Archive for March, 2008
“KISS ON THE LIPS” MARKETING — Proverbs For Success — Part 9
March 27th, 2008 | 
Author: Our words have power beyond our imagination. That’s why Solomon emphasized wisdom in our speech so much. Just a small selection of his proverbs on this:
“My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my under- standing; that you may observe discretion, and your lips may reserve knowledge.” Proverbs 5:1-2.
“Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.” Proverbs 10:14.
“A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” Proverbs 18:7.
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.” Proverbs 21:6.
“He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23.
Often, promoters pride themselves in thinking that they do not tell lies. But they just might select what truth they tell in order to reach their objectives. Not the whole truth. Just what suits their purpose.
Reminds me of the story of a salesman visiting a farmer who had a ferocious looking dog in his yard. “Does your dog bite?” the salesman asked.
“Nope,” the farmer answered. So the salesman opened the gate and entered the yard…and was bitten on his leg by the dog.
As he raced out of the yard and to the other side of the fence, the salesman turned back and yelled to the farmer, “You said your dog didn’t bite!”
The farmer replied. “That’s right. My dog doesn’t bite. But that’s not my dog.”
The farmer didn’t lie. But the salesman still got bitten.
Sales people may not lie. Yet, sometimes the customer still gets bitten. We network marketers pride ourselves that we are exceptionally truthful, centered on benefiting others. Yet, so many of the people we sign up or sell products to feel that they’ve been mauled by the MLM dog.
How can we change ourselves so that we are practicing “kiss on the lips” marketing?
Perhaps by growing through three stages of marketing.
Step #1 is selling – a transaction that moves a product from my supplier into your hands.
Step #2 is persuading – convincing you that you will benefit from my product. And it just may be true. I go through a series of actions in order to move you to that point. I don’t have to lie to do so. I just have to select the truths that will convince you to take the action I want you to take.
Step #3 is influencing – which means I could change your attitudes and life by being myself. And the higher my “self” is, the better and more powerful my influence can be. I can not sell you just any product, or opportunity. It has to be one that has deeply changed my life for the better – even the BEST.
The common saying holds true: Walk your talk. But make sure your “talk” is that of kindness and truth. “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.” Proverbs 19:1.
Most of us networkers are still growing in the grace of integrity marketing. The excitement of a new twist in a product, compensation plan, promotional plan, etc., can push us over the edge – we just can’t contain our excitement. And often we fall into the big trap of “premature speech.” Let me illustrate.
Recently I listened in to a conference call. The presenter had a rich, forceful voice. He told why this new company was the sure way to riches, and that “everyone could succeed. Finally, we have a marketing plan where everyone will earn good money.” The product? It wasn’t on board yet but it was coming! And “there never was a product like this, the best health product ever discovered!” And on and on.
That’s been three months ago, and as of now that company and product still are not ready.
We often prematurely promise certain results for our product or program, or for the prospect, not considering all the variables. Solomon nailed it: “Do not go out hastily to argue your case; otherwise, what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?” Proverbs 25:8.
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IMAGINE YOUR WORDS — Proverbs For Success — Part 8
This proverb makes my top-ten list. But it doesn’t stand alone. Solomon quoted 150 others that have to do with words and speech.
Some years go my brother visited me in southern
This illustrates what Solomon meant when he said, “Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.” Proverbs 26:23. If you hear enthusiastic words, try to sense if the apparent conviction comes from a selfish heart or one that is really focused on your good. Are you getting kiln-baked truth—or dried-mud fiction? You can’t tell just from the outward shine, from the spew of glowing words.
I’ve found that, particularly in marketing, it is so easy to stretch the truth. In fact, it seems that many experts teach us to do so, particularly when it comes to emphasizing the benefits. We learn to appeal to emotions. Sell the feeling, not the fact. That means, we might manipulate people into acting like we want them to act. We appeal to their emotions, their weaknesses, even their feelings of inadequacy.
How many programs, books, CDs, etc., have you come across that promise you the power to get people to do what you want them to do? We use facts in such a way as to leave impressions in minds that may not be totally true. We select only the facts that “sell” and leave out others because they might convey less than a positive view.
