Understanding the New Website Policy: Tips for Monitoring Your Online Presence

[Stampaholic1961]

Quote "On another note, I did contact my director (who is a NSED) regarding the website coming up on a google search. She explained the policy is regarding paid ads or intentional links. So those of us who are not participating in anything like that are not in any violation." Quote

If this is true, why did my director get in trouble because her name came up first in a google search? Hers was not a paid ad but Home Office didn't believe her.

Bev

 

[Cindycooks]

Individual Orders not getting the Guest Special....

By the way, there IS a way to get around this new rule, so be sure to publicize this on your website and let your customers know. Although personally, I wouldn't highlight the new rule too much to your customers or potential customers since it does seem sort of unfair to those who aren't attending or invited to shows. If you do a catalog show each month in YOUR name as the host and set it up on your website, your "guests" can make a purchase through this show and still receive the free product with $50 purchase because it would be attached to a show.

This is what I plan to do to get around this ...however I had a couple thoughts. Isn't true that if we submit a show in our name, we do not get commission? So we would not be making any commission off of these orders right??? And will PC allow us to submit a show under our name every single month? I can see myself already submitting shows under names of diff people in my family....I get alot of outside orders and my customers all love the guest special. This is the one thing I am upset over!

 

[jmabner]

ComissionYou do recieve comission for shows that you are the host. I have hosted several (open houses, etc....) I am one of my best hosts! As to trying to find a way around this, the HO is just saying individual orders placed on your personal website that go DIRECTLY to the HO will not earn the guest special. It does not affect outside orders placed on the web. Not sure why they want to do this, but I won't argue, our company is EXTREMELY generous, and are always looking out for the consultants. I am getting really frustrated with all of you who are talking badly about this company....if you really disagree that much, find a different direct sales company (But I guarantee you won't find a better one, or one that treats it's consultants fairly and with as much respect and reverence as ours does!)

BTW---hope to see you all next week in Atlanta!

 

[rwesterpchef]

...our company is EXTREMELY generous, and are always looking out for the consultants. I am getting really frustrated with all of you who are talking badly about this company....if you really disagree that much, find a different direct sales company (But I guarantee you won't find a better one, or one that treats it's consultants fairly and with as much respect and reverence as ours does!)

Ditto. I feel very blessed to work for one of the Top Direct Sales Companies in the Nation.
by the way...where did I read that?

 

[Cindycooks]

DITTO from me too....and I replyed directly to jmabner that I meant no offense! My only concern was the guest special, and I thank her for clearing that up. I do remember someone in my cluster once telling me that you do not get commission off of hosting your own show because that is considered "double-dipping". I am glad to have that cleared up. I love having a website, and I am going to continue using it as best as I can, and look forward to hopefully good news on these next week in Atlanta! There seems to be a secret "lurking"!

 

[jmabner]

Ideas on what the big announcement is gonna be??I myself am hoping they will announce a new fund raiser program!!!! We need a better format with higher margins to be competitive with the rest of the fundraisers!

John

 

[fruit76loop]

You do recieve comission for shows that you are the host. I have hosted several (open houses, etc....) I am one of my best hosts! As to trying to find a way around this, the HO is just saying individual orders placed on your personal website that go DIRECTLY to the HO will not earn the guest special. It does not affect outside orders placed on the web. Not sure why they want to do this, but I won't argue, our company is EXTREMELY generous, and are always looking out for the consultants. I am getting really frustrated with all of you who are talking badly about this company....if you really disagree that much, find a different direct sales company (But I guarantee you won't find a better one, or one that treats it's consultants fairly and with as much respect and reverence as ours does!)

BTW---hope to see you all next week in Atlanta!

Thanks you took the words out of my mouth!

 

[Stampaholic1961]

Originally Posted by jmabner
...Not sure why they want to do this, but I won't argue, our company is EXTREMELY generous, and are always looking out for the consultants. I am getting really frustrated with all of you who are talking badly about this company....if you really disagree that much, find a different direct sales company (But I guarantee you won't find a better one, or one that treats it's consultants fairly and with as much respect and reverence as ours does!)



