7 Lies They Tell You About Their
Network Marketing Business Opportunity
I can tell you the number one reason people dislike getting involved in a network marketing business opportunity…it’s because they were lied to. After they have been lied to, they have certain false expectations and when these false expectations are not met, they get upset and blame their sponsor, company, or the industry itself. However, if you know what to look for, you can logically evaluate what REALLY makes sense out there. Once you know the 7 common lies, you will be better equipped to recognize the truth…
Lie Number 1 – It’s Easy
When people are told it’s easy, they translate that to mean they can put very little time into it and not take it seriously. What is EASY is staying in a job you hate and keeping your life comfortable, even if it is a comfortable misery. That is what most do. What’s easy is coming home and doing the same thing you have always done. Watching TV, complaining, hanging around the same people you always have, etc. That is easy. Looking inside of yourself to see where you can become better, ditching the bowling event to attend a presentation and working something your closest friends tell you is a scam, is not easy.
Lie Number 2 – You will get rich overnight or make $50,000 your first week like “Joe Schmo” did
One of the dumbest things to fall for is listening to how some guy you do not know made $50,000 his first week. 99% of the time it either did not happen or there are some elements in the real story that make it impossible to reproduce. Short sighted network marketing business opportunity companies that try to “buy” loyalty from existing leaders and cut them a huge check to come onboard is NOT duplicatable so you should NOT take the success of someone else making a ton of money in a short period of time seriously. Network Marketing by it’s nature is a long term business. Most people are going broke trying to get rich quick and if they only broke that cycle and started plugging away at something that would produce a residual income, in 3-12 months they could have a decent way to make money.
Lie Number 3 – You can build multiple companies at the same time
Sorry, but this is a lie. The percentage of people that have the discipline to successfully build one company is very low but when you add another one in the mix, you reduce that percentage bigtime. A lot of people fall prey to big marketers with a big list that DO have the ability to “make some money” from multiple companies but that is NOT duplicatible. All that accomplishes is confusing those following the big marketer and ensures they fail in ALL companies they are involved with. This makes sense as you realize that networking is NOT about your efforts but the efforts of those you bring onboard. When others see you do multiple, they will try to do multiple and the whole thing collapses.
Lie Number 4 – Follow our mlm system so you don’t ever have to talk to friends or family
This is probably the most popular lie today. So many people that were poorly trained and burnt out their warm markets are being promised that some magical, mystical mlm system will help them so they don’t have to have an ounce of courage. Do you know when you should NOT approach people you know? When you don’t believe in what you are doing or you are so poorly trained that you actually care if they sign up or not. If you don’t believe in what you are doing, why are you doing it? A few months ago in Vegas I was interviewing Mike Dillard on stage and we asked him about approaching warm markets, he said, “Once you no longer care if they sign up, you should talk to them”, I could not agree more. If you are terrible at talking to people, you don’t need an mlm system, you need to get better and get trained properly. This is a main focus of mine to the people I coach.
Lie Number 5 – The product doesn’t matter
First of all, know that there are two products in any network marketing business opportunity, and they both matter. You are the number one product. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. The product your company carries is the second product and eventually, it does matter. If your product is crap, it will eventually stop selling. I had a guy the other day call me as he saw a press release about me and being awarded member of the month for an attraction marketing system. He asked me a few questions then went on to tell me how we could all be rich if we all just bought one bag of grain each month with his company. It was $70 and it was just an investment and I could throw the grain away if I wanted to. Some people actually fall for that line of crap…
Lie Number 6 – The compensation plan doesn’t matter
Riddle me this…if you were searching for a job, would one that paid you more interest you more or less or does that even matter? LOL, you bet your butt it matters! I have two horror stories associated with this lie. My first network marketing business opportunity was a juice binary company. I was placed on an inside leg and had to build both legs. I had 9, yes, 9, 6 figure earners in my team that I brought in…unfortunately, they were all on one leg! If you know a binary, you just cringed. It means that I did not make squat off those 6 figure earners. Let me ask you this, if you bring someone into a company, and they help make that company profitable…should you get paid? Of course you should but old school binary companies only pay you off your weaker leg. This makes the company, not the rep, very profitable. I am shocked to find old school binary companies still exist. A binary can be very lucrative but the old school way of ONLY paying you off your weaker leg is pretty tough to swallow in todays day and age.
