Dedicated to all Nikken, both former and current,
Distributor Services Members
Foreword
I wrote this primarily to give people a look at the real Nikken. I am just like anyone else that wrote a book about a company they worked for. Just like everyone else, you get to see the insides and the secrets that any company hides from its customers. My colleagues in Distributor Services never had a voice and I am giving them one here. We were the ones that were in the front lines everyday with Distributors and Nikken gave no notion that it cared about us and that will be shown in this book. We were the first to go when someone needed to go and the last to be considered. This book is for all the voices that will never be heard. I want it known that this book was written by an author that is not at the same level as you would find Hemingway, Faulkner, Tolstoy, or any other mesmerizing author. But one thing about this book is that everything in this book can be cohobated by someone other than me. This book is based on facts with sources whether through an employee or by the research that I conducted myself online. I hope that you, the reader, will have a better appreciation for what Distributor Services at Nikken World Headquarters does for you, now knowing the circumstances that we work under.
About Me:
Some of you will say that I am a bitter ex-employee and writing this to exact revenge on my former employer. Others may say that I am informing you of crucial information and want to thank me for educating you because this helped lead to an informed decision that suits you best. Others will formulate opinions that differ than the two mentioned, but in the end, we all can agree about one thing: We may never look at Nikken the same way again now that the truth is out.
I had never heard of “Nikken” prior to my employment there. “Far-infrared Technology”, “Magnetic Technology”, and Nikken’s other Technologies were all a foreign concept. Being uneducated and skeptical in this field at that time, I was truly amazed at first that people were paying money for these products. There was no scientific evidence that was irrefutable that these technologies would work. There seemed to be so much contradiction about these technologies which is probably why Nikken takes great pains to make sure that no one says that these devices cure, heal, or any other word that implies a guarantee of any kind. I would even go as far and say that I kept thinking that Nikken’s customers were fooling themselves. That they lived in an almost “mind over matter” mentally; that these products were really placebos and the Distributors were fooling themselves into believing the hype. But, day after day, there were people buying these products. In my mind I would think, “Were they inept to do research on other products?” “ Do they just believe everything that is told to them?” I could no longer sustain the thought that all these people bought into the hype. I knew that I had to pursue this myself. Little did I realize, that I too would become a believer.
Because these questions continually lingered on my mind, I became fascinated in Nikken’s product and began using them. Maybe it was because of my inquisitive nature or maybe it was because I wanted to know the most about the product to ensure that I was doing my job to the best of my ability. Regardless of whatever motivated me, I came to know and understand all the Nikken products. I personally became passionate to certain products that I still use today. The sleep system was one of the first products that I experienced. I was amazed at the contour pillow. This helped me fall in such a deep sleep that I felt better and had more energy. However, it was depressing when they got rid of the contour pillow and came out with the “Custom Pillow”. This is by far the most uncomfortable pillow Nikken has ever distributed. Even the “rock/brick” (older Distributors know what pillow I am talking about) is better than this pillow. The water system is also a product that I use on a daily basis. I personally do not use mine with the mineral stones; however, the water is clean, pure, and flavorless as water is supposed to be. After months of using these and other products, I came to the realization that I was supporter. I knew the effects they had on me. I understood that the Distributors that I questioned at the beginning of my employment were not wrong, just experienced. They knew the effects that it had on them, the same ones that I experienced. I started regretting the fact that I ever even questioned their intentions of promoting this product. The Distributors believed in it like I did. Granted that I do not believe in all the products, and while maybe the Distributors do, I can now appreciate and understand the potential value Nikken products have on a person. Once your life changes dramatically for the better the fanatical within you wants to let everyone know. After awhile, I remember telling my friends and family when they had health related issues, “Oh try this to help you” or “ I may have something that can help you”. I never once stated it could cure their problem but I gave them the opportunity to possibly experience similar effects that I did and to relieve them of any discomfort. But even with all my experience, it amazes me how many Distributor’s are inexperienced with products and yet they are trying to sell them to customers. This is why so many customers return the products. How can one