You are one of millions of cosmetic consultants in a Top 10 Company. You have intelligence, drive, enthusiasm and skill. You attend trainings, conferences, weekly meetings. You sit week after week with scores of other cosmetic consultants. You have purchased thousands of dollars of products. You use them personally and you have even developed that consultant image!
So-o-o-o, why are you broke?
I did not call this article “SCAMS MLM: Why Cosmetic Consultants Fail, Even in a Top 10 Company” for the reasons you may think. Your Top 10 Company says that it has an amazing product. The company is right. Your Top 10 Company says that people are going to love the product. The company is right. Your Top 10 Company says that it conducted extensive scientific research to develop this product. The company is right.
So-o-o-o, why are you broke?
You are broke because I should have called this article “Cosmetic Consultant Scams MLM”. WHAT? I’ll say it again. “Cosmetic Consultant Scams MLM”.
You sold out. That’s right. You sold out. You developed that consultant image and you became your Top 10 Company. Somewhere in that process, you lost you. . . .You became fiercely loyal to the company; you memorized scripts; you began quoting company jargon in day-to-day conversations.
There is nothing wrong with any of this if you had not willingly scammed your MLM. You scammed your MLM by choosing to sacrifice your very best qualities: your independent thinking, your creativity, and most importantly your leadership.
Your Top 10 Company recruited you to be a leader in the company because the company recognized the real you. Then the company trained you. Somewhere in that process, knowingly or otherwise, you gave away the very best of yourself and lost your independence. You are broke because you bought into the hype and stopped exercising your own good judgment.
How do I know? Because I was there, sitting next to you in those meetings giving myself away, too. “Cosmetic Consultant Scams MLM”.
I am not saying that it could have gone any other way. Your Top 10 Company wanted you because of who you were. Misguidedly, they then set about “training” you. Training implies obedience. We train dogs. We train elephants. We let them know who is boss and they comply. But do you see dogs and elephants running out and starting successful businesses? They are broke too.
People should be educated, encouraged, inspired, and supported. Seek out a company (maybe not a top 10 company) whose leadership recognizes your unique qualities and helps you to develop yourself! You must hold fast to the gifts that were bestowed upon you at birth. Align yourself with a marketing team that will teach you to hone those skills; a marketing team that will value what you bring to the table and guide you towards growth.
Only then, will you rise to the challenge, draw upon your own inner resources and FINALLY be able to say, “I will never be broke again!”
March 23rd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Nancy, making it in Network Marketing today (and I mean making BIG TIME) really does require us to set ourselves apart from the crowd.
That is difficult to do if the company we are working with doesn’t foster personal branding as part of their culture.
This post was very insightful but what made it more credible in my eyes is you were speaking from personal experience!
Eddie
Eddie Espiritu´s last blog ..How List Building Can Explode a MLM Online Business
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March 23rd, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Nancy:
Your overview and guidance is so “Right on!”
We most certainly need to find the right company and team and therefore, the nutritive soil will allow us to blossom and bloom into who WE ARE!
Great post!
Dr Linda Douglas´s last blog ..ARE YOU RUNNING ON EMPTY? – PART 1
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March 23rd, 2010 at 6:23 pm
nancy
I love this post becasue I feel the same way. And I’ve tried a few things out there and I can tell you that I found the top tier company whose pemise isto develop you as an individual and I LOVE that! It means not only can I be myself, they encourage, help, and inspire me to be my best self. With a great comp plan, I’m set! How cool is that!
Jodi Lee´s last blog ..turnkey leads
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March 23rd, 2010 at 7:28 pm
This is very true- there are so many people in this boat I see it as learning and experiencing. It’s all good.
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March 23rd, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Nancy,
There is so much truth to this depiction of most mlm companies. I’ve seen so many people mold themselves into the perfect company persona, even to the point where they aspire to be “just like Suzy Q”!
We need to keep our individuality, our unique oneness that makes us special, and use our God given talents and traits. It is in doing this that we are able to succeed. Thanks for this reminder that we are special and valuable for who we are, not for who others want us to become!