Lie Number 7 – You have to spend a lot of money in advertising to make money
Some leaders see a rep coming in as a big dollar sign. They sell anything they possibly can to this new rep and one of the most universally accepted big dollar items, is advertising. I have seen reps come into a company for less than $500 and spend $3,000-$4,000 right away on advertising. Now, for a typical brick and mortar company or business, this is not the far from being a smart decision, but, for a network marketing business opportunity, this is terrible. Why? Because it is NOT duplicatible. Network marketing has the ability to be built WITHOUT spending tons of money on advertising and I believe it is best to do it that way as then you can help anyone achieve success even those without huge budgets. When you become profitable in your business, if you want to play with some of the profits, GO FOR IT, but, my suggestion is until you reach that point, keep that budget tight and avoid attempting to spend your way to success!
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Ray Higdon
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Numbers 1 and 4 are my favorite!!
One of my biggest pet peeve is the lack of training. Alot of times you’ll go to your company meeting, and there’s all of the cheerleading and recognition (which is great!) and no training! The reps are left to figure it out.
MLM is NOT easy. Don’t care which company! If it were, everybody would do it! I am saddened when I hear people say ‘I quit because I didn’t think it would be that hard’. All I want to ask is who lied to them!!
Great stuff here!
Well, I agree with you, to a degree…You don’t have to be a salesperson but you do have to have confidence in yourself which is what most people actually associate with being a salesperson
Haha, who lied to them, that is a great question!
All good points….. most of what you said is common sense. The key is always trust in the person you deal with. If they deceive you through intention or ignorance, the damage is often permanently done; hence, the hundreds of thousands of ex – mlm’ers out there who have soured on ever trying again. A good manager will train his team on the principles and disciplines required in running any successful business.
I heard Kiyosaki say it best, some go for capital gains while others go for residual…mlm is meant to be residual but some fall for the quick bonus promises
Where are you located Nicholas?
Ray, I’ve been draging my feet for 6 months now analyzing all the things you have just said in this blog. Happy to say I’m finally ready to take action and get my new career started in network marketing by following you, another leader in this company and the Numis network founders. I look forward to talking and meeting you very soon. Thank you!
Great stuff ray
love coming here.
you keep it real
most never give themself
the time to be good.
mlmsamurai
Could not have said it better myself Ray. Great post!
Another great post Ray! This really does hit to the heart of network marketing. I have heard all of these so called network marketing opportunities. You have debunked each one precisely!
Keep them coming!
Dean
You tell it like it is, Ray! It is very unfortunate that many salespersons (I will not call them networkers) poison our business environment with short-sighted greed. If you lived in the country, would you poop in your own well? The main reason we have to overcome the huge stigma (a bad rap) that MLM has in the marketplace is that people have hyped and lied in the hope of making short-term sales.
Compared to the traditional paths to financial independence in the land of opportunity, network marketing (when done right) is the obvious choice. I did not buy a franchise. I spent more than eight years full-time without pay in higher education before being paid as much per year as I made per month as a network marketer.
Great post Ray! So much of this is happening right now and it is so easy for people to prey and profit off others rather than to really deliver valuable relationships.
Thanks for all you do!
John Panella
Thanks Gene
And we are happy to have you!
Lets do it Greg!
You are awesome Mandy
Gotta fight the poisoners!
I see these alllll the time and it pisses me off that they’re damaging the entire industry. My favorite lie “there’s no selling” is that supposed to mean there’s no product? Cuz if there’s no product it’s not even a business!
Can you tell I’m fired up on this topic today too? LOL
These are what the short-sighted network marketers use to catch a quick bonus instead of building long-term success with a long-term team… Great post Ray as always!!!
Here I am Ray in the Utribe sharing your
simple wisdom.
That’s a great post with really great points
for new folks.
And a super reminder for us who have done this before.
I learned all these the hard way..not listening to
folks who have done this before back 20 years ago.
I remeber Bill Britt who is massive in the Amway business.
