Country Focus
July 2010
Now is the time to grow, says GNLD
SLOVENIA was the first of five markets that today makes up the south-eastern Europe (SEE) cluster for GNLD, whose core product range is nutritional supplements. Having opened in 1992 it has grown steadily and continues to act as a benchmark for the neighbouring countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.
Despite the Balkan War, Croatia followed quickly in 1993 driven in part by demand for GNLD products by those who had previously obtained them from Italy. “We didn’t want to lose these people and although the conflict made operating conditions even tougher we worked through the war to make GNLD one of the biggest multi-level marketing companies in the country,” said Elio Iori, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the SEE region.
“A combination of excellent product quality and a fantastic developing Distributor group caused the business to grow very fast in those early days. Undoubtedly these were tough times but some of my proudest moments came when talking to Distributors about the future. Being part of GNLD gave them something to hang onto, a light at the end of the tunnel.”
And so it proved, with different nationalities and ethnic groups now working successfully together. “Today the combined sales organisation in Slovenia and Croatia has a very stable structure and hundreds of people join us every month. The market is very mixed in language, culture and ethnicity and all these people are now together in the same room linked by GNLD and their common aims.
“The company’s mission, set down by our founder Jerry Brassfield, is to empower people to take responsibility for their health, self-improvement and financial independence. These three elements have provided unimagined opportunities in this part of Europe ravaged by war and internal conflict.
“To be successful in such circumstances a company needs to have complete integrity to reach everybody regardless of nationality, religion or political stand,” added Elio. “I believe that our integrity and commitment to putting the Distributor first in everything that we do, and every decision we take, makes us stand out from many of our competitors.
“Our real challenge is the legacy of the pre-war era where entrepreneurship was not encouraged. Some people are still reluctant to take control of their own lives and the high level of taxation for self-employed people is an enormous burden. Nevertheless our continued growth, even in last year’s recession, is based on a well-established marketing plan which proves yet again that the direct selling industry can be the answer to difficult personal and economic conditions.
“Our Distributors continued to make money last year. There was no real difference overall and across the region we ended the year about the same as 2008 compared to many companies whose sales fell significantly.
“Our aim this year is to consolidate our position and return to growth. Direct selling is still relatively new and becoming more and more popular year on year. There is huge potential for expansion; the people are ready, they understand the concept and now is the time for us all to grow.”
