Mental Mountains

Often people have mental mountains to climb in order to benefit from Network Marketing.

Let’s face it, some people can’t stand criticism or remarks they get from relatives and friends when they consider joining a Network Marketing company.  Stop and consider the fact that most people can count on one hand (not using all their fingers) the people that really care about them or even think about them on occasion. If they consider us at all it may be in the form of jealousy or criticism of some sort.  Actually, my wife and I are very proud of our associations created in Network Marketing and think highly of the people we’ve met doing the business.  We have a track record and have been doing this a long time.  Critics often have “zero” track record in Network Marketing (building a large organization). Do some people not belong in Network Marketing?  You bet!  And, you may be one of those people.  I’ve met VP’s in Network Marketing companies that freely admit they could not make it as a Distributor.  However, they are good at what “they do.”

Comments like:  “You’ve joined one of those things?  The only ones that make it are at the top of the pyramid.”  I suspect that is less true in Network Marketing than Corporate American.  Obviously, those that joined first have spent more time in the game.  Those comments are not based on actual reality or experience.  The reason most people don’t make a living from Network Marketing is because they treat it as a hobby.  Should we expect to make a living wage from a hobby spending very little effort on the business?

Frankly, I know a lot of people in the business that get paid a lot more than they are worth for their current efforts. However, most of them have paid the price in their past. Residual income is part of the goal of joining a Network Marketing Company. Don’t join one that doesn’t offer a good residual income opportunity and if they significantly change their compensation plan move on down the road to another opportunity.

I’ve met other people that talked about the unwanted inventory they have acquired trying to meet the compensation plan requirements.  Consider this:

• Industry legal cases require legitimate Network Marketing companies to have very liberal return policies.
• Some companies may require front loading products to earn income, and that’s not legal,  so go find a real Network Marketing opportunity because they do exist.  We need to do our homework or due diligence (just like we would have to do with any business opportunity).  Pick a company that pays well for effort!
• Are we working the business or expecting a free lunch?  Products move off the shelf when we sell them.  Also, we may not be working the business correctly.

We live in very uncertain economic times and it might make a lot of sense to consider Network Marketing as a Business.

Get rid of your ego and stop worrying about what others may think. They don’t pay the  bills!  Frankly, they could care less about us because they are only worried about what people think of them or what benefits them.  Some people prove that every time we see them.  Find new friends.

Motives

Do you really know my motives?

People only “think” they know about motives and don’t really know.  In fact, lawyers and law enforcement spend a lot of time on that question:  “What’s the motive?”  Movie thrillers evolve around complicated motives and misdirection.

When I became Marketing VP of an engineering/manufacturing company one of the first things I did was look at gross profit by product.  I found a really “high quality” specialty product with a low gross profit and after my review I revised the catalog and sales literature.  I tripled the price on this product. Our Distributors thought I had lost my mind! I didn’t discontinue the product and the sales didn’t stop either.  My motive wasn’t to kill sales on that product instead of discontinuing the product.  My motive was to make a really great profit and the quality of the product supported that decision.  The people that set the original price did not have a clue about the markets desire for that product–as future profits confirmed.

Another example, what’s my motive for torture? Is it to get information (you may assume I need) or is it to get someone to confess to something (you know he will if tortured) to protect or support the real motive or agenda?  See, they confessed!  There are a lot of reasons to do certain things and I bet you could think of many motives on any issue.  You may not have a clue even though you’ve watched hundreds of Who-Done-It Movies.

Don’t assume you can spend a few hours on a subject (determining the motives of people) that they have spent hours or years on.  While an industry may need “new blood” and/or “fresh eyes” it may be very presumptuous of people to assume that smart people haven’t spent hours and hours on the same subject.

Don’t jump to conclusions about motives.

Seasons

What do you do when your business endeavor is “out of season?”

“Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”  2nd Timothy 4:2

Other sayings:

• “When it’s easy work it easy and when it’s hard work it hard.” Charlie Ragus
• “Circle of Life.”  Charlie Ragus
• “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Joe Kennedy
• The Dip: “It’s easy to be a CEO. What’s hard is getting there.”  Seth Godin (I might add:  “Unless you’re the owners kid or some other person with an inside track!”)  However, it may not be so easy staying there.
  

Seth Godin has a little book called The Dip that I would suggest to new Network Marketing people.  Why?  Because The Dip is coming–it’s just a given!

My wife has a Distributor in Kansas that just sent an email: “We need more training!” That’s often heard in this business and it shouldn’t be a discouragement but a real encouragement. Why? Because this person is in the game and struggling to make it work.