He said “I can take anyone and help them MAKE 6 figures
IN 2 YEARS IF THEY DO EXACTLY AS I SAY….the
problem is we are dealing with people.”
Thanks for leading Ray.
I want to deserve meet you at some point.
What level would that take Ray?
3 star or more?
Man once again you enlighten me to continue pushing myself to grow my business. For years I had never wanted to be a part of an MLM because of these 7 lies. I’m now happy and proud to be part of an organization that does it the right way.
Cheers!
TD
Ray,
This is great for 2 reasons. 1.) I can tell YOU wrote it or at least that those are YOUR thoughts. 2.) I know the TRUTH when I hear it.
Gold and Truth are both similar in that when tried in the furnace they are able to withstand the heat.
As well, Im willing to build on those types of things.
Well said Ray & Todd.. I am proud to have Todd on my team and is really working this the right way. I can’t wait till we are traveling together and making the money we want for the hard work we are doing right now & like Ray said ” IT IS NOT EASY” especially the part about friends not believing in it; I would take it WAY TOO personal and got discouraged.. But after only 2 months of being in my FIRST MLM company “NUMIS” I have learned SO much (mostly thanks to you Ray) and look forward to the long haul and the NO’S! lol..
Keep up the good work Ray and always look forward to meeting you one day – hopefully on that cruise!!
I am having my 2nd PBR tonight and giving my FIRST presentation so hopefully I won’t butcher it up and will let you know how it goes!!
LOL, you got it Chris!
Thanks so much Jeff!
In the “I want it right now” world in which we live, most people see the few “overnight” success stories and feel entitled to the same results. However, what they rarely see are the years of work it took before the compounding effect took place. So while quick start bonuses are nice, residual income is way better!
Golda
Great post, Ray. I’ve enjoyed reading/watching/hearing your trainings. Very insightful. Those lies sure are darn pervasive in society. :^(
Glad to be learning new, better info.
Thanks Ray for spelling this out so clearly….very true and it’s refreshing to read your posts!
I wish i knew these lies along time ago. It could have saved me a lot of money and grief. Numis does have some great leadership with you and David.
Thanks for the GREAT post Ray. How true those lies ring. There is no magic pill or silver bullet to wealth. Everything takes time and patience. When you have the right product they will come. Diligence my friend, diligence. But if you still want to fall for all those empty promises I have PRIME beach front property in Nevada for you.
Hey Ray,
Thanks for the post – It’s “Right on the money!” I’ve been through all the lies and It would have been nice for someone to tell me this years ago. Keep up the good work helping people make network marketing respectable again.
Thanks for your post – it’s “Right on the money!”
Wow! Great article. I was told that first lie “It’s easy” when I joined my first company and what a slap in the face it was to me when I found out it wasn’t. Everybody else I knew quit when they realized it wasn’t easy. But I decided that the business model of network marketing was too enticing to quit.
Instead, I decided to find out how to get good at it. The fact is, it’s not “easy” but it is simple…but it takes perserverance. Those of us who are in it for the long haul and don’t have a “get rich quick” mentality WILL get rich…and it doesn’t matter if it happens SLOW…I’ll wait a year or two or whatever… while I KEEP getting better and better and my team gets bigger and bigger and the checks keep on comin’ in fatter and fatter.
Thanks for your awesome leadership Ray. I’m grateful to be working with you. Keep telling it like it is!
Cheers,
Amy
“The Marketing Lioness”
Hi Ray,
I enjoyed this article, as I do all your others! I like that you exposed the important facts, you always do. You give information, and humor. Whenever I read anything of yours, I know that I will learn something. Will you speak on the technical part, as well?
Hi Ray,
a great take. There’s also the discussion if MLM is a sales business or not…it isn’t because it’s a relationship business.
However, you have to sell you to you, you have to have the confidence of a successful sales person, as you wrote in the response to Stephanie’s comment.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
Great post. It is important that you not fall for any of those lies. It is more easier to talk to your friends and family than it is to your cold market.
This is so true! I have believed the lies and the hype of this industry! But I am in it for the long haul and learning the correct way to do things! That family and friends part is one that always get me. I have shared my opportunity with all of them. I had a few sign ups in a previous opportunity. It’s a very touchy subject for me.
