- Our Cooperative Marketing Strategy
AIM'S COOPERATIVE MARKETING© STRATEGY
WHAT IS COOPERATIVE MARKETING © ?
COOPERATIVE MARKETING © or HORIZONTAL MARKETING © is a marketing model designed by AIM International, Inc. to utilize the human desire to gain knowledge, satisfy financial needs, achieve economic viability, attain social mobility and enjoy healthier and happier living. It uses these individualistic drives to create collective consciousness, cooperation and harmony that transform socio-economic conditions and generate individual and collective self-reliance for economic empowerment, self-respect and social dignity.
It depends on social and collective motivation to recruit individuals as members of collective cooperative groups. Such groups can be neighborhood teams, voluntary associations, faith-based organizations and/or fund-raiser programs for schools or social causes. Members in such groups are provided with thorough training that educates them about the objectives of AIM as a realization of their own dreams for a better life. It also provides them with detailed information about the products and services and how they do help the environment as well as the health of the individuals. Furthermore, members of such groups will be trained in social marketing that enlightens the consumers and creates demand through educated, enlightened and willful choices. The philosophical reasoning is that economic freedom is very much a major factor in and of democratic freedom. People are only free when two conditions are met. To be free requires one to be able to make free and willful choices from the many available and potential options. If one does not know what the options are, then that person cannot be "really" free. Similarly, if one is unable to or doesn't know how to make a choice, then that person is not "really" free.
After the members of teams or groups are provided with the information and logic of each product or service, they will be supplied with the products they choose or which are more appropriate for their community. They will get those products at a universal group, wholesale price and a suggested retail price. The group can add a suggested distributor price at which it will provide the members with the products. Using such cooperative collective purchasing power, the group can place orders for large volumes that drive per unit cost down. Then the members can sell the products at the suggested retail price or as much as they can get for the product. Once they pay back the cost to the group, they can keep all the margins of profit they generated for themselves. The group can then use the margins between the wholesale and distributors' prices to spend on social or educational programs, expand on their marketing network capital, and/or divide such margins between the members of the group.
Thus, without spending or investing any or much up-front money, members of the groups can get free training as well as products that they can not afford to pay for, were it not for the group. This will generate loyalty to the group, shared vision and dedication to the cause. As would be expected, the return to each member and to the group will be substantial which in turn would further expand and increase the success of the program. This model is fair to every member of the group and has no exploiting hierarchy or inflated pricing. The results are profitable ventures for the group and individual members as well as availability and reasonable pricing for the consumer.
COOPERATIVE MARKETING© (HORIZONTAL MARKETING©) is not Multi-level Marketing. It is completely different from Multi-level, Vertical, Networks or Pyramid marketing. For the general benefit of awareness, we provide an overview of Multi-level Marketing which is popular, though considered as an unfair and exploitative model.
COOPERATIVE MARKETING© IS NOT MULTI-LEVEL OR PYRAMID MARKETING !
Multi-level, Vertical, Networks or Pyramid marketing is considered by many as one of the most exploitative and unfair to both sellers and consumers. This marketing model depends on recruiting networks of distributors and using them as sales channels. For example, ten group-leaders are recruited so that each of them uses their social relationships to recruit ten of their relatives or acquaintances. Then each of these new one hundred members of the network goes on to recruit ten new members and become the leader of that new group. Furthermore, each one of these one thousand new members goes on to recruit ten, and so on. At the end, a network of thousands of distributors or sales force is created and is controlled by one person or a company at the top.
Using these network members as sales and distribution channels, the management of the network, at the top, goes on to train the first set of ten leaders and provide them with manuals and products. Then these ten, in turn, go on to train the ten members of their network, and so on. However, to become a member of a group, each one is expected to pay a membership, training or initiation fees so as to get the manuals and products samples. Each level of leaders will get the products at a specific price, then add a margin of profit and pass the product at the new price to their respective members. This process goes on until it reaches the last level at the bottom whereby the price of the product is already inflated by the many margins of profit added on each level. As would be expected, the members in the bottom hardly make any profit, while each group leader makes more and more margins of profit the higher their position in the network is. Ultimately, people on the top make substantial profit without practically doing anything except recruiting the first ten leaders, i.e., exploiting the efforts of the hardworking members of the network at the bottom. The result is big profit for the management, meager return for the bottom-level distributors and very expensive products for the end-user. That is why the model is usually referred to as "The PYRAMID SCHEME."
