Online Shopping Brokers: ProActiv

Look your best in 2008 with Sheer Cover makeup!

Proactiv Solution is a revolutionary, dermatologist-developed Combination Therapy® system that helps the skin heal the blemishes you have now - and helps stop new ones from forming - in three quick, easy steps.

1 Renewing Cleanser
This unique oil-free formula contains smooth, tiny grains to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and other impurities, plus prescription-grade benzoyl peroxide to penetrate pores, attack bacteria and heal blemishes fast.

2 Revitalizing Toner
This refreshing, alcohol-free toner removes dead skin cells, unplugs pores and helps remove excess oil so your skin looks and feels refreshed. Soothing botanical agents gently balance your skin tone.

3 Repairing Lotion
Our light, oil-free lotion contains finely milled prescription-grade benzoyl peroxide to heal blackheads and blemishes and helps prevent future breakouts. The advanced delivery system in Repairing Lotion is soothing and safe for your entire face.

In addition to ProActive, Guthy-Renker carries the following products:

Winsor Pilates®
The Midnight Special®
Principal Secret®
Meaningful Beauty®
Winsor Pilates®
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Youthful Essence®
Core Secrets™

Established in 1988, Guthy-Renker is today one of the world's largest direct response television companies with sales of more than $1.5 Billion per year and an average annual growth rate of 25% over the last 10 years. Originally launched as a television direct marketer by Co-CEOs Bill Guthy and Greg Renker, the independently-owned, vertically-integrated company has since broadened its focus into every area of electronic retailing, making quality products available to U.S. and international consumers through broadcast television, cable and satellite, as well as internet, telemarketing, direct mail and retail channels.

10 commandments of management at Guthy-Renker

1. Thou shalt take risks.
Risk is a prerequisite for success. So feel the fear and do it anyway, and know that every entrepreneur before you has felt the pang of panic at one time or another. The trick is to fight the fear with four simple rules. Research your ideas extensively. Keep your goals clear. Invest and re-invest, and never be afraid to try new things. Soon your fear will be replaced by financial fortitude.

2. Thou shalt make nice with your competitors.
The old law of "you wash my back, I'll wash yours" is just as applicable in our modern age. Asking competitors for help will reap unparalleled rewards, from getting invaluable advice (especially on new ventures) to combining your forces for mutual benefit. When it comes time to return a favor, brokering a deal for a competitor will allow you to cut in on their profits. It's a win-win situation.

3. Thou shalt pick the right people.
The people you surround yourself with will often make the difference between profit and perish. Choose partners who offer varying perspectives to cover all your bases. Surround yourself with people who are talented, forward thinking, conscientious and loyal, and you'll create an unbeatable team. Finally, take your time to find the right people - it will be time well spent.

4. Thou shalt have a Rolodex® that is fruitful and multiplies.
Go out of the way to forge relationships with agents, vendors, competitors and colleagues because you never know where your next opportunity will come from. Networking works so keep your Rolodex® updated and don't let it gather dust. Seemingly unnecessary meetings and contacts today can turn into valuable contracts tomorrow.

5. Thou shalt welcome change.
Even the subtlest tweak to your pitch, packaging or ad campaign can have a dramatic impact on results. A new headline here and a bumped-up offer there can turn a ho-hum seller into a hit. Be objective and ruthless in your analysis and discard whatever doesn't work. Finally, when re-introducing a tried and true product, change its look but leave the goods alone.

6. Thou shalt master the multimedia marketplace.
Don't stop at television. TV creates interest in a product but a broader multimedia approach ensures maximum profits. Bolster infomercials with traditional commercials, home shopping appeals, print ads in key publications, catalogs, direct mail, Internet sales, and other efforts. Consider new products in light of their full multimedia potential and always be on the look out for new media to tap into.

7. Thou shalt join and lead thy trade association.
A leader leads, so be on the frontlines especially in the heat of battle. In 1990, Congress and the Federal Trade Commission were about to impose a legislative straightjacket on the infomercial industry in response to incidents of fraud and abuse. Asked to testify before a Congressional subcommittee, Guthy-Renker took the initiative to form a trade group that would voluntarily police the industry. Today that group, known as the Electronic Retailing Association, serves as the ethical compass for the direct response television industry and Greg Renker remains its Chairman Emeritus. Because Guthy-Renker was unafraid to lead, we garnered greater respect and prestige among our colleagues, government and the world.

8. Thou shalt build on thy company's brand name at all times.
Get your name out there, but cultivate the right image from the get-go because once the public has a perception about you it is nearly impossible to change it. Inspire consumer recognition and trust by associating the name of your company with each product and program, in effect selling your company as aggressively as your products. Be willing to be visible, even if it means taking a hit for your industry. The result will be that competitors and customers will think you are bigger, better and more powerful than you might actually be.

9. Thou shalt not limit thy upside.
Don't bet the farm on fads. Look for products that sell indefinitely to the largest and most reliable audience possible. Do your homework and go the extra mile to find products with the greatest multimedia potential. Be on the lookout for new capital sources but remember that not every opportunity is your opportunity, so don't be afraid to pass.

10. Thou shalt be prepared to toss out these commandments and start over!
Adapt, adapt, adapt. The direct marketing industry changes on a daily basis. The only eternal rule is to keep your ear to the ground and your antennae up at all times. Stay ahead of and capitalize on changing trends. As your company evolves, so must your corporate strategy. Don't fall in love with a business plan because it will only break your heart.