Kathy Jodrey´s last blog ..Google Adwords Campaign Management – Former Google Employee Shares Adwords Advice
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March 23rd, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Nancy,
Sage advice! Cookie cutters never go to the top of the pile. I’ve often wondered why success was illusive in MLM companies. You’ve just hit the nail on the head!
If you’ve found that special company that recognizes your leadership qualities and helps you develop yourself more fully, I’m all ears. Please tell me more …
Darlene Davis´s last blog ..Passion For Music – Part II
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March 23rd, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Yes, you are right on target Nancy. I know exactly what you’re talking about and I know exactly where you’re coming from. I, too, at one point was promoting a team AND company that initially said I have specific qualities great for the nature of the product/service, etc…and then somewhere, somehow, I lost the real me. I don’t know how but I became a sales person…they said I wasn’t in the sales business but I really WAS selling at the end of the day. In other words, I wasn’t doing what I set out to do or what I was told I was going to do.
Glad you put this out there to help others realize that they are valuable just for being themselves. So valuable that they will get paid for being who they truly are..and not who the company wants them to be.
The solution IS to basically look for another company or team.
Rock on Nancy!
-Jaclyn
http://JaclynCastro.com
Jaclyn´s last blog ..“How to ethically Steal THIS…”
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March 24th, 2010 at 4:57 am
Hi Nancy, I was recently told to “Be the Shiny Object”. I’m learning what that means and I also am learning to be “Me”. Thank you for this post as a reminder to me to “Be the Shiny Object”.
Bill Cowan´s last blog ..Tired of Feeling Tired All the Time?
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March 25th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Hi Nancy,
I think the most important thing here is to be true to yourself and be YOU. Everyone is unique and everyone has something different to bring to the table. I think in any business and any situation to be successful you need to be yourself.
Cheers,
Lynn
Lynn Glaser´s last blog ..A Twitter Tab For Your Facebook Fan Page In 7 Easy Steps
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March 26th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Hi there Mentor Mama,
I appreciate your comments so very much! And I, like you, have been there. I totally agree, that if you can be yourself, live your passion, then the success will come.
Thanks for exposing the cookie cutter approach for what it is.
Debbie Stevens´s last undefined ..Response cached until Sat 27 @ 17:54 GMT (Refreshes in 23.99 Hours)
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March 26th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Nancy,
I loved the style/strategy you used to get your point across here.
Of course, you scam yourself as well when you give up your own personality and independence for the company, and like you said, the result in that you’re still broke.
Self-development should be the focus not company “training”. One of biggest recommendations of our primary MLM is to read 10 pages of a good book every day as well as listen to 15 minutes of a good audio every day. They know that for you to be successful, you must become better. Self-education of personal development skills takes priority in all cases!
Thanks so much for sharing this critical point through this great post.
We eagerly await your next content-rich post!
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March 26th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Nancy…it is so hard to get people to realize what you are talking about. It is not a mistake that good network marketers can make it with any company. People are drawn to them and not the product or the company.
I do believe that it is good to love your product and your company…but your business is about you and not them. Your company will most likely never get this…but in today’s day and age…you must get this or it will most likely become a hobby that is a money pit rather than an actual business.
Thanks for sharing!
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March 26th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Right on Mentor Mama!
People follow people not companies or products especially when you are a true mentor.
What’s great to see is that you take pride in mentoring proteges to gain the skills of success that it takes to reach the top ranks.
Companies may go out of business, go public, eliminate or change the comp plan.
The key is to be unique but not different. Different implies lack in common. Connection and relationships are important in any business.
Our uniqueness comes from our talents, our background, our struggles, and our triumphs. These are clues to your gifts and your genius.
Love this post! Thank you Nancy!
Eiji
Eiji Morishita´s last blog ..Is Your Life a Sprint or Marathon? You Decide
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March 26th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Hi Nancy,
I can totally relate to you. I am thankful that I have not been in that position but I have met a lot of people who are. My heart would go out to them in hopes that they would get a glimpse of a greater life.
