My experience in most cases is that College Professors are incompetents. If they were highly competent – they would be out in the world practicing what they are trying to teach – earning for more money that what they earn teaching.

Mind you – some educators have made their professional mark in the world – earned a lot of money – and decided it is time to give back. I applaud these people. But most educators – teach because they find the teaching world a kinder gentler place in which to abide – without the harsh realities of earning a living in the work-a-day world.

Worse yet – when an educator is so incompetent in the classroom – as to be a disruptive force in the college – and is tenured (which means they cannot easily be fired) – the only thing that the school can do with that educator or make them part of the administration – say an Assistant Dean – maybe in charge of student parking.

So the Possick corollary is “(For the most part) Incompetents teach – and incompetent incompetents are administrators.”

My second college story – revolves around young people who cross my path – and need a way of understanding the Network Marketing Industry. They are looking at the Networking Industry with the eyes of a job seeker.

This sets the stage. Here’s how the conversation goes from there.

Q. Tell me – did you go to college and graduate?
A. Yes – I have a degree in_________.

Q.Why did you go to college?
A. To earn a better living – to get a higher paying job.

Q.In this area of the country – how much does a High School Graduate earn?
A. Maybe $20,000 to $30,000 a year.

Q.College graduates – in this area of the country – how much can they earn?
A. Maybe $50,000 or a bit more a year

Q. OK – tell me how much does a college education cost?
A. For four years maybe $100,000 to $150,000 in total.

Q. So let’s see – you pay $100,000 to $150,000 to get a four year education – you give up four years of your life and work hard to get that education and for that you are able to earn an extra $20,000 a year. Is that right?
A. Yes

Q. Now you are looking at Network Marketing. Would you be willing to trade me 4 years of your life – to work hard – I’ll teach you what to do – if at the end of those four years – if you’ve followed my instruction – you can earn that extra $20,000 a year plus one small additional item – like a zero?
A. A zero?

Q. Yes a zero – like $200,000 or more a year. And oh by the way – you won’t have to pay me the $100,000 to $150,000 you paid your university. I don’t charge for the education – and you can earn some money along the way.
A. Are you willing to give me the four years?

Invariably the answer is yes. And those are my two college stories.

These are folks I call Mouthivators. That’s my term for them. I made it up a couple of decades ago. They will talk your ear off about how they are going to be your best and strongest business builder. But they don’t recruit anyone.

They talk about being motivated – but they are not motivated enough to take action.

In essence they are like cowboys and cowgirls who saddle up – but they never ride.

What do you do about your mouthivators. Nothing. Let them be. They like to think of themselves as business builders – but they have some genetic defect that doesn’t let them build. You won’t overcome this.

Go on to the next person who is worthy of your time.

If my presumption is correct – why then do so many Network Marketing Companies go out of business – and so quickly? First – my personal hallucination is that over 90% on new Network Marketing Companies that start in business this year – will not be in business five years from now.

When they go out of business – the dreams and aspirations of the distributors who worked with them – go right down the tubes also.

Why does this happen? Here are just a few of the reasons:

1. The company owners are way under capitalized. They do not have the money necessary to sustain and build the business. A decade ago when I was approached by would be MLM company owners – I would ask if they had $6 million in the bank. Today start up for a Networking Venture – I would guess might be well over $10 or $12 million.
2. The company owners are not business men or women. They could be experienced Networkers – having built Networking Distributorships – but they really don’t know how to build, run and finance a company.
3. The company owners may be exceptional business men and women – who have loads of experience building companies – but have really no understanding for the field. These poor souls really don’t understand that their distributors are their sales force – and they need to be treated with kid gloves – and nurtured so they will bring in additional sales each week – each day – and each month.

   I could write for days about the stupidity of Network Marketing Company owners who abuse the field – kill their own momentum – by driving their key leaders to look for other opportunities.

4. The company manages to get cross wise with one or more Regulatory bodies – either by the company’s making claims for their products that are not legal – or by not regulating the field – and letting the field make these same type of claims.
5. The company owners have not gotten into their heads that they have to create a “win – win – win” atmosphere in which to build the business. The field has to win – the ultimate users or consumers of the product have to win – and only then can the company win.