advocate a product but not know how to use it nor its possible potential? It was difficult to hear the complaints from Distributors about customer returns, while I knew that the Distributors that were complaining were the least experienced. If they had taken the time to master the product maybe a sale could have been salvaged. But it is not just Distributors that lack in this area. Even within my own colleagues, the majority did not know about the product but it was not their fault. Nikken provides no product training. So on our first day out if we got a product question, it was a guarantee that the Distributor would have to have been put on hold so that we could get the answer. To make it easier for my colleagues and the Distributors, Nikken created a program that gave us the answers to the most sought out questions. Useless it was to me because I was able to handle all questions with ease and accuracy. Even the supervisors noticed that people were asking me for answers rather than going to anyone else. That bothered them greatly because it removed another person to help the Distributor’s. I remembered getting stared at by everyone in Operations Management because they assumed that I was just chatting with others, but as usual, they were wrong. It was comical and hypocritical that they would reprimand me when the majority of the time the supervisors did not know the answers themselves. My colleagues were smarter and knew that it was always easier to get an answer from me than going to anyone else. Yes, I was reprimanded countless times that I could not help others even though everyone knew I was more proficient and quicker to answer the questions. However, my job was to help the Distributors so I never really stopped helping my colleagues. I knew it was better to take me off the phone for a minute to answer the question than to make a Distributor wait ten minutes on hold to get an answer. Maybe that pissed management off but the truth is I did my job, maybe not to their liking but it was the best service to the people that mattered, the Distributors. Even now, if I were to go back, I would not change the manner in which I handled myself. But when you are managed with such scrutiny and not left to yourself to handle what you know best, it becomes difficult which is why most employees quit and never return. The effects of this poor management style was not a just a burden for my colleagues, but to the Distributors as well. Think about how many times you hear a new voice on the other end of the phone when you call Distributor Services. It is not due to the fact that there are many operators. It is due to the high turnover rate working at Nikken. Even now, I would make a substantial bet that the new hires that are there today, will not be there in a year from now. When I say it is not the best place to work, I have countless people that will attest to those words. Nikken is aware of the parade of former employees that have an ill favor towards them and not for one reason but for many reasons. The best part of Nikken was the people in my department. Management, of course, is not included since you will read more on Nikken Management practices later on. I remember the firings of prior employees and the crying that went on when they left. We would always go out and have a drink with those that were let go. One could even say it was like warfare and the only way we would survive is if we stuck together. And that is how we made it working at Nikken.
I want to pass judgment as to my stance with this company. My opinion of Nikken is that the products are wonderful if they are helpful. They are not for everyone because magnets are not guaranteed to affect everyone the same. I read somewhere that four hundred million people are using magnets to this date. However, we live in a world with six billion people. That four hundred million represents less than twenty percent of world. That means over eighty percent are not using them. That is a huge number. A reason why so many are not using them is that with any product out in the market, there are people that cannot benefit from anything that a company sells. No company (including Nikken) offers a product line that will suit everyone. This is why we have many brands selling the same thing. Each brand appeals to a particular set of people and those people will be the ones buying it. As far as Nikken as a company is concerned, it needs new management. Lower Management is only there to cover themselves and each other. They have no qualms of sacrificing anyone below them and will not lose an ounce of sleep doing it. They put personal confrontations over what is right and ethical. Executive Management is no better. Tom Watanabe is never around, Larry Proffit is in a figurehead position and the current President of Nikken is what it has been in the past. Bob Richards, Doug Braun, and now Kurt Fulle are all images of each other. The same mistakes that Bob made, Doug made. Now Kurt took over and we have yet to see if he makes the same errors, but if history is to repeat itself (which has happen countless times) we should see the same things we have seen for years. I am hoping that I will be wrong on this. Kurt has yet to prove or disprove me. However, Nikken has put a President/CEO that is inaccessible in his appearance, soft when he speaks publicly, and does not stand out in a crowd. I guess it is good that Nikken is not publicly traded.
Why am I not a Distributor?
