Polaris Global to cut costs with BFE University
In an age of the internet, smart phones, e-book readers, netbooks, tablet pc’s, mp3 players and an every incerasing army of portable gadgets designed to give you information on the go, it’s a little strange to find that most MLM companies still opt for the traditional books and CD/DVDs package to distribute their products.
I guess on one level I can understand it from an an accessibility point of view. I mean, I imagine there aren’t too many people alive today who don’t know how to operate a DVD player and less still who can’t work out how to read a book. That said, with most MLM businesses practically requiring you to have an internet presence, gone are the days you can stay competitive and still maintain that you ‘have no idea what all this internets stuff is about’.
Finally it seems one company is taking a step forward and offering their proprietary home course in an easy to use USB stick package.
Sometime in August, Polaris Global are set to release what they’re calling ‘Beyond Freedom Evolution University’. Now I might not agree with the content or approve of Polaris’ business model, but credit given where credit is due. This should have been a long time coming for MLM companies that market books and cd/dvd’s and as far as I know, Polaris are the first to do it.
When I first heard about Beyond Freedom Evolution University I thought it might be an entirely new course but rather it’s the same course as previously distributed in traditional media format. With the University edition however, instead of writing things down in a notebook and watching dvds, instead everything is self contained in a USB stick and ready to access from anywhere.
Pricing for BFE University hasn’t been made public yet but Polaris have announced that it will ship for free to customers (down from Beyond Freedom Evolution’s hefty $160 shipping cost).
Interestingly with Polaris effectively cutting their manufacturing costs to near zero, the price point at which BFE University enters the market should be interesting.
Currently the old media format Beyond Freedom Evolution comes in at a retail price of $2855. If BFE University is much lower than that, I imagine it’s going to render the original pretty much obsolete as I can’t imagine people will want to pay too much extra for the old media version.
Conversely, if BFE University is priced too close too (or the same as) the original BFE, there’s no real justification for such a price when effectively you’re paying for easily copied content onto a USB stick. Let’s face it, production of BFE University is going to be as costly and time intensive as simply hitting ‘ctrl-c’.
Hardly worth the equivalent $2000+ price tag of the hard copy version.
Either way it should be interesting to see how this plays out once pricing is released, and of course whether or not BFE University is intended as a longterm replacement of the original or merely an alternative option to the original course.
Regardless, good on Polaris Global for bringing some sorely needed technological innovation to the MLM industry.
To be blunt, to produce one of those fancy schmancy packages costs no more than $25. I used to work at a “software assembly” place as IT, so I know exactly how much those things cost. Such a course is almost 99.95% profit.
There is no ‘research’ involved or any sort of scientific study that would cost any real money. It’s almost always written from personal experience, and often, recycled footage from convention talks.
Like I acknowledged in the article title, there’s no doubt that this is solely a move to cut costs How much Polaris cut costs obviously depends on the final price of BFE University. As you acknowledge USB production is minimal so it’d be quite strange for them to price it anywhere near the current $2000 plus cost of the original BFE.
The dilemma for Polaris of course is if they price it too low they’ll make the original completely redundant (and also eat into those entry level commissions of itheir members).
The innovation (I know USB sticks aren’t new but they are the first MLM company to do it as far as I know), might be a consequence of cutting costs, but I still think it deserved to be recognised. I’m obviously not, but if I was interested in Polaris Global’s BFE product, I know that being able to get it much cheaper on a USB stick would be a big enticement over a much more expensive hard copy version.
Interesting thet the change of format has elevated the Polaris educational course to that of “university” almost overnight . Of course, in the US one can purchase a PhD from one of the many mills available on Google. However, in Australia, as in Europe, the word university has a legal connotation which is jealously guarded so that the likes of Polaris cannot pretend to offer academically recognized qualifications.
I wonder how long their “university” will survive.
There are plenty of well recognized and fully legitimate courses available at universities all around world at a fraction of the cost of the Polaris offering.
A lot of bull**** places call themselves “university” or “college” without any sort of accreditation.
There is apparently a “Professional Golfer’s Career College”.
http://www.golfcollege.edu/about-pgcc-mainmenu/contact-info
Though Golf College is accredited by something. Polaris? Nothing at all.
Well not unless you count Scientology.
OH I WENT THERE.