   I remember three decades ago when a nice guy – a distributor I knew went to work for a new company – and he showed me this exceptional compensation plan. When I asked him about the product he shot back at me “Who cares about the product – just stack in your garage – and keep making money.” Needless to say the company he was working with did not last a year. They were out of business – the guy had burned all his business relationships – and he went back to the “Just Over Broke” world of trying to get a job.

These are a few of the many reasons networking companies go out of business. There are many more. How do you protect yourself from working with a company destined to go out of business? Easy – do not fall for the trap of “get into this new company –we’ll make millions – you’ll be at the top – just three down from the company owner” baloney.

You can never know what will happen to new companies – except you can be certain that 90% of them will not last 5 years.

For me – I would much rather get into an established company – with exceptional products – than try to work with the New Kid On The Block. At least with an established company – you have a track record to look at – and lots of satisfied and some not so satisfied folks you can talk with about the company – and their products and the opportunity for you to build a business.

1. Get Me Once – Shame On You – Get Me Twice – Shame On Me What this means is if you get me once – I do not allow you to get me twice (If I can at all help it).
2. I am very trusting. I trust that some of the people I work with will try to mess with me – try to get me in order to get more for themselves. This then is a corollary to (1) above. I trust some folks will try to get me – I trust I won’t be able to stop all of conniving – but them I go to rule (3) below.
3. Once you have gotten me – I am forgiving – but I don’t work with you again. I’m done. It’s over. Don’t come back to try to work with me again.
4. I’ve learned through many different business interactions that a zebra never changes its stripes. In essence – regardless of what you save – it’s what you do that counts – and when you get – I know that while you may have sorry an redemption in your heart – you are still carrying the life stripes of your own Zebra – and those stripes never change. Thus it’s only a matter of time before you get under enough stress – when you forget what you’ve done in the past – and try to do it again – this time under different circumstances.

How many teachers do you know who go home and cry about giving a few students in their classroom an F or a D for the semester? Teachers don’t – you shouldn’t either.

In the Post Office when you are standing in line – you hear a very wonderful four letter word being yelled. The Postal Clerk has just finished with a customer and they yell out “Next”

You are in the next business.

There’s an old networking poem that goes like this

Some will — Some won’t

So what –

Who’s next?

Some people are ready to learn about the wonderful benefits of your products – some people aren’t. Some people are ready to begin building a network business – some people aren’t

So what – go on and find the next person.

You are in the Next business.

If you are ever in that position – if the distributorship you have built – is with a company that is progressive – one that is continuing to build (and not on the decline) – you have a valuable asset that will bring good one time income from being sold.

In your Network Marketing Distributorship building process – at the same time you are building cash flow – you are also building one other very valuable asset – if you collect it.

What is that asset? It’s your “A List.” I define an “A-List” of people you have met along the way – who you have interacted with on a business or personal basis. Collect the names, addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses of these people. Contact them every few months. Keep in touch. Foster the relationship. Build your list – and keep it current.

Your “A List” is a most valuable asset. When you decide to work with another program – if you’ve built your “A List” – you will have at your finger tips thousands of folks – who understand the Networking Industry – who you can reach out to – and tell them about your new venture.

From our experience – unless you know how to control and work with PIGS – you are in for a terrible time.

By the way PIGS stands for “Professional Information Gathers.”

These unique people have to know everything. This is especially true for nutritional networking. While you can give them all the information that a normal person wants – including ingredients – why the product works so well – and testimonials of folks you know who are using the product…

A typical PIG wants to know things like

Who formulated the product?

How much boob whoop and poor doop does one need to use with the product to enjoy the taste – or other benefits.

Does the product meet the tenants of their strict religious practices – or the practices of a friend who lives in another country they want to share the product with?

I could go on and on for another hour writing about the needs of PIGS.

But here’s the bottom line. You’ll never satisfy them. Once you answer the first few questions – they’ll think up a dozen more to get you to research for them before they decide whether or not they wish to try the product.

In essence a PIG has an insatiable appetite for listing to their own questions and wanting to make you jump to answer them.