I will be presumptuous and say that there are readers out there thinking to themselves, “If you believe you know so much, why are you not a Distributor?” There are many reasons why I am not a Distributor and I will let you in on two of them. I have done sales when I was in college and that was enough for me personally. The second reason is that I cannot promote/sell a product that I do not believe in. So if I were a Distributor my product line would be very limited. This may be contradictive to what I mentioned earlier about my opinion of Nikken products. I like some, but definitely not all. With certain Nikken products I can see how another brand would offer me the same thing at a reduced price or better yet, offer something that is better. I am not going to lie and say that Nikken Magnets have helped me. In general, I have no pain. I am young enough to where I do not have aches, pains, or major health problems. I am not saying that I am a pillar of health nor the things that I do today will not affect me in the future. However, I am taking Nikken and other brand name products that I know are helping me today and will in the future. Science does not have an answer for everything and Nikken does not have an answer for everyone as well. One reason why is that we all are not created the same. My health is totally different than yours or the person next to you. Things that affect you negatively may not affect me that way. This is something that science (and definitely Nikken) cannot explain. Maybe someday we might understand Health completely but until that day, I will not be a Nikken Distributor.
The Company
Here I will give my experience with Nikken as a company. You will hear all about how it was to work on the inside while we knew that the company was hiding things from its Distributors. Practices that Nikken probably still uses today.
Nikken’s Ethics
When it comes to business ethics, Nikken is no better than Wall Street or Corporate America. Nikken does have a great rating with the Better Business Bureau. And with the exception of YouTube and blogs, Nikken does not have many negative reviews on it. In fact most of the sites that talk about Nikken (that are not run by a Nikken Distributor) talk about the History of Nikken. It has become so redundant that no one could make an educated decision about a stance regarding Nikken just looking at review sites. In my experience, Nikken hides what it needs to and puts up a facade that everything is going well. Such an example was the water bottle incident. Does anyone remember that problem that went from approximately September 2008 to January or later of 2009? Month after month, Distributors called asking about the disposition of the water bottles and we told Distributors that we were having “manufacturing issues”. It was a frustrating time not just for us, but for Distributors as well. The reality was that we had no idea what was going on and we were told to tell this alleged, “lie” just to appease the Distributors. Many Distributors were hounding us relentlessly because their customers were waiting for something that they (nor Nikken) had. I would probably have felt the same way if I were a Distributor. Having to wait months for something that I already had been charged for and what ended up happening? Those Distributors that had a backorder that was not fulfilled were eventually refunded. Seems that there was more to this story than just simple manufacturer issues. If the problem was as simple as manufacturing issues, why not pay someone else to manufacture the bottles? The question is what is the real story? Only Nikken knows and Nikken is not talking. But, this is not the only secret Nikken has hidden away from its Distributors. The original Body Balance program that was discontinued in 2008 is another product that Nikken has hidden secrets. It is alleged, from a source, that one product contained an amino acid that might have been detrimental to one’s health. Nikken never told us this allegation and were given no explanation as to why it was discontinued. We were just told to tell Distributors that it was discontinued and that we had no more in stock even though the day before we had it in stock. Now Nikken has the new version but it is missing items the old line up had.
Another possible hidden secret was that there was once a time where you could get two of the old Green Sport Bracelets and make a necklace with them. Then there came a time where the ability to do this was no longer available. We were getting calls saying that they could no longer put the Sport Bracelets together. While there is no evidence or source to this allege rumor, there was a rumor among personnel that Nikken purposely inverted the magnets, denying a person the ability to make a necklace out of them. Nikken’s excuse to the Distributors that were complaining that it was never intended that the Green Sport Bracelets could be linked together therefore it could not guarantee that the bracelets could be turned into a necklace. However, many Distributors were able to do this in the past. Now Nikken has the new Power-Bands that can attach together to make a necklace. Seems too coincidental that the old Green Sport Bracelets were discontinued and when the new product lineup was unveiled, it contained bracelets that were guaranteed by Nikken that they can be attached together to make a necklace when in fact Nikken Distributors had this ability with the previous Green Sport Bracelet at one time. We, in fact, will never know the true extent of how many secrets Nikken has been keeping from us. The only problem is that we do not know how bad these secrets could actually affect our health and ourselves.