You know, until just recently I would have agreed with the quote above but I don't see what is fair about the situation. I just got an email from Richard Laiche at Home Office telling me that a man has posted several PC personal websites on his personal (non PC) website. Because of this (I have no idea who this man is, by the way) I am in violation of the current policy!!!!! How in the world is this fair or logical??? They are going to punish me if he doesn't remove these websites but nothing has been done about the person who STOLE my directors website. She copied everything including the typographical error. She & other upper level directors were jealous of her success. They said that she couldn't show up in search engines unless she was paying to get there. They didn't believe her when she said that she didn't. If they don't know any more about search engines than that, they need to get some computer people in the office that do know what is going on.

And how is it fair that the upper level directors are the ones who get to make decisions about whether or not they got to keep the perk of being the only ones to advertise? Isn't that letting the fox make decisions about who guard the hen house?

The comment about finding another company, believe me, I am thinking about it. Which is really hard because I have loved this company for quite some time. I've been in almost 5 years & it would be extremely difficult but if this situation isn't resolved soon, I will be leaving & I probably won't continue as a customer if I do.

 

[pamperedbecky]

And how is it fair that the upper level directors are the ones who get to make decisions about whether or not they got to keep the perk of being the only ones to advertise? Isn't that letting the fox make decisions about who guard the hen house?



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I wasn't aware that they were the ones who made this decision. It sounded to me like it came from Marla and then she had a conference call or sent a memo to the Executive Directors and higher to announce the change in policy.

Anyway, this seems to be getting pretty weird. Then that man is putting people's website address on his website without anyone's persmission which seems very unethical and sneaky to me just because he's trying to prove a point to Richard Laiche. So far I'm not on that list of websites and I would hope that he's not continuing to add people because I have NO time to keep checking that periodically. That's what I think is ridiculous!

 

[Admin Greg]

Anyway, this seems to be getting pretty weird. Then that man is putting people's website address on his website without anyone's persmission which seems very unethical and sneaky to me just because he's trying to prove a point to Richard Laiche.

I really want to extinguish the notion that website linking is unethical and wrong. There is no web law, the internet exists because website linking is possible. If you needed permission to link to another site the internet would simply fail and become useless. Think what would happen if google had to get permission to link all 7 billion sites it lists in their search engines. It seems to me you are presenting a double standard on seth. Have you been contacting google to take down your link?

*I am speaking on principle, I agree his vengeful crusade is a little silly*

 

[Stampaholic1961]

I really want to extinguish the notion that website linking is unethical and wrong. There is no web law, the internet exists because website linking is possible. If you needed permission to link to another site the internet would simply fail and become useless. Think what would happen if google had to get permission to link all 7 billion sites it lists in their search engines. It seems to me you are presenting a double standard on richard. Have you been contacting google to take down your link?

I'm afraid I'm a little dense today. What does that mean "It seems to me you are presenting a double standard on richard."

 

[Admin Greg]

I'm afraid I'm a little dense today. What does that mean "It seems to me you are presenting a double standard on richard."

oops, I typed richard and ment seth, I fixed it and should make more sense now, thanks. A double standard is a rule which is applied more stringently to one party than to others.

 

[pamperedbecky]

I really want to extinguish the notion that website linking is unethical and wrong. There is no web law, the internet exists because website linking is possible. If you needed permission to link to another site the internet would simply fail and become useless. Think what would happen if google had to get permission to link all 7 billion sites it lists in their search engines. It seems to me you are presenting a double standard on seth. Have you been contacting google to take down your link?

*I am speaking on principle, I agree his vengeful crusade is a little silly*

I guess when I used the word "unethical," I really was meaning sneaky and sly. Although things can be unethical without being illegal. That is more of a subjective opinion, I suppose. I understand that there is no web law. I see your point about the internet existing because of links and whatnot. It just seems that the manner in which he's "fighting" (for lack of a better word) his crusade is kind of inconsiderate to those of us out here who are trying to run a business by following the rules. Just my opinion.

 

[Trish1953]

Pampered Chef WebsiteUnder the new rules, is it worth paying for a Pampered Chef website? I have some doubts about getting one.

 

[PamperedEsther]

Just for the record in CanadaAlthough we haven't had anynews about a new website policy becoming effective here in Canada, I am aware of the site that this guy is promoting PC consultants on & his battle with head office. I am wondering what will be announced at leadership next weekend in Toronto. I also believe that we should be able to link our sites to sites/groups that we support. It is another way to market our business and I hope head office can find a way to get this sorted out ASAP, so we can move on.

