Lesson 1: 1001 Marketing Methods

(Baonghean.vn) -While I was at home on the weekend, there was a knock on the door. A tall, well-built young man greeted me warmly: "Ma'am, I'd like to introduce you to our aloe vera extract product from the USA. You don't have to buy it, but I'd like you to know about our company's product."

Following the greetings is an introduction: Aloe vera for beautiful skin; Noni fruit tea for cleansing the intestines and preventing cancer; weight-loss coffee that cleanses toxins from the body, lowers blood cholesterol, reduces liver fat, and aids weight loss without exercise or dieting; seaweed drink providing vitamins for those who rarely eat fresh fruits and vegetables; products to support people with diabetes... Each product boasts a multitude of benefits, naturally accompanied by the phrase: "supports treatment." All these products originate from the United States.

I didn't want him to give a long presentation, so I asked, "Is this a multi-level marketing product?" He cleverly replied, "Please try it and see for yourself. If it's good, call me at this number. The price reflects the quality; we build our brand on the positive feedback of our customers..."

And the prices, of course, weren't cheap. The cheapest option, a pack of 30 tea bags for cleansing the intestines, cost 542,000 VND, while the weight-loss product cost up to 8,000,000 VND for a 60-day course. I asked how much I needed to use to see results, and the employee replied, "You should use it regularly, with a one-month interval between each course." This means that if you use both products regularly each month, you'll spend at least 1,000,000 VND per person. The weight-loss product, however, can be reused if you experience weight gain.

A flyer advertising dietary supplements from Unicity.

Another time, while working at a blood donation event, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Do you want to get rid of freckles and have beautiful skin from the inside out? Call me at this number!" Curious, I contacted her. She invited me to her house and showed me a ton of different kinds of health supplements, big and small, in various colors, all supposedly from nature: sheep placenta, aloe vera, seaweed, noni fruit, soybeans... all natural products from France. And these supplements claimed to help treat a multitude of ailments; each disease had its own specific supplement, sometimes one product could be effective for 2-3 diseases. The supplements she introduced me to were those for skin beauty, breast enhancement, and increased female libido...

She confidently said, "You're a reporter with a wide network of contacts, and I want you to join my company's sales system. It's very simple; you're now my subordinate. Just photocopy your ID card, and you'll be immediately added to the system. Once you're listed, the products you buy will be very cheap, only 2/3 the price of regular customers." Then she added that if you sell one product set and develop one more user (subordinate), "you'll earn at least 20,000 a month. It's easy money. And don't be shy, dietary supplements are used all over the world now, they're great. Just introduce them to your family and friends to try."

I asked what procedures I would need to follow to become a member of her company. She replied that I only needed to deposit a sum of money as a guarantee of credibility, then I would attend a seminar and training course taught by the company's marketing experts, and I would automatically become a multi-level marketing agent for health supplements. She also advised, "People here are now allergic to the term 'multi-level marketing.' You just need to say you are a representative of the company and that the food prices are at cost, and be cautious with customers you think are unlikely to develop a network with. Because these customers might spread negative word-of-mouth about your products." She also explained that her company didn't have a representative office here because their network hadn't reached a thousand members yet. I promised to return as soon as possible and quickly left!

Introducing Collagen dietary supplement

I went to a pharmacy to see how their dietary supplements were being marketed, and I happened to see a sales representative introducing Bao Xuan and Dao Hong Don supplements from Thai Duong Pharmaceutical Company to a counter. The sales representative said, "There's actually not much difference between imported and domestic dietary supplements. The reason they're more expensive is because multi-level marketing schemes artificially inflate the prices. How could a salesperson earn over 20 million VND a month just by selling a few products?" When asked about domestic products, she added that they are now very diverse and produced using nanotechnology, ensuring quality, especially beauty products for women and supplements that support the treatment of diabetes, insomnia, osteoporosis, and stroke...

Domestically produced health supplements are significantly more affordable. Each box of skin-beautifying products like Bao Xuan, Sac Ngoc Khang, or Nhat Nhat Sang Hong from Thai Duong Pharmaceutical Company costs only 130,000 - 220,000 VND. Products that support the treatment of chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, and hyperglycemia also range from 180,000 to 250,000 VND, making them very budget-friendly for consumers.

A section for health supplements in a pharmacy.

Functional foods are advertised with numerous benefits and were once considered the food of the future, especially as people have lost faith in fresh, natural foods. However, their actual effectiveness and whether they match the stated values ​​on the packaging remain unproven. The unregulated market for functional foods has once again caused negative consequences for consumers, many of whom believe that "it will at least help cure the disease" or "Supplementing it will definitely give them the desired skin." Most notably, the prices of these functional foods are largely determined by the sellers.

Thanh Nga