“80% of new products fail in the marketplace.” (Fast Company mag May, 2007)
They’re talking about regular products in the general market place. (And you thought it was just us. Ha!)
Walter Herbst, chairman of one of the country’s preeminent product-design firms, helps create training programs aimed at improving that “appalling” statistic.
In one, engineering students at Northwestern University business school take a special 22-course program over 6 quarters. Tuition: $49,500 (breakfast included.)
As one of the classes ends, students pick up pads of tracing paper for the next week’s assignment, which is to sketch multiple iterations of a product’s design. “Remember,” the professor says, “creativity plus risk gets you the grade.”
Creativity plus risk. That’s what they’re doing to try to stem the big product failure rate. They know not follow the status quo, since that has already gotten them the 80% failure rate.
How about in our business? Our failure rate is almost 95%. And despite that, in our business, the leaders teach the opposite of being creative and taking risks:
“Do what we tell you works. Use our proven systems.”
Proven systems. What’s that gotten you what so far? (We know what it gets those who sell them.)
So, as independent contractors, is it time for you to step up to the plate and do something creative and risk-taking in marketing your business or product?
We, the people, can’t do worse than those proven systems they’re selling us, can we?
—
What if you could learn to tell your story so you can amaze and delight your customer niche: Here’s a book and CD program to help. And here’s help for talking in a human voice about your business – a CD set and cribsheet .
A company can have the greatest
products,services and compensation
plan but if associates are locked
into just marketing to family and
friends on the “orders” of their
upline, they will ultimately be
fitted for the mlm casket for that
company.My opinion is,if a person
is taught and encouraged to be
creative in their marketing and
their telephone is ringing off the
hook with prospects,they will stay
encouraged in their business.
Raven
p.s.Say no to upline support who
won’t or can’t think outside
the OLD school network box
Dear All, a word in favor of proven systems, if I may. Proven systems can indeed be proven to work – all successful franchise businesses use “proven systems”. It all depends on how you use them. Like a cookery book: following the script word by word is no guarantee for a fine meal… But if you evaluate the ideas in it, use it to your taste and if you put your heart into your work, yes, a proven system can be a godsend. Particularly for beginners: never forget that beginners need guidance while pros can use whatever method they want and still produce brilliant results. A proven system can kick-start a new person lacking polished people skills which may (or may not) begin to develop later. Don’t bury all proven systems – unless, of course, their purpose is to skim the little unsuspecting guy so the Big Guy can get richer selling the system & tools. Thanks – someone who has been building an organization for 12 years using a proven system…
The longer I’m in network marketing, the more I’ve come to believe that people don’t fail because of a system or lack of a system. They fail because they’d rather watch “ER” on Thursday night than make calls or listen in on a training call.
How many of us have people in their organization that talked to 12 friends, sponsored 2 of them, sat back and waited for their $10,000 / month check, and then got depressed because the business isn’t working for them?
Come on, it doesn’t get more simple than this: (1) Find people to talk to, (2) Invite them to look at your opportunity, (3) Sponsor those who are interested, (4) Repeat.
Of course, there are hundreds of ways to do Step 1, and probably just as many ways to do Step 2.
So, what’s the problem?
The problem is that all of them yield a low percentage of new business builders.
It’s a problem because then we distributors look for something that works better. And we spend $200 dollars on a training course that tells us the “secret.” But that secret gives us no better results than what we were doing before. So now we’re depressed AND out of money. “Network marketing sure doesn’t work!”
Except it does work for those who just keep at it, consistently working within their specified budget, and putting in a minimum amount of hours a week. No secret there. Just hard work.
Maybe I should sell that bit of advice for $200 . . .
— Walter Reade (from Wisconsin)
Walter@NMC
http://www.NuOpportunity.com
P.S. How many of you are on LinkedIn? Feel free to send me an invite: walter.reade@gmail.com
Don’t reinvent the wheel, but certainly distributors need to be willing to branch out and think creatively.
“The Purple Cow”. or the unique product catches attention, but the marketing program that is appropriate, makes sense and is unique tells the world about “The Purple Cow.”
Brenda Bunney
http://MLMSuccessBunney.com
brendab@brightok.net
First, I think the opportunity lies first in the person, and then the opportunity. Systems broadly speaking aren’t really the issue in my mind, but people are.
What bothers me about the numbers is not so much the numbers per se, because in all honesty, unless there is some quantum change in human nature, I don’t think the numbers will ever change significantly, but I could be wrong.
What bothers me is why our numbers are perceived as being so bad when they are really no different than the rest of the sales/business world.
This is where I think new school principles will have the most impact. By attracting more qualified people and letting the less qualified weed themselves out on good terms, because we have adopted better and more truthful *methods*, we will change the perception of our industry for the better.
I also think those who remain in the industry will have more success, although I doubt the drop out rate will change significantly.
The second thing is I don’t believe , at least from my experience, that systems are the real issue, but rather the techniques employed within that system. It is in trying to make cookie cutter techniques that I believe the systems go wrong for the majority of those who stay in the business.
For example, a new recruit who wants to override an army, will need to develop a system whereby recruiting never stops. Okay. The problem arises when the upline says “well the *only* way to do that successfully is by passing out DVD’s to everyone you know and don’t know about the opportunity.”
The goal is not an issue (recruiting an army), but the exclusive technique (DVD’s only) to reach that goal is an issue.
Art Williams, the founder of Primerica and a member of the Forbes 400, use to teach that some people win with the wishbone, some with the t-formation, some with the west coast offense, etc., so it wasn’t really the system that mattered, but your willingness to work hard within whatever system you choose.
In other words, the opportunity lies first in the person, and then the system 🙂
So I say proven system *principles* are eternal, but techniques based on those principles can and should be subject to much creativity and the concomitant risk that goes along with it.
just my .02,
Michael
http://michael.networkmarketingcentral.com
http://www.grmbeyond.com
http://www.uptownonthebay.biz
http://www.uptownonthebay.net
Yes I agree with you but first of all you must free your mind.
As we know now in physics there’s no reality which is given.
We all are a part of our own reality. We can make reality over
an over again…have this in your mind.
Do you hear about the movie “Bleep”. In this movie one scientist
of “Qantum Physics” declares that if we would absolutely know we
can walk over water, WE WILL GO OVER WATER.
No esotheric joke or something else only a continued thinking of
a real scientist who know that Quantums are no real material at all.
They come and go..come and go.
So tell me WHAT IS REALITY ? Mine is here => checkit-now.net ;o)
Then You know You can achieve everything you really,really want !!!
have a nice day,