Gano Excel's Journal of Enriched Living: Official Corporate Blog

"¡Sí, Se Puede...con Gano Excel!": A 5-Part Series

It's been growing steadily, and now a new dawn is about light the sky with thousands of rays of astounding success.

All around the country, more and more Latinos and Latinas are flocking to direct sales. With their entrepreneurial spirit, large networks of friends and family, and unflinching work ethic, Spanish-speaking affiliates are becoming major power players in referral marketing companies.

In a 2008 Miami Herald article on 'the Hispanic advantage' in direct sales, reporter Christina Hoag at writes, "

Peddling everything from rice cookers to rouge, Hispanics have turned into a driving force in the home-based selling industry in recent years." She goes on to quote Louis Barajas, a respected financial planner who has been regularly featured on CBS News and CNN, who says, "Latinos are an ideal group of people for these companies." ("The Hispanic Advantage." Miami Herald 3 Mar. 2008: 46.)

What factors have led to this phenomenal rise in the Hispanic market? According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a group that researches business trends and entrepreneurship, "the Latino rate of entrepreneurship increased from 0.38 percent in 1996 to 0.48 percent in 2004, which was higher than the white, non-Latino rate of 0.39 percent." Their recent Kauffman Index of Entrerepenurial Activity indicates that in this time of economic hardship, Hispanic business owners are essential to building the new small businesses that keep this country -- and the world -- growing.

Michael Barrera of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recently pointed out to CNN's Kate King that, "The Hispanic consumer market here in the U.S. is actually as big or bigger than the GDP [gross domestic product] of Mexico or Canada." He added, "We're the second largest economy in North America."

All the facts add up: There has never been a better time for Spanish-speaking entrepeneurs to enter the dynamic, exciting world of direct sales. Wouldn't you like to secure a portion of this rapidly expanding market for yourself?

Here at Gano Excel, we have seen an astronomical increase in the number of Spanish-speaking affiliates who are set to build their small business through the power of referral marketing and the miracle of Café 2.0.

This week, our corporate blog will feature content exclusively dedicated to showing the amazing growth in our Spanish-speaking market. This five-part series will include interviews with our leading Latino/a affiliates, links to articles about Latino/a entrepreneurship, and special video testimonials from some of our South American compadres.

Gano Excel is excited by the awesome momentum of our company; we're on the rise, and our Spanish-speaking affiliates are one of the top reasons for that! Whether it's our bustling network of affiliates in South America, or our strong and ambitious group of Spanish-speaking affiliates in the Los Angeles Area, one thing is clear: "¡Sí, Se Puede...con Gano Excel!"

(Click below to read this entry in Spanish)

AMP Up Your Success Story: The Key to Sharing Effectively

We've all heard the classic catchphrase, "Just the facts, m'am," right? It's good advice in most situations, but if you apply it to your small business, you're in big trouble! In our industry, it's FACTS TELL, STORIES SELL! When you're sharing an exciting product and opportunity with people, stories matters. People naturally want to know what the product and opportunity have done for you, because that gives them a clear picture of what it will do for them. Complicated science jargon and detailed explanations of compensation plans are important, but only after people have a concrete image of why social marketing works!

In Your First Year in Network Marketing, Mark and Rene Reid Yarnell tell us that "hearing a very personal story...makes other people relate to you as a real person" (pg. 235). They go on, "it is the emotional, passionate, personal side of this business that creates its deeply human appeal" (pg. 235). Telling stories is a way people connect with other people -- it's how we show someone else that we're human, that we have feelings, thoughts, and passions just like them. In our industry, that's key!

One of the best Gano Excel stories we've come across -- and, honestly, one of the best stories we've ever seen in social marketing -- is that of Petra C. If you haven't read it, you really owe it to yourself to do so -- she tells her story so well and so passionately. People react strongly to her story of weight-loss; there's something about how she tells it that really moves people to action. But why? What about Petra's story moves people so much, and how can you use the same techniques to craft a more effective story for when you share the news about Cafe 2.0?

