Beware of the “Town Criers”
So an interesting thing happened this week. A USANA distributor sent out a hysterical email to her database stating that at my Mega-MLM event I was prospecting “everyone for his personal company, handed out his DVD’s, and promised the moon to everyone who would join him.” Several others picked up on it and sent it on, along with emailing insults to me. Of course the only problem with all this was, it never actually happened.
None of these people were at the event, nor did they talk to anyone that was. Had any of them taken the time to speak to even one person who was there, they would have seen how wrong they were. There were about 35 companies represented at the event. Ninety eight percent of the people there joined my coaching program and five company owners/executives sought me for out for consulting afterward. That hardly would have happened if I had been prospecting people as those messages were claiming.
Come to find out that five days after the event, two USANA distributors called a distributor from my company and asked to be sponsored by them, and that’s what started all this. A far as I know, everyone else that attended the event is still with the program they came with.
Now I have history with the lady that sent out the original message, as she’s another knee-jerk fundamentalist, incapable of rational thought. So no surprise there, but it was surprising that the other ones just started parroting her claims without doing any research. It’s also very telling of their character, that even after they were corrected by numerous people (such as Networking Times which was there covering the event) none of them showed the class, respect, or decency to retract her erroneous distortions or apologize. But that’s not the important lesson for you. The thing you need to be concerned about is whether your company has any “town criers” like this.
There are people like this in many companies. They don’t do very well building a business themselves, so they become unofficial spokespersons for the company. They start a print newsletter, or more likely these days – an email update database, or even conduct Tele-Seminars for the field. They’re kind of like Paris Hilton in that they become famous for being famous (at least in the limited context of their company), not from actually ever accomplishing anything.
And that can pose a danger for you…
Initially you may welcome them, because you feel they are filling a need, disseminating information to the field. But it really is a dangerous situation, because they are not qualified to have this platform. When they are just interviewing successful people it’s fine. But eventually they start smoking their own dope and begin to think they are the experts. And that’s when they start spreading information that can be very harmful to your team.
Remember the most sacred spot in your organization is the training platform. The only people you should have in this role are people that have built a business successfully, or are currently building a business successfully.
No one else should ever be given access to your people. Of course there is the danger that they harvest the database and turn to another deal. But that usually doesn’t happen. For the most part the damage they do is well-meaning, but just as harmful. They stay loyal to the company, because they get their payoff from being the “star” of their platform. They get the respect that is normally accorded successful leaders, and become quasi-celebrities at the conventions and events.
The real danger is that they can lead your people down wrong paths of activity. They often fall into the “flavor of the week” syndrome and often send out conflicting messages. And the most important thing for duplication is that there is one message being delivered; one heartbeat for the organization.
Town criers are just one of the groups you’ll attract into your organization. You’ll also professional opportunity meeting display set-up people, people that just come to the meetings for social reasons, and even people that stay involved just for the parties or talent shows at events. And that’s okay; we welcome everyone. Sometimes if they hang around long enough, they eventually get it, and become real builders. But until they do, you have to be wary of what kind of influence they have on your team, and make sure their platform is appropriate to the actual results they have produced.
-RG
I appreciate the notice. Some time ago I experienced a similar Crier in another company who had trouble minding their own business.
Randy: Couldn’t agree more. The naysayers are always going to there; mostly well meaning types that never put forth the effort necessary to build a strong organization. Not willing to take their own, honest inventory on why their business is not growing, they put the blame on the successful distributors and the notion that they are ” doing something different they are not sharing with their downline”. I am glad your event was a success, wish I could have been there. I appreciate all you share with us up and coming business builders and will continue to follow your exploits. “Appreciation Over Self-Promotion” every single time.
Have a great weekend,
Loren (SOC_LRD Twitter)
Thanks Randy
Just to say that I have the greatest respect for everything that you have achieved and the way you share it with our industry. “Town Criers” exist in every industry and really should know better – you don’t knock successful people unless you are equally successful. When this status quo is achieved they usually realise that there is nothing to knock.