Ray:
You nailed the 7 lies and unfortunately, I have experienced them all. #7 made me cringe, as I was part of one MLM that the leaders sold tons of other stuff and in the end, did lie #2 and left for another opportunity, a case of “Do as I say, not as I do”.
I still have stacks of the stuff he told us we should buy.
As in any business, honesty and leadership are key to getting people to follow you. Thanks for all you do!
Nick
Thanks Ray,
This kind of crap needs to be cut out of our industry!
Thanks again for another great post!!!!
Hi Ray great post and I am very glad you always tell it like it is. I also wish I had read this a year or so ago. There is so much information out there that is false or misleading that it is so easy to go off on the wrong track and loose your way.
Your training is excellent also. Thanks so much
It’s a good life!
Tom aka firemantom
Holy cr&p how could I miss this post on my birthday. That is not going to happen again, well thanks alot Ray. Back to the grind for me.
Totally Ray. While selling a product may be easy the journey in network marketing is NOT! I have said to my husband so many times – if this was my JOB, it would be a piece of cake…but it’s the emotional part, the putting yourself out there part that is HARD. That’s why personal development is so important isn’t it?
Rachael Macgregor
Great insights, clearly stated. It’s easy to feel the author’s authenticity in this post.He’s obviously a guy who has been there, done that, and achieved great success. Listen to him.
Hi Ray,
Good post, pretty straight forward but very clear:-)
Wow,this is a very insightful post Ray. I actually saw someone post on facebook that you could make a million dollars in 6 months with their opportunity! Who believes this kind of crap? Anyway I’m glad to be part of your organization 🙂
Another great post Ray. I liked number 1 the best. When I first started and saw what people were making in less than 2-3 months I thought it was totally possible to do the same. Now I realize that something must have happened to get those results. when I see someone making a little bit of money I believe it more!
Yeah, funny, I am kinda the same way too
Thanks JP!
Thanks Susi!
Haha, thanks Lisa!
Yeah, we all have to learn in our own way!
You rock Amy!
I try to keep away from being too techie as my audience is not just those that are savvy, anything in particular?
You are one hard working dude Oliver! You rock!
You got it Ted1
Awesome Post Ray! I heard a presentation by Larry Beacham once, and I thought what he said about the sales piece was perfect. He said that while sales is an integral part of any legitimate business, sales is not your department in network marketing.
At least it isn’t if your company has solid third party tools in place, or you know how to create your own.
Jamie
Beautiful Ray, I have to say, I never seen 7 lies be so Truthful !!
If Network Marketing was so easy, every single Marketer would be a 6 or 7 figure Marketer.
Making X amount of $$$ in the first month, if you have any experience what so ever, Never tell a person he will do that unless he or she is an experienced and successful marketer, even then.
Multiple Streams of Income, I had a conversation 4 days ago with a guy telling me that I should join at least 1 other company…His !! I told him that I didn’t need to be a Walmart of mlm companies to attract others……Like I just heard before yesterday, Mark Yarnell says that evrybody can Multi-Task but no one can Multi-Focus !!
I get the same calls every 2-3 days, some guy or woman asking me to invest from 70 to 140 dollars and it would be my last ever in their company or turn your 25$ one time investment into 5000$/month in no time….Bull Crap !!
Comp-Plan doesn’t matter…These people never learned a thing about Residual and Passive income…Probably never will unless they decide to Listen and Look and a decent company and Comp-Plan.
What I ever got from Ads were people on the verge of commiting suicide, going bankrupt, looking for a miracle. I was unexperienced and had a very liitle budget, so I got what I paid for !!!
Take care Ray
Ray, these are the most poignant points that many leaders in the industry need to know, understand, follow and teach their successlines and new prospects. People deserve to know the truth, the hard facts are not easy to follow, and that is why there are always fewer people at the top rungs of the ladder than in the rungs below. But the opportunity is available to anyone who is willing to learn how to do the business the right way and succeed. They have to work hard first before they can work smart; the smart working is the result of hard work and putting the systems in place! Glad you brought this up Ray. Eddie
Keys to MLM success, Have the Right Mindset,Set Goals and Follow Through,Look for Successful People to Prospect,Use Your Sponsor,Organize Your Time.