Network Marketing's Darker Side (For Newbies)
In a society where the 80/20 rule holds up in almost every endeavor, and has for most of history, there is a dirty little secret in the newest frontier of the business community. Newbie online marketers come in droves, hoping to break free of their nine to five job (with the long commute), to make their dreams come true in any number of promising online businesses they can operate from home in their “spare” time. They fail 97% of the time. They fail because the people that keep saying they are going to help them are selling them pie in the sky dreams of overnight success. This is unrealistic in any business model.
The truth is that business, any business, takes hard work and dedication. There are many things the newbie needs to learn. How are leads generated, what is double opt in, what are the spam laws and what will happen to your business chances if your IP address gets marked as a likely spam source, to name a few. The big MLM’s have their cloned websites and back offices all set up, and for as little as $40 you can get started. They all say the same thing! “All you need to do is drive traffic to your website.” They don’t talk much about the hard work and financial investment it takes to make that happen quickly.
Next they talk about “branding” yourself and making your presence known on the social networks like Facebook, My space, and Twitter. By the time these newbies catch on to what is happening to them, they are confronted with yet another golden opportunity with another set of names and faces singing pretty much the same song. We humans are predictable, and for most, the grass is always greener anyplace but here, so they jump from opportunity to opportunity, failing or breaking barely even again and again.
I have assisted a few of these newcomers over the years, and have always enjoyed working with them. They relish the small victories, but I always wanted to be able to do more. I even attempted to start a coaching group with some of my team members who felt the same calling. All it took was one greedy individual in the mix, and our plans came crashing down.
It was on the heels of this set back, that I met Jason Croxford, Kris Hanks, and Mike Erwin. Their mission (and I call it a mission because there is no cost to their students) is to coach entrepreneurs entering the internet marketplace. Out of utter disgust with all of the underhanded tactics used to separate these fledgling marketers from their hard earned cash, they birthed The Leaders Role! Knowing that we all feel the sting of the bad reputation of our industry at some point, three remarkable men got together and decided it was high time to do something about it! They have determined to shine a light in this darkness, and are attracting some very talented people to their first class, TLR 3% Club. Their goal is to empower their students to lead in integrity and strength.
I welcome them in their mission, and will support them in any way I am able, as they work toward making the internet a respectable place to do business again!