Are Network Marketing and Direct Sales Hard?

I found the following article in some files on my hard drive. I’m not sure how I came to get it, but felt as though it makes for a great testimonial as to why so many of us do what we do, whether it be direct sales, network marketing or mlm.

The following article is an excerpt from a speech given by a direct seller at a local meeting. We are told she was asked to speak on how direct sales compares to working a “regular” job. It was submitted to us, and although the original author is unknown, we wish to thank her for her thoughts and insights.

Lately, I have heard so many people say how difficult direct sales is. “Its hard.” “I can’t get bookings.” “This just isn’t for me.” “I didn’t know how difficult it would be.”

Well, I am a single mom of three who, before joining the direct sales family, held
down two jobs. I would get up at 4:00 in the morning and not get to bed until midnight most nights, after returning from my part-time retail job, packing lunches, checking homework and relieving my mother, who helped out with the kids.

That, my friends, is difficult. It is difficult always having to lower your dreams to meet your means. It is difficult to miss your son’s football game because you have to work. It is difficult knowing the rust bucket you call a car is eating you alive in maintenance, but you can’t afford a new one. It is difficult to realize that someone else is going to watch your daughter take her first step or have your son say mama to the preschool teacher. It is difficult knowing that you have spent 40 years of your life working for someone else, only to realize that you will be retiring on one-third of what you can live on today. Or, worse yet, it is difficult knowing that you have diligently worked all your life, only to be given an early retirement and replaced by someone younger, more capable.

I will tell you what is difficult. It is difficult waking up one morning and realizing that your children, the most precious things imaginable, no longer need bottles, diapers, have tea parties, or are shorter than the baseball bat they are trying to swing. It is difficult realizing it is too late and that the time frittered away can never be retrieved. It slips through our fingers one second at a time. It is also difficult watching the spark in your partner’s eyes fade because both of you realize the house you have been wanting is just a dream because someone else is controlling your finances.

We have nasty habits about rationalizing, procrastination and skirting important things, rather than facing the issues. Too often we allow others who do not pay our bills, who do not share our dreams, to direct our futures. As children we have absolutely no freedom; we rebel in our teens and scream for freedom. We reach adulthood and are finally free, only to relinquish that freedom because we think it is too difficult. We do not want to take responsibility. We do not want to make a wrong decision, so we obligingly give that awesome power to someone else. We wake up too late. We hear ourselves uttering phrases like: “I wish I had only . .” and “If I could do it over again.” You have no one but yourself to blame. You had the chance. Perhaps the opportunity was presented many times and each time you elevated the trivial to a higher priority than yourself. Let me ask you: Is direct sales really difficult?

Is it so traumatic to show someone an exciting product or idea? Is it so difficult to understand that if you work this marketing idea for three to five years, you just might finally be able to send your children to a college chosen by excellence, rather than one chosen by price? That you could finally put your family in the home of their dreams?

Would you work really hard for eight to ten years, so you could mold a lifestyle of your choosing, so your family could live a lifestyle of their dreams, rather than trying to live how someone else thinks you should live? How difficult is it to pick up the phone and call your hostess? How difficult is it to pack up your kit and meet some new friends?

How difficult is it, really, to share what you love with others? Think about it. Realize the awesome power you have in your hands with direct sales. There are people out there working three jobs. There are people drowning in debt; or agonizing through bankruptcy, realizing they only needed a couple hundred more dollars per month. That is difficult!

This business you have chosen has the ability to change lives. Direct sales cannot do anything. But YOU can change lives with it. You are the one with the life-changing ability. What are you waiting for?

There is difficulty and pain in success, and there is difficulty and pain in failure. Difficulty and pain in success will last a short period of time; but pain in failure lasts a lifetime. Which one is really more difficult? You will pay a price for your actions, and your choices. Which choice will you make?

Save Money–Make Money

Previously I posted my answer as to how much money can be made with a work-at-home opportunity. I’d like to go a bit further and ask this…How much can you save by working from home?

Instead of looking at the amount of money each enrollment will get you. Or what percentage you are paid on each product you sell. Ask yourself these questions…

1. How much do you spend commuting to work each week?
   
2. How about paying for daycare?
3. What about lunch?
   
4. And appearance? You have to look nice, get your hair done & nails, and don’t forget about clothes and shoes.
5. If you are sick and can’t work, will you still get paid?
6. And wait, you’re doing all the hard work, but will you continue getting paid for the work you’ve done? Even 5,10, 15 years after you did it?
7. How often do you get a pay raise? Who determines that?

When you look at the big picture, it’s easy to see which is the better choice. We often settle, simply because it’s what we think is the best choice for today. However, which is the better choice when you’re thinking of the future?

Stop making someone else rich while you miss out on priceless moments in life just so you can barely get by. Start getting paid for what your worth and secure your future, you will be so happy that you did.

To your Prosperity!

So Your Lacking the Support of Your Family & Friends…

When you are starting out on a brand-new adventure, going into the unknown. It helps to have the support of the people around you. Yet this isn’t always the case.