You’ve heard the sales pitches: “Just sponsor a few people.” “Everyone can get rich.” “This product will do all of this and more.” “This book, seminar, CD, program will change your life and make you rich!”
Even our testimonials, as true to our own experience as they are, may convey to others that they will have the same results. And that often is not true.
Marketing lends itself to stating and arranging facts in such a way as to make a prospect buy your product. Many effective sales people don’t just fill needs that people have. They deepen the feeling of that need, often creating within the prospect an emotional recognition of other needs.
Aren’t we to be enthusiastic? Yes–when it comes from a conviction that is solidly built on truth and kindness. True enthusiasm is not just pretense, coming from an act—“Fake it ‘til you make it!’” And what do you make? A fake. After all, the word means “God within.” How can you fake God?
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.” Proverbs 21:6.
Yet, Solomon says we are to develop the power of persuasiveness. But to be honest in our words, there is a quality that precedes persuasion. That is a wise heart – true emotions – something you are sharing with others because it has brought you wisdom, a better life. To me, that is “the power of inner marketing.” It has to grow inside of you before you can honestly and persuasively present it to others.
On the average, women speak 25,000 to 50,000 words a day, men half that number. At 150 words a minute, that’s about three hours a day. Then we listen to or read hours of communications a day. And so much of all that is colored by sales motivation on the part of the presenter, whether it’s to convince you to buy a certain product or support a certain politician or cause.
Fast-food McDonald’s touted, “We do it all for you.” Well, what if what they did for us didn’t increase their company’s profits and their stockholders’ equity? They wouldn’t keep doing it, no matter how much it benefited us. So, it’s a clever line. Is it true? Partly. Because they do have to please us in order to build a business. But their motivation isn’t altruistic; it’s profit-motivated.
I recognize that our motives as network marketers with “good news” are mixed; they’re not entirely for the benefit of our prospect. We have to achieve and make a living too. But we have to be inwardly willing to “lose the sale” in order to relax into honesty. If it’s all about our “winning the game,” then we creep into manipulation.
I think this quote says it well:
“Skillful speech not only means that we pay attention to the words we speak and to their tone but also requires that our words reflect compassion and concern for others and that they help and heal, rather than wound and destroy.” - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (a Buddhist monk born
DILIGENCE WITH BITE — Proverbs For Success — Part 7
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8.
Nothing like a picnic on a warm summer day! A simple picnic—just a few sandwiches, beverage, chips, a chocolate bar for dessert. Our three kids were playing in the park, so they didn’t want to eat right away. But I was hungry. So I bit into my chocolate bar, wrapped it up again and put it back in the food bag. Then I lay back and snoozed a bit.
A bit later, we all dug into our picnic goodies. Finally, I took out my partially eaten bar and started chewing it with gusto. And – my bar bit me back! Again and again. Then I felt little crawly things on my lips and tongues, and biting. I spit them out – little red ants, dozens of them. They had found my bar and were “storing up their provisions” while I was napping, just being a sluggard.
Solomon in his advice made one little mistake. I didn’t have to go to the ant—the ant came to me! I bet one of those little creatures saw me napping and said to the others, “Go to that sluggard, you ant!”
Sluggard comes from the Scandinavian Slugge – ”to walk like mud.” You’ve seen people, even young people, who “walk like mud.” Just oozing along, somehow their feet barely keeping up with their bodies. And you’ve likely seen slugs in a garden or grass. The same root word. Maybe you’re thinking, “Some of my networking associates (sluggards) sure walk like mud in their business!” Or, maybe your feet have mud on them! Oh oh – I just looked down.
Hopefully some people on your team work like ants and chew up all that chocolate available to them! Translate: Take full advantage of the good stuff.
What can we learn about diligence by observing ants? For several weeks during a hot, dry summer, our kitchen was crawling with thousands of ants. They came in through every little crack, beginning at first light. We had to try our best to put exposed food away in tight bags and the refrigerator. Later, I even found a few in the refrigerator, still moving about. We killed hundreds with a swatter and with a non-toxic spray. Some died, but news ones quickly replaced them. Even injured ones just wouldn’t quit.
