Discover The Lies Of Network Marketing - Lie#1

If you feel like you’re struggling way too hard to make it in network marketing and nothing is happening, this post specifically for you.

Have you ever thought to yourself: There’s gotta be a better way to do this.

Something’s missing - it can’t be this hard?

I am sure it did.

After almost 2 years of religiously going to meetings, setting up appointments and showing the plan, I came to a point in my business where I hit a massive brick wall.

For all my hard work, I had nothing to show for it but debt, an abundance of products and a dwindling list of friends who actually still talked with me.

Maybe you can relate.

The worst part about it was, I could not – for the life of me – figure out why this wasn’t working! I was doing everything I had been told to do. In fact, I did way more than that. I was the kind of distributor you’d kill for.

But I wasn’t any closer to the dream of financial freedom than I was when I started. So I began looking for real answers to why I was spinning my wheels.
To make a long story short and get right to the point, I finally did figure out what was wrong. And when I did, my entire view of this business changed forever.

I’d like to share with you what I discovered:

Almost Everything You’ve Ever Been Taught About Building A Network Marketing Business Is Pure BS!

And here’s why: In this industry we have a genuine case of the blind leading the blind.

Network marketing is very unique in that it’s the only business opportunity that’s ever been marketed to the general public on such a massive scale.

Everyday, there are people who were told that they can jump right into this, with no prior experience what-so-ever and make a killing within 6 months!

For example, on the website of one well known nutritional company, would-be
distributors are told that “You don’t have to be a pro to succeed!”

Unbelievable.

This self-destructive message is broadcasted to thousands of people over and over again as they join this industry.

As a result, 95% of people who get involved in network marketing have absolutely no foundation in effective sales techniques or good business practices.

This has severe side effects.

There’s a horrible mess of hype, hot air, misconceptions, falsehoods, delusions,
distortions, myths and downright lies that get passed along from one sponsor to the next.

This is what happens when you take a bunch of people who don’t have a clue about sales and marketing and have them tell a bunch of other people who don’t have a clue about sales or marketing, to go make a bunch of money doing it.

The few techniques that actually do have some grounding in basic sales philosophy are all outdated and completely ineffective. They might work okay for you – if the year was 1984 – but in today’s modern society, these kind of ignorant tactics will get you slaughtered.

You see, not only do the common methods taught in mlm not work, they’re extremely destructive as well. That’s why it’s so common to feel like your working yourself into the ground and not getting anything out of it.

Well, I had put up with this for far too long. I started doing the opposite of what my upline had taught me to do and guess what? I didn’t just start to experience success – I was flooded with it.

I went from desperately coercing one person every 5 months into my business…to having more eager prospects than I could handle.

By ignoring conventional mlm “wisdom,” I learned how to have prospects line up to join my company and sponsoring 10 people a month didn’t just become normal – it became routine.

And if you’re willing to be open-minded and set aside any predisposed beliefs you currently have…for just a moment…you’ll discover how you can easily do this too.

Network marketing doesn’t have to be so hard.

Using the wrong techniques – like trying to force a square peg into a round hole – makes it hard.

So my purpose in sharing this post is to help you “deprogram” some of the nonsense andmisconceptions that pollute this industry. This is the crucial first step towards becoming a highly-effective, well-paid, professional network marketer.

Then, once you have a clean slate to start with, you can begin learning how to really make this business work.

Lie #1 - Everyone is your prospect!

As I was compiling this list, I was trying to think of which lie was the worst.

Which one was the absolute most detrimental to a business? Which one topped ‘em all as the “whopper of all whoppers?”

I tried to narrow it down, but I just couldn’t bring myself to select a definite winner.

They’re all so bad. I’ll tell you though, this one was a serious contender for the title:

“Everyone is your prospect!”

A similar version of this lie is:

“Everyone wants this, they just don’t know it yet!”

An article found in a popular network marketing publication declares that,

“You just have to believe that everyone is you prospect!”

This insane belief has led to such ridiculous practices as the “3 foot rule” and the “when in doubt, blurt it out” technique.

Because of this lie, people have the mistaken idea that talking to anyone and everyone they come within arms length of is an effective recruiting technique.

Prospecting TGIFriday waitresses…employees at Google…gas station
clerks…total strangers at malls…the postman…kiosk stands…the girl at pubs…leaving flyers on car windshields…

…These kind of antics have damaged this industry’s reputation almost beyond repair.

They’ve absolutely destroyed any image of professionalism and made it harder for everyone to sponsor people.

These “street hustler” methods of recruiting have single-handedly placed network marketing on the same level as some low-life schmuck peddling fake Rolexes in the minds of most people.

It’s absolute lunacy. Don’t buy into this fallacy. This isn’t evangelism for cryin’ out loud!

Not everyone is your prospect.

One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in marketing is this:
People Who Try To Be Everything To Everybody,
Wind Up Meaning Nothing Special To Anyone.