When it comes to competition, Nikken eliminates it if it can. Nikken is well aware of the effects of selling a product through direct selling. YH International was a company that sold a product that was competition to Nikken’s version. Their main product was Barley Green with Kelp. This might have been a big competitor to Nikken’s Jade Greenzymes. In December 2007 we were notified that all YH International Distributors were becoming Nikken Distributors. Nikken introduced to the YH International Distributors its Jade Greenzymes while carrying the competitors YH Barley Green product. Nikken eventually faded out its competition by discontinuing the YH Barley Green and the entire product line. After this, the majority of the YH International Distributors said that they did not like the replacement that Nikken had to offer and left Nikken. Checking today, if you go to the YH International website, the products are back, however, the opportunity of being able to distribute the products no longer exists. No one really knows what Nikken’s true intent was. Nikken, however, did a good job of eliminating a competitor.
Nikken’s name has diminished since the departure of Kendell Cho with regards to quality. While it is vigorously trying to get back “Quality” associated back with its name, it might be awhile before that happens because there have been so many bad products that have come out. The Nikken Bella Passione Jewelry is a prime example. The jewelry was so cheaply made that it broke at the time. It was essentially rubber and metal fused together. Guess what? Metal and rubber do not fuse well, especially the way the jewelry was manufactured. The necklaces broke and the bracelet clasps were poorly made. Even the pendants had a problem in which the technologies would fall out from the back. It was a major headache regarding returns and Distributor complaints. Another product catastrophe was the black Shannon Miller Sport Bracelets. The first batch was recalled due to poor construction and quality. The magnetic clasp did not hold together properly so the bracelets would pop open at the clasp. Due to the fault of the poor magnetic clasp, no one noticed that their bracelet had come off and by the time they did notice it, the bracelets were gone. Only after it being redesigned was it back for sale. The body energizer was another poorly designed and constructed unit. It was a good unit when it worked, however, the majority of units would come back defective because the magnetic balls constantly would malfunction and not rotate. Then Nikken Management created the brilliant idea of sending the parts to the distributor to have them fix their defective units themselves. This idea failed again so what did Nikken do? Stop product production and try to redesign it to reduce returned units. Lastly, the Aqua Pour Deluxe, while a great concept to get into businesses and homes, was poorly executed on the fault of Nikken. Nikken developed a water purifier that could be used with a hot/cold water cooler. However, the majority if not all water coolers do not work with the unit. Nikken failed to address this issue and does not invest the time to create a cooler that is guaranteed to work with their unit. If you call Distributor Services and ask for a cooler model that works with the Deluxe unit, all the models they suggest are discontinued models and to contact the manufacturer to see if they still have them. Great Service huh?
While maybe not ethical, to date Nikken has failed in every product launch. It never supplies enough inventory for its demand. When the new product launch of October 2010 came out (and every year prior), Nikken habitually has meager amounts of inventory. With the 2010 launch, Nikken had backorders being fulfilled into February of the following year. Management has failed on this task year after year and the only ones that look bad are Nikken’s Distributors. Imagine selling someone on a product and having to continually tell them month after month, that you do not have the product?
Nikken’s failures do not extend just to products or Distributors. When it comes to legal issues, Nikken has a propensity a to use “scare you” tactics when it has no legal grounds. Nikken wants to know who is selling Nikken products on eBay, especially if they are repeat offenders. This has going on for a long time and Nikken does it primarily because Nikken Distributors habitually complain to Nikken about the sale of products on eBay. This is just a way for them to say they are doing something about it when someone complains. Just like any corporation that has intellectual property, Nikken is part of the eBay Vero program that allows a company to gain your eBay registration information if you are selling their product on eBay. The terms and conditions on a Nikken Distributor application, express that a Nikken Distributor is the only one allowed to Distribute Nikken products however, Nikken knows that as long as you are not a Nikken Distributor you still have the legal right to sell their product. An example would be is if a person purchases a product from a Distributor and then turns around and sells it, Federal law allows them to do that. The purchase was legitimate because the purchase was from a distribution outlet. Nikken Consultants are distribution outlets. However, Nikken decides that people who consistently sell Nikken on eBay are to be sent a letter telling them to stop. Check out the seller ottomatic2 on eBay. He writes on all his auctions that he is not a Distributor or affiliated with Nikken in anyway because Nikken constantly harasses the seller even though Nikken has no legal grounds and the seller could send a legal cease and desist letter to Nikken that could result in a harassment suit against them if they continue. Now I have a copy of the letter (obtained by a source). Here is the example of the violation letter Nikken sends out to scare a seller:
“Dear (Recipient),
It has come to our attention that you have been selling Nikken products on eBay under the seller ID: (eBay username). Please be advised that only Nikken Distributors are authorized to sell Nikken products. If you would like to be an authorized seller of Nikken products, you may sign up as a Nikken Independent Distributor.
