General

"Maybe they’ve never experienced anything better…"

Sunday is spiritual day.

I was telling my friend this AM about a story I’d just read. The writer related that in Iraq, most of the population gets 2-3 hours of electricity per day. The reason, he wrote, is that each time any one of oil pipelines there is repaired (or an electric grid) some competing political group (“insurgents”) would blow it up, stopping the flow of oil or electricity to large sections of the cities.

This has been an almost daily occurrence somewhere in Iraq for the past two years.

I wondered out loud why all the chiefs of the hundreds of little fiefdoms there just don’t get together and agree to stop blowing up each other’s oil lines and sabotaging each others’ power grids, because then they’d ALL benefit and get more power each day for their followers and tribes. Yes, their enemies would benefit, but so would they and their people. Everyone benefits versus everyone suffers.

Iraq has one of the largest known oil reserves in the world, and they can’t take advantage of it because they fight all the time.

“It’s the testosterone of war,” my friend replied. “That’s what drives it. The whole ‘we are better than you, our religion/our view/our belief etc., is better than yours,’ etc.”

Of course we all know that attitude of some people drives hatred and fighting here at home too.

But then she added, “And maybe they have never experienced having anything much better than what there is now, so they can’t imagine that picture. Maybe that’s why they keep fighting each other instead of cooperating – their life’s experience has not been much different.”

I was struck by that. “Maybe they can’t imagine cooperation leading to something better for everyone because they’ve never experienced that.”

Isn’t the same thing true for the network marketing companies? What’s the prevailing attitude we hear from the owners and the recruiters? “Mine is better than yours.” And the result?

Network marketers are often afraid to be around others because so many of them, given the chance, jump on each other with the “mine is better than yours and you should join mine, we rule, we are the future, our leaders are bigger than yours, blah blah blah…”

You know the original U.S. colonies had the same problem 200 years ago, but they got over it. The strength of the U.S. today is that each state is independent and different, but all 50 different states stand together, united, as one country.

Could we as network marketers rise to the occasion of being independent but united? Stop bashing other companies or reps. Stop the “mine is better than yours.” Promote our own with a “try it and see if it works for you” theme. And learn to describe that theme.

There is no “best for everyone” company or product. Would you do the business if you were forced into someone else’s “best” deal?

What if a few of us were to embody that value? Independent but united. Think it might spread?


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About the author

Kim Klaver

7 Comments

  • Kim how did you know how frustrated I’ve become with competitors bashing companies and products? The claims they make are not always anywhere close to the truth but it sounds good on a website and makes a sale.

    You are 100% right, nothing is going to be best for everyone and everything. I agree with this and put it on page one of my website. When I lay my head down each night I feel good knowing my business is based on integrity and honesty. My biggest challenge is reading “claims” that are based on competitors feelings. This is why our personal websites need to help teach what our product is about and be a real person. Oh well at least I know I won’t be blowing up others Pipelines.
    Robin

  • Kim,

    This is one of your best posts yet.
    Keep the good content coming!

    I have to agree with you 100%…My view is…you can take it or leave it…it is not my job to convince you…If you like it great, I will help you build…If you don’t, that is OK too…I only want to be working with people who want to be working and building the company with me…I would hate to have to keep convincing you as time goes on.

    Keep it up Kim! I love this blog!

    Best,
    Scott

    http://ScottGBradley.blogspot.com

  • What you say is so true. I found an MLM company recently that had what sounded like an exciting technology-based product, that does not clash whatsoever with the nutritional fruit juice that I currently promote. I thought it could be something to add to my ‘portfolio’ and met with the guy who heads up the company in my country. Boy, was I disappointed. He spent most of the meeting trying to denigrate the style of comp plan that my current company has, and generally “knocking” other MLMs. In the end I asked him to stop criticising other companies and just tell me what was so great about his company and product. I have to say I still think their product is great but i have been turned off that company forever.

    Cheers, Cherry

  • I totally agree with Scott’s views.

    It seems to me that IF a person is looking, and if YOU have what interests them, they WILL come . . .

    People who approach me about their deal with comments about a “better” product, comp plan or whatever, turn me off. IF I’m looking, I’ll do my own due diligence and ask the questions. Trying to sway me isn’t the way to get me interested.

    Yes, Independent in our preferences and beliefs but United in our mission and goals . . . that works for me!

    A Johnson Enterprise

  • I agree that we shouldn’t bash each other.

    Though I may not want to do other companies as a business I do love their products and the concept of network marketing and sharing the wealth.

    I use and love Melaleuca and Healthy Pet Net products, but I love Send Out Cards… madly and do it as a business.

    I love it for many reasons but one is that I can approach other Network Marketers and not feel that I am stepping on their toes, this is because it can be used as tool to enhance and promote their current business. It ends up being a win-win situation for both of us.

    The whole process of Network Marketing is great. The little guy gets to finally get a piece of the pie if they are willing to work for it. It is truly the American dream.

    This type of marketing works for me. I love it!!

  • Amen, amen. We are all so much better off respecting each other as colleagues and working together
    to improve the image of the industry. Just yesterday I was reverse-prospected by a visitor to my booth at the farmers’ market.
    I made polite noises about lots of good companies, but the husband was probably new at the game and kept going… I must admit that I was like that when I first started.
    I wanted to pour bluegreen algae down everybody’s throat. Blushing with embarrassment in retrospect.

    I just sent the couple an email with an invitation to visit Klaver Blogs.

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