I’ve found the direct approach was a breakthrough for my business, and
so has everyone I’ve taught it to. That may surprise you if you have the belief
that people are skeptical about the industry and you think you need to keep
things a secret until late in the process. I used to think that. But experience
has given me a different belief. Now I believe that most people are fascinated
with network marketing!
Here’s where I get this belief. For about three years, I did my own little
unscientific experiment. Every time I was on an airplane (which is often) and
people asked me what I did, I replied, “I’m in network marketing.”
Frankly, I was just curious about the possible reaction. Would people
give up their seat and go back to the economy section? Would any try to jump
off without a parachute? Would anybody attack me? A fascinating thing hap-
pened: Nothing. In more than three years, I never had one negative response.
Probably about 20 percent of the time, they may ask if it is something to do
with computers. If so, I ask them if they have ever heard of companies like
Amway, Herbalife, or Mary Kay. Naturally they have, and then I explain that
those companies are involved in network marketing. That usually leads to a
comment I often hear from the other 80 percent, something like one of the fol-
lowing examples:
“Well, you know, I tried that once. I was in Herbalife a couple of
years ago, but it never really worked out for me. But I know a lot
of people who do real well with that.”“I was in Amway back in the 1980s. I never made any money with
it, but we had just had a baby, and I didn’t put a lot of time into it.
But my old sponsor is still in it and he makes a lot of money in the
business.”“I tried Shaklee back in 1999 and it didn’t really work out for me
but I have some friends who joined a few years before me and they
just built a 20,000-square-foot house and they have two Mer-
cedeses and a Ferrari! They must be making a fortune.”These responses demonstrate how much fascination there is with the
industry. This is a subject people want to know more about. They’re either
in network marketing or they know someone successful in network mar-
keting or they want to be in network marketing or they used to be in
network marketing, and they’re thinking about getting back in. The amaz-
ing success stories they’ve heard have them very curious what all the fuss
is about.
If you’re still suffering from the belief that people think it is a pyramid
or it’s a chain letter, or fear that most of them will respond negatively, think
152 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO NETWORK MARKETING