The ends justify the means. That is the slogan for some people, and it may be the driving force behind the company highlighted in this Discovery Toys MLM review. The end is to make money, and the means is to sell toys to parents of small children.
Sounds honorable enough but is it? That is a question you have to answer as you read through this review. Also, the answer may depend on which side of the fence you are looking at this company.
To find out more information before you leap to a conclusion, continue to read our review. Selling educational toys to parents is a smart business strategy.
All parents are looking for such products, and making them available through the MLM business plan isn’t all bad. Read the information to find out.
Disclaimer:
Please keep in mind as you read my Discovery Toys MLM Review, that I am not a member or an affiliate of Discovery Toys. This review is based on research and information available online in the public domain. Any opinions and conclusions may not apply to all persons or situations. So read this review in its entirety and you make your own decision. It might even be helpful to read other Discovery Toys Reviews.
What are Discovery Toys?
This company was the brainchild of a former early childhood educator named Lane Nemeth. She ran the company until 1997 when she sold it to a buyer who has not been named. The current CEO is a man named Jerry Salerno. It is possible that they sold the company a second time to Avon, but that has not been confirmed.
The company has a motto that motivates its work and drives the company to bigger and better things. That motto is to teach, play, and inspire, and using that motto; the company strives to put multiple levels of learning in every toy they produce and sell.
To keep the products at top quality levels, they restrict their target age to 0 to 8 years of age. That way, they can remain focused and develop better toys for that age group. Once the product is approved and put into production, the company places a lifetime guarantee on it.
Then these products are put on sale for less than $20 for the most part. Keeping the costs down is one way to attract the parents’ eyes. There are several categories the company uses to produce its toys. They can be books, musical items, games, and more.
Then the products focus on math, exploration, reading, language, thinking, motor skills, and expression, helping any child expand their horizons and knowledge. It is a good concept, and the world certainly needs more toys like these.
One drawback is that these products are only available in the US and Canada. The other drawback is that they are an MLM corporation.
How Do Discovery Toys Work?
Discovery Toys has two advisors helping the team refine their designs and applications of the toys, games, etc., they produce. From there, they go to what they call Play Advisors, who do direct marketing through in-home parties.
However, before you get to that stage, you have to sign up at the company and be accepted. The cost of signing up ranges between $89 and $399, depending on the package you select. The actual price you have to pay depends on which country you reside in. Canadian residents pay a lot more.
The company’s web page has all the details, and they tell you that you can earn up to 25% commission from day 1 and on your first sale. They do not tell you that you have to buy the products wholesale and then keep the difference between that cost and the retail cost.
One of the problems is that the company does not seem very transparent about its compensation plan. Another one is that you cannot sign up without a sponsor. If you do not have one, the company will find one that is close to your home.
Other than that, this is a standard MLM company. It is better than some and worse than others.
Can You Make Money With Discovery Toys?
The products look good, and they seem to have some value. The cost to purchase those products is not out of the reach of most parents, so you should be able to make some money if you do it right.
What would help you make money if you entered this company with a good business plan to have direction and focus? Other than that, you will be overwhelmed by the competition, including the company’s website.
That will be the key to this business, as it is hard to get people who do not know you to open their homes and invite a stranger in to sell them and their friends a lot of toys they may find at lower prices in their city.
Your income is based on how much you can sell, which is a standard fare for any salesman. The complex MLM business model makes it difficult to make any money under normal circumstances.
So, your income will depend on how honest the company is. The problem is the lower you are on the totem pole, the less money you will earn.
How To Make Money with Discovery Toys MLM
The most obvious way you will make money is through your own hard work and fast sales. To start, you are allowed to make a 25% commission just by selling the products you get in your starter kit and through the catalog.
That commission can go up to 34%, but you may have to climb a few rungs on the compensation ladder to get that raise. The other way to make money is by recruiting others. Of course, you are recruiting your own competition, but you have to do it if you want a boost in sales.
A third way to make some money is through the many bonuses the company offers its reps. On the lowest of 8 levels, you are entitled to only 2 bonuses, and the higher-ups get as many as 18.
Your income will rest a lot on how many people you can recruit to work under you and your leadership. It will also rest on your hard work and energy levels. If you can make some good contacts, you may be able to sell these products.
The Pros & Cons Discovery Toys MLM
Pros:
There are actually quite a few pros that come with working with this company. Here are just a few of them:
- A variety of products to sell
- A highly wanted product category to sell in
- The prices are okay and do not seem too overpriced
- Some training to help you get started
- Possibility to make some money if you do it right
- Easy to join
- Established a company to work with
Cons:
The negatives help you to get the proper perspective on this company. These negatives should make sure you are entering their workforce with both eyes wide open:
- Standard MLM company
- Pay to play, several options to choose from
- Very competitive field to work in
- Some competition from the company also
- Complicated compensation plan
- Lot of work for little reward
- Lots of recruiting needs to be done
Any Negatives? Beware of Lawsuits
So far, we have not been able to find any lawsuits registered against the company. At least one forced recall where the United States CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION had the company ask its customers to return 21,000 Down & Around toddler maze toys.
This was back in 2002, and so far, we have not found any similar notices. One of the negatives that can find in working for this company is the long hours you have to put in trying to set up parties and get sales.
Sometimes the return on your time investment is not very good. This is an area many of the reps do not like as they are basically working for free. Then another standard negative that follows every MLM business is the amount of recruiting that needs to be done.
Recruiting seems t be cutting your own throat and adding to the competition that you have to overcome to make sales. If you want to work in an MLM company, you need to accept that fact.
Is Discovery Toys Legitimate?
There is no doubt that this is a legitimate company. It makes great products and continues to improve and add to its product line daily. Also, the company tries to keep the cost of their products on the low side, even though that is hard to do when you use the MLM business strategy.
Where people may claim Discovery Toys is not legitimate is in their complicated compensation plan. It does not seem fair to work so hard and get so little in return. Yet that is the plan one signs up to work under and agree to, so little complaining can do that.
final thoughts
Save for the compensation plan and the use of in-home parties; this looks like an excellent company to be involved in. Of course, we do not know all the details and if any of their workers have been shortchanged, but we like it from what we have seen.
The products look good. The drive and motivation to continue to improve are two positives that outweigh a lot of the negatives. You could do a lot worse when signing up at an MLM-driven company. We know; we have reviewed a few of them.
If this is done right, there seems to be the potential of making a lot of money. Hopefully, the market has not been over-saturated with competition from your fellow sales reps to accomplish that objective. This Discovery Toys MLM Review ends on a positive note.
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