If it was the middle of Winter would you go out and plant your crops or seeds?  Timing is important isn’t it?  You might want to plow the ground out of season (training).  Or, if you’re coaching you might be at the training camp:  “Working on your story!”

In this business we train or teach duplication.  However, our mentors in Tulsa (Todd and Donna) were not duplicatable in many respects in their knowledge of the business, charisma, and the fact that they had a “training center” offered to the Distributors in the area free of charge.  Even so, we were lucky (timing) in that they had achieved Diamond Distributorship (huge momentum) and were at the top of their game when we came into the business.  In fact, the founder requested they run the company if he passed away.

What did I observe and learn about all this NON-duplication?

The “message” is duplicatable and our “example” is duplicatable and “the environment” is duplicatable.

The reason I’ve categorized this article as ‘Building Structure” relates to that last point: “Environment.” Often, people can’t stay in the game because they aren’t duplicating the environment (momentum).  A consistent structure for new people to “plug into” and see the excitement (momentum) and bring other new people “to feel the energy in the room.” This is where new people can come and “ride the wave” and let the momentum (environment) build their business.

It’s not so much that people can’t learn the business they can’t maintain momentum!

Be extremely urgent or diligent “in season” because the dip is coming!

Not Paid to Think

Maggie Mahar writes in Money-Driven Medicine:

“In truth, it is not only that physicians are not trained to listen; they are not paid to have long conversations.  ‘Unfortunately, American medicine has come to rely much more on diagnostic testing than on knowledge and cognitive thinking,’ Dr. Bob LeBow, the former head of three community health centers in Idaho, wrote in 2002.  ‘And this makes economic sense,’ he added, ’since reimbursements for diagnostic tests are much better than for cognitive efforts…’Thinking clinicians’ might get reimbursed $35 for talking to a patient for half an hour about multiple medical problems, but pass a tube to somebody’s stomach (it can be done in ten minutes) and the payment can be $900.  Illogical, but that’s our system.’

…So Lew Silverman, a blind diabetic who could no longer walk with any confidence, was redefined as a kidney patient.  Physicians had done all that they could to treat Lew Silverman’s diabetes; they had run out of experimental treatments.  Nor could they cure his despair.  But they could treat his kidneys with dialysis.  So someone called in a renal specialist, who, quite naturally, was eager to use the technology that he felt certain would work.  Of course dialysis would do nothing to cure Silverman’s larger medical problems.

…Doctors are taught to view death as the ultimate enemy: “Defeating death at any cost–that is the priority.  It comes ahead of reducing suffering, or considering the quality of the patient’s life,’ says Meier. ‘If you look at NIH funding,’ she points out, ‘you see that is where the money goes–to cure cancer, to prevent all heart disease and stroke.’”

Death is the ultimate enemy!

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1st Cor. 15:54-55)

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1st Cor. 15:26)

Rapport

Rapport:  “Relationship, especially one of mutual trust or emotional affinity.”

This article doesn’t apply to everyone because some people understand how to make a personal connection with an audience (it’s almost a gift with some people). Others don’t connect  so their personal stories may not be well received.

Sometimes people attempt to make a connection with other people by telling a personal story and the story detracts from the message.  Why?  Because the people don’t have rapport with the speaker so the story comes across flat, boring, and sometimes even antagonistic.  For example, the story may come across as a hidden message or lecture:  “People can’t stand to be lectured!”

We should be able to tell when our personal story is not being well received with the audience (observation) or when we don’t have the respect of the audience.  Be prepared, when presenting a message, to change direction when things aren’t working.

Here’s some things that tend to work for me:

• Stop your personal story.  “The best strategy for riding a dead horse is to dismount.”
• Show strength in your message and avoid comments the paint uncertainty in your message.
• Never “put your audience down” by making unwelcome comments.  If you are trying to insult your audience with your message you will definitely be able to achieve that objective every time!
• Become more matter of fact (factual) and stay on message.  This does not mean become boring and use more power point slides to put your audience to sleep.
• Show enthusiasm for your subject (at least you should be enthused about the presentation if no one else is).
• Be well prepared with your subject or material.
• Lighten up:  “It’s only a presentation and the sun will come up tomorrow.”
• Be sincere; be brief; be seated…FDR.

Now to the real issue: There may be underlying reasons you don’t have rapport with the audience and work is needed to mend relationships or build relationships.  The audience is full of leaders (formal and informal) and they may be undercutting you (political games being played).

In “certain situations” fixing relationships are way more trouble than it’s worth (you’re with the wrong crowd).  Go find a better audience to hang around.  You will be absolutely amazed at how positively this can affect your mental attitude and outlook on life!

