I’ve had an interesting week.
So far in the last 7 days I’ve had over 435 unique requests by email or by telephone from people who were seeking answers to why their home based business isn’t growing as quickly as they anticipated.
This is a very common theme throughout my day as one of the things I have a passion for is helping people understand and master the art and science of marketing.
Now I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but it’s no secret that a MAJOR shift is occurring in the home based business arena (and in the world), and people are becoming more and more savvy at sniffing out fact from fiction.
People are more and more ready for the “Real Truth”.
I call this new breed the “Truth Finders”. They are the group who is sick and tired of getting their “Greed” button pushed. They are seeking the real nuts and bolts of what it’s really going to take for them to start seeing results in their business and want to feel good about their “actions” during the process.
Some of the sure fire warning signals that these “Truth Finders” dodge like the plague are offers such as…
“This thing is on fire, and we’re going into momentum!” OR “It’s all about duplication… Most of the work is already done for you!” OR “This business is so easy… Everybody wants this stuff… the product sells itself!”
Then there’s: “It’s a pre-launch!!! All the other companies are “saturated”. We’re gonna be in on the ground floor!” OR “All you need to do is make a 5 year commitment and then just hang out with us! People that follow our “system” are making $50,000 – $100,000 per month!”
The new breed of business “Truth Finders” have seen it all before and when they pick up on this scent, they run so fast in the opposite you’d have thought there was a fire cracker had just gone off in their back pocket!
I know… I’ve been there.
People are beginning to see through the smoke and mirrors, and are starting to decipher between “effective” and “less effective” methods and strategies for success.
Below are 3 primary indicators that prove that times have indeed changed, and that this new breed of “Truth Finders” are growing by massive numbers:
1. PEOPLE HAVE STOPPED PAYING ATTENTION–
The Home Based Business, Direct Sales, and Network Marketing (MLM) industry has matured to the point that anyone who is 16 years of age or older has likely been hit up more than once… on any one of the latest “Money Making a.k.a. Monkey Making Opportunities” out there.
This is the INFORMATION AGE.
Consumers these days are more educated and aware, and most can see right through all the hype and hoopla. Whether it’s through direct experience or through osmosis, people aren’t as quick to “buy in”.
The stats are in and it’s very clear to much of the public why 99% fail, and they know that it’s NOT because it was just “too hard” or “they can’t sell”, or that they live in a rural town and don’t know the “right people” and therefore can’t make the business work!
It has also become very clear that generating a six-figure income and more in Direct Sales, Networking, Wholesale, Retail or any other type of traditional brick and mortar business, is going to require the same level of skill.
There will always be the ones who take the “blue pill” and consciously or unconsciously choose to remain unaware of this fact, but the majority are ready for, and in fact, seeking the truth (the red pill). They want to know how to take control of their financial future and are ready to start their new venture on the right foot, or to take their existing enterprise and do some serious house cleaning.
2. PEOPLE WITH A REAL “SKILL SET” ARE FEWER AND FEWER– YET DEMAND IS HIGHER THAN EVER–
We are living in exponential times. A recent short movie entitled “Shift Happens” has been making its way around the internet, and it brings up some pretty interesting points…
One of them is:
The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years.
Did you catch that?
To illustrate… this means that what a new student (who’s enrolled in a technical or four-year college) learns in their first year, will be outdated by their third year of study!
Crazy eh?
The speed of new information in contrast to our ability to assimilate and find our place within it, is creating a wider and wider gap between those who “have” a marketable skill set, and those who “have not.”
Entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs alike are always having to re-evaluate what works through massive testing. It’s just part of the game. The techniques and tactics that may have worked fantasticly 10-years ago, might produce didly squat today.
Generations X, Y and the Baby Boomers each have their own set of challenges… the bulk of which can be put in the form of a question:
What would you do, how long would it take, and what plan of action would you put into place if you lost everything today that you currently rely upon for financial security?
The answer to this question cuts right to the core of what “skill set” do you have?
Is it relevant and marketable?
There will always be a place for the true blue entrepreneur (WITH A SKILL SET) no matter what state of affairs our world is in.
In fact some of us would find an element of excitement if we were gagged, blindfolded, stripped of our belongings (including our cell phone and Rolodex) and tossed out of a plane (with a parachute) in some random city somewhere and told we had to survive AND start a business within 10 days without any resources (money/food/extra clothes etc.) or contacts (hook ups or familiar faces). In fact it would make a great reality TV show if you ask me…
My point is… most people haven’t learned these “survival skills” or tactics. Truth is… we all have the skills embedded within us and most humans will ALWAYS–no matter what–fulfill the items on our “needs list.”
A quick example to illustrate my point is your roof!
Yes, as in the flat wall above your head. It is there–you have one–because it is ONE of the many things on your needs list.
You also likely have internet access, whether it’s your own or you’re borrowing it to read this, and you also likely have enough money in your pocket to fill your belly with food… yes… because these things are on your “NEEDS” list.
Truth is, most people out there have never been taught how to move things from the “Want List” or “Desire list” over to their “Needs list”.
Most people spend more time planning their summer vacations then they do planning their lives! Most people are never taught how to discover their strengths, nor are they trained how to map out and blueprint a fun and workable action plan to go out and change lives.