The first thing to do is TELL YOUR STORY OUT LOUD. Record it onto an audio tape or your computer, then listen back to it. Next, WRITE IT DOWN! Transcribe your story word-for-word, and set it aside for a few days. Next, SHOW IT TO A FRIEND -- someone you trust and who knows you well will be able to tell you what works and what doesn't. Finally, REVISE, REVISE, REVISE! Practice telling your story one-on-one, in large groups, and to different kinds of people. As you share your story, you'll find out what works and what doesn't.

Here are some hints and tips for how to perfect the story you share with other people:

1.  WHAT'S THE POINT? Determine why you're telling your story. Is it to get people to join your organization, or just to try a Ganoderma-enriched product? Deciding the purpose of your story early on will help you in every step of this process.

2.  WHO AM I TELLING? Who is your audience? If you have to tell your story to, say, a 20-year-old, it should probably be different than if you were telling it to a 60-year-old. Yes, the story is the same -- but how you say it might be different! Does your audience want to laugh, cry, think, or be moved? All four? None of the above?

3. WHAT DO I WANT TO SAY? Finally, what's the message of your story? Is it, "I found greater health through Ganoderma"? Or maybe, "I was able to leave my job and live off a steady stream of residual income, and so can you!"? Nothing's worse than a story without a strict focus!

So, Audience, Message, Purpose: the three cornerstones to great storytelling. You can remember them by a handy acronym, AMP. So, ask yourself: don't you want the people you're sharing with AMP'd up about this amazing opportunity?

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From childhood we hear stories about how we should act, what we should do, and why. Wouldn't it be awesome to leverage the power of storytelling to help you build your business? Keeping an eye on the audience, message, and purpose of your social marketing success story will help make sharing this amazing opportunity so much easier. Nobody wants "just the facts"; keep the people you're sharing with moved, informed, and entertained while you tell them about the coolest product and business opportunity on the planet!

What Makes a Product Stick?

In Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors/brothers Chip and Dan Heath argue that in order for any new concept to survive in the "marketplace of ideas," it has to be "sticky." What does "sticky" mean, exactly? For Heath and Heath, "sticky" means that the idea is not only innovative, but also presented in a way to allow maximum comprehension by the maximum number of people.

Take, for example, the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Why has that story resonated with kids and adults for so many centuries? Well, if we apply Heath and Heath's method, we can say that Little Red Riding Hood "sticks" because of its simplicity, the unexpectedness of its ending, the concreteness of its details, its moral's credibility, and the emotions it brings up for the readers/hearers.

Heath and Heath's argument is about more than just what stories we remember; ultimately, it's about how to carve out a niche for yourself in the chaos of the market. When evaluating any business opportunity, the single most important thing you should ask yourself is, "What kind of product do they provide consumers? Is it a product that will 'stick,' or is it just another flash in the pan?" Have you found a company that has a "sticky" idea, one that will make its voice heard in the craziness of the market? The direct sales companies with the longest track records of success -- American institutions like Mary Kay, Avon, Herbalife, and Tupperware -- all have a product that is easy to share, and has lasting power. But what, exactly, makes a product "sticky"? What qualities should you look for when deciding on a product to launch your business with?

Café 2.0 Informational Video

OK, so you've 2 minutes to tell someone about the coolest product on earth - a product so cool that you could spend years explaining its benefits. You could tell them it's "healthy coffee," but that kind of sounds...well...gross, right? "What, it doesn't have caffeine? It tastes like grass? This stuff sounds like it tastes awful!" You'll probably end up spending more time explaining away the word "healthy" than sharing your product and the business opportunity.

What's a marketer to do?

Well, we've produced a convenient 2 minute introduction to Gano Excel's new branding and product philosophy. It's called Café 2.0, and our video offers you a concise, accessible way to understand what it's all about. Café 2.0 is all about enrichment: enriching your health and sense of well-being while also enriching your lifestyle. This new piece of marketing collateral can become a powerful tool for your business. We hope you enjoy it, and start spreading the word about Café 2.0 everywhere you go!