The ants just kept marching with tidy bits of food in their grasp. They didn’t stop to eat anything. All food went back to their pantries in their anthills. No five-minute time-outs or coffee breaks. Just marching marching marching.
My observations: In good times, ants save up for the future. They don’t know obstacles—they just keep on keeping on. They work for the common good. They haul big loads. They don’t forget their pathways or directions. They have internal goals. Likely, they don’t think much—they just DO. That’s THE SECRET for them (sorry, I just had to get that in!)
We need to develop similar skills in all areas of our lives in order to be truly successful. Steven K. Scott defines diligence as “a learnable skill that combines creative persistence, a smart-working effort rightly planned and rightly performed in a timely, efficient, and effective manner to attain a result that is pure and of the highest quality of excellence.”
That’s a lofty goal to work toward. In order to begin to realize a part of that goal, you might begin with one skill, such as using the telephone or learning to listen to other people. In network marketing, many skills that we need to be diligent in are people skills.
Perhaps you feel that’s all too much to do with your life. Why can’t you just recruit a few people and succeed (as far as income) in this business? And, you know, you just might “get lucky.” It’s happened in a few cases I know of. But I’ve also seen these “successful networkers” not be able to repeat their method when their company or group collapsed. They had just a one-time “success,” like a winning lottery ticket. And that type of success often leads to one’s eventual downfall. It would be like an ant hauling off one big morsel to its anthill…and then taking the rest of the summer off!
Often in network marketing, we’re too much in a hurry to get rich. And diligence takes time and much patience with ourselves and others. But here’s the lesson: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5. In haste we make promises to our prospects and our associates that we can’t fulfill, often because we don’t have the skills or lasting desire to do so. We talk. And talk. And maybe we even think. And think. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23.
To paraphrase the title of a famous book: “Think–act diligently–and grow rich.”
You too can be “the richest person who ever lived”—in your shoes! That’s what is most important. In this desire, the book of Proverbs can help you, as it is helping me. I think it would be wise to read and meditate on one chapter a day. That’s what Steven k. Scott did. And he grew rich. More so, he grew happier in his work and life. “Along with his partners, he has created more than a dozen businesses that have achieved billions of dollars in sales.” From the flyleaf of his book, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived.
ONE POWERFUL WORD — Proverbs For Success — Part 6
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Proverbs 10:4.
“Do you see a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” Proverbs 22:29.
I’m afraid that “diligence” is almost a forgotten word. If I told you that you have to be diligent in building your business, what steps would you take and what would be your attitude?
Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary: “Diligent: 1. Showing perseverance and application in whatever is undertaken; industrious. 2. Pursued with painstaking effort.”
Honestly, how often have you heard the call to diligence in some seminar on success? Have you read about the necessity for diligence in THE SECRET or other motivational books? Or, is the idea of self-discipline of this type just too – un-positive? After all, it sounds like hard work. And we’re supposed to—so say the gurus—send our dreams out into the universe and have them come back to us all fulfilled and brilliantly wrapped up in gift packages.
Yet, if there is any one secret to well-rounded, lasting success it is the habit of diligence.
Today, we prefer more modern words, like “persistence” and “perseverance.” But they are not quite the same. So let’s get into what Solomon is talking about. If we do what he urges us to do, we are promised wealth and influence. Seems worth it, doesn’t it?
You can be persistent in doing whatever – playing video games, surfing, gabbing with friends, drinking beer around the clock, couch-potato-ing. And what do you achieve? Maybe some notoriety in areas where achievement doesn’t really matter for much. Headline: Chestnut Beats Kobayashi, Brings Mustard Yellow Belt Back to
This is not what Solomon means by diligence. He points out: “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right” Proverbs 20:11. Conduct is our total behavior, which reveals what we’re all about in life. To be diligent in right conduct leads to highest well-rounded success.
Yet, very few people desire to use the force of diligence in order to achieve greatness in work that benefits others. That’s because our natural tendency is for instant gratification, or at least the realization of our dreams with as little effort as possible. That’s why so many money-making schemes promise you “wealth without effort,” “just click a few keys,” “easy street to riches,” “just enroll three.”
