The fanatical MLMer… they drive me NUTS!
You know this person — you might even BE this person. If you are, I’m politely asking you to STOP IT and wake up!
You’re probably a newbie.. but in some cases you may be a long-time vet.
Your MLM is the greatest company in the world, and you’re constantly comparing it to [actually great] companies like Google, Apple, or Amazon.
The CEO of your MLM is some kind of spiritual deity, and you essentially worship the ground he/she walks on… turning the focus on him every chance you get.
Your product is the greatest product ever conceived — it cures cancer, lifts grease stains from carpet, fixes cavities in your teeth, makes you look 15 years younger… all while saving you money on every monthly bill.
No other product even compares.
You focus entirely on your MLM and the way they teach you to do things, without ever thinking outside the box or considering your own well-being outside of it’s walls.
You look down on other businesses and MLMs like they are the plague, and you feel sorry for everyone involved.
It’s time for you, the fanatical MLMer to wake up and clean up your act.
Banish your cult mentality and throw away your rose-colored lenses.
You’ll be surprised at what you start to see.
Here are the steps:
- Remove head from nether region. The things stated above are mostly untrue about your MLM. The first step is to understand this and get out of denial. Open your eyes. You can still be passionate about your opportunity without being blinded by it.
- Get grounded. Be a business owner.. a respectable one. Not a cult follower. Nobody likes a cult follower, except other cult followers… thus perpetuating the problem. Monitor the way you interact with others about your opportunity, and find ways to cut down on the hype and manipulation. Deliver a solid, honest, respectable story that prioritizes your own personal integrity.
- Focus on YOU! In addition to building your organization and selling product, build your own list, write your own content, shoot some videos and develop a personal brand. These things will stick with you through unfortunate times… such as MLM death or nasty comp plan changes. These activities can be symbiotic with your opportunity too, even helping you earn a lot more in the process.
- Don’t be a pirate captain! OK, I love pirates… go ahead and be a pirate. Just don’t go down with the ship! Learn to separate fact from crap, and understand the state of things with your company. MLMs fail just like any other business. If signs are pointing to inevitable loss, start making moves to diversify your income and weather the storm. See number 3 above, as you should be doing this anyway.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and develop fanatical MLMer tendencies. I’ve been guilty of it many times in the past 20 years.
Unfortunately, it’s this behavior that has helped give the network marketing industry a black eye. It’s also the reason you get so many sneers and reluctant responses when you promote your company.
Think about the real world, outside of MLM. Companies and their sales teams, the brilliant ones anyway, don’t carry themselves like the majority of fanatical MLMs and their distributors do.
Sure there are wild claims for “life-changing” products (Shamwow anyone?), and some CEO worshiping customers/employees out there. But it’s not as prevalent as it is in MLM, and it’s almost always a turn off to the natural skeptic inside of us.
We’re always happy when our expectations are met or exceeded. We’re always upset when they’re not.
Fanatical MLMers naturally over-hype themselves and their prospects, which causes a chain reaction of unmet expectations, brittle relationships, and ultimately.. wasted time.
Don’t waste your time being someone you don’t want to be and building something that won’t last long term.
Ground yourself. Develop a strong pitch devoid of BS and wild promises. Speak enthusiastically, not fanatically. Practice extreme focus in areas that will grow you personal assets — assets your MLM doesn’t own.
The quality of your relationships and the size of your bank account will improve tremendously over time. You can thank me later!
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