Aside note: The other day I was listening to an economist and he made the best argument for State Rights (verses national or global) and I admit to not having given this too much thought before his presentation.  Often people came to the new world to get away from their old world (oppressive world).  If we had one world government that wouldn’t be possible (no place to go)  and corruption becomes untenable.  There are often good reasons why groups shouldn’t become too large (too big to fail).  Competition has a cleansing effect on corruption or bad behavior.

Having good alternatives puts a “check” on unchecked power because people can always leave if things get too bad!  The fact the people can leave tends to moderate bad behavior.

Power

“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”  Henry Kissinger

We find a lot of reasons that people are motivated to do certain things (even despicable things). For example, a rapist is not motivated by money, or even sex, we are told. They are motivated by power and control.  When people have all the money in the world they turn to Kissinger’s aphrodisiac:  “Power.”

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Baron Acton (1834–1902)

And so, this brings us to TAX DAY (April 15th) and the power of politicians through the IRS. As most of us know, the IRS exists not necessarily just to raise government funds for the common good. They represent the “arm of power” and control by politicians.  The very essence of their continuation in “power.”

What would possess you to think that this power would ever be freely given up or limited by politicians? “Take what most politicians say and assume they are doing the opposite.”

On this day of infamy, take a good look at the FairTax and the elimination of “much power.”

Who are You?

This isn’t a: “Who do you think you are question.”  It’s a: “Who are you really question.”

One thing I’ve enjoyed about being in Network Marketing a long time is observing people (including myself). If any business will cause a person to ask themselves: “Who am I really?” I think it’s Network Marketing.  Why?  Because it is people business and how we really are comes across fast.

To many people: “Perception” is reality.  People perceive things, or themselves, to be a certain way and things are not that way at all.  If you would ask a lot of people about the perception they have of executives today in America the perception wouldn’t be good would it?  Greedy, self serving, spoiled….

I have observed some people in Network Marketing that we might consider “snake oil salesmen” (not really interested in the success of other people) become fairly successful at Network Marketing.  However, when I think about it, I’ve never seen these people “really arrive.”  In my opinion, the people that really arrive are good and caring people.  Of course they have their faults and their enemies–they are just human.  In my opinion, they are not as psychotic as a lot of people.  They go out of their way for others and they really “listen to others.”

Listening to others is more than just a common courtesy because (more than any other action) it tells people who we really are.

Listening is active and “reads between the lines.”  We are in tune with how people feel not just what they say and we are acting on their real needs.  Listen:  “Don’t just do something–sit there!”

Observation of listening skills in other people eliminates their “mask.” We see people that try to “fake” the fact that they are self centered.  Unfortunately, their listening skills gives them away.  Sure, we all have people that we avoid and don’t listen to–they know it too!  The message is loud and clear.

Self centered people are not good listeners.

Patent and Other Laws

I believe in free markets.  People talk about “free markets” and then they pass laws, like patent laws, and wonder why the free market system doesn’t work. Think about all the laws that close markets.

Maggie Mahar (former Yale University Professor–book will absolutely shock you about our Health Care System) writes in Money-Driven Medicine:

” Too much competition and too little collaboration makes it difficult for oncologists to sort out which drugs are most effective alone, which should be used together–and in what sequence.  Genie Kleinerman, chief of pediatrics at Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, recalls a time when she was doing work on two drugs made by different companies:  ‘Together, they seemed to do a better job of targeting malignant cells of osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that occurs in children.  In the lab, we had shown that you could combine the two agents.  Scientifically, it was fine, but now we needed the companies to do clinical trials.  My lab work was being provided free, but in order to get approval from the FDA, they needed to invest in trials and collect the data.

But we just couldn’t get them to do it,’ she recalls, reliving the frustration.  ‘The lawyers for the two companies couldn’t come up with an agreement on who would own the rights to the combination and who would pay for what.’ That was a number of years ago, says Kleinerman.  ‘Today it would be the same situation–or probably worse.  The pharmaceutical industry has become so protective of who owns the intellectual property.  You probably couldn’t even get them to sit down at the same table.’”

Patent laws kill “natural remedies” because if it can’t be patented the drug companies don’t want to spend money on it.  Also, they don’t want to compete against it so they “own congress and the FDA.” As you can see, if the doctors can’t get pass the FDA you can’t get the cure either.  It’s just not “legal.”

The FDA is one of the biggest reasons why the free market won’t work in the food and drug industry. In a recent salmonella outbreak Kraft Foods recalled Planters and Back to Nature Products containing Pistachio nuts because of possible health risk. As you may notice, it wasn’t the FDA that was responsible for safety.  Why would Kraft do this?  For obvious reasons, they want to maintain the trust of customers and remain in business.