Diligence demands that we increase our most important asset – our own abilities put into action every day. Some “experts” tell us to “work smart, not hard.” For many millionaire-dreamers, that means you have to connect with some smart “secret”; then you won’t have to work much, if at all. Oh, you might have to listen to a CD or two, or repeat some affirmation every day. You might even go all out and attend a seminar on some type of “think and grow rich” philosophy. And then you put your dreams out into the nebulous universe, and wait for rich rewards to roll in.
That’s dereliction of duty, not diligence. Keep in mind – the “law of attraction” has “action” as its root. You will attract riches into your life by your actions much more than by your thoughts. This is not to say that positive thinking is not important, for it is. But that thinking is nothing if it doesn’t produce action on your part.
I was raised on a farm in
We had a short span of time for the seeding. Did we set goals? Not really. When the weather and soil were suitable, we hauled the seeder out to the field and seeded. Sometimes the rain interrupted us for a few days. We acted as conditions allowed, not according to some goal with a deadline. Would it have helped to post on our icebox (no fridge yet), “Finish seeding
We did what we could when we could. In most years, we got the fields seeded in time. Whether we got a good harvest is another story. Outside of prayer, there was little we could do to guarantee a profitable harvest. But even without such a guarantee, we took the right actions as we could. I’d say we were diligent even when we weren’t absolutely sure of the best results.
Confucius was born 420 years after Solomon. He had a pithy way of saying things, like this: “The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic who would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.”
Next time we’ll learn more about the power of diligence from a little creature that can ruin a good picnic lunch! Join us, won’t you? Thanks.
HOPE THAT STRENGTHENS — Proverbs For Success — Part 5
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
The above proverb speaks to that desire. If you’ve ever received a big check or an unexpected bonus from your business, you know the joy that brings to your heart. It can make you tingle all the way to your bones!
Network marketing, like much of life, will have its challenges as well as its rewards. I think of Bernie who had always worked hard as a “jack of all trades.” Then he joined a company that grew quickly, and Bernie was doing quite well within a matter of months. Then the bottom fell out of his dreams when that company closed its doors. Bernie said, “I shut myself up in our bathroom for several hours and cried bitterly. It seemed my hopes were dashed forever.”
That’s tough on anyone. Bernie’s hope for a good residual income had been dashed. But next morning he realized how much he had grown as an entrepreneur. He now could take actions that he couldn’t before he had begun network marketing. He could begin again and grow a new business more quickly because he had developed his talents.
With renewed hope, Bernie built a new business that lasted many years. He turned his experience into good news. By having developed himself as his greatest asset—not some program or company—he had a strong foundation to build upon. He realized that Bernie’s business was really Bernie!
For many of us, we too will have those kinds of ups and downs and ups again. As we learn and apply the lessons of Proverbs to our personal growth journey, we will become more and more capable of choosing good companies to work with, and using the most productive and truthful principles in our business.
Solomon speaks of “discernment” as the ability to make wise decisions. “The wise in heart are called discerning.” Proverbs 16:21. If we seek wisdom, we will treat disappointments and failures as “rebukes” that life hands us. “A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.” Proverbs 17:10.
Life has a way of hauling us short when we trade in right principles for shortcuts. There might be some temporary advantages, but eventually there are penalties to pay. Those lashes of failure can be powerful teachers: “Rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.” Proverbs 19:25.
In Proverbs as well as in his Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns us that life has its disappointments, many of which we don’t deserve. But they are all part of the educational curriculum that leads to our graduating “with highest honors.”
Solomon time and again emphasizes the ACTIONS we will have to take to achieve our goals and fulfill our hopes. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23. Thinking, imagining and “sending our thoughts into the universe” seem to be all types of mere self-talking. True prayer is different, though, since it’s a person-to-Person communication. But I won’t cover that here.
Solomon’s wisdom is often contrary to the success gurus who speak of certain “laws,” as if those “laws” are from the unchanging God. Often, they emphasize that all we have to do is THINK… HOPE…IMAGINE. Then we ATTRACT magical responses from the “unlimited, abundant universe.”