It sucks to be broke and there is no reason to be so when you are in business for yourself. Network Marketing is an amazing business and industry that can help millions of people achieve their dreams and goals. Finding the right people to partner with is key to that success.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Make it a great day!
God Bless,
-ed
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March 27th, 2010 at 7:42 am
Hi Nancy! LOVED this post! I was once one of those consultants scamming the top 10 cosmetic companies (although I didn’t realize it at the time). We’re told to duplicate ourselves, and of course, duplication is important in network marketing, but thanks so much for the reminder that keeping our own personality in it is even MORE important! We should be going through life uncovering and using OUR gifts! I’m so blessed to have found a company that encourages individualism at the same time as duplication! That’s so important when looking for a company that fits YOU! Hope you are having a FABULOUS time meeting your tribe in person this weekend, and I look forward to meeting you in person in a few short weeks!
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March 27th, 2010 at 8:07 am
You are so right Nancy, thanks for stating the obvious. I like being me. But there were times when I became a stranger to myself and my friends because I put on the company persona. I’m done with that now… and good riddance.
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March 28th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Nancy,
Your insightful comment makes me realize once again how difficult it is to make
it to the top n this industry but how fortunate I feel to be among friends and colleagues who recognize the value and necessity of personal branding . thanks for sharing from such a deeply personal personal perspective.
buff Elting´s last blog ..Want To Legally Steal A Ticket & Spend 3 Days In Vegas?
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March 29th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
What a great post! I also attempted to become the company spokesperson with all their jargon and how-to’s. Now I realize, just like you say, that it’s me, not the company or product people connect to.
Thanks for the wonderful reminder,
Val
Val Wilcox´s last blog ..Who Is In Your Target Circle?
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March 30th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Nancy,
I’ve been exactly where you talk about in this post. I thought it was ME – not motivated or something. I went to meetings, taking in all the training, but it never seemed to work for me as the leaders said it would. I really appreciate your understanding and sharing the reasons it fails – wish I could’ve read this years ago.
Jennifer Akers´s last blog ..Marketing with Numbers and Six Big No-Nos for Dealing With Editors
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March 30th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Thanks so much for that wonderful post, Nancy. You described me so well! It was my first experience with MLM and I loved and used all the products. But after 2 years of working so hard and not making any money I knew I needed to make a change. It felt like something was ‘not right” You expressed it beautifully!
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March 31st, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Nancy, what an inspiring blog post. I love how you put in words not only your experience but the experience of many many just like you. Only they may not have realized why things went wrong.
I hope your experience helped you find the right place for you. You deserve it!
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April 1st, 2010 at 7:41 am
Nancy~ Yes! It’s all about becoming. As we live in this life that is really a school, we must realize our own uniqueness. Finding ourselves will bring us peace and our dreams will be realized. No matter what season of life we’re in, whether it is in the MLM industry or the college student finding herself, realizing our unique potential will bring us success.
Linda G Cox´s last blog ..Power of Thoughts and the Written Word
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April 5th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Thanks for the great post. Network marketing is a real business and a great business but you need to be yourself. It is hard work with any MLM so my advice is find one that identifies with your passions and you will succeed IF you are willing to do the work.
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April 12th, 2010 at 8:39 am
This is a very well written article and hits the nail on the head – great stuff!
Mark Hiatt´s last blog ..What Do Cow Pies & Networking Have In Common?
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April 25th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Mentor Mama,
You have such a unique way of conveying a powerful message with tact and humor. I love it. Thank you for being true to yourself and not conforming to the status quo of on-line marketers and mlm gurus. You are your own person and that shows in everything you do. Rock on my friend, ROCK ON!!!
Krista
Krista Abbott´s last blog ..Viral Explosions Book Launch Gets You FREE Stuff!
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May 4th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
SHOUT OUT to all the amazing people who come to visit me here and who leave such insightful comments! I promise that I’ll try to get back to visit you more regularly!
XO
Mentor Mama
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May 11th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
All companies you join attempt to mold you into their way of thinking and acting. You are so right – you just have to find yourself and not compromise at any price.
Glyna Humm´s last blog ..Why are you REALLY Blogging?
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