Let’s keep that revolution moving.
Randy:
I am saddened by what you are reporting but not surprised. When you are doing good things that threaten others, people will target that person and try to destroy them. The threat is not the person, it is the good, and bad people do not like good.
Keep up the good work. You have been a real inspiration and help to many, including me, and I would recommend your coaching programs to anyone, as you provide far more than what you ask for in return.
Keith (Tophat from BU)
Hey Randy, i hear your point and i think there was overreaction a bit, but how can you keep your credibility as a “trainer” when you are actually top income earner ( and have placed there by your company), and go around saying that you are generic trainer. You know better and please, don’t look down on us all thinking that you can teach us here any moral lesson. Oh and by the way, there must be some truth in what happened earlier this week for you to actually take the time to write to your database and blog to defend yourself…who’s the crier in town here?…
The proof too is my comment won’t make it to your blog, i am sure about that.
Regards,
Don
Don how many events with Randy as speaker have you attended? I am in the same NM company as Randy and I dont think thst Randy is looking down on anyone!!! The problemis if Randy is giving generic training, A lot of people say or think after the training I WISH MY COMPANY HAS A GUY LIKE THAT…… Randy doesnt need to prospect dont you get that?/ he is larger than life in this industry and one of the nicest guys I have met in this business. So please get a successful as he is, than right funny comments. I want to wish you all the best in whatever company you are from the bottom of my heart. This is the culture we have in our Company and my name is Franz and I am AGEL . Also notice you made it to the blog ………..
Well you did make the blog, so imagine that! I am very open about building a business myself, but when I promote a public generic seminar or even my training materials, they are completely generic. I think it’s important to offer training from actual best practices that are working in the field now, not theories.
By the way, yes I am the top income earner in my company, but I was not “placed” there. There were about 15,000 people that joined my company before I did. I earned my rank by building a group of more than 100,000 team members.
-RG
Excellent post, Randy, and it shows what an upfront talk straight put it in front of people kind of person you are which is also the real character and heart of network marketing. It’s loyal and trustworthy relationships that is everything important based on mutual respect, responsibility, and relationships.
It’s amazing how rumors and misunderstanding intentionally or unintentionally started can produce what is really just gossip that can have such a negative and disruptive effect on people.
Keep posting the facts and the truth about things.
The best of success to you.
Mike
Bottom line is that builder’s build and talker’s talk. But there is another dynamic going on here that is much more subtle and not as obvious.
Randy you are in business to make money and that is from promoting your products and services and MLM(s) that you are in.
So the crier has a right to cry, but she was wrong in accusing you of directly prospecting them. At best, for her, it was an ineffective way to protect her interests and too late because some of her distributors had already “cross-over”.
However, the botoom line and truth is that you know for yourself that you do not have this blog and your seminars because you have nothing better to do.
It’s simply a platform to help increase your overall business and exposure, and the more people that see it for what it is, the more people begin to understand the power of internet “marketing” and various angles one can approach it with, and begin to use it constructively and productively.
One final thought here….in an ironic sense by posting this article about “the town crier” you have become the town crier in your own blogosphere by trying to defend your position.
That person that complained is intimidated by your success, now she just has to get to work and keeping learning and growing instead of crying.
We all do much better in MLM when we focus on “building and growing” instead of crying.
Look, we’ve all cried at one point in time over a “lost distributor” but those that better just continue building knowing that the next big hitter that joins you is just around the corner looking to partner with you if you have the right attitude.
Thanks for your comments. Just one thing to note. I don’t use this blog or seminars to promote my network. I use them to support the publisher that puts out my stuff and get the message out to the people that need help.
-RG
I am very sad to hear this. Not that it is a suprise because I see it every day. Those town criers (when you are starting in the business) are killers to your entreprise. Although they are in all companies, what I hate is hearing that they are in the same company that I am working for right now. Kind a not helping you on a larger scall too. Because people are people, and when they read about a certain person with a certain company, they tend to believe that the company is to blame. They associate, so the next time we are talking to someone and they heard something about this specific company, doesn’t help. Just more garbage to screen.
