Part Time Job (eve)

[bpSchoch]

First I apologize if this kind of job is in-appropriate.

Full disclosure, i've signed up to be a Rep for this company
====================================

Bottom line with energy diversification, this company, Utility Choice International or UCI, is looking to market their discounted energy for both Gas and Electric in Maryland very soon (days to weeks) and are using word of mouth (multi-level marketing) to get the message out. Basically as a Rep you get a small commission on everybody that uses this new energy (they basically save about 8% year round overall in energy costs, and there is no contract or costs to switch, etc). You get the same bill each month but the energy line will be different. Also there advantages to recruiting other Reps as I said MLM.

If you are interested, there is meeting tonight (include the top level brass) at

Maryland Pre-Launch Event with Judd Mintz
September 7, 2010
Hilton Garden Inn BWI
1516 Aero Drive
Linthicum, MD 21090
6:30 PM: Registration
7:00 PM: Business Opportunity Presentation
8:00 PM: Launching Your Business Training


Bernie Schoch, Rep 28715

Again if this is inappropriate, just delete it. I'm doing it because I believe there is money to be made (especially at the beginning).

 

[bpSchoch]

If you have an interest, call 646-222-0058 for a 3 minute recording. If still interested, PM me.

 

[sje0123]

That is such a scam. Nothing more than a pyramid scheme. Anything like that where you have to put up money out front and then have to recruit ppl under you and make a percentage of their commission is nothing but a scam.

 

[bpSchoch]

I thought so also, but checked into it carefully. This is my first Network Marketing company attempt and from the people that I see getting into this (a lot of them having done this with the long distant market in the 90's and very sucessful until LD became free). Yes there are recruitment bonuses but you need to have customers before you qualify (that generate monthly commisions coming from the utility bills). The rentention rate is in the 90+% rate because everybody needs to use either Gas are Electric. They average about 8 custs/rep whereas other NM are only averaging 4 custs/reps. Like I said this my first experience, I'll see how I do. Yes it would help me if someone joined under me (but not counting on any responses), but the people who are helping me say doing it say this not the best way to do it. My first reps are ones that live near me so that they can be handheld, the same as the people who are helping me. In the end, it's an individual decision that can be taken or left. If this does work as I think it will, then it's a way make something extra which usefull with hobbies like we all have. Time will tell.

 

[h2u]

Just be careful. About two months ago, I was approached near my neighborhood by someone trying to pass out flyers for the exact same type of thing. I believe the name was Meridian Energy or Electric. Didn't believe it then either. Wanted people to "spread the word via word of mouth"....because mass marketing (read: junk mail) wasn't working.

I'd be VERY skeptical. Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

 

[sje0123]

Believe what you want but keep in mind a pyramid scheme is good for the people who got in early. Anything that costs you money out of pocket to join is bad news. $500 is a lot to part with.

 

[bpSchoch]

I would absolutely agree that the people who come in early have a big advantage vs those who can in very late in the game. This is a company that just started in Ohio in Jan 2010, and is just now opening up Maryland. There is a total of about 3k reps and 25,000 customers mostly in Ohio. I'm doing it because Maryland is just opening up, the company is at the early stages, the strategy has proven to work in Ohio, and I see a lot of NM "veterans" jumping in right now, and I'm at near the top starting off (within the top 10 levels). There are only 2 people between me and the guy who started Maryland who was a top notch performer in the LD company (6 figures a month). The LD company at the end had about 77 levels before it ended. Because of all this I believe that the odds are there for me to succeed. Most of the reps (dozen or so) are concentrated in the Baltimore area with the rest of the state basically wide open. I'm sticking my neck out here now (both financially and reputation now), but I'll keep people informed of what happens.

 

[xcavater]

No

 

[bpSchoch]

I can now now sign up BG&G customers as of las week (Gas, electricity next month) on a month by month variable rate currently at .5990/Therm. http://www.teamuci.com/?ID=BLSchoch

In terms of 'pyramid', although it may sound like one on the surface, you need to really examine it to see how it's really working. First of all, Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) as it's called is gaining a large foothold in the home business area in the last 10-15 years. Many brand names by reputable companies are being sold using MLM including products from AT&T, AVON, Mary K, Berkshire Hathaway own 4 MLM companies i'm told.

Franchises were considered an unsavory business model 20+ years ago, yet today they are widely accepted as a 'legitimate' business model.

Ok now to some brass tacks on the details of how the money works (and I'm only speaking on how UCI works).
First you have Independent Reps and customers. UCI corporate negotiates with major energy wholesalers for a prices that will over time give a good deal for it's customers otherwise the deals doesn't make sense. Energy is a commodity so everybody is working with the same raw materials. The price differences are due to buying wholesale and consolidation. The goal is to offer to packages; one variable (prices changes with the market), and one fixed (where energy is pre-bought on the futures market and price locked in), the is totally different than the average the price over the year plans that many utilities have.

