Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Not a Scam? So what's the truth in 15th Floor Octagon/ Robinson's Building

15th Floor Octagon Bldg, San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Many seemingly shady men and women are calling a great number of people across the metro everyday, and there are different opinions, judgments, assumptions, and even urban legends, are made on what really goes on in there. All throughout this blog site of mine, I have been stating numerous facts about what's the real deal in there. And this time, it's a post of the simple black and white. The nutshell, the real deal, plain and simple. It is Nu Skin Enterprises, ergo, Nu Skin Philippines, that is operating in the offices of 15th Floor Octagon Bldg. And just what is Nu Skin? Blake M. Roney and Nedra Dee Roney (Americans) established Nu Skin Enterprises in 1984 in the United States. Steve Lund, Brooke Roney, and Sandie Tillotson joined the company at the time of its establishment. In fact, Nu Skin went public, listed on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) in 1996. As soon as the associates of Nu Skin were dealt with its new unit called Nu Skin Pacific Corporation, the firm turned to be a full-fledged public corporation. Nu Skin Enterprises is an American direct selling company that manufactures and promotes nutritional supplements, technology services, and cosmetics. It is an MLM Company and has more than 800,000 independent distributors for promoting its products in around 50 markets. In 2007, the annual revenue of this MLM Company was around $1.16 billion in 47 global markets. The company distributes products under three brand names namely Nu Skin, Pharmanex, and Big Planet. Pharmanex formulates natural dietary supplementations, whereas Big Planet manufactures new business services and tools to assist companies in direct marketing.

This MLM Corporation formulates the products from high-quality natural components to give positive and efficient results. Some of the products are of premium- priced, and customers claim that they are effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines, increase radiance and smoothness, and minimize discoloration and age spots. Moreover, the skin-care products repair damaged skin due to the sun's UV rays. They also reduce the environmental and biological signs of aging. Nu Skin offers a money-back guarantee, if you do not witness results within 180 days. Some of the products that Nu Skin formulates are Nu Skin 180 Skin Therapy System, Tru Face line, Tri Phasic White and Clear Action System. Nu Skin offers attractive opportunities for business to its associates. It provides thorough field training along with support through various events and seminars. These are the Distributors who call you, running it as a personal business. The company offers decent compensation to its distributors. You can purchase products exclusively from their chain of MLM network markets/ Distributors or directly from the Company though their walk-in centers, as such, in the Philippine head office 15th Floor Octagon Bldg here in Manila. Another walk-in center in Makati is in operation - at 26th Floor, Trafalgar Plaza building, Cebu Walk-in Center in Gorodo Avenue, Lahug Cebu City and Iloilo City. This company is in operation worldwide for 25 years. These are all valid and legitimate information widely available in the internet if only one will research further.

What is in 15th Floor Ocatgon Octagon Bldg. and why is it being negatively attacked?

15th floor Octagon Building, San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, is the official business office and address of Nu Skin Enterprises here in the Philippines, and has been operating legally up to the present day. Nu Skin Enterprises is a US based multi-level marketing company that’s been in operation since 1984, worldwide. The main purpose of this blog is to share clarity amidst all negativity about this business, and all misinformation and misunderstanding that's been publicly being circulated around. For a fact, this is not a scam. Yes, it’s completely legit, and what they say about the company is true as the green color of the grass. They are publicly listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and has been featured numerous times in CNN and other world news. They are also the corporate owners of Pharmanex and Big Planet (yeah, what they say about owning 3 companies is a fact). Point is, Nu Skin and Pharmanex are legitimate businesses and real top brands and that 15th floor Octagon Building is their head office here in Manila, Philippines. I need not say more of the validity of these facts, many of you are smart, so Google it and find all the answers. You do the research. Now, you could have been smart enough to Google “Nu Skin”, but somehow, Nu Skin was not mentioned by the person who called you. Instead, they mentioned Synergy1 Global, Synergy1 International, Galvanics, or whatever business entities that doesn’t somehow show up when you do your curious search in the internet. This is what makes the whole thing shady and questionable. Doesn’t it? And so you search for the office address “15th floor Octagon Bldg“, and what you get is a dozen blogs and forums of disenchanted, disappointed, ranting, bedazzled individuals who share their experiences with these “annoying” calls. So you get back to the one who called you…or “invited” you…and ask all these questions that they somehow can’t answer straight. True to form, they are only speaking what they really perceive and that they are not the ones to blame. Both the bloggers and the one who called you…And you.

The truth about it all, is that these people are not scammers. Really some, just don’t say the right things to say. And I believe that you can never really say the wrong things to the right people, or vice versa. Otherwise, the result is really a failure of communication, the purpose defeated. Nu Skin Enterprises (NSE) / Pharmanex, is bluntly, a Multi Level Marketing (MLM) company, otherwise known here as “Networking”. And with the likes of it, such business model is still alien and not widely acceptable yet here in our country (ironically in this day and age), but not in the case of other countries particularly in the U.S. or our other giant neighbors here in Asia, where MLM is openly practiced and accepted. Hence, even in its decade-long legit existence in the Philippines, Nu Skin has still yet to come into wide acceptance in our society/ local market, despite its huge successes overseas. That’s why it has developed a unique business model for its market. Suffice to say, it developed multiple marketing arms. And Synergy1, Synergy1 Global/ International (or any other entities out there) are part of the many independent distributors of Nu Skin Philippines operating in the same office at 15th floor Octagon Bldg in Ortigas.

Every known company, particularly the big ones, has telemarketing as the bloodline of their business. This should not be hard to comprehend, considering the call center / BPO industry the country is embracing right now. But not every one of us thinks in a business-like fashion, and so it would be really hard to chew these things at times. Think of it in a nutshell, that Nu Skin is the supplier of products and merchandize, and that several “groups” and entities have committed to market these products at the same time handling it as their own businesses. That’s what these people do. Too vague to understand? That’s why they call. People do not get invited with these calls, they are seeped…filtered out…like a funnel…from a dozen market leads that any other company in the world has. And what they say, is true enough in content that they are a US based company that’s currently expanding here in Manila/ Philippines/ South East Asia.. and right now they’re just looking for qualified individuals to handle sharing of the opportunity to those who are interested to venture in the business. Understand, that these things have to be vague. Why? Because they are not sure just yet if you’re really the one they’re looking for. They don’t want to sell on you, they want to know if they can do business with you, or not. And there is no utter scam in all that. Sure, there are a few rotten tomatoes out there who operates in a very “different” manner that eludes to a scam. That is inevitable, not to mention unfortunate.But what they really are, are legitimate operating groups and entities that do business consultancy, training grounds for interested entrepreneurs who want to start up their own businesses, and just looking for some key people to expand with them.

There are no promises in this business, and truly no commitments. If some say there are, then that’s the scam out there. A scam of the individual who may have called you, but not the scam of the company or the business they represent.

If you are smart enough as you think, ask them. Challenge their claims. See it for yourself, after all, you know you’re smart enough not to get scammed, no matter what is presented or offered to you. But know this for a fact, being smart is different from a pessimistic ignorance. Nothing to lose, a potential of everything to gain.