive have to be earned and comes directly from the Watkins advertising budget and not from any individual. Every single Independent Associate out there keeps every single dollar they earn and none of it is held back to line the pockets of anyone above them in the group.

This brings me to a question for you…

Why would YOU become one of our associates? If you are just interested in getting award winning products for yourself at a discount, wonderful! If you want to make a little bit of money on the side, great! If you are interested in earning a great full time income for putting in a few part time hours that you decide on yourself, fantastic!

If any of this interests you and there is anything I can do to help you reach any of your goals please let me know. I don’t have all the answers but I know where to get most of them so feel free to get in touch if anything is bothering or puzzling you and we’ll try to work it out.

In the meantime I’m really getting a kick out of being The Watkins Man! How about you?