Esther

 

[emiley]

Ok, just breathe!I know sudden changes can make us all nervous, but let's just relax and think about this a bit. If you've been in PC for a while, you know that websites are fairly new territory. It's inevitable that some bugs will pop up somewhere. The PC I know has never made any changes to policy that have had a negative outcome for consultants, and that's just my opinion based on 6+ years of experience. I think we should just give it some time and let them try to iron this out. Websites are an amazing way to promote and grow your business, but think about this. Did Doris have a website when she was a consultant? Nope. Neither did Nancy Jo Ryan, etc., etc. You see where I'm going with this? It's a tool. If it's a good one, do what you can to keep using it. If you think it's not, don't use it. If you have questions or concerns, by all means talk to the company. They are very good listeners, otherwise, we wouldn't have it so good. Your business, I'm sure, will not implode because of this, so just keep on doing what you can, when you can. I believe it's a challenge we can all overcome if we try!

 

[n8vtxn]

I just got an email from Richard Laiche at Home Office telling me that a man has posted several PC personal websites on his personal (non PC) website. Because of this (I have no idea who this man is, by the way) I am in violation of the current policy!!!!! How in the world is this fair or logical??? They are going to punish me if he doesn't remove these websites ...

[/QUOTE]

I got the same email! I was so surprised to find that some random person has linked his site to mine. On the one hand I am glad to hear that someone is standing up and making the point that the new policy seems short-sighted and misguided. On the other hand, if I get punished for something that someone else chose to do on his own, then I will be extremely hurt and disappointed in TPC.

I really like TPC and enjoy being a consultant, but I also feel that something else needs to be done with this new policy. I do agree that consultants shouldn't be allowed to run rampant all over the internet at the expense of other consultants, but I also feel that there should be some room for creativity. For instance - I am a member of a choral group in my area and I would love to do mutual links between its website and mine. As the membership coordinator for the group I could see how a link to its site could help us find new members and help me make some new contacts and potential customers. It wouldn't be huge or generate a giant income, but as a new consultant who is struggling to meet hosts outside of my circle of friends, it could be tremendously beneficial to me.

Happy New Year,
Leesa

 

[KarOH]

Sticking with PC?? Maybe not...

The comment about finding another company, believe me, I am thinking about it. Which is really hard because I have loved this company for quite some time. I've been in almost 5 years & it would be extremely difficult but if this situation isn't resolved soon, I will be leaving & I probably won't continue as a customer if I do.

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Bev,

I sent you a private message. I know exactly how you feel. I've been with PC only since March and these "punishments" are getting a bit ridiculous. It is hard enough to sell a product that is non-consumable. I mean how many peelers can one person have!

But this market is just innundated with PC reps. They are limiting the advertising most likely to limit your market area. I have many friends and family across the country, but that would be stepping on the toes and taking business away from reps in those areas.

The website, I believe, is not a selling tool, but merely a way for current or future customers in your market area to view the products and possibly send in an order. The set up isn't very good. Afterall, the customer doesn't really submit the order to the home office. It is submitted to you in an email and you have to submit it through PamperedPartner.

Also, I tried to "google" my website using my website name, real name, and a few other ways and nothing came up. It seems those that have website that show up in a search created a different main page searchable by keywords other than their website name or their own name. Just a guess.

I saw a post about some director or national sales director making $30,000 in sales just through the website. But then again this is a MLM business. It could be true, as maybe she directs all her customers to her website to order.

I think it is great that some people have made this business their career and were able to make some money. But for the amount of time and work that needs to be put into it, I'm not so sure it is worth it. It takes a lot of evening and weekend time away from family that I'm not willing to give up for a few bucks here and there. And now with the rules tightening up on the websites and the "punishments" if you don't meet your sales quota, it makes running YOUR? business even harder.

I like the products, but they are not to die for. I have found very high quality products in Target and Walmart for a fraction of the cost that PC sells them for. Quite honestly, I feel guilty selling a pair of kitchen tongs for $18 to a friend when I know darn well she could have purchased them at Walmart for $6 and got just a good quality a product. I know...I purchased them at Walmart just before the new catalog came out.

