NEW RULE Number Three

Let’s pick up where we left off last post, on the new rules for how we need to conduct and promote our business. (If you didn’t read that yet – I suggest you go back and read that first.) As most of you know, the company I worked with for the last ten years was sold. And I wasn’t comfortable with the direction the new owners were taking it, so I walked away.

Now I’m building my network again, starting from the basics.   But instead of seeing this as a massive challenge (which of course it actually is), I’m excited about the “white canvas” it gives me. I don’t have to “change” anything. My leadership team and I get to set the culture, create the system, and build it right – reflecting all of the new realities of the business today.

So let me share something we are doing and I’m suggesting for…

New Rule #3: Stop promoting five- and six-figure monthly bonus checks.

Two big reasons for this: First, because companies that keep doing this recruiting practice are going to get killed by the regulators. Crushed, slammed and spit out for dead.

The new realities of the regulatory environment here in the U.S. – post Vemma/FTC, the attacks against Nu Skin and Herbalife, and the attendant negative publicity for our profession that is generating – cannot be overstated. We are now operating in an extremely sensitive environment with additional scrutiny. (And for you guys in other countries who think you are immune, you’re not. You just have a little longer runway to change.)

Here’s the second reason I’m suggesting you stop this practice of pushing outrageous income claims…

It’s not because the claims are outrageous. They’re not. We have people doing that. A Lot. Therefor the claims aren’t outrageous. The incomes are.

The truth is, most people have no conceptual understanding of what earning an outrageous income like 25K a month and above looks like. And make no mistake, any income above $25,000 a month is outrageous. The vast majority of people can’t relate to that or imagine it as a possibility for them. They would be DELIGHTED to have a side business that produced $800 a month in residual. They would be OVER THE MOON to have a side business that provided them with a $3,000 or $5,000 a month residual income.

In fact, there are at least five billion people on earth whose lives would be dramatically and measurably impacted if you could simply help them earn at extra couple hundred dollars a month (or the equivalent in their currency) to meet their basic needs, or get out of debt. (On second thought, probably closer to six billion people.)

If you were at the Mastermind event, you’ll remember the sessions from Dana Collins and Art Jonak about, “the truth is good enough.” They were making the case why we have no need to exaggerate or hype income claims. I’ll take it one step further and suggest that in many cases, “the truth is too good.”

And we don’t need those big numbers…

For decades now, when you started building a network marketing presentation, the first thing you did was grab pix of a Lamborghini, white sandy beaches on a tropical island, and stacks of cash. Then you trotted out those five and six-figure earners. But the world has changed.

Those tropes aren’t nearly as effective as they used to be. For one thing, we have a lot more women entering true network marketing business model companies today. As a group, they’re motivated differently than men. Guys are more likely to like the cars and things, and freedom resonates better with them. Women are more impressed with paying off a house, getting out of debt, and security resonates more with them.

We are also attracting huge numbers of millennials into the profession. A lot of them aren’t impressed by your sports car pix because they don’t want to own a car. They don’t even want to own a house. Many in this age demographic see those things as anchors that could restrict their lifestyle. More than a few of them are a lot more concerned with social responsibility. They are more motivated by making a difference than making money.

Now of course these statements are broad generalizations. There are plenty of millennials who would love to become millionaires, guys who want to save the dolphins, and women who find the lines of a Dodge Viper as sexy as I do.

So what’s a marketer to do?

Well you can begin by thinking about the core foundation that needs to drive everything you do: Duplication.

We know that the key components of duplication are getting a large group of people, to repeat a few simple actions, for a sustained period.

In other words, we’re looking for what is the most duplicable for the most people.

So you look for universal themes. Things that apply across the spectrum of age, sex, nationalities and cultures. And when we find those themes, we need to present them in ways that will resonate with the prospects – and not draw attacks from the regulators, media or skeptics.

I did my first home presentation in my new program last week. I did the first hotel opportunity meeting on Friday night. I presented the comp plan section and you know what I talked about?

Building a customer base. Creating a residual income to better enhance what a dream lifestyle would look like to you. And becoming debt free.

No six-foot wide checks on the stage. No Lamborghinis. No mention of five-or six-figure monthly incomes. Just a simple conversation about getting out of debt, designing your dream life, and getting the money issue out of the way.

So what happened?

Saturday was the highest day ever in the U.S. for both sales and enrollments. Not take that with a grain of salt, because we’re talking about pre-launch operations. But best day ever is still best day ever.

Maybe you’re wondering how you’re going to attract experienced network marketing professionals – people who really do understand, envision and desire those bonus checks north of 25K a month.  

That’s the last thing you have to worry about. For two reasons:

• These people are experienced professionals and smart enough to do the math. They’ll look at your product line, consumption model, and how your compensation plan is constructed.  They’ll figure out if they can make those big incomes they’re seeking.
• Unless they’re an “MLM junkie,” they aren’t impressed by hype. (And if they are an MLM junkie, you don’t want them in your company.) What they are really looking for is a viable opportunity. When they see a field leadership team that knows how to build a strong system with a compelling recruiting presentation that produces robust growth, they can’t wait to lock in a spot.

If this all makes sense to you, you should be in my Multi-Level Mayhem beta group. Check it out fast, because the first session is happening this week.

And I’ll be back soon, with more new rules and realities…

-RG