So ok the customer acquisition model is using reps. Reps are compensated in 2 ways, one bonuses are given for the acquisition of a certified rep. A certified rep is a rep who has acquired 5 customers. So a bonus isn't generated until your rep has 5 customers; no customers, no bonus. If this wasn't in, then it's a pyramid. The goal here is in getting customers but using reps to do that. These bonuses are one time events. The second way is from 'residuals' which means a small percentage of the customers bill each month. At the beginning, this turns out to be very small until you have a larger organization when the money really starts kicking in (because making a very small percentage of a lot of customers is where the money is).

Everything around compensation is centered around encouraging you to expand your certified reps and their customers. Some mentioned, that only the top people make the money, which is completely not true, you can have a superstar rep somewhere downline that could end up making a lot more money then you are.

Anyways I'm continuing to pursue this. I'm a bit hindered that right now that they are only offering service to BG&E customers and I live in Washington Gas territory (Bethesda).

 

[Darkemp]

SPAM, but not in a can! Be gone scammer!

 

[engineer2009]

To bpSchoch:

How about you waive fees upfront for me and deduct twice the amount from my commission in return? Is this acceptable? I'm short on cash right now and this would double your return.

 

[sje0123]

This is a complete scheme and anyone who falls into it just isn't very educated. You know everyone can do this themselves right?

You can buy all of your energy (Gas & Electric) from whoever you want. Anyone can get a fixed rate or variable rate for the same price w/o having to pay for you to do it. It's called Energy Choice.

 

[august1410]

Electric Amway.

 

[engineer2009]

This is a complete scheme and anyone who falls into it just isn't very educated. You know everyone can do this themselves right?

You can buy all of your energy (Gas & Electric) from whoever you want. Anyone can get a fixed rate or variable rate for the same price w/o having to pay for you to do it. It's called Energy Choice.

I signed up with WGES last year for electric. It was about 1.5 cents cheaper than BG&E.

 

[sje0123]

I signed up with WGES last year for electric. It was about 1.5 cents cheaper than BG&E.

exactly. you did it yourself. no sense paying into the scam the guy above is part of.

 

[stimey]

Utility Choice International

Please read what the Columbus Dispatch has to say about this company, which is now called Invado.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten.../energy-marketing-is-suspect-critics-say.html

 

[wlc]

good luck - while legit, very few people actually make much money with MLM
Once you run out of friends and family to sell to, well .... you get the idea

there are much better ways to make a buck

 

[Hol3shot]

Just a little math -

In just six months, Utility Choice has amassed 15,000 customers and 2,000 independent sales agents in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, with most of the customers concentrated in Ohio. The gas supplier is Volunteer Energy of Pickerington.

So in 6 months - the company and Mintz made $1,000,000 for getting 2000 agents to sign up. Where is the real money being made? By the parent company in these schemes. It always has and always will be.

ROI is the best thing to go by when looking into things like this - or starting a business of any kind. What time frame and how much work is it going to take to get a Return On your Investment?

At $0.05 per customer, it will take signing up 10,000 customers. That doesn't include the amount of time and energy to get those 10,000 customers to sign up. So add 1/2 hour per customer to get them to sign up and you have a new adjusted rate of 5,000 hours of work @ $10hr. and now you need to make $50,000 to cover the time invested. All of this to get your initial $500 back???

The REAL money is made in signing up NEW AGENTS. So if a business model doesn't include customers, it really isn't a business at all - its called a pyramid scheme.

It is sad to see people join in on things like this. Cause in the end they end up lying to friends, family, neighbors, ect. all to make a few bucks and convince them that becoming Agents will make them extra money, when in reality the only reason anyone wants them to become "Agents" is because they get a portion of the $500 investment that helps offset the initial $500 they got screwed on.

Just because someone screwed me, doesn't mean I'll screw someone else to ease the pain of my stupidity....

Back to the loss of Integrity, Morals, and a strong work ethic in the U.S.A.

Nothing is FREE, there is no get rich quick schemes without screwing people - namely your neighbors, friends, co-workers, ect.

Do the math and it plays itself out in black and white.
The math THEY SHOW YOU IS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO SEE AND BELIEVE. Math is like statistics, depending on what part of the equation you are looking at, it can be interpreted in 100 different ways.


These companies prey on the uneducated and "wishful dreamers" to line their pockets.

 

[Anubis]

Electric Amway.

Ding.

We have a winner

 

[august1410]

Ding.

We have a winner

Thanks!