The DSA Code of Ethics: A Video Introduction

Gano Excel is a proud member of the Direct Selling Association, a federation of network marketing companies that came together to support our industry's dedication to business ethics and corporate social responsibility. An important part of the DSA's mission is the Direct Selling Education Foundation, a group dedicated to lobbying for and providing unbiased information on direct selling and network marketing. The DSA and DSEF are looking out for you, the affiliates, by ensuring that our industry is treated fairly and shown to be as great as we all know it is.

The DSEF has four key initiatives: The Consumer Initiative (promoting consumer welfare and fairness), The Education Initiative (providing universities and other research insitutions funds to further explore direct selling), The Women's Leadership Initiative (helping to empower women and encourage them to become top movers in our industry), and The Ethical Leadership Initiative. That's the one we're going to talk about here.

As part of the Ethical Leadership Initiative, the DSEF has posted a great video introduction to the DSA's Code of Ethics. We here at Gano Excel think it's "required viewing" for anyone who is interested in become part of the exciting, dynamic world of direct marketing!

The video takes you step-by-step through the DSA's lengthy Code, offering brief, entertaining videos covering such topics as income claims, product buybacks, and right of cancellation. For people considering the industry, it's a great way to find out what we're all about; for veteran marketers, it's a perfect tool to use when sharing the news about your business opportunity with potential partners.

Check out the DSEF's video introduction to the DSA Code of Ethics today!

Why Isn't My Business Growing?

"Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion."

                            --Jim Rohn

So, you've been networking for a month and you're not a multi-millionaire yet. You've built a small-but-loyal group of affiliates beneath you,  attended training seminars and bought all your networking classics on audiotape, and listened to every bit of advice your sponsor hands down. Still, despite all this work, you're feeling lost and confused. When you first got involved in network marketing, your best friend said, "Kid, are you sure about this? I mean, isn't this one of the pyramid things I heard about on the news?" After convincing him it wasn't, you signed him up under you -- and now you're starting to wonder whether or not he was right all along.

Uh-oh. This is getting desperate. Did I get conned? Was my sponsor really a huckster? What's this stuff I'm selling, anyway? They say it's good for you, but...

Sheesh. OK. This is really all about one thing:

Why isn't my business growing like they said it would?

Gano Interview: A New Affiliate Shares Her Story

Why choose Gano Excel? For one affiliate, it was seeing our warehouse/coffee garden facility here in Irwindale. Watch as she shares her stories and impressions of her partners and friends here at Gano Excel!

Malaysia and the Direct Selling Industry

Exotic rain forests and super-futuristic skyscrapers; thriving marketplaces and booming Western-style capitalism; a rich multicultural society with a strong sense of faith and tradition, and the promise of a bright future. This is Malaysia, where Gano Excel founder Leow Soon Seng started the company that would bring about a revolution in whole-person wellness and financial independence.

And it's an awful long ways away from North America.

Nobody would fault you for asking, "What's Malaysia all about? How will their economy and culture alter the course of my business here in the Americas?" Given the current state of the global economy, these sorts of questions are natural. Well, we’re here to assure you that not only has a strong economy, but has also become one of the foremost havens of network marketing in the world.

Malaysia is currently the world’s 29^th-largest economy, and has an unemployment rate of 3.7%; compare that to the US, where even the most conservative numbers put us at a whopping 8.1%. Let's put it this way: If you were to take all of the unemployed people of Malaysia and put them in one town, it would be about the size of Lowell, Massachusetts (approx. 100,000 people); if you took all the unemployed people of the United States and put them in a town, it would have to be three times larger than New York City! (approx. 24,609,795 people)

Even during these troubling economic times, the Malaysian economy is booming, and their currency, the Ringitt (pictured right), is currently holding its own against the US Dollar. (For more information on the Malaysian economy, check out this Wikipedia article.)