Well, good luck to those who stick with PC. Bev, drop me a line at [email protected], I have some info you may be interested in.

Karen

 

[Admin Greg]

Has anyone actually been punished yet? I think PC is just trying scare tactics.

 

[Sk8Mom209]

Time to CloseGreg,

Don't you think it is time to close this post? It is really getting negative.

Quite frankly, I think that PC is only trying to protect consultants like me, the average consultant trying to make a buck. I cannot afford to advertise or have my website published anywhere.

And why would we want online orders through shows to go directly to PC? That would eliminate the usefulness of a consultant. As it is with online ordering, I feel grateful that PC pays me commission for those orders - that I have basically done nothing on.

Anyway, I think this post should be closed and we should all take a deep breathe and see what happens. Rome was not built or destroyed in a day and the website and it's policies will not either. Just my opinion.

 

[Sharon L. Stran]

Pampered Chef Personal WebsiteHello All

I am relatively new to PC. I will tell you that I am extremely disappointed with the technology behind PC. They are a debt-free company and should be spending more money on technology to make running Your business easier. As an example; the databases are not relational, meaning that you have to input data in more than once. If the databases were relational, putting contact information one time would be all you needed to do. You would be able to access that data for that contact anywhere on Pampered Chef, including your own website, Pampered Partner etc.

Until the get someone at the Corporate level who really understands technology and what enhancements are needed to the PC infrastructure, we're just going to have to live with what we've got. PC needs to realize the fact that the more time consultants are spending inputting data and fooling with orders, that is less time selling,recruiting etc. etc. which = $$$$ for all parties.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Hello All

I am relatively new to PC. I will tell you that I am extremely disappointed with the technology behind PC. They are a debt-free company and should be spending more money on technology to make running Your business easier. As an example; the databases are not relational, meaning that you have to input data in more than once. If the databases were relational, putting contact information one time would be all you needed to do. You would be able to access that data for that contact anywhere on Pampered Chef, including your own website, Pampered Partner etc.

Until the get someone at the Corporate level who really understands technology and what enhancements are needed to the PC infrastructure, we're just going to have to live with what we've got. PC needs to realize the fact that the more time consultants are spending inputting data and fooling with orders, that is less time selling,recruiting etc. etc. which = $$$$ for all parties.

I have been with TPC since 2002 and have seen great changes in the PP program, PC technology and our web presence. Not that long ago consultants did everything on paper and through the mail. I think PC is doing everything they can to enhance our businesses with technology and we will see additional changes in the near future that I'm sure will answer your concerns.


As far as a previous poster's suggestion to close this thread, I disagree. I do agree that there have been some negative comments on it but this is a forum to help each other and, while we should try to be positive and uplifting to each other, if we never said a negative word I would think that most of us would feel we were the only one with any problems. I think we should state our concerns and then help each other through it and find the silver lining!

 

[emiley]

Pass on your suggestions/concerns!Since this is fairly new territory for PC, by all means send in any and all suggestions/concerns you have to them. They did not become such a large, well-respected company by ignoring the ones who helped them grow! Even a booming, debt-free company can't predict all the situations that may come up, so chances are they are already working on solutions. They more they hear from us, the faster they'll work towards them. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do what I can do to make my business grow, too, website or not!

 

[ChefSandyK]

On a positive note..."They" did change the area which I took exception to within the policy...that was linking on the emails I send out. I checked...I can now link to ALL pages of my website on my monthly newsletter...HURRAH! My newsletter will once again be able to be interesting without being overly lengthly.

As far as everything else...I think the website linking/advertising policies are a bit archaic, but I guess when one makes the choice to have the website one accepts the baggage with it. As for the web order lead policy...the company in set up to reward recruiting. Directors get the leads, helping them stay directors, I'm sure. Is it fair? It is if you know that from the start. Personally, I don't want to have recruiting drive my business...the way the whole thing is set up seems somewhat cultish to me. So, I know I will not get any leads from the company. I also know I will not get any help from my director through those leads because 1) My director is out of state 2) I only hear from my director once a month, via email, to let me know my sales ranking in the cluster. (lots of support there, huh? lol) Again, I know the rules of the game...my choice if I decide to play or not.

Have a wonderful day,
Sandy