I have always had mixed opinions from my family & friends. Some completely believed in me & gave their support. Yet they didn’t trust that enough to ever join me. Then there were those that constantly reminded me that I was not a millionaire yet. They picked & they prodded to try to break me down. I was determined to prove them wrong!

I guess that after as many new ventures I took a stab at & missed, there was a bit of validation to their disapproval. I just wished they could have kept it amongst themselves.

It is enough work to trust & believe in yourself, it doesn’t help having someone telling you that it’s not possible. The key is finding as many ways as you possibly can to tune them out.

Most likely it has nothing to do with you or who you are and what you are capable of in the first place. There are some that are just simply set in their ways. No matter what you say or do, they will never the opportunity as you do. If they did, they would be here right along side of you.

That’s the difference. They have been programmed to believe that we are suppose to work 40 hours a week, for 40 years, and that’s it. Period.

My advice is this…As long as you know that you are doing what you believe in, then do everything you can to ignore the rest. It’s not always easy. But soon enough, you will have your day of shining glory. And even if you think of how wonderful it would be to rub a big fat “told ya so,” right in their face, don’t do it. It will make absolutely no impact on what their opinion is anyhow.

Find your support elsewhere if you have to. There should be people for you to connect with on your team. If not, there are plenty of wonderful online forums where you can meet other people that share your interests & your beliefs & who just may be going through the same thing you are. Go connect there.

Some people are just simply not open to change. They are willing to continue doing what they have always done, regardless if they like it or not. And you know what? They will continue to get what they have always got!

Everyone has greatness in them. It’s just that most are too afraid to let it come out.

Taking the First Step

There are many benefits to owning your own business:

1. You are your own boss.
2. You set your own hours.
3. You determine when and how you will work.
4. You can make as little or as much money as you would like.

There is also a down-side to owning your own business:

1. Since you are your own boss…there is no one else to lay the burden on.
2. Depending on what you do, you may have to have employees to deal with.
3. Also, Inventory.
4. And Taxes, Laws & Regulations (as well as any licensing you may need.)
5. Money…you make some, you lose some. There are no guarantees!

So why would you want to be your own boss, set your own hours, and start building a business right now?

Security! You can either build a future for yourself or you can be building it for someone else? If you are working for someone else, what happens if you don’t work? You don’t get paid, right. What about if you get hurt? Still no pay. After 15 years, how much of a raise have you earned? Not much.

So why do it? Because it is easier to continue to do what you’ve always done & you know that as long as you work x amount of hours, you will make X amount of money, right? Where as the guy who ventures out on his own, is solely reliant on himself. That is scary for most people. But no matter what you do in life, there are no guarantees!

Do your research, check out what is available to you. When you find something that peaks your interest just go for it. It may just be exactly what you have been meant to do for your entire life? You won’t know until you try.

Can I do this?

Everyone questions whether or not they will be able to make money from home, and I mean everyone. And my answer is yes! I honestly believe that anyone can do anything they want to do, that is… if they want it bad enough. However, if you don’t like what your doing, it can still be done, it will just be much…much more draining and difficult to do so. When you absolutely love what you do, no matter what that is or what area of life it is pertaining too, you do it because that is what you want to do and not what you think you have to do.

For example, when I first started my journey in the work at home world, I had no idea what I was doing or even what I wanted to do for sure. I was intrigued by the idea of being able to do the work once and be paid on it forever. I just didn’t know how hard it was going to be. Everyone that I talked to made it sound so simple. I had absolutely no idea.

I failed miserably for many years. I put my all into something that I didn’t like doing. I couldn’t sell products that to me were extremely over priced. I couldn’t bring other people into this business knowing what I knew, and how difficult it was. I wasn’t going to be that person that tells you what you want to hear just to get you to join. It is not worth it! When you have to “trick” someone into joining your team, or buying your products, you will never make it.

It was not only physically draining, but financially as well. Instead of making money, I was spending it. After a little over 2 years I finally decided that there was no way I was ever going to be able to make myself believe that this was the right thing to do. So I quit.

Now, I love what I do! I can tell everyone I know, or don’t know. And even if I didn’t make it the first few times around, I did now, and that is all that matters. I also learned many valuable lessons along the way. I was able to see both sides of the field and compare the two to see what made one so different from the other.

It doesn’t matter what you do…if you are exercising because it is what you WANT to do & not what you think you HAVE to do, it will work. If you go to college because it’s what you WANT to do & not what your parents say you HAVE to do, you will learn more. If you read a book because you WANT to read it & not because you HAVE to do it in order to pass a class or because someone is making you do it, you will buzz right on through it.

It’s just that simple, when you love what you do, you wake up everyday ready to dig right in. It will come through in your voice and your attitude and everything about you. That is when you know, for a fact, that you can do anything!

If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always got.

I talk to people everyday who are unhappy with their current situation, whether that be working too many hours, or not having a job, living paycheck to paycheck. Whatever the reason may be, they are still not willing to take the step needed to change anything.