Part of the reason for Malaysia’s prosperity is its open, supportive policies towards network marketing. According to an article in the December 2008 issue of Direct Selling News (“Malaysia: Truly Thriving” by Katherine Ponder), Malaysia represents a massive growth sector in our industry, with companies like Herbalife, Mary Kay, XanGo, and USANA significantly increasing their presence there. (Of course, we all know they’re a little “behind the times” – Gano Excel has been making waves in Malaysia since 1994.)

One major hurdle all network marketing companies operating in Malaysia must face is the country’s stringent rules for herbal supplements and vitamins. The Pharmaceutical Services Division of the Ministry of Health – the Malaysian equivalent of the US’s Food and Drug Administration – has some of the strictest rules regarding supplement preparation in the world. Many companies, including Herbalife, have had to significantly alter their products to meet the PSDMH’s standards. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health’s Medicine Advertisement Board (MHMAB) ensures that all supplements are clearly labeled with a serial and approval numbers and valid nutritional information. This means that every single Gano Excel product you sell – coffee, tea, cocoa, toothpaste, soap or supplements – has been thoroughly tested and approved according to the strictest standards.

Knowing more about your company’s home country can help as you share the Gano Excel opportunity. The next time someone asks you whether Gano Excel’s products are “legitimate,” point out to them that the Malaysian PSDMH and MHMAB adhere to standards that are as strict as the US’s FDA; if someone asks whether business for Gano Excel is booming, make sure to tell them about the amazing successes we’re seeing in Malaysia and elsewhere. Truth is your best friend – and the truth is, our company is on the move!

An Industry of Bernie Madoffs?

Strange, clique-ish behavior; promises of untold riches for doing next-to-nothing; guarantees that a product will "sell itself" or that the product is secondary to the business opportunity; expensive "training manuals" and sometimes cult-like behavior. Who would want to get involved in an industry like that?

Sadly, these are many of the caricatures of network or multilevel marketing (MLM) spinning around in the cultural consciousness nowadays. Because of the actions of some unethical institutions and individuals, this whole industry has received a bad wrap. We at Gano Excel -- a company that prides itself on the intelligence, integrity, and ingenuity of its affiliates -- think that's unfair, and we want to tell you why.

Let's look at it through a metaphor. You all know about Bernie Madoff, right? Madoff, who bilked his investors out of billions in one of the biggest financial scandals of the new century, relied on a "secret trading method" that was, of course, total baloney. He promised high yields on investments by this "secret method," in the meantime recruiting some of the wealthiest people and institutions in the United States. Bernie Madoff is a criminal, and his actions touched more than just those who invested in him: improprieties like his have affected the stock market, and that has a major effect on "Main Street."

Now, here's the question: do you think the whole stock market and investing system -- heck, capitalism itself -- is corrupt just because of a few Bernie Madoffs?

We didn't think so.

Blogger and network marketer Kerri has written an interesting article on "The Dark Side of MLM Business." In it, Kerri offers some very good advice for those considering a career in network marketing:

"Some MLM programs seem attractive because it seems all you have to do is get your friends and family to sign-up and you’ll be making money. Others require you to purchase a starter kit that has far more inventory than you feel comfortable selling. A quality MLM business isn’t pushy and doesn’t hide the truth. You are selling something which requires work and finesse. The harder you work, the more profit you’ll see – but it is still a job, not a dream vacation." [our emphasis]

Kerri's got it right: you simply can't trust the Bernie Madoffs of this industry, who guarantee you untold riches through secret dealings and backroom backscratching. Just like any industry, there are good and people around. At Gano Excel, we pride ourselves on being the good people: honest networkers who believe in the therapeutic and health-beneficial qualities of our products. If you've got the truth on your side, who needs deception?

Meet Kimmy C., the "Gano Princess"

Gano Excel affiliates are giving back to the community! Networking superstar and Gano leader Robert Hollis recently sponsored Kimmy C. in the Miss Mill Creek Scholarship Pageant -- and we're proud to say she took home a statue! Kimmy, whose mother Pamela is an Atlanta-based network marketing professional and Gano Excel affiliate, loves our Gano Schokolade. This is the kind of thing that makes network marketing so wonderful -- the ability to use our personal successes to support others in their endeavors!