AIM International, Inc. does not employ this model. Based on the principles that there is nothing better than fairness, equity and justice, AIM International, Inc. deals only according to its fair, equitable and just COOPERATIVE MARKETING © Model.
ORGANIZATIONAL AND FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS :-
AIM International, Inc. does not interfere in any way in the make up or organization of the marketing groups. These groups can be already existing and functioning entities, or just formed for long- or short-term projects. These groups are and must be totally independent from AIM. The way they organize themselves, recruit their members or manage their affairs do not concern AIM. Furthermore, AIM does not finance or provide any credit facilities to any group.
This organizational and financial independence guarantee AIM's neutrality and its upholding of true equal opportunity practice. AIM welcomes and deals with any group irrespective of social, economic or religious background or identification, racial, ethnic or national origin, as long as such group conducts its affairs lawfully, upholds the basic moral obligations to the community, and functions ethically. Most importantly, for any group to be able to deal with AIM or become part of its programs it must not be associated with fraud, misrepresentation, exaggeration or exploitation.
The appeal of COOPERATIVE MARKETING © Model is its self-sustaining nature, once the program is launched. Hence, the only two important factors in such a launch are, (a) the organization and (2) the seed money. Each group must support itself financially and raise its own seed money. Typically, sources of financing include cooperative membership contributions, grants and/or interest-free financing. Some cities, states institutions and foundations help provide seed money for such groups. Because of the usually catastrophic consequences of interest borrowing and compound interest-based venture capital financing, AIM does not deal in or recommend such financing methods.
However, during brain storming sessions, AIM can suggest some creative financing methods or management and utilization of resources. Similarly, AIM can provide counseling and help in proposal writing and/or in designing strategies to approach financing institutions. Furthermore, AIM provides groups training in promotion, marketing, sales, healthy living and creative thinking.
WHAT IS COOPERATIVE MARKETING © ?
COOPERATIVE MARKETING © or HORIZONTAL MARKETING © is a marketing model designed by AIM International, Inc. to utilize the human desire to gain knowledge, satisfy financial needs, achieve economic viability, attain social mobility and enjoy healthier and happier living. It uses these individualistic drives to create collective consciousness, cooperation and harmony that transform socio-economic conditions and generate individual and collective self-reliance for economic empowerment, self-respect and social dignity.
It depends on social and collective motivation to recruit individuals as members of collective cooperative groups. Such groups can be neighborhood teams, voluntary associations, faith-based organizations and/or fund-raiser programs for schools or social causes. Members in such groups are provided with thorough training that educates them about the objectives of AIM as a realization of their own dreams for a better life. It also provides them with detailed information about the products and services and how they do help the environment as well as the health of the individuals. Furthermore, members of such groups will be trained in social marketing that enlightens the consumers and creates demand through educated, enlightened and willful choices. The philosophical reasoning is that economic freedom is very much a major factor in and of democratic freedom. People are only free when two conditions are met. To be free requires one to be able to make free and willful choices from the many available and potential options. If one does not know what the options are, then that person cannot be "really" free. Similarly, if one is unable to or doesn't know how to make a choice, then that person is not "really" free.
After the members of teams or groups are provided with the information and logic of each product or service, they will be supplied with the products they choose or which are more appropriate for their community. They will get those products at a universal group, wholesale price and a suggested retail price. The group can add a suggested distributor price at which it will provide the members with the products. Using such cooperative collective purchasing power, the group can place orders for large volumes that drive per unit cost down. Then the members can sell the products at the suggested retail price or as much as they can get for the product. Once they pay back the cost to the group, they can keep all the margins of profit they generated for themselves. The group can then use the margins between the wholesale and distributors' prices to spend on social or educational programs, expand on their marketing network capital, and/or divide such margins between the members of the group.
Thus, without spending or investing any or much up-front money, members of the groups can get free training as well as products that they can not afford to pay for, were it not for the group. This will generate loyalty to the group, shared vision and dedication to the cause. As would be expected, the return to each member and to the group will be substantial which in turn would further expand and increase the success of the program. This model is fair to every member of the group and has no exploiting hierarchy or inflated pricing. The results are profitable ventures for the group and individual members as well as availability and reasonable pricing for the consumer.
