doTERRA’s marketing strategy is to tell the wildly Star Wars/Indiana Jones-esc tale about the honest underdog escaping from clutches of the dark, massive evil empire to bring light back to the world. And to cheers and accolades, they hope people will reject Young Living and buy into their story… uh, product… and they come out the victors. Couple that with a simple Google search of D. Gary Young and/or Young Living Essential Oils, and their clever tale just got legs.
Well, I have another story to tell: All about the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I am a stickler for common sense. When I am assessing a situation, I try to really see all sides and figure out motivations. That’s where the truth usually falls. Right in the motivation. So here we go…
To our doTERRA counterparts:
1. Have you ever questioned doTERRA’s story of how they came about?
Why believe their version at face value? Sure, it looks true. Even sounds true. And, of course, they were on the “inside” so there’s all the credibility you need, right? Well, just to offer another point of view, the story could be more believable if they had left Young Living and did ANYTHING ELSE OTHER than start a competing essential oils company. I mean… really, what other story can they tell? They decided to break away from the world leader in essential oil medicine/production/and research to start a competing company with amateur labs, no farms, and no legs to stand on. When there are no legs to stand on, you have to create legs or you will fall. The only way to create legs in this situation is to defame the integrity of the competing company. Otherwise, who in their right mind would choose a cheap knock-off instead of the real thing?? So it seems to me they would have a lot invested in people needing to believe them or they would never survive. I don’t really see how that makes their story real, true, accurate, etc. After all, it doesn’t really come from a place of integrity. It comes solely from a place of needing sales for survival. And, yes, of course Young Living needs sales to survive as well – as does every company. However, Young Living doesn’t have any competition when it comes to real essential oils. So the only way to compete with Young Living is to defame Young Living. We see this from many brokers, like yourselves, who ride off the backs of everything Young Living has done for the last 20 years. If you think about it, it’s sort of a compliment since people usually only compare themselves to those at the top of their game. So I guess a “thank you” is in order then. Thank you.
2. Aren’t you curious as to what makes doTERRA different from any other broker of essential oils and products (like what a typical health-food store or new age shop is)?
Why do they claim to be superior? After all, their education came from Gary Young himself – the world authority in essential oil medicine.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved Dr. Hill when he was with Young Living. I think he’s very charismatic, personable, and relates to the field very well, even better than Gary Young. So I really can see why someone would believe everything he says. You just feel good around him and it seems that he’s really telling the truth and really cares. I get that. I also think I understand why he would have left Young Living. I do not know this from Dr. Hill first-hand, but just from observation, Dr. Hill was a superstar in his own right and being next to Gary was always keeping him in Gary’s shadow. Again, this is not first-hand information, just personal observation. Regardless, it’s still crappy to stab someone in the back and certainly NOT good energy. But that’s a whole other topic…
Back to the question… You have no farms. Your labs are immature. You have no production. You are brokers and so are health food stores. Just brokers of oils. That’s VERY different than what we are at Young Living… just for clarification. So what’s the deal then?
3. Why do you WANT to believe all the negative stuff about Young Living and Gary Young? What if you are just being bamboozled? Again, your corporate staff is very likable and it’s hard to see that when you like people. But, seriously… Aren’t you curious how YOU were able to figure out that Gary and YL are “bad” yet they still managed to be around for 20 years? Growing rapidly? Used in major hospitals? By top researchers who have rejected doTERRA’s same oils because they do not meet therapeutic standards? Doesn’t any of that make you curious? Sorry, I warned you that I am a stickler for common sense.
