My friend and sailing buddy Ethan has started a new web site called My Private Sales Department. The basic gist is that as a friend of a friend of Ethan, you can buy high quality jewelry at a "friend-in-the-business" price. If you're in the market for an engagement ring or something for a loved one, you should check it out. Full scoop after the jump.
The goal of PrivateSalesDepartment.com is to provide friends and associates of our jewelry manufacturing company with private access to beautiful, high-quality diamond jewelry at a friend-in-the business price.
If you are [on the site], it is because you were referred to the site by either an employee or friend of our company, or by someone they had referred. You have our permission to share your access code to the site with your friends, family, and trusted associates.
We are a large, Los Angeles based, manufacturer and distributor of fine diamond jewelry products. For over 20 years we have sold jewelry to department and fine jewelry stores around the world. For security reasons we do not publish the name of our parent company on this website.
Jewelry’s many facets and variables can make purchasing decisions somewhat complicated, especially online. To help make this process less stressful we provide as much detail about our products as possible, and we offer helpful information via the navigation tab menu that brought you to this page. And, of course, we are here to help. If you have questions, click here to contact us, or use our online chat feature available at the top right corner of every page.
To take advantage of this offer click here and enter "Turinas".
Ethan's looking for feedback so email him. I am sure he'd love to here
Hmmm. Thanks.
Sorry to be cyncial but this sounds like a clever way for your friend to advertise his business using a social networking method to tell people about his products for free. I see that he also gives me “permission” to share my access code to the site with my “friends, family, and trusted associates” and presumably my friends will also receive “permission ” and so on ad infinitum. The fact that it is presented as “private” access for “friends and associates” makes it sound like it must be a great offer but it is a little misleading.
Or am I missing something?
TMan, that is the model in a nutshell. It’s not a new model either. Amway has built a multi-billion dollar business that way as has Tupperware and Avon.
If you can save a few bucks because you know someone who knows someone who know someone ,etc, what’s the harm in that? It’s perfectly transparent.
For the record, I totally get the model, make nothing from it, and Ethan is a good mate who I am happy to help out.
Not sure what there is to be cynical about.
Tillerman, I am Adam’s friend Ethan, I saw your comment and I appreciate the feedback. I don’t want to mislead people, and I make no bones about the fact that I would like people to tell other people they know and trust about the site. Yes, I am trying to leverage social networking as a means to extend the site’s trusted network of potential customers. The access code does limit that network to people who found the site from a trusted source. Certainly, it may not be someone who knows me directly, but it should be from a line of people who all trust each other. I can’t speak for Adam, but I believe that he posted this to his blog because we consider each other friends, and because he knows me well enough to believe that I will give his readers exactly what I promise. On the site, I try to prove that the pricing is as good as I claim by providing independent appraisals for most every piece we sell over about $350 so people can see the value not just take my word for it. I don’t blame you for being cynical, and I really do appreciate your comments. I will work to ensure that the site does not mislead.
Regards, Ethan
Hope my comment didn’t sound mean. I totally understand how this works, although I don’t think I would put it into the same category as Amway, Adam.
But Ethan should be aware that there are several things about it that turn me off, and others may have the same reaction…
1. The original pitch that this is a “special offer for MAiS” readers and then the realization that it’s nothing of the kind.
2. The fact that it feels like Ethan wants to “use” me to advertise his business to my friends.
3. The fact that he does not disclose the name of the parent company behind this.
4. The fact that an online sailing friend like Adam is now using his excellent blog to try and sell me something totally unrelated to the subject of the blog.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong or unethical about any of the above. It’s just that they have a negative impact on me and turn me off buying anything from Ethan’s website. And I hope that’s helpful feedback.
I thought for a second that MAIS had been hacked. It seems out of character for this blog. Now if it was my blog, well that’s a different story. 😉
P.S. Good luck with the jewelry business.