Talk! Talk! Talk! We are in a business where talk reigns
supreme, and the boldest talkers are always at center
stage. Claims run rampant about everything from ad
responses – to phenomenal product results – to bodacious
income projections.
Sometimes this talk sways the uninitiated, and if they fail
to seek any type of verification before taking action, they
might find that they have based their decisions and plans
on pipe dreams and smoke screens.
However, before I leave the impression that talk is always
cheap (and therefore frivolous), I need to emphasize the
legitimate role of responsible talk in MLM. Responsible
talk in our industry accomplishes a number of things:
It speaks public commitments into existence which then
create the forum for public accountability that is so
helpful to those who need a support structure for
continuous production;
It helps people design a time frame for success (i.e., I’m
going to lose 20 more pounds before Easter);
It excites and motivates others to think bigger;
It sets a climate for accomplishment in the organization
which stimulates others to make commitments;
It intensifies focus for everyone so they can evaluate
their goals, large and small.
We consider this type of talk to be positive because it
results in benefits like those listed above. However, empty
rhetoric, or worse yet, distorted testimonials and promises
spoken, but not kept, have damaged our industry
tremendously. When people keep talking about the future
and how much money they are going to make, you need to come
out from under the ether and look at what they’ve
consistently done over the past year or years and compare
those results to what they are saying.
I used to — out of ignorance — stand in front of the
room and ask the question, “How many of you would like to
make $10,000 a month?” Every hand would go up . . . and
that got me excited! I didn’t learn for several years that
I was asking the wrong question.
Of course, they all wanted $10,000 or more each month; they
just didn’t aspire to the levels of commitment, focus, and
keeping of production schedules that were needed to produce
such a monetary result.
In those days, I didn’t comprehend those levels myself as
my own business was not making $10,000 a month yet. I
daresay that if I had known and identified the work habits
and time constraints required for a $10,000 monthly result,
I would’ve had far fewer “takers.”
I don’t want to discount the importance of “speaking things
into existence,” because I do feel that public declaration
can go a long way towards helping people get on track and
stay on track. Just don’t be misled by unsubstantiated
talk. Most of the companies in our industry are bigger on
telling you what you can do, particularly in reference to
your earning possibilities, than in sharing what others
like you have really accomplished. Before you put a lot of
time, energy and money into a game plan, check it out
carefully to make sure that the speaker has lived what he
or she is speaking and that it was indeed successful.
Industry legend Richard Brooke says, “Success comes through
you before it comes to you.” By speaking your commitments
into existence, you can attract energy to you, which will
support your making things happen . . . if you are truthful
and focused while honestly sharing both those times when
your accomplishments are measuring up and those times when
they have fallen short of what you have said.
We must be ethical and honest at all times. Too many
distributors will say anything to prospects to get them
involved. Check out some of the ads in any papers or
letters, and you’ll see what I mean. If it sounds too good
to be true, it probably isn’t true. Greed often clouds our
judgment about what to believe.
We must be careful that we speak honestly, respecting our
prospects and giving them the best that we can offer. We
need to distinguish the wide array of benefits and
contributions that our MLM opportunity presents. We need to
talk about what they, the prospects, want, and we need to
focus our speaking, and then our actions, on team efforts.
Only then will talk really become a vehicle for helping
dreams come true.
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Eileen Silva, Ph.D., N.D. is a metabolic health balancing
expert, talk show guest, and lecturer. Dr. Silva is also
an individual, group, and corporate weight management
consultant. Contact Dr. Silva at
http://www.dreileensilva.com
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