I’ve been in network marketing for 30 years. I had some good success. But I’m sad to say, I’ve succeeded in a few companies that failed me by going out of business. Or, they changed their rules so building that business went against my conscience. I’ve also at times failed, at least to a degree, because of my own faults. And that’s why I’m studying the Wisdom of Solomon right now – and for the rest of my life.
I have this promise to go by: “I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching…. Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.” Proverbs 4:2,4.
I like that. I hope you do too.
FOUNDATION OF HOPE — Proverbs For Success — Part 4
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick:
but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:13.
Have you longed for something with all your heart, even worked and prayed for it — and it never came about? That is a hope deferred. It can drain out your energy and leave you feeling ill.
That is what Solomon pinpoints in the above proverb. Yet, we might not get the full impact because “hope” is a word as worn out as “love” in the English language. One problem we sometimes have in translating from one language to another is the difficulty of matching meanings of words
For instance, what does “hope” mean to you? You might say, “I hope to win the lottery. I hope this business will make me rich. I hope Sam will show up at our meeting.”
The word “hope” as Solomon uses it in the original Hebrew has legs to it. It’s not a feeling just floating in the air, a vague wish that something will just happen because you think it, or the stars are right, or you deserve it because you’ve primed yourself with the image of that hope fulfilled.
It’s much more than the kind of hope often expressed in the TV game show “Deal or No Deal” where the contestant says, “I know that the million dollars is in my case. I believe… Positive thinking–I have no doubts, etc.” And usually her case winds up with much less. I’ve seen one woman so confident her case had a huge amount of money that she played to the very end, and her case had one cent.
It’s simple. Your belief about something involving chance does not change the outcome. The case has the amount someone designated ahead of time. No matter what your hope is, that’s what is in there. And you chose that case because you had to choose something—not on some foreknowledge or some special power you believe you have. No power in the universe has predestined your choice or matched your choice with what had been placed in the box, or arranged the lottery numbers to match your selection. If you have no control and it’s entirely up to chance, then your confidence, faith and hope mean nothing.
So that kind of “hope” is dopey. Solomon is realistic. He writes, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1.) But isn’t that kind of negative? I don’t think so. It’s quite positive—because it’s true. You understand that your control is limited; you can’t predict tomorrow. Or what the winning lottery numbers will be. Truth, even when hard, is positive. Half-truths and lies, even when glowing with promise, are negative.
In the context of truth, you can have control over your attitude. The power of inner marketing directs you to consistently do the right actions because you can have hope that there will be positive results. Yes, you will have to look beyond the disappointments –- such as your new “super-enrollee” who does nothing and drops out. You can’t change people like that, no matter how strong are the hopes you have for him. Your “hope deferred” might mean beginning again, with new people or even a new company, because the one that you relied on didn’t succeed.
So where do you place your hope? In the strongest place possible. Some people believe that’s in themselves. Others feel it’s with a strong movement. And some people place their hope in a Higher Power.
Even though Solomon was a strong leader and entrepreneur, he admitted that success wasn’t entirely dependent on man’s efforts. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.
When we tune in to this Higher Power, even our failures will have a worthy purpose. Some will be learning experiences that pave the way for better understanding of ourselves and the way to success. Some will discipline us so we follow better principles in the future.
When you work from a sense of an inner spirit, you know that what you are doing is sharing the best of yourself with others. You realize that the journey, not just the destination, is part of your personal growth. And knowing that brings about patience in your goals. You continue to have a deep sense of hope that all things will work together for your good and the good of others in your life. Your desire is to be on that vision-filled journey and do the right things better and better.
That is a desire that is constantly being fulfilled, and it is a process that waters the roots of our “tree of life.”
May your roots sink deeply into the nourishing soil of Solomon’s Proverbs.
THE LAW OF GOOD ACTION — Proverbs For Success — Part 3
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy (blessed) is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18, New International Version and New King James Version.
To us motivated positive-thinking doers, it sounds so much warmer to quote the old version of this proverb: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” That’s likely because the focus is on our thoughts and dreams rather than on God’s.