See, not everyone is looking to run their own business. Contrary to what we’ve been told, there are actually a substantial amount of people who are 100% content with being an employee and have no desire whatsoever to change that.

Some people love their job and wouldn’t give it up for a million bucks. Some people despise network marketing and would rather be buried alive than be associated with it.

Some people despise business in general. Some people think making lots of money is a bad thing. Some people don’t have the funds to properly run a business. Some people are absolutely scared to death of anything that involves risk. Some people have plenty of money and aren’t looking for anything else. Some people just plain old don’t care. Some people don’t have time. Some people just aren’t cut out to be entrepreneurs and are better off working at McDonald’s. Some people are perfectly content with where they are at in life and have no desire to change. That’s fine.

Whatever the case, you do not need to convince anyone to get into this business. It’s a waste of your time and energy to try and do so.

Please listen very carefully:
No One Is Worth Your Time Until They’ve Shown
An Interest In What You’re Offering And Have
Asked You For More Information.

I don’t care if someone fits the mold of what would normally be considered “the perfect mlm prospect”: mid ‘40s…absolutely despises their high-paying corporate j-o-b…wants out of their 9-5…loads of connections…great people skills…sure, they might be a potential prospect, but they’re not a prospect worth pursuing until they’re actively seeking a solution to their problem.

It doesn’t matter how qualified you think a person is or how good you think they’d be at this business.

It’s not even enough if a person does want to start their own business. Until they go out of their way to get more information on how to do it, they’re just another bystander. Not a player in the game. They’re not worth going after.

Sure, someone could have great people skills (a waiter for example) but that doesn’t mean they’re a good prospect.

They could be so violently opposed to mlm, business opportunities or any other way of making money besides being an employee that it would take a massive barrage of information to ever sway their opinion.

If someone has a strong belief about something it can take years to reverse that.

It’s not a good use of your time to try and convince someone who disagrees with your way of thinking.

As a business owner, your job is not to make a convert out of anyone. Your job is to get the maximum returns possible for your time and efforts. And that means talking with people who are, for the most part, already on the same page as you.

Well…why not at least prospect them and find out?

For one, as stated before, it gives this industry a tacky, “second-rate” image.

And secondly, it’s a horrible first impression for your prospect. Because you’ve just shown them exactly how you do business – soliciting total strangers.
And no one wants to be a part of that.

You see, mlm uplines love to tote the fact that these marketing tactics (the 3 foot rule, etc.) don’t require any money and therefore are perfect for the average person who doesn’t have a whole lot of extra cash.

Here’s what they fail to tell you: Second rate advertising methods lead to second rate results.

When you market this way, it shows your prospect that you’re the type of business person who isn’t professional (or successful) enough to invest in some respectable marketing methods. It immediately projects a “cheap,” rinky-dink image.

Who wants to work with a person who advertises their business like that?

Think about it.

Do dentists or doctors go around trying to prospect every single person they cross paths with?

Hey there, got any built up plaque you want me to take a look at?

Even if you do happen to hit on someone who has a “business mindset,” they’re not likely to take you seriously.

Why?

Because…

…Who Finds Who First Is Very Important.

When you go head hunting and chase your prospect, the whole operation is doomed to failure because you’re viewed as a nuisance! When they find you and seek you out, you’re viewed as an expert.

Positioning makes all the difference in the world.

I remember this one appointment I had with my son’s friend’s mom. She was adamantly opposed to multi level marketing. The whole appointment with her was about as pleasant as vomitting blood. I don’t know why I even bothered doing it. (Oh wait – I do know why! Because everyone’s a prospect!).

Anyways. Towards the end of our lovely time together, I had given up trying to give a good presentation and I said, “So what’s your single biggest objection to network marketing?”

She immediately replied, “Taking advantage of your friends and family.”

I don’t know why but it was at that point during that appointment that I realized how much I truly hated sitting down at someone’s kitchen table and going through my little flip chart. And I realized that I completely agreed with her.

I used to get so excited about it. For a very long time I believed that network marketing was the cure to financial cancer and it was my job to spread the good news throughout the land. Maybe you’ve thought that yourself. Maybe you still do.

But what finally hit me – after I began feverishly studying anything about marketing I could get my hands on – was this: Why make it harder on yourself than you have to?

Why expend valuable time and energy trying to force-feed your opportunity down the throat of someone who’s entirely indifferent?

Why do that when there are millions of people who actually do want to start their own business? The ones who warrant your attention are the ones who take the initiative and go out of there way to find out how to do it. These people are prospects.

Another problem with this mentality that really started to wear on me is, if everyone’s a prospect that means you have to constantly be “on the prowl.”

Anytime you first meet somebody, you’re always looking for that “in.” The “in” that will allow you to bring up your opportunity. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?

Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about that? To hold a conversation without thinking of ways to recruit them in the back of your mind? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to separate your personal life from your business life?

If that idea sounds appealing to you, keep reading and follow the next post. I’ll share more about how to do this by having people come to you instead.