As Richard Branson puts it… “Work? No… it’s not Work… it’s Living”.
Most people aren’t taught how to assemble a team of people to work with; one that can support them in gaining a marketable skill set; one that can help them build the conviction, leadership and expertise necessary to create the life they’ve always dreamed of.
Opportunity abounds, and the demand for those with a true skill set is stronger today than ever before.
Most people who go looking will NOT get this skill set by obtaining a “degree”, nor will they get it from reading a book or watching a DVD. What is needed these days are “street smarts”. And we all know that there is only one way to acquire this priceless wealth of knowledge.
Real life experiences.
My belief is…
“He who has the most experiences in life wins!”
Interesting thing is… we’re all participating in economic transactions each and every day whether we like it or not. We are all generating lots and lots of revenue (millions of dollars over a lifetime) for someone else’s pocket.
It’s just that most people are never taught how to become conscious of their day to day actions and interactions. We’re never taught that we are marketing and selling each and every day… ALL DAY LONG.
We sell our employers on giving us time off for that much needed vacation, for a raise or for even hiring us in the first place. We sell our dog on rolling over for a treat. We sell our spouse on putting up with us… and even loving us… hang-ups and all!
Life could not function without communication, and communication is marketing. The key to gaining control of our lives and our finances is to gain awareness of how we can really serve the needs of others. Money is a by-product of adding value to the lives of others, no matter how you look at it.
Sure there are many ways of “serving” others… some that necessitate an economic transaction and others that don’t. But by choosing consciously to represent something that is meaningful to us (adds value or efficiency to our daily life) and then gaining and applying the appropriate skill set in which you can make an impact in the lives of others with that particular product, service or offering you represent, you can then, and only then, begin directing some of that wealth to your own bank account!
As one of my greatest teachers (Robin Sharma) puts it:
“With greater awareness, comes the ability to make better choices; and with better choices comes better results.”
Awareness = Choices = Results
3. PEOPLE ARE READY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY–
I know some of you reading this are saying to yourselves…
“HA! That’s not been my experience”
Well I beg to differ and I’d be up for debating it!
I speak to people on a daily basis who are sick and tired of living the same old dreary mediocre lifestyle, getting the same old results day in and day out, getting paid the same old wage and “renting” their life away to an organization that doesn’t really care about them, other than that they punch the clock and complete their daily list of “tasks”.
I’ve heard from thousands who are tired of the same old “training and information” products that have simply been rehashed, recycled or re-packaged and then sold as something “new”.
In most cases, teaching and developing people’s “why”, but not the showing people “how”.
The “how” is mastery of the art and science of marketing.
Strangely enough, these days I’m becoming more and more blunt and direct with people (almost to a fault) in reference to what is really needed to build a legitimate business. The more direct I am, the more respect I seem to gain, and the more people are attracted because of my honesty and candor.
I’m guessing that people are ready for the facts instead of “hype” which they’ve been fed time and time again.
One of the most endearing examples was from a spunky woman from North Carolina who said to me the other day…
“Son, I’m 3x’s your age, and I’ve been down this road a long while, but for the first time in 20 years of trying to build different businesses, I finally feel like I’ve found the place I can put down my luggage”.
Not sure I really understood what she meant, but I thought it was sweet.
This is one of many examples that occur daily.
People are ready to take responsibility for their actions and the results they’ve been getting or not getting… and they’re lining up to learn the “how”… the art and science of marketing.
HOW to give 10$ worth of value to a million people, and then ask for 1$ in return.
In closing I hope you’ll ask yourself…
“Am I a Business Truth Seeker/Finder?”
“Am I living in alignment with the leadership principles and business strategies that will allow for consistent, sustainable growth and long term value for those who are really in “need” of the products or services I’ve chosen to represent?”
Hopefully for you that is an absolute YES!
So what’s next?
Well in my next blog entry I plan to tackle one of my favorite topics.
It involves doing a business inventory on the current systems of training and retention. (A big topic for anyone in business)
Your answer to the question below will give you some food for thought until we meet again:
Are you currently able to provide your sales reps/distributors a sequence of steps that within 24-48 hours will give them EVERYTHING they need to go out and stand on their own two feet and operate their business as an OWNER, not as an employee… meaning they don’t “need” you anymore?
(And in case you are already answering “yes” to this question… To clarify, I’m not referring to anything having to do with teaching them to sell to friends and family, using the 3-foot rule with strangers, 3-way calling, trade shows, spending big bucks on advertising, passing out literature, product samples, DVD’s from your manufacturer, or sending prospects to a company replicated website or video presentation… and NO, it doesn’t involve buying “magical” leads.)
Before I sign off, I’ll leave you one final “Big Idea” from Robin Sharma:
“We lose an enormous amount of respect for ourselves when we fail to actualize our highest human potential. We think it takes a lot of energy to do the inner work required to live our best lives, both at work and at home– the reality is that it takes far more energy to stay mediocre.”
In gratitude…
Kraig Ward
RetainReps.com
1 Comment
February 11, 2008 at 2:45 am
Good info. and read. Will be back soon to read more of your information.
Thanks,
Dean