Furthermore, eBay is not an appropriate avenue for sale of Nikken products. We demand that you cease and desist from continuing to sell Nikken products on eBay and remove all Nikken products from eBay within 10 days from the date of this letter. Should you continue to sell Nikken products on eBay, legal actions will be taken against you.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Nikken Internet Support Division
CC: Nikken Compliance Department”
It is a tactless but effective manner that Nikken perpetuates to try to scare people into doing what Nikken wants, when the people they are threatening, are in the legal right. I have always wondered what legal actions could Nikken take against someone? I consulted a lawyer and legally none, however, since no one (to my knowledge) has ordered legal action against Nikken for harassment, they will continue to send out these letters. But little does Nikken know that there are Nikken Distributors that get away with selling on eBay. All they do use an email address and a physical address that is in no way, associated with their Nikken registration information. To date, I believe there are 5 sellers on eBay that are Nikken Distributors that have used this method for years and have never been caught.
Nikken’s Treatment of Its Employees
Nikken wants an appeal that Nikken is a warm, caring, family oriented company that looks out for its Personnel/Distributors interest. Their catalogs, brochures, pictures, and warehouse bags contain this outlook. Pictures of family oriented themes bombard their literature and videos. Even their Facebook page is splashed with the Nikken aerial photo of its personnel along with Employee Appreciation Day photos. Well, this family oriented theme is a facade and is not how Nikken really treats its employees. Working there for years, I came to realize that Nikken is only looking out for Nikken and whomever they have to sacrifice is okay, as long as it does not affect the company negatively. Nikken’s demeanor towards employees is based on where you reside. If you have ever been to Nikken Headquarters, you know where employees are situated. Executive Management sits on the third floor, Marketing, Sales, and IT sit on the second floor and Distributor Services sits on the first floor. Distributor Services is by far the worst treated position in Nikken. Here is an example of what I mean. Does anyone recalled the video that was placed on the www.mynikken.com website? It was placed on the homepage of www.mynikken.com in the summer/fall of 2009 and the video talked about the benefits of the Nikken opportunity and owning your own business. In the video, there was a scene that showed an office cubicle and the speaker talks about how you do not want to be in this kind of “dead end” job. The speaker’s purpose was to demean that type of work and to become your own boss by joining the Nikken opportunity. The Nikken Marketing/Sales team originally came up with the idea to shoot that scene in the call center where Distributor Services sits. They wanted to film that scene with the Distributor Services employees sitting there while the speaker talks about being in this type of “dead end” job. The members of Distributor Services were highly offended to the point that the President Doug Braun (at that time) had to call a meeting with Distributor Services and offer an apology for the offensive, callous actions of the Nikken Sales and Marketing team. But Distributor Services members were not appeased because the actual creators of this idea never offered their own apology, which is what Distributor Services wanted. It was not Doug Braun’s idea so why should he have to apologize for someone else’s lack of sensitivity. To my knowledge the actual people responsible for the mistreatment and derogation of Distributor Services employees never apologized. Also just to confirm, there are over twenty people that will attest to this. But this is not just one example. Another member from Distributor Services went to the second level restroom. The Distributor Services member was told by another employee (that worked on the second floor) that wasn’t there a restroom on the first floor? The Distributor Services employee knew what she was meant and knew that she even if it was reported, that nothing would be done about it. The Distributor Services member told us of this event and we knew that nothing would have been done if it were reported. In the end, just like with most things, we let it go.
