I'm In for the Money

Many persons think that by hoarding money they are gaining safety for themselves. If money is your only hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a person can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. Without these qualities, money is practically useless.

- Henry Ford as quoted in "Working Communicator"

Most people get involved in the business aspects of the network marketing industry for one primary reason...money. Granted some people are originally attracted by products, but most business builders are motivated by the financial rewards of the industry. With this in mind you can generally catagorize network marketers who try and build a business into two groups.

1) Those who are attracted to the program by the money potential.

2) Those who are attracted to the program by something else and discover the money potential.

When I first start working with a new customer, it is my goal to determine where they see themself. I want to meet them at their level. If they only want to be a retail customer, then that is wonderful. I'll service them until the end of time. I value everone equally for their personal use value. In my program everyone is a customer first. I can never have too many customers. Businesses are built on end use of products by customers. The customer is King.

However, I'm looking for the business builders. This is a sorting process. The key to this sorting process is recognizing, not developing, leaders. You cannot change someone. You can only assist them if they are willing to change. You don't make people into business builders. You help them reach their own potential and even stretch their potential as a business builder, but you cannot change their potential for them. They must do this for themselves.

So what does all this have to do with the two catagories of people? Well, you have to educate and assist people in different ways based on the catagories.

1) Those who are attracted by the money potential.

These people are generally the "quick starters" who plan to get rich overnight. This is dangerous. If the expectations of this person are not met, then they will be "quick quitters" and long gone before you even know what happened. These people are full of excitement and enthusiasm. What do you do to help them? The first thing you don't do is load this person down with product information. This person is money motivated, and products are just a means to an end for them. Show them a few key products and let them get into products at their own pace. Eventually, they will learn that product knowledge is vital if they hope to succeed. Ease them into this realization. The key with this type of person is to channel their enthusiasm and motivation into productive efforts. These people tend to attract other people who are money motivated. This can cause big problems. Before you know it you may have a group of people who are really pumped up about "getting rich together". This excitement is one of the most dangerous things in our industry because this is where hype and false or exaggerated claims originate. These people are simply too excited to stick to the facts. This is also one of the greatest assets of this business, and the group dynamics of this excitement can launch your organization to new heights if it is leveraged properly. Simply beware that exaggerated or false claims once exposed can destroy a business quicker than anything. Honesty is always the best policy.

I've found that the key to helping these people transform into productive business builders is to move the focus off money and onto lifestyle. This is a much more encompassing concept, and when done properly this is even more attractive than money. The lifestyle of a successful network marketer cannot be duplicated in the traditional working world. Once a money motivated person buys in on the lifestyle idea, they will start to see the value of the program to be more than just big paychecks. Interestingly enough...lifestyle can usually be tied back into products which allows this person to become a well rounded business builder.

2) Those who discover the money potential.

I feel that these people are much easier to work with. These people already see the value of the program prior to seeing the big picture as far as income potential is concerned. Treasure these people. Nuture them. However, don't get impatient with them. Don't pressure them to grow to meet your expectations. These people are generally relationship builders which is an important skill in this industry. Allow them to grow at their own speed. The worst thing you can do to a long time customer who just "discovers" the business opportunity is to overpower them with high pressure tactics.

As Henry Ford stated, it isn't just about money. Although we'd probably like to try and prove this statement wrong...money won't buy happiness. It is my personal opinion that if you are involved in this business just for the money then you are missing out on the greatest rewards. I also firmly believe, as did Ford, that those people who are only involved for the money rarely find it. I think it was Albert Einstein who said, "Try not to be a man of success, but to be a man of value." This is the clue to the secret we have all been searching for.