But, sorry, that’s not what the proverb meant to Solomon. Just think – Hitler had a clear vision of what he wanted to build – the third Reich. And he, along with tens of millions of others, perished through war, murder, famine and other hatreds his “vision” generated.
So it is not necessarily an individual’s vision that saves us or a nation from perishing. It is the ultimate truth — the light and love of God. In Solomon’s case, this truth was revealed to him through God acting in and through his life.
All right, Rabbit, you say, Let’s get practical here. What does all this mean to me in terms of inner marketing and success in my business?
First, it means much more than success in business. It means success in all of your life, and that is much much bigger than just one segment like your business. Would you consider yourself successful if you gave up the blessings of family love, health, relationships, the arts, your spirituality and mind, just to succeed in business? When you face death, would you say, “All I have left in life is a big bank account and residual commissions. I am so happy!”
The “law” that God revealed to humankind, as quoted in the Proverb, directs us how to achieve joy in all areas of our life, not just business. But I don’t want to be a theologian or preacher here. Just someone sharing some thoughts on Solomon’s great success.
What kind of vision is most inspiring? Some people join network marketing in order not to work hard anymore, or to retire early, or to have enough money to satisfy their personal needs and goals. Are those big enough visions? Will your dreams perish if that’s how little your vision is, and you meet big challenges?
Several years ago I interviewed Mike Akins, the leader in his company and someone who really cares about people, especially those in need. Some years ago, he had achieved a high income and “retired,” devoting more time to his people-focus. But $100,000 per month wasn’t big enough for his vision; he felt he needed ten times that in order to do more for people in need. So he became active again, built a strong team around him, and step by step is achieving his vision through hard work and right principles.
Mike continues to live in a simple house in a small town. He drives a modest car and keeps his living expenses low. Why? Because he wants much of his money to go to worthy people-building causes. That’s the vision that God gave to him, and that vision fits in perfectly with God’s law of life and love. Using the word “rich” in its fullness, I would call Mike Akins — “The Richest Networker in the World.”
Mike’s advice: “Don’t use hype to motivate your team members. Use the truth and reality to develop realistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations will defeat your soldiers. Your team will develop a belief system around the information that you provide them. Superficial goals and perspectives will not stand the test of time.”
According to Proverbs, we can live justly in spite of apparent failures or successes. That’s why, whatever your vision is, it should not be focused on your self, unless by bettering your self you in turn will be a greater blessing to others. Solomon sums it up well: “The path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day” (Proverbs
In your business, what is your vision for the people you meet, sponsor and work with? Is your purpose about them — or about you? If, while climbing a mountain, you focus mostly on the steps your feet have to take, you’ll become fatigued very quickly. If you focus on the view you’ll see from the peak, you will gain energy.
The best view is not the sporty new car or house you will be able to afford someday. The best view is how the people you come into contact with in life will grow as more capable, loving people. I believe that’s what the best business—a visionary business—is all about.
I hope you feel the same. Please let me know. Thanks
A MAP OF YOUR VISION – Proverbs For Success – Part 2
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18, King James Version.
If you’re going to overcome the mountains of obstacles in your path to success, your vision has to be higher than the peaks. What does this mean in practical terms?
Let’s see if I can illustrate it with the story of one of the 20th century’s great storytellers, A. J. (Archibald Joseph) Cronin, born in
His arduous tasks led to his having an ulcer, and he had to take six months off to recover in an out-of-the-way farmhouse in the Scottish Highlands. There, he thought he could write a novel or two, and began. After three months writing (and rewriting), in a moment of self-disgust with his supposed lack of talent, he gave up, threw his manuscript into the ash can, then for a walk in the drizzling rain.
Cronin met old Angus, a farmer who was digging in the bog, trying to turn more of it into a pasture. Cronin told the farmer of his decision to quit writing and “just be a doctor.”
Angus was a man of few words. But he gazed at Cronin for some minutes, then nodded. Angus briefly related how his father before him had “ditched this bog all his days and never made a pasture. I’ve dug it all my days and I’ve never made a pasture. But pasture or no pasture, I canna help but dig. For my father knew and I know that if you only dig enough, a pasture can be made here.”
