The internet is fraught with them – emails from Nigerian princes promising untold riches or notifications that a distant wealthy relative has passed on and left you his fortune! Fortunately most of us have the good sense to see a swindle and identify a scam from a mile away! We have all had the experience.
It is amazing how many unscrupulous elements there are trying to make a quick buck – and who get away with it, for a while at least. These people play into the vulnerability, gullibility and greed of others. I wonder if there is a single industry in this world where opportunists haven’t tried to exploit people. Corruption is all over.
It follows logically that you may wonder whether network marketing could be a pyramid scheme. It is a very valid question. Nobody in their right mind would like to get involved with anything that is illegal. Or something that could ruin you financially. Trying to sift through all the information that is available on the internet just to determine whether one should pursue an opportunity, is just so daunting! For that reason, I have compiled a checklist to make the task a little bit easier. You can get it here.
Another question is whether the opportunities that present themselves, are ethical. After all, we have all come to know the system – a product is manufactured or a service offered and as consumers, we pay up. We are familiar with the distribution chain. It is familiar and we trust it. It is the way the world works and we no longer question it.
In steps network marketing and upsets the apple cart! Now we are paid for, what feels like, work we did not do. I know that I felt very uncomfortable to earn commission on other people’s effort. That is until my team leader nearly lost it! “Who do you think trained those people?” she asked. “Who do you think presented those people with the opportunity to make a better future?” she went on to say. “Would you rather have them as competition or to bring them into your fold to personally teach them the skills to improve? Thinking about her questions, shifted the paradigm for me.
I know that I sell an excellent product AND I add value to other people’s lives by teaching them. A system that works on the principles of collaboration and not competition.
In all professions we will find people that hate what we do. Is that a good enough reason not to do the job? This video, by network marketing guru, Eric Worre and Les Brown, may give you some perspective on the matter.