4. Don’t you find it strange that doTERRA’s marketing strategy is to trash another company?Oh wait. I addressed that in the “How to Make a Company Work When it Has No Legs to Stand On” section. You would think they would be able to build their company on the merits of their product. Huh…
5. For those of you who have actually used an essential oil from Young Living, aren’t you curious about what makes doTERRA’s essential oils so much weaker? This was probably the most striking part for me. After all, your corporate heads are all former Young Living people so they obviously know that there’s a difference. After sampling about 20 of your oils, all of them weaker and with a distinct common scent built-in, I just had to ask my former friends (the heads of your company) what the deal was. One of them told me that they believe Young Living’s oils are “too strong”. And, of course, my response was “By that, you mean pure?!” because after all, how do you get a weaker oil from a pure oil unless you dilute it in some way?? While we certainly live in an entertainment age where you can’t escape human obsession with negative news, it’s makes me wonder when the crowd will wake up.
Just to be fair… let me also tell you what I do like about doTERRA (from what I can see). You cater to a younger crowd with more fun and lively energy. That alone is a benefit in my opinion. Not enough for me to peddle an inferior and outright questionable product, but still a major benefit. I see the attraction, especially since your corporate heads are very nice, charismatic, and enthusiastic. What a great combination! But still not enough when it comes to the integrity of the product and the lies they were created upon.
To my Young Living peeps:
WAKE .UP.
I know that we all feel a bit defensive and hurt for Gary and Mary since they have devoted their lives to bringing essential oil medicine back to the world and their closest confidants really stabbed them in the back. There’s something about betrayal that gets everyone’s hairs standing on the backs of their neck. It’s still heartbreaking for me to see Gary get all choked up when referring to it. He was so deeply wounded by their level of betrayal. Here he was, trekking through the Amazon Rain Forest on yet another mission with top shaman and scientists, discovering new plants that could bring profound natural medicine to the world, and his “friends” stole his formulas and brilliance to start a competing company, from a little office back in cozy Utah.
We all know that the formula doesn’t matter as much as the quality of the oils that make the formula.
Regardless, this is clearly part of Gary’s journey as it wasn’t the first time he’s been betrayed (but hopefully the last). Let’s just surround him with love and light and get back to our jobs!
We ALL have a lot to learn by this experience. We have the best and most profound product in the world. Period. We know that and we know it’s not just company hype. Like Gary says:
“You can’t just say you have the best product (insert throat clear…doTERRA), you have to PROVE it.” And Young Living DOES prove it time and time again.
doTERRA does something way better than us and we could (and should) learn from it. They are not afraid to talk about creating abundance with their product. They really get that message across to a younger crowd that brings more vibrant energy to their company. I really, really LOVE that about them. There is no reason we cannot do the same thing. In fact, that’s what we teach in our personal network and with the TriHarmony Success Training system in general. The training ALONE is a huge advantage we have over any other company. We can all grow so much more quickly, with more confidence, and lay all the questions and insecurities to rest. There is not one single question that I get asked that isn’t answered in the program – including how to show the difference between what we have and what anyone else has.
doTERRA has trained their people well in how to respond to Young Living questions and our responses. The average doTERRA consultant doesn’t know anything about Young Living (or even their own product for that matter) other than what they have been told. And you know the story they are being told: Young Living sucks, has adulterated products, the corporate heads couldn’t take the lack of integrity, yada, yada. Their company heads are using a great psychological marketing tool: say it first, anticipate the response, enact the confirmation bias. In other words, they are really telling what THEY do as if it’s what YOUNG LIVING does knowing how we are going to defend ourselves with the same exact accusations. Really, it’s an awesome wolf in sheep’s clothing scenario and clearly believed by those being spoon-fed the BS.
Why am I saying all of this? Because you need to know that EVERY TIME you get defensive, you are feeding into their cause. It’s only confirming what they have been told! So STOP DEFENDING. If people are attracted to the kind of energy doTERRA founded itself upon, that’s THEIR journey. Even if they don’t know the story, it’s still an energy and energy doesn’t lie! I NEVER feel the need to defend. When I am challenged on the integrity of Young Living products, I first tell the story of how they helped SAVE MY SON’S LIFE and other ways they increased our quality of life. Then I welcome them to compare our essential oils with anyone else’s. Just opening the bottle usually ends that conversation because the difference in strength and quality is so obvious. If we have to take it a step further, we muscle test. Done.