Now, I don’t know if that farmer was working smart or not. Long, hard work doesn’t always produce the results you dream about because other factors may not be right. But the farmer had a vision of a green pasture that kept him working hard and long. And that’s the point.
At first Cronin was furious that a farmer digging up the bog could teach a doctor like him a lesson in perseverance. But he went back to his house, took the soggy manuscript out of the bin, dried it, and began writing and re-writing again. He wrote an average of 2,000 words per day. Three months later, he sent it off to a publishing house he chose at random. And then he says he forgot about it.
When he had recovered his health and was ready to return to the city, the postmaster gave him a telegram. The publisher wanted to publish his book. That book, Hatter’s Castle, became a bestseller, was translated into 19 languages within a few years, bought by
Cronin gave up doctoring and added other literary successes to his name in the coming years. Perhaps he would have gone back to writing even without the words of that farmer. We don’t know. But we do know that vision inspires vision. And persistence in a worthy goal encourages those around us.
There is power in vision – but no magic. Your vision does not produce results by itself, nor attracts some magical force from the Universe. You have to keep on digging, keep on writing, keep on teaching. But a clear vision helps you to take consistent action in spite of obstacles. Yet, even then, you can’t absolutely predict the outcome. “Do not boast about tomorrow,” Solomon warns, “for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1).
But, you might object, that is so unlike the teachings of “the law of attraction” and “whatever you believe, you can achieve” type of modern gurus. Yes, it runs contrary to what so many would like to believe life is like. Yet, Solomon’s Proverbs are about reality, not make-believe. Not about what we’d like the world to be, but what it really is and how we can best live in it.
The word “vision” used in this proverb has to do with our ability to see what is truth, what God reveals to us. It is not so much about what is in our dreams or projected in our imagination. But we can synchronize our thoughts and dreams so they are closer to God’s thoughts, and thus in this sense “our vision” can become quite universal.
For Solomon, Angus the farmer, and A. J. Cronin, vision produced concrete plans to fulfill their goals. Clear vision produced persistence and daily work.
A clear and deep vision applies to all areas of your life, not just our work and finances. First, I believe, it applies to our spiritual life. That’s our inner force that brings focus to all areas of our life. What is your vision for your family life, your physical well-being, your personal growth and social welfare?
“God is love,” says Christ’s apostle, John. I think that quality should permeate our vision, mold all of our goals and actions in such a way that the people we come in contact with are loved with that kind of love.
But, some object, what does that have to do with success in network marketing?
Everything. I’m sure we’ll explore more of that as we meditate on these powerful proverbs. Thanks for sticking with me.
SOLOMON’S WAY — MY WAY — Proverbs For Success - Part 1
By Robert “The Rabbit” Natiuk
I know that people want very much to be successful in their lives and business. That’s why they are often talking with me, searching for “the secret to success.” I believe I shared just a small part of that secret in my book, THE POWER OF INNER MARKETING. But there is much more.
Incline your ear to my understanding;
That you may observe discretion,
And your lips reserve knowledge.” (Proverbs 5:1-2.)
BIG-LOSS MARKETING — WHO GETS RICH?
Imagine their surprise, though, when they visit the shop and discover dozens of women snapping up the bargains. But Ricky looks at the prices, and asks [trusting my memory here], “Lucy, you’re losing a dollar on each dress you sell! How do you plan to make a profit?”
“Don’t worry!’ Lucy answers. “We’ll make up for it on volume.”
We laugh at that type of thinking. But often we get caught up in similar thinking in some marketing programs.
As an example, I’ll examine one travel MLM company I recently was introduced to and spent several hours researching it. Of course, travel programs have been around for several decades, and most have failed. A few continue even after five or ten years, so there must be some value to them. Or, perhaps just clever promoters.
But this posting is not so much about travel programs as about a fallacy in marketing. The truth is: A company should have a higher dollar volume in sales than in its costs to market its products. For instance, if Lucy sells $10,000 worth of dresses that she paid $11,000 for, she will soon be out of business. And if an MLM company delivers $1,000,000 dollars worth of goods or services, but it costs them $5,000,000 to do so, what’s the profit, or loss?
