She’s being installed as Harvard University’s new President October 12. The most sophisticated male bastion of brains and political influence in the U.S. has gotten a woman to lead them. Imagine that!
Following is a related tiny excerpt from my soon-to-be-released Manifesto, “Friends, Lies and Network Marketing.”
“Harvard has just appointed its first woman president Drew Gilpin Faust – “to move the University forward expeditiously… in a time when society has become ambivalent, even skeptical about universities.”
Might allowing women to take the marketing lead move the industry forward expeditiously, in this time when the marketplace has become ambivalent, and even skeptical, about marketers?
82% of network marketers are women.. What if they were given the freedom to build on their own natural styles to develop marketing approaches? Instead of being pushed to market like men? Given the current 95% drop out rate in the industry, how could we lose?
I was in a company that micromanaged how the distributors worked “their” businesses because they felt that was what worked best.
I am now in a company that allow each personality the freedom to work their business in a way that makes sense to them.
It is sooo much less stressful now!
>What if they were given the freedom…
Don’t they already have it? (That’s a genuine question, not rhetorical.)
Like Brenda…., I have been in companies that micromanaged and gave you one way (usually taught by a man). Now, I am with a company that has many options and there are as many women in front of the room teaching as there are men. Also, the way the plan is structured, you have many accessible leaders and can choose which style fits best for your team. Everyone in leadership in this company seems so willing to help anyone who calls them sincerely asking for help.
JUDY MARSHALL
http://judyann.networkmarketingcentral.com
I agree as the majority us women need to be able to use our own style and for sure try many different venues.
I don’t want to fault others but I have to say I was forced to look for another company that would be a better fit for me. My sponsor was a woman that had followed in the footsteps of the men above her.
After 12 years she still can’t figure it all out and I got tired of the conflict. I wanted to do it my way, she would come back saying “That doesn’t work.” Even when I brought in 25 new customers in a month she would put pressure on me to get these people selling. I came back with “If I’m not supposed to find customers what do you mean get them selling.” I was supposed to tell them it wasn’t selling. I can’t understand all that.
I do know we need to build an organization to reach the gangster income. I also know you can have too many reps and not enough customers and make no money. I would rather have 100 cutomers buying every month and get some income rather than have 25 reps waiting for someone big to land in their downline and get nothing.
Besides the way I was taught to recruit it would be impossible to train anyone new. My answer was to move on and take what I learned to train my new team (split of men and women) how to go for the customer first.
I have to say the men on my team still want the recruits before the customer. All I can do is tell my story and hope it clicks with them. If not at least I know I did it my way.
One of my “ways”
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Benjamin Franklin
http://www.UptownNaturalsNutrition.com
g – you write “Don’t they already have it? (That’s a genuine question, not rhetorical.)”
You can see from the comments they don’t. NM is not usually a business where new people have a choice as to how to do it. The upline preach freedom from your boss as the advantage of NM, but in reality, most upline are VERY bossy, and insist people do the business “their way” with the proven systems reps have to pay for, leads programs, websites, not knowing the upline is receiving all that until way later if ever; they’re told “recruit recruit recruit” that’s where the money is, so no, women (and men either, if they’re the evolved kind) do not have freedom to use their own natural styles.
Too many have never been in business before, don’t know what to do, so just get pushed into the old boy ways, and are made to feel like they’re not serious if they don’t fall in.
I’ve been offering women options for 10 years of teaching. And some take me up on it. But when they go back to their upline meetings and company events, all the old school ways get pushed on them again.
Women do this part time, not full time like most men. They want to “learn the ropes” so they’re open. Only the things they’re taught are what works for most men, not women.
Most part time women would rather drop out than rock the boat and add to the stress of their lives. And so they do.
It’s a very male dominated business, and they’re pretty bossy about how they want new people to do the business. Pretty arrogant, given the 95% drop out rate.
Everyones styles are not the same so teaching a downline various ways to promote their business is ideal.
Some women may want to build very, very quickly and may end up using more aggressive sales strategies generally promoted by men. By that I mean by cold calling etc. While this may be very effective for many people there are some people that simply won’t be good at it because they can’t stand that type of marketing.
Thankfully our company teaches people to serve others without expecting anything in return. The really emphasize the “do not expect anything in return.” The result is naturally people are more attracted to you.
They teach to be a customer of others and serve them. See what you can do to help them.
You would think this advice would most likely come from women, but it’s not. These are men who truly know the value of service and it’s effect on the world. And it’s totally refreshing.
The most sophisticated male bastion of brains and political influence in the U.S. has gotten a woman to lead them. Imagine that!?
I imagine it might help to slowly begin to change things, so long as this woman doesn’t feel she has to act like a man to get the job done.
Kim, I loved your reply to g’s question. It sums up what women in mlm go through, and why so many quit network marketing rather than try to reinvent themselves, quite nicely.
Now if only more (any? are there any?) MLM’s would hire women to head up sales & marketing. Or at least offer alternatives and support for those who want to build a customer base. I recently found one that does, even though it is headed up by a man; an apparently ‘enlightened man’ as Kim calls them:-) So I joined it.
Tracy
About Me
Organic Foods Mom
MLM Work At Home Blog
Yahoo! IM: tracyaustin30