Would You Like to Come to My Tupperware Party?

My first reaction was, “That’s funny, Pat.” (Pat is a guy!) In fact, I replied twice to that affect and there wasn’t a giggle or a snicker on the other end of the line. My friend, Pat, was inviting me to a Tupperware party. Most men would have continued to dismiss it as a joke or figured your buddy was becoming gay.

This was neither.

Pat was dead serious and wouldn’t explain all of the details to me, but I am a courageous and engaging guy, so I said, “Sure.” I am not exactly sure what the main reason was that caused me to take some of my precious time to attend a hostess party with a male friend. Was it curiosity? Am I a masochist? Was I hoping to meet women there? The truth is I was just being a good friend and thought it would be entertaining. The stigma of a Tupperware party was too alluring to avoid. I was tempted to wear knit pants or a leisure suit, but thought the better of it. I went over to his house the next week for entertainment; what I got was a powerful lesson in marketing and sales.

Tupperware party picture

25 years later and it still resonates as one of the best presentations in my life.

For more than 60 years Tupperware has been preserving the food of the world and creating incomes for people via the party/MLM approach to marketing. One of the first “party theme” direct selling organizations, Tupperware was an innovative idea when it first came out. Previous to Tupperware, a person had cumbersome aluminum foil, plastic bags and food spoiled quicker and we went shopping more often. When Tupperware came on the scene, we were now able to keep food fresher longer and we had the first “green” reusable freshness container (Before green was “in”).

With a simple idea that is easily copied, one would expect that Tupperware would be replaced as a commodity. The ability for companies, both foreign and domestic, to copy the Tupperware idea, market it and sell it for much less made Tupperware a target for cheap and mass distribution. I am sure that many business analysts predicted the demise of Tupperware as soon as Chinese and Thailand imports could flood our markets with knockoffs.

They tried and did not succeed.

Tupperware ranks #7 as the largest direct selling organization in the world. With sales topping a whopping $2.2 billion, they have established a solid footing on their market, their distribution and their customers. In fact, their innovations and quality are key components of their continued success today. Even 25 years ago, the comparison between the knock off containers and Tupperware were obvious and an easy sale. As most businesses know, if you are going to differentiate yourself from stiff competition, don’t do it on price unless you are Wal-Mart. Having a superior product and a HIGHER price can always carve out a profitable niche for any company. When people compete on price, there is always someone who is willing to make less than you.

Luckily, Tupperware didn’t fall into this trap.

tupperware party scam

With a high quality product, killer support and a sales system that makes even anti-MLM people pause for a moment, Tupperware is a terrific opportunity to make money. 25 years ago, I thought it was a joke. The joke is on me, of course, because not only did my friend rake in over $42,000 in sales that year part-time (Triple that in 2009 dollars) but the company has flourished and adapted to the economy better than its competitors.

If you are interested in finding out more, I would suggest hosting a party and go through their training. The worst that can happen to you is that you’ll get HUGE discounts on your containers. The upside is you’ll learn more about direct sales in one week than most people learn in a lifetime. Developing leads and downline is critical in a house party atmosphere. With a limit on your number of friends, your ability to create new leads and referrals is key. Be sure to subscribe to my FREE lead training by entering your email on the right side of this page.