| Are you as sick as I am of the marketing hype | | | | prefer getting customers) and the 102% drop |
| and hustle that comes from promoters of | | | | out rate tells me all I need to know about |
| books, CDs, seminars and courses, to network | | | | how flawed that singular approach has been, |
| marketing programs? | | | | especially these last 5 years. (The President |
| | | | of the DSA once told an audience the |
| The Hype: | | | | attrition rate was 102%!? How? Because, he |
| | | | explained, many people sign up for more than |
| E.g. "I just finished reading a great book | | | | one company, and drop out of all of them.) |
| that you absolutely must have. It's called | | | | |
| blah blah." | | | | No amount of hype has changed the drop out |
| | | | stats. |
| Or | | | | |
| | | | What's the point, ladies? And yes, good |
| "'I've read every book on marketing printed | | | | gents. |
| in the last 150 years. This is the first | | | | |
| breakthrough in over 50 years.' | | | | Don't succumb to the hype and hustle, even if |
| | | | you're just starting and feel you don't know |
| "Kim, this business is going to EXPLODE! Get | | | | what you're doing in your new little |
| in early and with YOUR contacts, you can | | | | business. |
| easily earn $300k your first year!" | | | | |
| | | | Try different ways of doing things. You CAN |
| "This new and amazing product is something | | | | decide what works for you and what goes with |
| EVERYONE will love!" | | | | your own gut, heart, style and personality. |
| | | | DO marketing strategies that appeal to you. |
| Then more hype titles from those selling YOU | | | | Go ahead and try recruiting. See if there's a |
| stuff so YOU can do the same thing to others: | | | | match. If not, don't hesitate to go after |
| | | | customers who are not also sales people. |
| "The Secret to Being a Great Closer" | | | | Forget about recruiting for a while. Try both |
| | | | warm and cold market - without hype of |
| "Mind Control Marketing" | | | | course. |
| | | | |
| "Hypnotic Marketing" | | | | Never go against your grain to please someone |
| | | | else for very long, if ever. |
| And now the hustle: | | | | |
| | | | And yes, even if it's the teacher we're |
| "Buy it in the next 90 minutes or the special | | | | talking about. |
| disappears forever!" or "Get $3,000 worth of | | | | |
| free bonuses when you buy this product for | | | | The Buddha, one of the greatest teachers |
| $29.95 now!" "Sign up now and we'll put 84 | | | | known in the history of the world, never |
| people under you today!" | | | | hyped his teachings and beliefs to "get" |
| | | | others in or to see things his way. Religious |
| My reaction to pitches like that? | | | | scholar Huston Smith describes the time 2400 |
| | | | years ago... |
| 1. Yeah right. | | | | |
| | | | "In a time when the multitudes were passively |
| 2. And so what if THEY think it's great? | | | | relying on [leaders] to tell them what to do |
| Especially if I don't know them. They're | | | | Buddha challenged each individual to do his |
| selling it, aren't they? What else would they | | | | or her own religious seeking and rational |
| say? | | | | investigation. 'Do not go upon what has been |
| | | | acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon |
| 3. How can every new book, every new product, | | | | tradition, nor upon rumor; nor upon what is |
| every new business opportunity every new | | | | in a book [scripture]; nor upon the |
| ANYTHING be the "greatest" and "absolutely | | | | consideration, 'the monk is our teacher'. |
| must have" and "life-changing?" | | | | Rather, he said, test ideas and actions in |
| | | | your own laboratory of common sense. When you |
| 4. Why the frantic rush to close me on the | | | | yourself know they lead to harm or ill, |
| first date? | | | | abandon them; when you yourself know they |
| | | | lead to benefit and happiness adopt them. Be |
| First I thought maybe it's because I'm a | | | | lamps unto yourselves..." - Buddhism, a |
| woman. And as such, that I just don't like | | | | Concise Introduction. Huston Smith and Philip |
| someone screaming at me how amazing their | | | | Novak, p. 24 |
| great thing is. You know, the one they're | | | | |
| selling. And pressuring me to buy it right | | | | So don't just fall for anyone's promises, |
| now or I might forever lose my chance at | | | | especially if you know they have an agenda. |
| success. | | | | Try different approaches. Then let your own |
| | | | experience with it be your guide. (Assuming |
| But Mr. La feels hyped, too. | | | | you are doing the thing with honest effort |
| | | | and the best knowledge you have gotten about |
| The NY Times reported the other day that at | | | | it.) |