But this is a human quality (if we should call it quality) that we have to deal with every day. Most of the people that believe such junk shouldn’t be on our team any way, and will never attend special events that would change them.
Very sad to hear this 🙁
Carole
Ah Randy…. twas ever thus.
In my decades of teaching American patriots in the ways of deception and psywar tactics, I usually began by pointing out that there are basically two general types of people in the world, irrespective of country, national origin , skin color or what have you.
1. The person who only wants to produce what he can for himself and family, would not consider stealing from anyone, and wants to be left alone to his or her devices for producing the best life possible, given the variables.
2. The second kind are those who wait until someone has produced something, then conspire to steal it, one way or another. This type long since discovered that by becoming a part of the “government”, they could rob and steal with impunity, rather than risk their lives as bandits.
In my early days of MLM (1982 when Herbalife was just “Mark’s little band”), it did not take long to determine what to warn my new distributors about. (long before the Internet made it super simple to deceive)
One of those methods was the proliferation of MLM “news” magazines and newspapers, etc that urged everyone to bring in their downline so as to get the “news of the industry”. Strangely enough, those people also were distributors for several “hot” companies (their description) and in short order your newbies were being “hit on” and with the seeming prestige of “something in print”, many newbies lost their dream by jumping in with a “big guy”. (disclaimer: Obviously, there were a few quality folks in that field)
Leads was another source for the same tactic, which of course does not include the hyper high quality people like Peter Mingils and a few others.
To go back further, consider the ancient “Aesop’s Fables” and read the “Dog in the Manger” story. Summed up: If I can’t have it, I will make sure that no one else can have it either”
Best to you, and to all of your readers.
Bob
Randy,
As a participant at the last Mega-MLM, I can say without a doubt, you did NOT prospect anyone during the program.
In fact, you did nothing but encourage people to reach their highest potential with their respective companies.
BTW, you should have charged more, the information was worth at least ten times that.
Dr. Mike
To whomever,
Out of defense for Randy Gage……….anyone who is successful in this profession has multitudes of people who are insanely jealous and resentful because, perhaps, they don’t have the prosperous positioning in the industry like someone on the level as Randy Gage. I was at the MEGA-MLM event as I was the one in October. When you are at the top of the hill, there are always people throwing stones. Why? Because that’s the only way they can reach you since they aren’t close enough in the levels of prosperity or influence. Throwing stones make people feel better about themselves. They think if they cause someone else pain, they are bringing the other person within their box (of pain).
Randy made it extremely clear at the beginning of the meeting, what maturity level he expected the audience to live within in relation to recruiting others during the meeting. You’re in the clear Randy. Your blog is a good lesson. While Network Marketing is many times like “herding cats”, you definitely gave us a great example. MEOW!!
Jef Welch
SISEL Int’l
As a proud USANA associate I feel that mentioning the company name does a disservice to those of us who respect and learn a little more each day from trainers like yourself.
Jim
Actually I felt it was better to mention the company. I have thousands of friends and people in USANA that use my training for good results and wanted to make sure they know the truth. And I think one of the reasons USANA has faced challenges is the fact that the distributors have these town criers hurting their results.
I guess I’m old enough and rich enough I don’t want to play games any longer. I believe in calling things as they are and putting them into the light of day. So that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!
-RG
Hey Dr. Mike and Jef,
Thanks, glad to see some people that were actually at the event check in!
-RG
Great blog Randy.
Knowing you as well as I do, I angers me to think of the petty people out there trying to ruin your good name.
Well, those of us in the know, know the real deal! Thanks for the lesson here on these “town criers” . I have known a few myself.
Peace and love baby…
Lucinda
The MEGA MLM weekend was a great success and was worth 10x’s what I paid. And as far as defending, when I read what Randy wrote I was more inclined to say LEARNING, “when ready to learn the teacher will appear”
Another interesting observation, the ones that read the blog and state, its nothing more than a recruiting tool, why are you reading it if you get nothing more than that out of it.