Government agencies just get in the way of free enterprise because their decisions often don’t serve the public good.  They exists because of fees (indirect tax) they charge drug companies. Then the FDA puts their “rubber stamp” of approval on the products.

Just like health insurance “deducted as an expense” by corporations (reducing taxes) all of us our paying the bill (even if we don’t have health insurance).

Much of  the research is done by Universities with taxpayer dollars.  Therefore, who should really get paid for knowledge?  You copy off my work for the exam (like the cancer story above) then get an A+.

Big Pharma Marketing Companies

Maggie Mahar writes in Money-Driven Medicine:

“From 1993 to 2003, prescription drug prices rose by an average of 7.4 percent a year–more than twice as fast as inflation.  But when questioned about price hikes, Big Pharma is reluctant to say exactly how much it spends on marketing, preferring to talk about research and development.  The consumer who pays $80 for 10 pills funds lifesaving research, the industry’s backers explain, pointing out that 99 products out of 100 never make it out of the laboratory, and the price of successful medicines must include the cost of those that fail.

The truth is this:  in today’s pharmaceutical industry, marketing trumps research.  By some estimates, drug companies spend more that twice as much on ads, marketing, and administration as they do in labs.  In 2002, when Families USA, a nonprofit health care consumer advocacy group, reviewed the financial reports submitted to the SEC by nine of the largest U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies, the group’s analysis showed drugmakers investing only $19 billion in R&D, while shelling out some $45 billion for marketing, advertising, and administration.  Meanwhile, the industry pocketed $31 billion in profits.

In recent years the gap between investment in research and outlays for marketing has been widening.  In 2003 promotional spending jumped by nearly 20 percent, according to Bloomberg News, while funding for R&D rose by just 7.1 percent.  Over the preceding five years, drugmakers boosted promotional spending by 103 percent while R&D climbed by only about 58 percent.  And those numbers probably don’t tell the whole story.  Drugmakers guard details of their R&D expenses, and most observers think R&D numbers include at least some costs that most companies would count as marketing.”

Did you Know…

“So in 2003 market giant Pfizer poured out $2.84 billion into promoting its products, making the pharmaceutical giant the fourth largest advertiser in the United States–right behind General Motors, Procter & Gamble, and Time Warner Inc.  Pfizer was not the industry’s only prodigal advertiser:  Bristol-Meyers Squibb, the biggest U.S. producer of AIDS drugs, laid out $778 million for ads, ‘a bit less than candy maker Mars Inc.,’  Bloomberg News reported, ‘but $2 million more than brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos.’”

English Movies

Don’t tell your story like an English Movie.

If you are English, or love English movies, please don’t be offended just because of my example (my wife’s a fan).

Your story has to start with some kind of “Hook” right away so that people will stay with you. If we start any story, speech, movie, etc. without a fast moving or exciting beginning we will lose our audience.  In other words, riding our bicycle down a beautiful old country lane (low budget film) or walking the dog in the park won’t do it for a lot of people. Listening to an old ugly ball headed man and old fat lady talk for an hour about their life and how dedicated they are to each other won’t cut it either.  If you can help it, don’t make yourself into a “boring joke.” Your fame and importance is only in your head–not theirs.

• Would you go on a vacation with a couple for a week if you like big cities and they like the mountains?  Not if you want to remain friends.
  
• Would you set down and watch vacation pictures flash on the screen for an hour with just anyone?  Not if you can help it!
• Would you rather be skiing down the slopes are setting in the porch swing?  It all depends.
  

What do you have in common?

I know an older gentleman and when we get together the conversation always turns to WWII years. You would think he only lived four or six years of life even though he’s in his 90’s.   Do I want to hear the same story again? NO!  Do you think he cares?  No, he likes the story.  It’s a favorite.

It reminds me of a Family Guy cartoon where the men are at lunch and one of them begins crying.  One man quietly slips out of the booth, the other man slips under the table, and the last guy opens the window and slides away leaving the “guy crying” alone.  Men can’t stand seeing a woman cry let alone a man cry!

WATCH YOUR AUDIENCE!  IS IT WHAT “THEY WANT” TO SEE AND HEAR OR IS IT WHAT “YOU WANT” THEM TO SEE AND HEAR?  WHY ARE YOU TELLING THEM THIS–BECAUSE YOU’RE A BORE?

Their eye contact, their setting on the edge of the seat, and the “energy in the room” or their applause will tell you something.  And so, pay attention–it’s not about you! Don’t “you” get it?