EASI All-Stars

During the recruiting process, EASI will provide you with a list of affiliates that you can contact in order to get their perspective on being an EASI dealer.  The names are drawn from a very small pool of "All-Stars" - so small in fact, that pretty much the same names are provided to most prospective dealers.

Can you trust what these All-Stars tell you?  Are they getting any benefit or other consideration from EASI for giving the thumbs up?  The answer: you don't know.  And if you don't know, you should assume that they are not objective.

But you do know that EASI is not going to give you the name of anyone who might give them a thumbs down.  Now let's talk some conservative numbers here - if EASI runs one class of new affiliates through every other month, and there are 10 new affiliates in each class, then there are 60 new affiliates each year.  Let's assume that only half of them are in the United States.  That's 30 new dealers per year in the US, and 60 worldwide.  In the past ten years, that means there should be 300 dealers in the US (an average of 6 in every state), and 600 worldwide.  But EASI has been in business longer than that.  Where are all these dealers now?  If being an EASI dealer is so profitable for some, why are they so hard to find when searching on the Internet?  And why does EASI give out pretty much the same 5 or 6 names to most prospects?  If I were in your shoes again, I'd be more interested in the other 295.  What happened to them, and what would they have to say?

Here's one interesting point about a specific all-star: Pete Bubas.  Is he on your list?  Here is why you should not rely on Pete's testimonial: Pete has a financial interest in you becoming an EASI affiliate and selling projects, and is therefore not to be considered objective.  Why?  Because Pete has an agreement with EASI to supply many of the lighting supplies to EASI for use in affiliate projects.  More projects = more lighting products sold = more money for Pete.  Has Pete successfully sold some EASI projects?  Probably - but you should be aware that he also makes money from the lighting supply business, and he also has an interest in a restaurant.  Apparently, being an EASI dealer is not so lucrative that even this famous all-star is exclusively focused on it.  His affiliate website is www.shoreenergy.com.

At least do this: When EASI sends the list of all-stars to you, tell them thanks, but that you want 5 new names that were not on the first list.  Can you rely on the next 5?  Probably not, but at least you'd be forcing them to scrape up some names other than the same old poster boys.

When speaking to these affiliates, ask these specific questions:

1. What month and year did you become an EASI affiliate?
   
2. How much did you do in total revenues for your EASI business in the first 12 months?
   
3. How many months into the business were you when you made your first sale?  How big was it?  How long did it take to complete install and get your final check from the client?
4. How many projects did you sell in your first 12 months, and what were the revenues on each?
   
5. How much did you do in total revenues for your EASI business in the last tax year?
   
6. How many projects did you sell in the last tax year, and what were the revenues on each?
   
7. Do you do it full time?
   
8. Do you have other sources of income?
   
9. What is your level of education?
10. How much were you earning annually prior to becoming an EASI dealer?
11. How much are you earning annually since becoming an EASI dealer?
12. What is the price of electricity in your part of the country?

You may feel uncomfortable asking direct financial questions like these to a stranger.  But let's face it, this is largely a financial decision you are making.  If they won't talk money with you, you're wasting your time on the phone with them.  If you can't justify the business financially, none of your other reasons for getting involved will matter.

I think you will get a lot of very evasive or indirect answers to these questions.  Please let me know if I'm wrong on that prediction -