THE POWER OF RESIDUAL INCOME Have you ever fantasized about writing a hit record or a best-selling book then spending the rest of your life collecting fat royalty checks? Unfortunately, for 99.9% of us, that's a fantasy that will never come true. Network marketing has something just as good as royalties. It's called "residual income," and basically means that for the work you do today, you can earn money today, AND for many years to come. Top corporate executives and time clock punchers alike are leaving the nine to five routine in record numbers. Home based business is being called one of the few hot spots in today's business climate. Despite allegations that multi-level marketing is nothing more than a lot of hype and deception, multi- level sales are expected to exceed 100 billion dollars this decade. If multi-level marketing is so questionable, why are thousands of men and women from all walks of life turning to network marketing as a part-time or full-time job? And why is Minneapolis businessman Irwin L. Jacobs at the vanguard of this business explosion? Irwin says almost everyone dreams of owning his or her own business, but obstacles like lack of start-up capital, high inventory costs or inexperience are keeping most people mired in jobs they don't like. Multi-level marketing, he says, offers a way of eliminating those obstacles. Irwin Jacobs is President of Watkins Incorporated, one of the oldest direct marketing businesses in the nation. Of the hundreds of network marketing companies we've reviewed, Watkins stands well above the crowd in all vital areas. Security starts with a good foundation and Watkins has been successfully building theirs for 125 years. That's a track record of rock-solid stability that only a handful of companies in the world can match. The founder, J.R. Watkins, came up with a very innovative idea in the 1870s. He decided to imprint a line into some of the bottles his products came in. Customers could use the product down to this line. If at that time they decided they weren't satisfied with the product, Watkins would provide a courteous refund. It was the first ever money-back guarantee! The ample financial resources of Watkins also gives you security; Watkins is owned and vigorously backed by one of America's wealthiest men, multi- millionaire Irwin Jacobs. Another important issue affecting your long-term security is legal soundness. Once again, Watkins is extremely solid -- proven over decades. With Watkins, the monthly income you build today is truly residual and can continue, and even grow, indefinitely. In fact, the income you create with Watkins can continue beyond your lifetime, because it can also be willed to your children or other loved ones. One important point to consider about residual income. What good is it to create residual income, if the company is not around to collect it from? Again, this is why the proven stability and security that a company like Watkins gives you is so very, very important. If you truly want long-term success and security, you need a stable, proven company with the resources, the integrity, and the experience to continue far into the next century. Watkins definitely delivers in this ultra-vital area. You never have to handle products because Watkins takes care of all product distribution for you. They stock, ship and deliver every order directly to your customers and your networking associates from their 54,000 square-foot shipping facility. The size of that shipping facility gives you an idea of the kind of strength they have to back your efforts. Most network marketing companies have forced monthly sales quotas of $50 to $200 (you buy the required minimum amount of products whether you want them or not). Watkins has no monthly sales quota (frankly they don't need to -- natural high demand for the company's products generates millions of dollars in sales every month). Tupperware is a great product -- but it never wears out. Mary Kay comes closer to being consumable, but it can be used by only half the population. Watkins is unique because it is something which everyone can and must use -- groceries are a major part of the product line, along with vitamins, spices, sauces, aspirin, cough syrup, aloe vera, shampoo, mouthwash, household cleaning products and many, many more. The single most important ingredient of success for a network marketing company is its product line. First, unless you want to severely limit your market base, you'll want to represent a company with products that everybody uses. Fad products or products that offer little chance for repeat business are also extremely restrictive. Again, Watkins scores extremely high in this category with its diverse line of highly-consumable, mass-appeal products. Watkins products are, in general, competitively priced (in fact, many actually provide a money savings), and recent surveys have shown that the average American family already uses over $80 a month of the same products available through Watkins. That's an ENORMOUS market. Today, over 350 different products display the Watkins name. That kind of diversity is extremely rare in a network marketing company and is a big plus. Another big plus and rarer still, Watkins research & development team delivers a minimum of two new products to the market every month -- each accommodating the special needs of today's society like environmental sensitivity and sensible nutritional formulations. As a Watkins marketer, however, clearly the most important aspect of the product line is that it features numerous products that everyone uses and consumes regularly. Hence, every person you meet is a potential lifetime customer. There are many ways to make money with Watkins. Watkins places few restrictions on how you sell the product. A few ways you may want to investigate are: party plan, fund-raisers, selling in offices, and recruiting sales agents. For example, you can combine the last two on that list. Recruit receptionists in large offices. Everybody knows the receptionist and they will naturally share the catalog with everyone in the office. Fundraising is another possibility. You can sign up a church, club, or other group as a Watkins distributor itself, and let them earn commissions on all orders placed by their members. Since Watkins products are things used by families everyday, they can support the organization through their normal purchases. They don't have to buy some special fundraising item during a one-time fundraising drive. Your customers can place their catalog orders directly with Watkins -- and you still receive the commission on all of their purchases. Everyone can build a Watkins business to fit their own needs. You can share the business opportunity with others and build your business to the size you are comfortable with while earning a good override commission on your group's sales. Or you can choose to be a sales force of one, since it is not necessary to sponsor other representatives to make good money with Watkins. But if you don't plan to sponsor anybody else, what tends to happen over time is that other people ask you how they can be representatives too. It is nice to be able to profit from their sales instead of having them become your competitors. Part of the beauty of this company is that the opportunity spans the entire spectrum, from those who simply want to purchase products for their own use at a wholesale price, to those who want to build a multi- million dollar business. The only limits are what you choose to place on yourself. Group health & life insurance, designed especially for entrepreneurs, is available through Watkins membership in the Direct Selling Association, after you've become a representative. Enjoy legal tax deductions, just like the ones taken by large corporations (a home office can be especially tax advantageous, allowing you deductions for gas, electricity, phone, etc.). Every year Watkins offers you the opportunity to earn an exciting all-expense-paid trip as a bonus. For more information on Watkins send $3 with your name, address, & telephone number to Doug Slaton, 15311 E. 15th Ave., #B, Veradale WA 99037. The package you'll receive will contain various brochures, the business plan presentation, the Watkins mainline catalog, a sign-up application, a chicken soup sample, a coupon for a free copy of Watkins' "Reach For Tomorrow" video, and a $1 off coupon for a Watkins order of $10 or more. Doug Slaton is a full-time Watkins marketing director.