Oh, you might object, that would be ridiculous, and no company would even think of such a setup.
Well, Truant Travel [my cartoon name for the company I checked out, but all financial figures are true] sells its memberships for $500 each. For that, you get a card certifying that you are a “travel agent” and can also “share” this opportunity with others. Oh, and it’ll cost you $49.95 web site fee per month for the privilege of doing so. There’s also training programs, which mean more costs to you.
Of course, you’ll earn commissions on the travel you sell. Actually, you’ll get about 67% of the commissions because the company keeps its portion.
Wow! How clever! (1) You pay to become a member. (2) You pay for the “privilege” of selling the service or product (web site, which costs the company pennies). And then again, (3) you pay a portion of your sales commissions.
Any difference here, where you might be able to get discounted travel, than to membership in Costco? Costco costs you perhaps $45 per year, and you get discounts on goods and services you buy. Most members/buyers come out ahead.
But in this travel company, you pay $1100 your first year ($500 enrollment fee plus a year’s monthly fees) and you get –
Let’s have the figures speak for themselves. Since this company is publicly traded (in the last nine months the stock went from $9.50 to $0.89 a share), you have concrete figures.
For the first three quarters of 2007, net revenues were –
Enrollment fees and monthly fees $69,031.218 = 72.0%
Travel commissions and services $13,930,824 = 14.5%
Training programs $10,364,547 = 10.8%
Other $ 2,592,266 = 2.7%
Total Net Revenues $95,918,855 = 100.0%
What did this company pay out?
Marketing commissions (mostly on enrollments) $55,370,759 = 57.7% of total revenue
Travel commissions $ 9,398,036 = 9.8% of total revenue
WOW! Looks pretty good. Except – most earnings were on the costs of enrollments and monthly website fees. Only 14.5% was on travel sold. And of that, the company’s “agents” received only 67%, much of it on their own travel purchases. So what was the expense of generating $13,931,000 worth of travel business? About $55,600,000, more than five times the goods sold. Even Lucy could do better!
This travel company claims to have at least 121,000 members paying for their websites. How much did each average in travel commissions? Less than $9.00 monthly. So that’s a monthly average profit of – oops! — LOSS of $41.00 when you minus the web site fee.
So, is this kind of business legitimate, or a pyramid scheme? The FTC does not look kindly on commissions paid out on enrollments and distributor set-ups, such as Truant Travel does. The FTC has a 50% Determination Rule. That is, 50% or more of the sales or profit must come from sales to people who ARE NOT in the compensation pay plan and are only end consumers of products or services. Truant Travel has only 14.5% of its revenue coming from travel sales, and much of that from its own “agent members.” Could spell serious trouble.
More important, would you feel harmony and integrity in promoting something that costs five times more to sell than the gross sales figure, like spending $100 on an ad to sell a $20 product? Oh sure, a few hundred members make tons of money because they have thousands of downline members who mostly lose money. The consider the following figures.
Of their 121,000 members, 41,699 received commission checks at least once from
There are plenty of lessons of analysis in Truant Travel. First is value for value. If a client, customer or member pays out $50.00, he should get at least that much in value in the product or service he buys. And he shouldn’t have to spend $50.00 in a web site in order to do so.
Still, if Truant Travel didn’t have all these questionable figures, I COULD NOT, WOULD NOT join. This company seems afraid that its members might be exposed to any other marketing opportunity. And it should be! Here’s one of their “Other Provisions” in their compensation plan, only name changed.
7. OTHER PROVISIONS:
“a. Exclusive to Truant Travel: In order to maintain status as a Truant Travel Director, the Director, spouse, family, household member, or Director business partner are required not to actively participate in any other network marketing or direct sales company.
b. Disclosure: The Director must fully, at all times, disclose the fact of any ongoing income being received from any other network marketing or direct sales company.”
Robert the Rabbit screams out (as only hares can do) – “Give me liberty….” And value.