Is It Just Me, Or Does Everybody Fail With Network Marketing?

I recently read an article by one of my fellow network marketers by the name of Pete Zdanis that answers the question "Does everybody fail in network marketing?"

What would be your answer?  What answer would you give if somebody interested in your business asked you this question?

Pete says, "Yes, everybody fails in network marketing.  As much as 80 to 90 percent of the time."

Are you comfortable with that answer?

Here is Pete's explanation.  And I must say, I believe there is much value in this concept that will help set the new person up for success in this industry.

Pete says he fails most of the time.  He can talk to 100 people, and perhaps only 10 or 20 are interested in what he has to say.  But if you talk to enough people, those 10 to 20 people begin to add up and can potentially help you to earn an income that most people can only dream about.

The secret is to keep talking to people and promoting your product or service.  If you have a 10% success ratio, and over the course of a number of years you eventually talk to 2000 people, you will have 200 partners helping you in your downline.

And what if only 10% of your downline produce substantial volume?  Well.......you would have 20 people sending significant volume up your organization.

And it is quite possible that 2 or 3 of those will produce enough volume that you would be making a mighty nice income.

 But it starts with getting your product or opportunity in front of people.  Promoting yourself or your opportunity or income is the only way that income is earned in this industry.  That is the only income-producing activity that there is.

And that is where most people who "try" network marketing fails the most.  They have to talk or introduce their offering to enough people.  And most fail to do that.

There is no harm in promoting to a prospect and getting a "no" for your effort.  That is to be expected.  The harm comes when you are unable to get past the "no's" and stop trying.

Nobody said that it would be easy.  But if you are consistent, it can be oh so rewarding!

--Roger Cox  

Don't Speed Through Your Self-Improvement Reading!

In the network marketing industry, we are encouraged to develop ourselves and spend considerable time reading good books.  My first thought about this would be that the more self-development books I can read, the better.  So therefore, the faster that I can read, the more books I can read, and the faster I will grow.

Right??

Maybe not.

I read a quote from Chris Brady that challenges that viewpoint.  He said, "Someone once asked me about my method of reading, implying that I must naturally read quickly or have some speed-reading training.  I replied that I don’t read any faster than the average person, but my approach to reading has made all the difference.  In short, I don’t read-------I STUDY!  I underline text, write notes in the margins, fill the back pages with ideas and comments, and , if necessary, argue with the author between the lines."

He went on to say, "Books are to be devoured, recordings are to be memorized, and conferences are to be experienced to the maximum."

That quote has changed my way of thinking about reading as well.  I used to get a little stressed because I had so many things that I needed to be reading, but I didn't have near enough time to read them all.  I found myself flying through the books so fast that most of the time I didn't really remember what I read by the time I was finished with the book.

Have you ever read a paragraph, and as soon as you finished reading the paragraph, realized that you had no idea what you just read? Did you reread the paragraph or did you plow on to the next paragraph, hoping that everything will make sense when you finish the book?

I've changed the way I read for self-improvement now.  I follow Chris's method.  I don't necessarily write in the margins or argue with the author, but I read much slower and really try to understand what the author is trying to teach me.

I also find myself rereading a book more than once.  I usually get something different from each reading.  Sometimes it's a minor difference, but some times it's a whole new perspective.

At any rate, I am internalizing the information.

So I am reading fewer books.  But what I am reading is sticking to my soul and changing me in little ways.

And isn't that the point of reading self-improvement books?

-- Roger Cox