The Blooms decided to create their own program.
They hired dentists as consultants with two goals inmind, to create a program that offered great value to the consumer while still making money for the dentists.
"We figured if the doctors won and the consumers won," Dennis says, "then we would do just fine."
The Blooms sold the program to CPAs for more than three years and discovered something amazed them.
"We were actually making more money off this $15-a-month dental program than everything else we were doing," Dennis says.
The twins decided to take their program to the public. The only question was: How do you market it? That's when they found network marketing.
In network marketing, a company signs up an army of independent representatives to sell its product. These representatives receive a commission for the products they sell. They also receive an override on any sales made by recruits they bring to the company, plus overrides on the recruits brought in by those recruits.
This level-upon-level of sales representatives is what gives multilevel marketing its name.
The Blooms decided to alter the traditional model. Most multilevel companies begin to pay big bucks only after a representative has built a network that is seven levels deep. The problem is, most reps never get beyond the third level.
So the Blooms took a different approach. Their commissions top out a 63%, but 60% of that is paid for sales made on the first three levels.
"We turned the pyramid upside down," Dennis says. "It gives our independant business owners the chance to build a genuine residual income." Thumbing a Ride
The Blooms launched AmeriPlan® in April 1993 with just two IBOs, themselves. They took advantage of a rare Situation. Both Dennis and Daniel had daughters who worked as flight attendants for Southwest Airlines. That allowed Daniel and Dennis to fly for free.
"People ask us about our business plan for expansion," Daniel says. "I wish I could tell them we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants. But the truth is that we expand to wherever Southwest Airlines was flying."
Today, more than 55,000 IBOs sell Ameriplan®'s program in all 50 states (except Alaska) and Puerto Rico.
Individuals pay $11.95 per month, households $19.95 per month. In return, AmeriPlan® customers get up to 80% off their dental work.
The company has added a free vision program and a pharmaceutical program to the original package, and plans to add a chiropractic discount program this month.
AmeriPlan® has aligned itself with 30,000 dentists nationwide. It also works with the pharmaceutical arms of Eckerd, Kmart, Tom Thumb, Walgreen's and other major chains. For eye care, AmeriPlan® has agreements with major names such as Pearle Vision, Eyemasters and LensCrafters.
Today, the twins split duties, with Dennis handling the marketing as Chief Executive Officer and Daniel watching over operations as Chief Operating Officer. And they no longer have to bum a ride on Southwest Airlines. Today they own a Lear 35 Jet, purchased last year from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
"It just shows that when you set a personal goal, you can reach it," Daniel says, "even if you're just a couple of skinny kids from Brownwood."
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