COOPERATIVE MARKETING© (HORIZONTAL MARKETING©) is not Multi-level Marketing. It is completely different from Multi-level, Vertical, Networks or Pyramid marketing. For the general benefit of awareness, we provide an overview of Multi-level Marketing which is popular, though considered as an unfair and exploitative model.
COOPERATIVE MARKETING© IS NOT MULTI-LEVEL OR PYRAMID MARKETING !
Multi-level, Vertical, Networks or Pyramid marketing is considered by many as one of the most exploitative and unfair to both sellers and consumers. This marketing model depends on recruiting networks of distributors and using them as sales channels. For example, ten group-leaders are recruited so that each of them uses their social relationships to recruit ten of their relatives or acquaintances. Then each of these new one hundred members of the network goes on to recruit ten new members and become the leader of that new group. Furthermore, each one of these one thousand new members goes on to recruit ten, and so on. At the end, a network of thousands of distributors or sales force is created and is controlled by one person or a company at the top.
Using these network members as sales and distribution channels, the management of the network, at the top, goes on to train the first set of ten leaders and provide them with manuals and products. Then these ten, in turn, go on to train the ten members of their network, and so on. However, to become a member of a group, each one is expected to pay a membership, training or initiation fees so as to get the manuals and products samples. Each level of leaders will get the products at a specific price, then add a margin of profit and pass the product at the new price to their respective members. This process goes on until it reaches the last level at the bottom whereby the price of the product is already inflated by the many margins of profit added on each level. As would be expected, the members in the bottom hardly make any profit, while each group leader makes more and more margins of profit the higher their position in the network is. Ultimately, people on the top make substantial profit without practically doing anything except recruiting the first ten leaders, i.e., exploiting the efforts of the hardworking members of the network at the bottom. The result is big profit for the management, meager return for the bottom-level distributors and very expensive products for the end-user. That is why the model is usually referred to as "The PYRAMID SCHEME."
AIM International, Inc. does not employ this model. Based on the principles that there is nothing better than fairness, equity and justice, AIM International, Inc. deals only according to its fair, equitable and just COOPERATIVE MARKETING © Model.
ORGANIZATIONAL AND FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS :-
AIM International, Inc. does not interfere in any way in the make up or organization of the marketing groups. These groups can be already existing and functioning entities, or just formed for long- or short-term projects. These groups are and must be totally independent from AIM. The way they organize themselves, recruit their members or manage their affairs do not concern AIM. Furthermore, AIM does not finance or provide any credit facilities to any group.
This organizational and financial independence guarantee AIM's neutrality and its upholding of true equal opportunity practice. AIM welcomes and deals with any group irrespective of social, economic or religious background or identification, racial, ethnic or national origin, as long as such group conducts its affairs lawfully, upholds the basic moral obligations to the community, and functions ethically. Most importantly, for any group to be able to deal with AIM or become part of its programs it must not be associated with fraud, misrepresentation, exaggeration or exploitation.
The appeal of COOPERATIVE MARKETING © Model is its self-sustaining nature, once the program is launched. Hence, the only two important factors in such a launch are, (a) the organization and (2) the seed money. Each group must support itself financially and raise its own seed money. Typically, sources of financing include cooperative membership contributions, grants and/or interest-free financing. Some cities, states institutions and foundations help provide seed money for such groups. Because of the usually catastrophic consequences of interest borrowing and compound interest-based venture capital financing, AIM does not deal in or recommend such financing methods.
However, during brain storming sessions, AIM can suggest some creative financing methods or management and utilization of resources. Similarly, AIM can provide counseling and help in proposal writing and/or in designing strategies to approach financing institutions. Furthermore, AIM provides groups training in promotion, marketing, sales, healthy living and creative thinking.
As a cooperative alliance of creative inventors, innovative manufacturers and experts, AIM is a realization of a "Global South" network of scientists and scholars to transfer safe and useful technology to promote development. AIM is The World's Supermarket of Innovations©, "Solving chronic problems naturally"©.
Unlike the majority of Marketing Strategies ... AIM International Inc. actually practices and strictly adheres to this one. From this you will realize that we are a company that genuinely cares ... for people, for animals, for countries and for our planet.