Stinky, Rotten Business Really

Hi everyone! My name is Laura, I’m an experienced wife, mother, pastor, network marketer… and this blog is about stinky, rotten business really! It’s also about how to avoid being IN it.

Now, I am talking to business NEWBIES here, so all you big-wigs, already-made-it-to-the-top, “my stuff is better than your stuff” braggers, do not pay attention to this! It just does not apply to you.

Ok, now that I’ve weeded out the “higher-ups” that be… to anyone, and I mean ANYONE else, who has just ventured into the “hey, I have an idea honey, I’ll quit my job and become SELF EMPLOYED” notion, you NEED and DESERVE to hear and consider (and hopefully apply) what I’m about to tell you! I am about to SPARE you from years of grief in home-based, network marketing, mlm business attempts! Here we go!..

Now, this comes from about 20 or more years of experience (at this point, I’ve lost count how many years). So, if you REALLY are serious about making this new business venture work, please listen, learn from my mistakes, and then and ONLY then, sign on that dotted line, pay your fee to join, etc.

Ok, ready?

1.) Investigate EVERYTHING about it.

That means “do the research, Sammy” Google the company, it’s leaders, it’s legal situations (does it have a law suit against it, for instance). It doesn’t matter much if they were voted #1 in WHO’S WHO OF AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS if they lack personal character and won’t be there to answer your questions when you have them. Trust me on this one. I know.

Nothin like feelin as though you are a “nuisance” to the big-boy manager! Be sure he is one who built his OWN business from the bottom up, also and that “daddy” didn’t GIVE him the buiz because he was the “favored son” Ugh…movin right along here…

2.) THIS IS A BIGGIE SO PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY!

Examine the PRODUCTS! Are they truly “competitive?” This means, when you decide to stop using your favorite brand of shampoo, will this new one that you buy from your company (oh, did I mention that, for a while, YOU will be your 1st customer, before anyone else will purchase FROM you?)…

When you put that “new business” shampoo on your curly locks and you lather, does it feel as luscious as the one you fell in love with from Wally World? If YOU would switch, chances are, so will your customers. If not, I’d be real careful about selling something even YOU can’t believe in!

Be careful about “ground-floor” opportunities too…no need to rush to be first, in a company nobody even knows about yet. Give em a couple years, see if they are still around, THEN Join. Why should YOU buy a ticket on the TItanic if you know that other ships like it, have sunk within the first couple years! Be careful, prayerful and WISE in your choosing! Remember, “Good things come to those who WAIT!”

3.) Check on pricing of your products. In one business I was in, I found the same machine my company sold for hundreds of dollars, over on a forum selling for at least 1/3 of the price. How’s THAT hit ya? Not a good thing to sell your house, your car, your first-born, to hop on the bandwagon and join! Right? (I hope your head nodded up n down on that one!)

Some extra tidbits of advice here:

a.) Make sure the company sells by RETAIL. If your company sells with retail AND wholesale prices, you’d better be the type of “business tycoon” who can plow through ANY sort of circumstance and “recruit recruit recruit!” In other words, those people I sort of “weeded out” at the beginning of this blog, be sure and let them know that this wholesale and retail set-up was tailor-made just for them! (Laura’s friend Michael says so and Laura agrees)

b.) Would the product sell without a business opportunity attached to it? If not, in the words of the Teletubbies “run away run away!” Chances are it’s an ILLEGAL SCAM! (more on that in future blogs)

c.) Must pay by CASH ONLY? it’s ILLEGAL! Don’t do it!

4.) Ok, what’s the conversion rate for your business? In layman’s terms (which is pretty much the language I like to speak most of the time), of the leads people get into their business, how many of them generally turn into customers and how long will that take?

What I am urging here, no INSISTING you do, is find a company where it’s actually “ok” to talk to the president of the company, the owner of the company, the head-honcho. This is so important because you can’t “learn from the chief eagle, if you can’t approach his nest!” (my little saying there)

So, how about your sponsor? Do you like his personality? What attracted you to him, enough to listen to his message about how “you must join” his company? Is he/she someone you can see yourself having weekly lunches with for the next 10 years at least? If not, why on EARTH are you signing that paper to be his “goonie”? Think HARD here. I made this mistake, BIG TIME too many times! Don’t do it. Do not “pass go” cause you WILL NOT get “$200!”

5.) Lastly, and this is also probably one of the biggest “business “booboos” I and others in business have EVER made! Ready? Hold on to your seats cause this is HUGE…

CAN YOU DO WHAT YOUR SPONSOR DOES TO GET THE SAME RESULTS AS HE/SHE IS?

Let me spell this one out for you, because if you can “get it” it’s going to save you a LOT of aggravation and a lot of bruises (from kicking your own booty)…

Here are the questions you want to ask yourself about this:

1.) My boss is HUGE on cold-calling. Can I see myself picking up the phone, talking to a stranger about this business, risking rejection?

2.) My manager keeps tons of leads on hand. Where will I get all those leads from? Can I AFFORD to pay what he does to have all those…how much of those leads will even be people who will get back in touch with me?

3.) My guru-guy is really into “meetings” Am I? Do I really want to commit weekly to hanging out with strangers in a high-hype atmosphere that leaves me feeling nautious from the combination of “super-juice” and overly-zealous entrepreneurs

If you answered NO to any of these questions, I’d give you A PRIZE, A MEDAL, AN AWARD if I had one! If you cannot DUPLICATE what your sponsor is doing, DO NOT JOIN THE BUSINESS

If, on the other hand, you strangely answered YES to any of these questions, please get in touch with me. We need to really have a talk. No, you didn’t do anything wrong, you aren’t messed up at all. You are just one of very FEW people who enjoy doing things the HARD WAY!

Now, all that being whatever it may (I’m hoping it “may” be that most of you answered NO)…Let me inform you that what I’ve just gone over with you are principles REQUIRED for your SUCCESS in ANY business you decide to do!!! That’s right ANY business.

Those 5 things were very loosely taken from a teaching on the FIVE PILLARS of Success, written by my friend and sponsor, Mr Michael Dlouhy. Of course, that was my own way of telling you about them. Either way, Michael or I, KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED.

So, there you have it. Be sure to really consider what I shared here, before you jump into any business.

You want to check out, in a nutshell:

1.) Reputation and character of your leaders

2.) Product competitiveness

3.) Compensation Plan

4.) Duplicatable System

Ok there you have it, my first blog and some rather handy info to know before you go jumping into the business pool that HAS NO WATER IN IT! Think. Pray. Consider. LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP into arms that fall to the sides of your sponsor (as he walks away with YOUR hard-earned money)

Till next time remember I am always here to help you, answer your questions and I even have free training on my website that will educate you or give you insight into this industry.

email: yahssis@juno.com

website: www.FutureHopeNow.com

~there is ALWAYS hope for YOUR future!

~Laura