I have never had anyone continue on after that, but if they did? I would ask what it is they were really looking for. Again, for some people, no matter what you say they already have their minds made up and wish them well on their journey. We are only here to help those that actually want it – whether it be in Wellness, Purpose, AND/OR Abundance!
It would be nice and very refreshing to see Young Living start to expand in other directions!
Here are some suggestions:
1. For starters, let’s let young people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s know that they can have a LIFETIME of wellness, purpose, and abundance. It’s not just for people who are sick and broke. Can we please move away from that being our only paradigm? Our most popular market?
2. Let’s have more fun. Lighten up. Be happy. Share from THAT place.
3. Get trained already and increase your confidence level! EVERY SINGLE JOB OR PROFESSION REQUIRES TRAINING! Don’t be so resistant.
4. Acknowledge to people (when asked) that Gary has some faults but it has nothing to do with his integrity or the integrity of the product. In other words, if you keep talking about him like he’s a saint, it makes it look like you are following a cult and he’s the leader, and you’re brainwashed into your beliefs. It’s a little freaky. Cut it out and get real. He has his faults but we love and appreciate him anyway…. just like any other friend or family member.
5. Quit getting so defensive when challenged about Young Living. Not everyone is in a place that allows them to receive. And as far as any “Us vs. Them”: in my opinion, it’s up to THEM to prove themselves. I already know what Young Living does and am very confident about it.
6. Let people know we have a training program – the TriHarmony Success Training system. While this may seem like a shameless plug, it’s my blog and I’m allowed…. BUT that’s not why I am saying it. Training strengthens a company and makes it more efficient. If you want your network and Young Living in general to be the unquestionable powerhouse – TRAIN YOURSELF AND YOUR PEOPLE. Look, you may be great at what you do and think you don’t need someone else helping in that department. You may be right – for YOU. But you are NOT in sales, you are in networking. We can elevate this company to all new levels if people would just understand that power of the network and how to use the training system!
Young Living has the best product with an outstanding training program. What more could someone want? That’s the position we could all be coming from instead of this tit-for-tat defensive nonsense. Back to doTERRA people for a moment:
Once again, why Young Living and not doTERRA? Because they don’t matter. They don’t have what we have and will never have it, at least not for a couple decades…. that’s how far behind doTERRA is. Young Living IS essential oils. Period. Putting a trademark on a phrase like “Therapeutic-Grade” does not mean anything. It’s just a trademark. There’s a lot more that goes into making an essential oil therapeutic grade than a trademark…. but you all probably knew that already.
Let me apologize if this came off rude in any way. That is not my intention. And please also know that my door is always open for you when and if, God forbid, you need some real essential oils to help you. At the risk of sounding arrogant, until you really understand what all of this is about, do not discount something that may actually be what is needed to help you. Your “essential oils” may help with minor issues, just like some health-food store oils can, but when it comes to real issues, you have to use real essential oils. Don’t judge whether an essential oil works or will work based on the success or failure rate of your oils. There is quite a difference when you use the real thing. I expect your company or members to come up with some damage control after this article, but please just keep this all in the back of your mind. You never know when you are going to need it.
To end, I would like to say thank you to both Young Living Essential Oils and doTERRA members. I know that regardless of the politics involved, we are both wanting to help better people’s lives. The world can certainly use more of that. I am going to be so bold to suggest that when we cross each other’s paths, let’s both acknowledge our good intentions and honor each other for where we are at in our lives. Let’s stay open minded and be willing to learn…. even if the lesson doesn’t feel so good when it shows up.
yours in Wellness, Purpose, and Abundance,
Jihan Thomas
Asset-Developer, Motivational Speaker, Entrepreneur,
Counselor/Practitioner, Success Trainer