Nikken’s disrespect for its bottom employees does not extend only to mistreatment. There is major controversy in the trust that Nikken places with those employees. There are security cameras all over Nikken, and yes, they are hidden. There are even cameras in front of the restrooms on the bottom floor (next to where Distributor Services sits), in the Distributor Services employee break room, and in the Distributor Services conference room. The way I discovered this was because a person went into the bathroom and lost something valuable in there. This person notified management and the building maintenance manager told this person that the camera that showed the restroom entrance showed no one coming in or out. This source also made me aware of the other cameras all over Distributor Services. Why would there even need to be a camera in front of the restroom, break room, and conference room is the question? They have people in that building twenty-four hours a day with night security. I am sure that Nikken has plenty of excuses but it all boils down to a lack of trust. I can understand the outside and main lobbies being surveillance, but in front of the restrooms? It only shows the paranoia Nikken has and lack of respect for its bottom employees. An incident that Nikken has no trust with its employees is that a while back Nikken had an employee in Distributor Services that had a spouse that was ill. I believe that the person was terminally ill. The person had to take extensive absences from work because of their spouse’s illness. The worker wanted to keep this personal and in his own opinion no one should know about it. When Nikken demanded papers proving this, the employee denied giving Nikken the papers and cited that it was because of personal reasons. The source to this story told me Nikken allegedly fired this person for this reason. The source then went on to tell me that the source believes that the former employee sued Nikken and the results (if any) are unknown.
Confrontation between Supervisors and Distributor Service employees is constant. There have been instances where employees quit and other Managers went running after them trying to change their mind. The female employee that I am referencing in this instance, still decided that it was better to leave her job than to stay with Nikken and she was definitely a tenured employee there. But after so much abuse, she could no longer take it. Another scenario was that there was an employee that was fired because this person violated equipment usage rules. That rule, which I am sure the person did violate, states that the technology we use will only be used for company/business usage. Now everyone (even the Supervisors/Managers) use it to shop and for personal reasons not related to work and not on their lunch hour. It is alleged that the employee that was terminated had personal confrontation with their direct Supervisor and this was done by the Supervisor to remove the employee. But there was another member of Distributor Services, who worked along with the fired employee and the Supervisor who sent out a photo of a bride who was topless. It was not blurred or hidden in anyway. This was not the first lewd, controversial, non-business email this employee sent out. But for all these inappropriate emails the only reprimand this employee received was a write up. So according to Nikken Management, online shopping and games is fire able, but nudity is just a write up?
When 2009 rolled around and the Economy was entering a very ugly stage, companies were laying employees off. Nikken felt that it had to do the same. One day three employees in our department were let go. It was such a sad day because we knew that the three employees that were let go, were mothers of young children. We also knew them personally and that they needed a job to keep things at home okay. But Nikken’s pity and remorse stops at its wallet. There was a Supervisor that wanted to return back to her old position and Nikken would not let her. So Nikken would rather pay more to a Supervisor (that was definitely not needed nor did the employee want that position anymore) than to keep an employee from being let go? It was rumored with the Distributor Services personnel, that three Mother’s that were laid off were all on probation for not adhering to a certain code and that they all had direct personal confrontations their Supervisors. While they were packing up their stuff these Mother’s pretended to be all right but after they left they started to cry. They knew about the problems that lay in front of them. No one took this lightly and we pretty much lived in fear of our jobs. We knew that any mistakes we made from then on, would be the fuel Nikken needed to fire us. We knew that Nikken Management was looking for reasons to fire members of Distributor Services because we were dispensable. We are viewed as easily replaceable.
Distributors:
I want to present an account of Nikken Distributors. There are three groups and all Nikken Distributors fall into one group. You will get a synopsis of I came to learn from all three groups.
