Successful Meetings - July 2009 - (Page 30)

Medical & Pharmaceutical Meetings A PLAN OF ACTION Ameriplan’s incentive trips help the multi-level marketing firm take advantage of an economy that plays to its strengths By Leo Jakobson, leo.jakobson@nielsen.com Photography by Matt Mrozek bad economy isn’t necessarily bad news for all businesses. Some sectors tend to thrive during a downturn, such as network marketing firms like Mary Kay, Amway, and Plano, TXbased Ameriplan, which sells access to a nationwide network of dentists, doctors, and vision care providers that offer members steep discounts. In business since 1992, Ameriplan dif- A fers from other network marketing—also known as multi-level marketing—firms in that it sells access to services rather than the “pills, potions, and lotions” that many competitors distribute, says Jim Hardin, vice president of sales for Ameriplan’s Southeastern division. “We sell the opportunity to save money,” Hardin says. Historically, economic downturns have been good times for multi-level marketing READER R I • Travel works better as an award than cash • Individuals who try to qualify for incentives but fail are as valuable as those who qualify • Link gifts and extras to the overall message of the program 30 I SM I July 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - July 2009

Successful Meetings - July 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
Education
Mouth for Sale
Incentive Insights
Meetings Law
Management Matters
Gurus
Path to Success
Cover Story: ROI Guide
Medical & Pharmaceutical Meetings
Safety & Security
Industry Roundtable
Places + Spaces
Alabama
Georgia & the Carolinas
Hong Kong
Melbourne
Golf Meetings
Planning a golf meeting, 101
Formats, games, prizes, and the awards ceremony
The how, what, why, and win of hole-in-one insurance
How the PGA professional can help your meeting plans
A woman’s view of golf
Opinion: The (new) perception of golf resorts
In closing: Boondoggle is not part of the golf vocabulary
Hawaii
Business Unusual
Q&A with Michael Murray
The Latest and Greatest

Successful Meetings - July 2009