We are raised believing that we are suppose to grow up, get a good job, work 40 hours a week for 40 years, and that’s just what were suppose to do. The problem is this…our times have changed dramatically. The cost of living is going up, technology is advancing, everything is costing more period. Yet we are still doing the same things as we did 10, 20 years ago.

The only way you can be sure that you secure your future financially is to own your own business. Granted, there is some risk involved when venturing out on your own, and quite honestly, it is the very reason most people continue to do what they do, regardless if they like it or not. Change isn’t always easy, but it is necessary.

I understand the reluctancy of jumping into any new venture, how can you be sure that your making the right decision? To tell you the truth, you don’t know for sure. If we always did things right the first time…well there wouldn’t be much fun in that now would there? The wonderful thing about that is, we can always pick ourselves back up and try something else until we get it right.

Here are some things to think about…

• You don’t have to quit doing what you’re already doing in order to make a change. Start a home-based business part-time, a couple hours a day after work, whatever it takes. Even if it takes you a little longer than someone who has the benefit of working the business solely, you will at least be moving forward.
• What is truly important? If you are missing out on your children growing up just so that you can afford the “greater” things in life, when it comes down to it, which one will you miss most if it is gone? Our children grow up so fast, we can’t turn back time and do it all over again, there is no rewind. But, the fancy cars and the nice clothes, whatever it may be, that all goes away. No one remembers you for the material items you have possessed. They remember the person you were and how you lived life in general.
• When you work for someone else you are building a future for them, not you. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. They tell you when & how to work and how much you will be paid. You are stuck living on someone else’s terms.
• When you decide to work for you, you are in control. You determine when & how you will work. And more importantly, there is no ceiling as to how much money you make. You want more, you put forth more effort. Simple as that.

I could go on and on about why people should see the benefits of working at home, but I’m not going to. I’m sure that you get the picture. We can’t make people see what we see. If we could then well, that would be to easy. It wouldn’t have as much value as it does when someone reaches a goal that they never thought possible before. That is where the true value in believing in yourself is found.

The 2 Year Story

Imagine you’re at work one day… and your boss comes to you and says, “Bad news, we’re going to have to fire you. Business is bad. And the economy stinks.” You feel depressed. No more career. No more regular paychecks. And then the boss says, “You know what? If you were to work just one extra hour overtime every day for free, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, we’ll let you keep your job and you can continue collecting your same paycheck.”

Now, what would you do? Well, most people would say, “Well, I will work the extra hour of overtime just to keep my job. I know I will be working the extra hour for free, but it is important to keep my present job.”

And then the boss says, “Well, I know it’s kind of bad news for you but there is some good news. If you work an hour of overtime, Monday through Friday for no pay, just one extra hour a day and 4 extra hours on Saturday with no pay also . . . at the end of two years, we’ll let you retire at full pay.”

All of a sudden, how do you feel? You feel like saying, “Wow! Excellent! What an opportunity! Just work one hour overtime for free, Monday through Friday, and 4 hours on Saturday and two years from now . . . I retire at full pay!”

So what would happen? You’re working overtime and six months later one of your friends says, “Hey, why don’t you quit doing that? You’re working nearly 10 hours per week overtime and not getting paid for it.” You say to your friend, “No way! I only have 18 more months to go and then I’m going to retire!”

A year from now, maybe your spouse says, “You know what, dear? You’ve been working that overtime nearly 10 hours per week for the past 12 months. Why don’t you spend more time here at home instead of working that hour overtime?” You say, “No, no, no! Just one more year and I can retire at full pay.”

And you would be at work faithfully, Monday through Friday AND on Saturday, working that overtime so you could retire. And you would be excited about the opportunity.

Well, we have the same opportunity to retire with our network marketing business. We ask people to spend one hour a day, Monday through Friday building a network marketing business, and a few hours on the weekend. And all you have to do is . . . talk to some people. And you don’t have to worry too much about what you say or how good you are, because you know what? You’ll get better. The longer you do network marketing, the more you’ll learn.

So maybe after the first month you say, “Gee, I really don’t know what to say.”

The second month you get a little better and say, “Well, I know the name of the company is the Wonderful Company.”

The third month you get better at this and say, “I think this is a neat business. You might want to look at it.”

And the fourth month you get better and better.

Just invest 1-2 hours per day. And at the end of two years you might be pleasantly surprised and say, “You know what, I can replace my full-time income and retire for the rest of my life.”

So . . . would you take advantage of that opportunity?

If you are like most people, you will want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity . . . but, you won’t do it.

Here is why you won’t do it. A little voice inside of your head is saying, “But what if it doesn’t work? What if I waste an hour a day over those two years? What if I’m not good at this? I don’t know anyone who has retired in network marketing. I only know people who retired with a pension from a job. This might not be a sure thing.”

Yes, you’re going to have some doubt. You will have a belief problem. And that’s pretty natural.

So here is what we are going to do to help you with your belief. To encourage you along the way, every so often we’re going to send you a check in the mail — just to keep your spirits up as you build your two-year business. When you get these occasional checks, you will say, “I know it works! I’ve got these checks to prove it.”

And that is why you want to truly start your business today.