President Club Members:
If you are the rank of Platinum and above, you have the exclusive privilege to apply for the President’s club. In order to become a member you first need to meet sale and the rank requirements. After attaining those qualifications and being recommended by another current President’s club member, you are then endowed the prestigious honor of being member. There are many benefits of becoming one, but the most important one is being able to have your voice heard about how the company should be run. President’s club members are really the prime voice in the decisions that are made. Why only them and not the other Distributors? They are the movers and the shaker’s is why. Non President Club members would call in all the time about things that wanted to be changed or ideas they wanted to see implemented. Nikken however knows that the business method of twenty percent of people do eighty percent of Nikken’s business and the President’s Club members are that twenty percent. So if you are not part of that twenty percent, your voice will never be taken seriously or into account. President’s club members are given almost involuntary an heir of being proficient in all aspects with Nikken. This tends to be a fallacy. The majority, if not all President club members are at that level not because they are such great sales people and have sold so much of the product. No, they are there because they have enough people underneath them doing the work for them. Some are there because they purchased a Distributorship. Yes, some are there without doing any of the work and are just maintaining a purchased distributorship. So the next time you think that a President’s club member is someone special, remember, they could be there because they bought their way. The majority of President’s club members are on just a basic autoship that is 100PV. And why not since this is there only requirement for them. After that, they rely on their downline to buy and this helps them qualify. Believe me when I say this because I spent months looking at the accounts and became proficient in the ways of what they do.
Along with the prestige of being a Presidents club member, comes arrogance and the worries of losing commissions. I have countless stories from these select few on how they get people to buy and then leave them hanging. There was a Royal Diamond from Canada that was reprimanded by Nikken because the Royal Diamond was buying products to meet his/her commissions and then was returning them after the 15th of every month. This date was important because after the 15th of every month, commission checks are distributed and this Distributor would meet his/her requirements getting full bonuses. There is a Presidents club member in Utah that gives/sells Nikken products to the eBay seller JP0236. This eBay member has been selling brand new Nikken product for years (that I have bought from many times) and was able to attain information that linked this person to the President club member that may be supplying JP0236 to make his/her requirements. I have done the research to show how seller JP0236 and the Royal Diamond from Utah are affiliated with each other. All I needed was the eBay site and another Internet site. With the information gathered on eBay and the other Internet site (and the other site is not Nikken affiliated) I linked them together. Anyone can make this connection, however, they need to know what they are looking for. EBay is not the only website though that has President club members flaunting the rules. According to section L.4 on page 5 in the Nikken policies and procedures:
“A Consultant shall not display for sale or sell any of the Nikken
products at any retail business such as a retail store, gym, spa,
hair salon, or through any other media, including magazines,
television or the Internet (ie. online shopping sites or online
auctions sites). Consultants are only permitted to display Nikken
brochures or other promotional materials at retail
establishments, and products are to be sold through individual
Consultants. However, Nikken will allow a dedicated room within
the premises of a retail site that is termed a “Nikken Training
Center” and must be completely out of the view of the public area
of the premises. Consultants with a professional business that
offers professional services (i.e. doctor’s office, chiropractic office,
etc.) may have Nikken products displayed for sale provided that
the owner or principle of the business is a Nikken Consultant and
the sale of Nikken products is not the primary business.”
The passage clearly states online shopping sites are places were Distributors are forbidden to place products for sale. Now if you go to amazon.com and enter “Nikken” in the search bar, you will find a Distributor that has placed a lot of Nikken products on here to advertise to their own site “Lumsan Natural Health Center”. If you click on the link, it takes you to the Distributors own webpage. If you click on the buy link, it takes you to the Distributors. I have the screenshots from amazon.com and the personal website that links to this particular Distributor. This Distributor has flaunted the rules and at the Distributors rank (Royal Diamond) and status (allegedly a Presidents Club member) should be a role model and not one of showing impropriety.
Distributor’s Senior through Platinum (Non President Club Member):
This section is the biggest because many Distributors end up being in this area for five plus years. Why? Most of the Distributors in this area end up working against themselves when building their organization. Here is an example of what I mean. All MLM companies are considered “pyramid schemes” and it makes sense. A properly built organization is shaped like a pyramid where the least are on top and the majority is on the bottom. But the majority of Distributors in this section have built their business that form an upside down pyramid. President club members have a pyramid but not because of them being smart and knowing what to do. It was based on that they signed up so many people that it eventually worked out for them. There might be a lot of Distributors that disagree with me on this but I ask who knows more? The insider that saw your accounts on a daily basis for years or you the Distributor that has been stuck at the same rank for years? I would definitely put my money on the insider on the majority, particularly in this situation. However, when facing the truth, humans in general tend to avoid seeing what is right in front of them or the mistakes they made.
