Sincerity

I have entered various entrepreneurial endeavors in the past, and met with limited success or outright failure. I pretty much define failure in business as quitting. I don't actually consider them failures because I have learned from each one of these adventures. What I want to express here is the number one lesson I learned. There are many valid lessons in the network marketing world: Persistence, consistency, positive attitude... but one has changed in my life, and made a great difference not only in the way I am working my MLM but in all aspects of my life.

It is simply this: Your heart has to be right. It sounds kind of touchy-feely, I know, but it is a hard business rule as substantial as any other. I saw a bumper sticker once that said "The most important thing in life is sincerity.. once you can fake that, you've got it made!" I'm here to tell you that you can't fake it. Time spent examining your own motives is time well spent. Truly knowing you own motivations results in sincerity, and IS integrity.

You should not only tell your downline that you desire their success, you should truly desire it. Too much lip service is given to some of the things we say and do in the name of building our business. Are we really telling our friends about a gold mine, or are we shovelling them into a pile in our effort to dig one? Ask yourself if you are motivated by money only. Do you really want to spend more time with your family or do you just want to dump the J.O.B? Do you want to encourage or gloat? If you are honest, you will probably find that your answer to most of those questions is a mixture. I don't maintain that we all have to be altruistic saints, but I do maintain that honesty and integrity should be at the top of the list in importance.

I have read a lot of messages on line concerned with the image of MLM. Strict integrity will go a long way toward improving that image. Simply changing the name from Direct Selling to Multi Level Marketing to Network Marketing has not really changed the image. Neither will taking what detractors call "bait and switch" and calling it "the curiosity approach." If we are to improve the image of Network Marketing, we must improve Network Marketing. To improve Network Marketing, we must improve ourselves. If you don't like the reflection in a mirror, it does no good to change the mirror. What you see reflected in your business is the foundational philosophy, your own core beliefs. This may all sound like fluff that has no place in builing a serious business, but I urge you not to blow it off that way. Take it seriously, and it will feed and strengthen everything you do.

Self examination like I am talking about is a constant process, not something you can do once and be done with it. Working at self examination isn't always pleasant, but it isn't difficult, either. Simply determine where you stand. What do you believe in? Ask yourself these questions and don't share your answers with anyone, ever. Are you willing to lie to a prospect under any circumstances? Are you selling your opportunity only because of the money it will make you, or are you also really interested in the money it will make for the prospect? Do YOU believe what you are saying?

I'm sure we all know the questions to ask. It boils down to being real and not an empty, flashy, phony. People recognize integrity and honesty. I think the only difficult part in doing this self examination is being totally honest with ourselves. It can be humbling to admit that your main desire is to go back to people who put you down and gloat... but that is part of my motivation... a part of which I am not proud and am trying to make smaller. But I couldn't do anything at all about it if I hadn't admitted it, and admitted that I didn't like it. It is getting smaller, and soon it will be gone. These are private things, that must be worked out within ourselves. Even if you ARE a phony, the one person you can't afford to fool is yourself. We are amazing in our ability to fool ourselves, and must guard against it.

I am not trying to be a moralist, here. If you truly belive it's okay under certain circumstances to lie to a prospect, fine. I'm just saying that you must make sure you really believe it's okay, and that it's not just an expedient little habit that you will feel guilty about later. Shakespear wrote "To thyne own self be true, then, as surely as the night follows the day, thou canst be false to no man." I think we should give that some serious thought.