| 2:30AM one day last week, Mr. La biked to a | | | | |
| Target store to wait in line to get his new | | | | Fast forward about 2400 years... |
| Xbox 360. And although as a game nut he felt | | | | |
| good about owning it, after playing a | | | | On December 23, 2005, Steven Spielberg, |
| shooting game on it for about 30 minutes, he | | | | arguably the greatest film director of all |
| concluded that the machine was not as much | | | | time, is releasing a new movie. This time, |
| fun as he had hoped. "There was too much | | | | instead of launching it with the usual |
| hype," he said. (NY Times, 11.23.05) | | | | fanfare and hype that accompanies all big |
| | | | film openings... |
| How often have you been disappointed with | | | | |
| stuff you bought or things you did because | | | | "There will be no press junket, no premiere |
| their hype got to you? They're good, these | | | | and, most importantly, no Oscar marketing |
| guys. Anything to make a sale. | | | | campaign beyond trailers and posters for |
| | | | Steven Spielberg's movie Munich, I have |
| There's nothing "best" and "must have" or | | | | learned. This dicey decision to have no |
| "amazing" for everyone. And no amount of | | | | traditional publicity for the film before and |
| hype, no matter how loud and frequent, has | | | | after it opens December 23, 2005 is the |
| ever changed that. | | | | director's alone. He will not even be giving |
| | | | press or broadcast interviews. "The official |
| Maybe I'm just a groupie type. I like being | | | | strategy is for the movie to speak for |
| with people like me. I'd rather find someone | | | | itself," an insider told me this week. "All |
| who actually uses and benefits from my stuff | | | | they're going to do is just show the movie to |
| than someone who buys it and never use it, | | | | people..." Full story here. |
| you know? I might sell to fewer people, but | | | | |
| my customers write everyday to tell me of | | | | Is there hope for less hype? Are you someone |
| their new attitude or a little success here | | | | who wishes for that as fervently as I? |
| or there. Or a BIG success - like the the gal | | | | |
| who got herself 3000 customers by learning to | | | | Here's how to help: Look at how you market |
| talk to people in a different way. That's | | | | your products or business. If the words used |
| just me. | | | | make promises, or heaven forbid, hype and |
| | | | hustle others, including in the |
| I never dreamt or would presume that my stuff | | | | autoresponders sent to others in your name, |
| or approach is for everyone. | | | | remember the Buddha. And ponder this from the |
| | | | bible of writing style for the last 100 |
| I market books and tapes showing new or | | | | years: |
| dissatisfied people alternative ways to do | | | | |
| direct sales and network marketing. | | | | "When you overstate, readers will be |
| | | | instantly on guard, and everything that has |
| If you're successful with what you're doing, | | | | preceded your overstatement as well as |
| and your babies are too, then keep doing what | | | | everything that follows will be suspect in |
| you're doing. Don't buy my stuff. | | | | their minds because they have lost confidence |
| | | | in your judgment or your poise." |
| But if you are not happy doing what you're | | | | |
| doing in your NM business, and you believe in | | | | Whenever you are at the receiving end of any |
| the business model like I do, then try other | | | | pressure to do things that are not really |
| options before you quit, because there are | | | | aligned with you, remember to check with the |
| ALWAYS other options. (Below's a new audio | | | | most important person in the world - |
| about a gal who got 3,000 customers in the | | | | |
| last 2.5 years.) | | | | "Trust yourself and you will know how to |
| | | | live." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. |
| For example, recruiting is NOT all there is | | | | |
| to doing network marketing. | | | | What say you, ladies? And yes, my good gents? |
| | | | |
| Notwithstanding the loud voices from | | | | P.S. I am launching a podcast (online |
| corporate and "leaders" in the business, who | | | | audio-radio program) found at |
| stand the most to gain from that approach | | | | |
| because there's more money in it for them | | | | The show is designed to introduce |
| than from you getting regular customers. So | | | | entrepreneurs to different ways of doing |
| they usually belittle customer gathering and | | | | network marketing and direct sales. "Talking |
| promote recruiting. | | | | about Your Great thing. How learning what to |
| | | | say changes everything." Reactions and |
| But many women don't like recruiting (they | | | | suggested topics from you are MOST welcome. |