The two most common ranks in this section are Seniors and Silvers. Why is this? Seniors and Silvers are the only two ranks that are of any importance. They are literally the bread and butter of making an organization. All other ranks (below Silver) are inconsequential. It is just unnecessary work to achieve the other ranks. Two Executives is no better than two Seniors. Save the volume and go for a Silver run rather than use it to go Executive and then Bronze. Seniors and Silvers are important because they are the two ranks that make up all ranks. As an example, you need three frontline Seniors to make Silver in one month. In order to make Platinum you need 3 frontline Golds. Golds are made with 3 Silvers. This is the little secret that most Distributors in this section are not aware of or just do not practice. Formation of Seniors and Silvers are the only way that Distributors can make it in this business.
New Distributors:
Now, (speaking to new Distributors) I know that many of you are looking at other opportunities of making money. Whether your reasons are to earn additional income or purchase the product at a discount, there are many things that you will go through when you start your venture. I am here to let you know what you are going to endure and the best way to get your start.
So many new Distributors give up and leave the opportunity. Why is this? Stereotypes exist primarily because there is some truth to them. The one I am talking about is in MLM opportunities people buy lots of products and not getting anything out of it is too true. Let’s face it; Nikken products are not cheapest out there. Some products are worth the amount asked. Others are definitely questionable as to there worth. The following section is devoted to my hints on how you (as a new Distributor) should handle the Nikken opportunity.
Hints on how to make the Business work:
As I said before, the number one turn off from business aspect of Nikken is that many Distributors buy a lot of product and then do not generate income or a business. If you do not believe me, check out eBay and all the Nikken products available. These are primarily prior Distributors getting rid of inventory. Now, the main problem that I noticed was that many new Distributors do not treat this like a business. In business if you are starting off on your own, with limited funds, you want to get the most for the least. It is best if you use valuable resources such as eBay and Cragislist. At these sites, you can find current Nikken products that are much cheaper. Buy The Nikken products from these sites and then use them as demonstration products. Now, no sponsor will agree with me on this because if you do not buy directly from Nikken, you will not accrue any commission points and that is necessary for sponsors to make money from your sales. Please be prepared to hear the endless excuses as to why they should buy from Nikken. The funny thing is that there are people unaffiliated with Nikken that are buying Nikken products from these sites to resell them. On eBay there is a seller ottomatic2 that buys Nikken products from eBay and Craigslist and resells them at a higher price. He knows that he can get them cheap and then resell them. I found this out by listing a product on Craigslist (that I had no intention of selling) and that seller contacted me asking if I would ship them to the seller. He is competing directly with all Nikken Distributors and making good money from it. And why not take advantage of something that is not against policy and limits the funds you need to spend out of pocket? I would not recommend signing up for any additional service that Nikken has unless you have disposable income. If you plan on buying a business pack or ordering over $350 I would sign up for advance mynikken because you get an additional three percent savings. The packs do offer savings but the only the Business Builder and Professional offer any real discount.
The next hint that I offer is something that I created (no Nikken Distributor has a presentation on this) is the “Triple It” rule. I will explain more in detail and will provide images on my Facebook page but for now, I will give a quick summary on it. The theory behind this is that you triple whatever you are and that is a level that you have to create. As an example, if you sign up as a Distributor, you are one. Now if we take one and “triple it” you get three. This three represents a level of Distributors that should be directly sponsored by you. Moving forward, if you first level has three and you “triple it”, you get nine. This nine represents your second level and they should be directly sponsored by your first level Distributors, NOT YOU! This is crucial because if you apply this to your organization, and the Distributors below are the right ranks, you are now a Gold Distributor only having signed up twelve Distributors. One more example is, if we take the nine from your second level and we “triple it” we get twenty-seven. If we take that twenty-seven and make it your third level, with the right ranks you are now a Platinum Distributor with only signing up thirty nine Distributors. The levels that follow are comprehensible by applying the same method to it.
I thank you for reading this and God Speed in your endeavors.