Most health and wellness companies offer at least one, "Health Pack," which they've stocked with items they feel that most people would always want to purchase every month. Again, these packages may also be designed to qualify the representative for a particular level in the company's compensation plan.

The problem with this approach is that, especially if it is a pack that contains many varied products, it is highly unlikely that you will consume all of its contents equally over the entire month. So, at the end of the month it is very possible that you'll end up with too much, or too little, of some of the products included in any given package.

If you just keep ordering that same package then before long you'll end up with a whole surplus of some items, and perhaps run short on others. That's what I mean by a "slow" month. Slow months for me are those months where the previous months' AutoShips have caused me to be overstocked on certain items. If I end up getting overstocked on many if not most items, then I may only spend as little as $100 to $150 that month buying just the few items that I'm running out of. On the other hand, if it is a month during which I've almost run out of everything, or soon will be, then I can easily spend as much as $400 to $600 purchasing all of the health and nutritional products that I might typically buy in any given month.

Do I continue to keep receiving products on AutoShip every month even when I already have too many, or don't need them? Absolutely not! If I see that I'm getting too stocked up on certain items then I'll remove those items from my AutoShip order for that month. Some companies let you put AutoShip on "pause" and then resume it again when you are ready for exactly this reason. However, if no such options are provided I am not at all shy about simply canceling my AutoShip order for a particular month altogether. Then, when I see that I'm going to be running low on those items, I'll go back on AutoShip.

AUTO SHIP DEADLINES

Especially if you are new to receiving products on AutoShip, be sure to familiarize yourself with your company's policy for submitting changes or cancellations to your order. Some companies will allow you to literally change your order almost at the last minute. More commonly, however, they will have a policy that states that you must do so well prior to the actual AutoShip date, sometimes by as much as 10 days in advance! If your company has such a policy and you wait until after the deadline you may be unable to stop your AutoShip for that month, even if you don't need any more of the product!


To summarize:

1. Emphasize the value of your products and services so that both you and your customers are purchasing because they need and want your products, and not just to meet some compensation plan requirement. Ask yourself, "if I weren't personally involved in this company, would I still be buying this product?"

Almost all of the products and services that I mentioned above that I buy, sometimes to the tune of as much as $400 to $600 a month, are for my personal consumption only and not at all because I'm trying to qualify for a spot somewhere in a company's compensation plan. In fact, in most cases, I do not push the opportunity at all, and in most have never signed up even a single rep. (Though I'm a huge fan of health and wellness and practice it daily, it just so happens that my primary focus is on building organizations outside of the strictly heath and wellness area.). So, I can definitely answer with a resounding, "yes," the question, "would I buy these products anyway even if no opportunity were involved."

If you can answer, "yes," to that question and you happen to be in the health and wellness area, awesome! You'll be much better off and build a stronger organization and customer base as a result.

2. Do not buy and certainly do not continue to receive on monthly AutoShip anything that you do not really want or need. Buy products because you actually intend to use them, and not just to qualify for a certain level of compensation.

3. Monitor your AutoShips and your usage of the products and be ready to adjust as needed, ordering more, or less, whenever necessary.

4. Finally, remember that YOU ultimately are in control and are the one who determines what you need, and in what quantity, and when. So, if you are simply getting too stocked up on certain items, or you simply don't need them during a certain month, don't be shy about canceling your AutoShip order if your company doesn't give you more flexible options. You can always resume your AutoShip order when you are ready.


And, lastly, let me point out that, all things considered, as long as you actually need and want whatever products you are buying, then by all means DO take advantage of any specials, bonuses, and/or compensation plan benefits that you will enjoy by ordering on AutoShip. In other words, if your company offers advantages to placing your order on AutoShip, as opposed to placing a "regular" order, there is nothing wrong with that. Very few companies have a policy that states that you won't get those same advantages just because you don't stay on AutoShip every single month. If you cancel your AutoShip this month for instance, naturally you probably won't enjoy for that month any of the perks that are offered for being on AutoShip. However, when you DO decide to order again, if you place your order back on AutoShip, you'll probably enjoy the same benefits as if you had been on AutoShip the entire time.

Some people like to shop at sales just because items are on sale. Hence the old saying, "no sale is a good sale if you don't need the item that's on sale!" Likewise, AutoShip does have it's place, but no benefit is likely to worth it if you are spending money each month buying products on AutoShip that you don't really need or want.