With Big Tabacco & pharmeceutical companies scrambling to lobby governments to ban the use of electronic cigarettes to protect their profits and governments themselves weighing up how to recoup lost tax revenues from the sales of tobacco, the fledgling electric cigarette industry has to fight hard to install  credability.

It doesn’t help that most of the industry manufacturing electronic cigarettes and their nicotine refills is based in China. Dodgy milk containing plastic and lead paint in childrens toys are just two examples of a manufacturing expansion in China not having the regulatory infrastructure to keep up with its growth.

In terms of electronic cigarettes, the most important single factor has to be a confidence in the refill nicotine cartridges that companies provide. The whole point of the electronic cigarette is to provide an alternative device to existing smokers that contain less harmful ingredients than the 4000 or so carcinogen laden tabacco cigarettes.

In an attempt to stay one step ahead of the game, Inlife LLC, uses only pharmecuetical grade materials from an FDA registered laboratory to produce its vegetable extracted nicotine refill. A more expensive process, but one that gives confidence to its users  that what they are smoking is exactly what the labelling says it is.

This customer stated ” Two things made me choose an Inlife electric cigarette. The quality of the product and the guarantees on the batteries and atomizers. But probably the most important factor was the nicotine refills. I want to know what I am smoking, otherwise why would I change from tabacco cigarettes? The Inlife products dont even use tabacco extracted nicotine that can contain traces of other chemicals. The drug companies use tabacco extracted nicotine in their patches and gum because its cheaper. Inlifes use of vegetable extracted nicotine gives me great confidence that this is a responsible company that is ahead of the game”

Inlife produce four electronic cigarettes. The Elite, The Prestige, The Royale and The Regal. All are strictly marketed to existing smokers only and you must be over the legal age of smoking to purchase.

Inlife company Website – Click Here

inLife products have not been certified by the Food and Drug Administration or the Office of the Surgeon General to be used for smoking cessation purposes. To purchase inLife products or sign up a distributor, you must be the legal age of smoking in your state or older

The Inlife smoking devices are not FDA approved cessation devices for stopping smoking and it should be noted that Inlife make no claims, statements or innuendos that their products can be used to quit smoking nor do they make any statements or innuendos that their products diagnose, treat, cure, prevent, mitigate or offer any therapeutic value

Inlife, the electronic cigarette supplier has announced to day the release of its latest smoking device, the Regal. The alternative device for smokers follows the growing success of its Elite and Prestige range of alternate smoking devices which use pharmeceutical grade nicotine from an FDA approved laboratory to simulate the smoking experience and allow smokers to use the device in public places where smoking tabacco is banned.

The Regal is a smaller product than its sisters, more closely resembling the size of a cigarette. Its distinctive black and grey coloring means it will not be mistaken for a tabacco cigarette but provides its users with a genuine smoking experience.

The Inlife smoking range of devices are available to smokers over the legal age for smoking tabacco.
Inlife also makes it clear that their product range are not approved by the FDA and makes NO claims towards health or use as a cessation device. The product should be considered an alternative to existing smokers only.

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As a new Independent Distributor, one of my first adventures was to enroll a local tobacco shop.  The thought was that a tobacco store was a perfect place to show and sell these amazing devices.  The potential sales of units and cartridges could be significant, I thought.  But, as it turned out, network marketing and trying to sell through a traditional retail process are not a good fit.

There are several inherent problems with enrolling a local retailer:

1.    Most retailers don’t want to be bothered with the process enrolling customers that come in.  And customers usually don’t want to spend the time to have all their information put into the computer (assuming the retailer even has one in the store) so they can go on line themselves and order products.  That’s why they’re going to a retailer in the first place.  Their objective is to stop in, pay, and take home.

2.    Most retailers don’t have the knowledge or the time to explain to a customer about the incredible financial opportunity of being an Independent Distributor.  More importantly, the retailer doesn’t want to “lose his customers” and have them go out and sell to other potential customers that might otherwise have come into their store.  Retailers are retailers, and they really don’t understand the power of network marketing.

3.    Having a local retailer that sells the inLife products, even at a mark up over suggested retail, makes it difficult for Independent Distributors working that area.  A prospect can be lost because they say, “Why go through all this, when I can just go down to the store and buy what I need?”

4.    Retailers are used to dealing with company sales representatives that offer the retailer discounts and “free stuff” to put their products on the shelf.  As an independent distributor, we’re not able to provide product discounts, advertising dollars or incentives to retailers.

5.    Retailers look to the company sales representative to take back defective products or trade out items that are not moving.  Even though the retailer ordered the products just as we do, they still have that mindset that the “sales representative” (us) should take care of their problems.  After all, that’s what all the other company sales reps do.

Having said all that, there can be opportunities enrolling retailers as new IDs, but only if they manage this part of their business through the network marketing process, exactly as outlined by inLife.  It’s a process that works.  If you choose to enroll a retailer, it’ll be your job to convince them of the incredible opportunity by doing it our way and instruct them how to integrate the inLife business into their current retail outlet.

Here are some suggestions:

1.    The retailer needs to decide which devices they want to carry and be sure they have an ample supply of units, cartridges, batteries, chargers, and atomizers on hand.  To cut down on the inventory cost, they may want to carry only 2 of the devices; say the Regal and the Royale.

2.    When a customer first comes in, the retailer must be knowledgeable enough to demonstrate and sell the inLife device.  Tell the customer to go home, charge the unit, try out the different nicotine levels in the kit, and come back when they know what cartridges they like best.

3.    When the customer returns for cartridges, explain the value of enrolling with inLife as a “Customer” so they can go on line and order everything and have it shipped direct.  Be sure the retailer has computer up and running at the checkout area all the time.  Just leave it logged into their back office.  Then, all they’ll have to do is enter the password and start to sign people up.

·         Have the retailer develop a simple signup sheet for customers to fill out with all the information needed to enroll.  Be sure it has a place to insert their new user name and password.  The retailer can then take that sheet and set up their new replicated website.  Give the customer back the sheet so they’ll have something to remember their username & password.

·         The retailer should develop an information sheet that tells new customers how to access their replicated website, how to get on autoship, and how order things and check their orders through their back office.  Also, include an “Information Package” which should include a copy of the inLife pamphlet, the opportunity CD, and an opportunity meeting invitation flyer with each kit sold.

·         The retailer should offer weekly opportunity meetings to customers with meeting times and dates that should be included in the information flyer.  Call each customer that received the information package and invite them to one of the meetings.  The rest is routine.

Retailers already have a great venue for distributing inLife products and an existing customer base.  Many have a strong advertising program that can easily be modified to include the inLife products.  But, the key to their success, and yours, will come when they stop thinking like a retailer and start thinking like a network marketer.  And, they must understand that you are not a company sales representative that is there to solve all their problems and give them incentives.