How and why would top earners in other MLM companies come to these or join the coaching program “the MLM Mastery” to be recruited,
“It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” Al Batt
Hi everybody
I was a participant at the MEGA MLM weekend too, It was to me a very high-level experience in my network marketing carreer.
Suprised (even shocked) as I was by the accusations by those “criers” I took the effort to read again Randy’s advert for this weekend. I quote one paragraph:
“This generic event will include people from many different network marketing companies around the world. Randy will not be pitching his company to you, or endorsing any companies. But he will be using case studies of specific recruiting materials, websites, recognition programs, and the like. Randy has consulted with many companies in the industry as well as many of the top earners. He has created systems, prospecting materials, and training modules that have produced many millions of dollars in sales. So he will be talking about them and giving many examples. He assumes that everyone attending is a big kid and can handle the information without feeling threatened. If you have a problem with that, then you should not attend.”
And that ‘s exactly what happened. He gave 2 examples of good recruiting tools he designed for his company, advising that if your own company did’t have those you should produce them yourself, or using generic ones. He also gave us several of his own generic tools for free and even mentioned some generic material from others like Tim Sales.
And that’s all folks! Never ever during that fabulous weekend was even mentioned the name of his company.
Those “criers” should have read the last two sentences of the paragraph quoted above.
Randy, you have a very big mind, please keep up the good work.
Chris
Even folks with an abundance of lack mentality such as the town crier can be successful by way of being a connector. Or so it seems. Then at the point where their movement or production slows there is a need to blame some outside element for the cause. Thereby truly perfecting their duplicatabe lack mentality.
Thanks for identifying this character. We need to be able to identify and avoid them when they rear their ugly heads.
In any of the Networking businesses you are going to get people that will slag off the company or people in it. Usually those that have quit because they couldn’t make it work for themselves. Why, because no-one wants to join someone that moans about everone else, so they don’t get on with either buildinga solid customer base or a solid team. Basically people will go towards a “radiator” that glows warmly, not a “drain”. This lady is obviously a very sad individual.
Hmmmm…Town Crier…isn’t that calling the kettle black?
You said, “Remember the most sacred spot in your organization is the training platform. The only people you should have in this role are people that have built a business successfully, or are currently building a business successfully.”
I’ve asked a ton of people where YOUR success in MLM came from…and people who have been around a LONG time…have NO clue! No one could say you were an earner in anything except your Seminar Business…and it seems that is what made you rich, not MLM. Now maybe today is a different story since you got INTO the Industry just recently after a VERY long time being OUT. In fact, I cannot recall you being in any company during the 90’s and neither could anyone else.
Not picking on you bit you made the above statement and I surely agree that people who are not doing the business should not be given the platform.
I think you should ask around a different crowd of people. I have never blabbed around what program I was working, because I have been doing generic training for the last 15 years. But ask serious players in the profession and my record speaks for itself.
-RG
A lot of people needing a lot of thought improvement, (aka personal development).
Hello Randy,
Please find that I did not attend your Mega MLM Weekend, however, I have attended a few of your Seminars in Sydney. I have learnt a lot at these Seminars and I never recall where you have sent out a recruitment message for any MLM company be it the one that you are involved with or any other.
We, in the MLM business have learnt a lot about MLM with the service that you give to us. I find that you are a person if integrity who has always promised to keep your training and your current MLM Biz separate. We in the MLM business, need trainers as yourself, to give us the shortcuts to success rather than making the early mistakes that are often made by us MLMers.
I would like to thank you for everything that you have done for this industry and others who do the same. It has added creditability to our industry.
We just need to ignore these people who would like to damage our industry or at least let them destroy themselves
Remember the Khama “What goes round comes round”
Thank you
Gerard
Randy,
You’re absolutely correct in this information. Many get into an MLM business and work it like a hobby, then expect to get paid as a muti million dollar business. They would be betterof buying a lottery ticket. These folks mostly go to meetings only to socialize and act important. They are like a cancer that needs to be removed before it destroy the whole body. I appreciate your advise… Thanks, Rico