Fascinating But Worthless

I was first drawn to the idea of Duplication Marketing or Network Marketing when I read the book "Why Not Me" by Paul and Dan Monaghan. I was so impressed with it that I sought them out to join their organization. I'd like to tell you that I had phenomenal success with the company but it wouldn't be true. Unfortunately I ran into three problems, my products could be purchased at a lower cost from a better known supplier, none of the people in my circle of influence ever listened to personal and professional development tapes and I was clueless about marketing. The end result was all I had to show for my time in business were some alienated friends and a massive library of self-help tapes. The good news was that I got plenty of value from the motivational and education products because my day job was as a coach and facilitator of self-esteem and self-development workshops.

Even though I never made money from my first venture in a home-based business, I wasn't about to give up on the idea of creating exponential wealth. Well actually that wasn't really my first venture in network marketing. I had joined a company that marketed a magnetic water device that was supposed to take the hardness out of the water. It wasn't until several years later that I realized that it had been a network marketing company and there was a logical reason I was constantly being invited out to meetings. I tell you this so you won't be too surprised when you get people joining you who don't have a clue what they're joining. As Jim Rohn would say, "fascinating!"

The fascinating part is that not only did they not explore the opportunity enough to know what they were getting into but also the people doing the recruiting were not asking enough questions. There is little to gain by helping someone start their own business if in fact they do not realize that that is exactly what they are doing. They will not stick around long enough to help either of you. So get in the habit of qualify, qualify and qualify. My mentor trained me to build slow and stable. That is where the money is.

Sacrifice the Word That Stiffles Change

Confession time – I'm an avid reader. No scratch that, I'm an obsessive reader! If there are words printed I have to read them. This is one of the real reasons I gave up eating breakfast cereals and not the fact that they are loaded with sugar. I just got tired of reading the same box every day. So what do I read? Being a coach and facilitator of personal and professional growth workshops I spend 95% of my time reading and absorbing non-fiction, self-help, marketing and business development books.

There is a word I often see used in these "change your life" books. The word is 'sacrifice'. I cringe when I see it used in a specific context. Often motivational gurus will explain the simple process of success. They say you'll have to make sacrifices in your life to get the things you want. Let's look at what 'sacrifice' is typically portrayed. How many times have you see in movies where one of the characters 'sacrifices' his life for the others. They refer to it as 'making the ultimate sacrifice." Or what about the stories of primitive cultures sacrificing young maidens to appease the gods?

Yes I know I'm taking it to extremes. The words we use with our clients, pupils or audience will evoke a response. There are not many positive associations for the word 'sacrifice' that doesn't make people think they are going to lose out or lose big time. In reality the people aren't sacrificing they are trading. They aren't sacrificing their leisure time they are trading an hour of television time for a constructive activity that takes them closer to their desired goal. We've all traded before and the vast majority of the time we liked what we got in exchange.

When we go to the movies we don't think that we are sacrificing our money we think that we are trading it for something of equal or greater value. So drop the word 'sacrifice' and replace it with 'trade'. You'll accomplish more and so will those you coach or encourage.