THE 7 GREAT LIES OF NETWORK MARKETING - LIE NUMBER THREE

In my last post of the 7 Great Lie Of Network Marketing we stopped at Lie No. 2 - This really isn’t sales. We just share products with people.

 

On this post we shall continue with Lie number three (3):
Lie No. 3 – Anyone can do this!
This one is actually sort of a half-truth. A very dangerous half-truth. It can be very misleading because the simple fact of the matter is… Not All Network Marketers Are Created Equal.

 

Everyone comes into this game with different advantages and disadvantages. Some people have an enormous head start on others in terms of skills, time and money, and just because they were able to build an enormously profitable business in 24 months does not guarantee the next person will be able to.

 

The problem with statements like “Anyone can do this business!” is they imply that everyone - regardless of what their current situation is - can jump right in cold turkey and get the same results the heavy hitters got, just as fast. Here’s an example that’s not uncommon.
“Jane, who holds a high paying executive position in the corporate world, decides to enter network marketing. Say she was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for XYZ. She’s obviously got quite a background in sales or she wouldn’t have that job. So right off the bat, she’s way ahead of the pack. She’s also already making a high six figure income as it is, which means two things……First, she isn’t dealing with the same kind of financial “crunch” and emotional stress that most people experience as they try to pay their monthly residual bills. And……Second, she has plenty of cash to fund her new business venture”.

 

Now…if you’re looking at it from a “warm” market approach (a big mistake for anyone to make, which I’ll explain later) she also has truckloads of professional contacts to work with and these people have a lot of respect for her. Safe to say that pretty much everyone Jane knows is going to take her at least somewhat seriously if she brings a new idea to them.

 

She also has lots of professional sales contacts like herself, who also have tons of other professional sales contacts.

 

Let me ask you: Do you think that someone who’s a stay at home mom, secretary, college student, electrician, school teacher or bank teller is going to be able to see the same kind of results that Jane will in the same period of time? Probably not.

 

That’s just one example – more of an old school one – but here’s something else that happens all the time in mlm: When an upline with a big organization moves from one company to another and takes their whole team with them.

 

People on the outside looking in only see the rapid growth and big bonuses, but what they don’t see is everything that’s gone on behind the scenes. They’re not getting the whole story. Yes, that upline brought in a huge team with them and began earning big money pretty much right away…but…it took years and years before they got to the point where they were actually in a position to do that.

 

They had to develop relationships and build a team that was loyal enough to them that they would even be willing to move with them wherever they went.

 

The point though is that…
Everyone’s On A Different Timeline And There Are Multiple Puzzle Pieces That Come Into Play That Determine How Quickly And How Easily A Person Will Make Money. A big one is skill level.

 

As we discussed in Lie No. 2, multi level marketing is a sales business and the amount of sales skills that someone brings to the table in the beginning will have a huge impact on their success.

 

Anyone who wants to can develop sales skills. Some will take longer than others. Obviously someone who has 14 years of sales experience has a bit of an edge on someone with zero sales background and rather poor communication skills in general.

 

I don’t qualify people on skills because anyone who has a true desire can develop them.
Instead, these are the three areas I do qualify on: Time, money and interest.
I put people through a multi-step prospecting process.
I interview them to make sure they have a serious interest in building a long-term business…rather than just looking to make a quick buck.
I can’t get into all the details of a good marketing system here, but know that the more steps a person takes to get information, the more qualified they are.
I tell prospects that they can build this business with 8-10 hours a week, BUT – if they’re serious – they’ll need at least 15. The 8-10 hours needs to be pure action time (i.e. – income producing activities). After that you still need time for training and other “support” activities.

 

As far as money goes, every company is different when it comes to the initial start up costs. But aside from that, you do need an ongoing monthly marketing budget. Your upline or corporate team won’t tell you this, but it’s absolutely mandatory for running your business at full potential.

 

Without a marketing budget, you won’t have the constant flow of fresh, qualified prospects you need.

 

There are two ways to get these leads for your business.
You can generate them through your own advertising or you can buy them from people who do that for you. You want to strive to generate your own because the advantages of doing so are enormous, but that’s not to say buying leads from other sources doesn’t have its place. Sometimes a combination of both approaches can be highly effective.

 

But either way…without leads, you don’t have a business. Yes, you can start a network marketing business with very little time, money and skills. But what you start off with in the beginning will have a direct impact on how easy/difficult it will be for you and how long it takes you.
That said …I Occasionally Turn People Down. You Should Too.

 

If someone has only 5 hours a week and $50 a month, I’ll tell them it’s honestly not worth it for them until they can free up more time and a little extra cash. Let me just say that if they like the product and want to get it at wholesale cost, of course you want to sign them up. The majority of your income is generated from people like this. In order for a business to be profitable, it needs to move lots and lots of product.

 

However – if they are not in it for the product, you’re doing a disservice to both of you by recruiting them with the idea of building the business. It will only lead to headaches and in the end it’ll be more trouble than it’s worth. It’s in their best interest to wait until they’re in a better position. Starting a business ill-prepared usually only leads to discouragement, failure and ultimately quitting.

 

Are there people who have surmounted all obstacles and succeeded despite incredible odds against them? Absolutely. Which is why I’ll never turn someone down if they’re dead set on it. But the percentage of people who make it happen under these circumstances is so small that you cannot realistically count on finding these underdogs.

 

Smart business owners never plan on long-shots. They build their organizations by working with those people and performing those activities that are guaranteed to bring them the most results.

Take note: There is a trick though to making this whole thing work. The process of qualifying and setting requirements for your prospects can actually backfire on you and in fact, that happens to quite a few distributors.

 

Continue enjoying your reading from our next post of the Number Four Lie from the 7 Great Lie Of Network Marketing.