Online Shopping Brokers: ProActiv

Online Shopping Brokers: ProActiv
Get clear skin this holiday season with Proactiv® Solution!

The Proactiv® Solution Story
Eight years ago, two dermatologists developed what they believed was a medical breakthrough in fighting acne. They called it Proactiv Solution -"proactive" because the formulas could heal existing blemishes, and proactively help prevent new ones from forming. The two doctors, Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, had a mission: to help millions of people put acne in the past. Today, Proactiv Solution is the #1-selling acne system in America...but you won't find it in stores.

So how did Proactiv Solution become a word-of-mouth phenomenon? And why are thousands of people like you...to superstars like Vanessa Williams and Stephanie Seymour...calling us to talk about it? Because it works.

How it startedKatie Rodan and Kathy Fields met more than 16 years ago, during their dermatology residencies at Stanford University. Both women felt strongly about the importance of finding a better treatment for acne, because both of them had lived with it at some time in their lives. They stayed in touch after they established their individual private practices...and as their practices expanded, they began to see a pattern.

Dr. Fields explains, "When Katie and I first went into private practice, we were shocked to see the number of people who were suffering from acne. The thing is, they didn't call it acne. They called it their breakouts or their blemishes, but it was blackheads and whiteheads. And we were also noticing that it wasn't just teenagers, it was everybody - men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who suddenly started breaking out for the very first time, due to hormonal changes and all kinds of factors in their lives. That's when we got together to work on Proactiv."

Looking beyond spot treatmentWhen Drs. Rodan and Fields started developing Proactiv Solution, they found that most people were treating their acne pimple by pimple - dabbing medication on individual blemishes and hoping for the best. It's an approach the Doctors came to call "pimple panic"...one that treats the symptom rather than the problem.

Dr. Rodan elaborates: "You'll look in the mirror and say, ‘Oh my God, I've got this big zit on my chin and I've got a meeting today or a date tonight'... it's a natural response to go for the emergency "burn-it-off-your-face" medication. But if you think back to what causes acne, it's the plug; it's the oil; it's the inflammation; it's the bacteria. And that process takes place over several weeks - once you've got the pimple, it's too late."

More about How Acne Happens
Finding a better way to treat acneTogether, Drs. Rodan and Fields have treated more than 160,000 patients. Using their combined knowledge and experience, they began working on a revolutionary new way to treat acne - a system that would go beyond traditional "spot treatments" to treat the whole face with a combination of several powerful acne-fighting products. They called it Proactiv Solution -"proactive" because these formulas could heal existing blemishes and proactively help prevent new ones from forming.

More about How Proactiv works.
"Proactiv Solution is a very safe, very comprehensive acne system." Dr. Fields continues. "It's not just one medicine, not spot treatment, but treating the whole face every day. By doing that with several different medicines, we can really get a hold of the problem and prevent future breakouts. For us, that's very important because we can change lives, the self esteem of millions of people."

They also knew from one-on-one experience that patients wanted their acne treatments to feel like expensive department store skin care products, not grocery store spot treatments. "We decided to come up with a system that would be just like the way we dermatologists treat acne every day in our offices," says Dr. Rodan, "but give people the elegant skin care that they really want...so they will stick with the program, get results and continue to see results the longer they use it."

Over a five-year period, Drs. Rodan and Fields developed what was to become the first comprehensive acne skin care system of its kind: Proactiv Solution. The system combines finely milled prescription-grade acne medicine with soothing, spa-quality botanicals to create a powerful acne-fighting system that leaves skin feeling luxuriously pampered...smooth...clean...and CLEAR.

Getting the message out thereAfter Drs. Rodan and Fields completed the development of Proactiv Solution, they chose to spread their clear-skin message with infomercials rather than selling their products in stores. Why?

Dr. Fields explains: "We realized that if our products were simply sitting on a drugstore shelf, no one was going to get the point that acne is complicated. Acne is a condition you have to treat every day because spot therapy isn't going to give you an answer. We wanted to find a place where we could talk about acne, really explain it, like an office visit in the privacy of your own bedroom - not in the middle of a grocery store."

And they found that place - on TV. With a half-hour infomercial, Drs. Rodan and Fields found a medium in which they could build a deeper relationship with people...and develop a whole new way of educating them about acne and how to prevent it.

"We wanted to basically do what we do in our offices every day - treating one patient at a time - and somehow replicate that and bring that to as many people as possible," says Dr. Rodan. When we see those patients, we end every visit with: you have any problems, you call me. And we've been able to do that with our Customer Service representatives so that if patients have a question, they can pick up the phone and get the answer."

Proactiv really works!The products really worked...and the concept exploded! Customers first started using Proactiv Solution in 1995. Soon after, mail started pouring in, and people got in touch by the thousands to tell us their personal "Acne Success Stories." They all said the same thing: Proactiv Solution can dramatically change your skin - and your life. Now Proactiv Solution is the best-selling acne system in America, with satisfied customers all over the world.

What's more, the doctors have realized their vision of creating a caring, educational relationship with their customers. Today Proactiv Solution employs more than 400 dedicated Customer Service representatives to answer any questions you may have about using Proactiv Solution. The toll-free number is right on the bottle, and representatives are available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

At Proactiv Solution, we know that fighting acne is a long-term commitment - and we're committed to standing by you every step of the way.