So how do you work with a PIG? The answer is real simple.

When you identify a PIG gnawing at your ankle – this is what you say.

“You know that’s a great set of questions – and I really don’t know the answers to them. But if you will call Mr X, – and go to the follow research articles –– and then call Dr Y with the company – I’m certainly you’ll be able to get the answers you are looking for.

“Oh by he way – I’m going to get a number of folks asking me the same questions – so I’d really appreciate your jotting down some notes and giving me the answers to these – maybe a paragraph or so – or a couple of pages. I’d really appreciate learning what you found out.”

In essence – turn the PIG into your research assistant. Get him routing around in someone else’s garden – and invite him back to share what he has found, and then join your group as the resident expert on the PIG type questions.

Dan was my insurance man for more than a decade. He was a sharp intelligent experienced insurance agent – that had a very large agency – and he tied his work life to one major company. By Large Agency – he had maybe 20 paid employees on his staff – between Insurance Agents – and clerical or processing staff.

Over the decades Dan had become one of the most successful independent agents with his firm. He had thousands of customers – and when you counted the condominiums his agency insurance – maybe that number jumped to well over 10,000 home owners.

In essence he built a large successful business. And then all of a sudden – boom – the insurance company he represented pulled the rug out from under him. They told his 10,000 policyholders – “so sorry we won’t renew you.”

For Dan the hand writing was on the wall – as more and more policyholders we not renewed – his base of home owners insurance collapsed in on him – and these same policy holders were going to take their auto insurance and other casualty insurance elsewhere.

What did he do? Simple. Dan retired. He sold his agency to someone else – and took his retirement from the company he represented – and guess what – he’s still in business under another corporate name – (maybe he doesn’t own the new corporation) – in the same location – with some of the same staff – writing insurance policies for and with other companies.

In essence – the insurance company he had put his faith in for decades – had gone stupid on him – by issuing the non-renewals. Dan squeezed his lemons – and got to drink his own lemonade.

In network marketing – all “independent distributors” are much like Dan. We are at the mercy of the company we work with “non going stupid on us.”

The problem is once a company does go stupid on us – they have the right to terminate our check if we cross recruit – or try bringing in our current customers into another program. For some companies – you can bring over people you personally recruited, and anyone who is not an active customer with the current company.

Other companies try out of desperation to not allow you to work any other program – in any way.

So what are your choices?

Realistically – if you are about to bolt from the current company you were building an income stream with – sell that income stream to a third party. Only then should you consider beginning to build with a separate entity.

What do we have to learn from the story of Dan The Man? Simply this – there are many industries in which “independent distributors” are at the mercy of a company potentially “going stupid on you” – and you have to be prepared to rebuild.

How do you prepare now? Maintain an up to date “A List” of all folks you work with – including their snail mail address – phone number – e-mail address – and fax phone number. Update that list every few months. E-mail that list just to keep in touch monthly – not tio recruit them into another program – but to keep the “relationship” going.

Another term for “network marketing” is “relationship marketing.” If you are gong to be successful in the networking industry – you are going to keep your “relationships” growing.

Draw a circle

It looks like the top of a pie – cut it in four equal quarters.

Each quarter presents where you need to spend 25% of your time.

1. 25% of your time should be spent in finding new customers and/or business builders to introduce the product, the company and ultimately the opportunity to.
2. 25% of your time needs to be spent in bonding your new customers and business builders to the product – and training them about the product, the company, and for those who are ready – how to build the business.
3. 25% of your times needs to be spent in working with your first levelers helping them find new customers and business builders – and help your first levelers talk with these people and get them enrolled in your program.
4. 25% of your time needs to be spent in helping your first levelers help their first levelers bond to the product – and get them trained about the product, the company and for those who are ready – how to build the business.

Remember ours is a distributor see – distributor do — industry. Hopefully your first levelers will begin doing the same thing for their first levelers that you are doing for and with them.

Train your people to do what you do. Do what you want your people to do – and the cycle perpetuates itself.

Where networking business break down is where you find this simple little set of rules not being followed.

The word job – really and truly means “Just Over Broke” – or put another way “Too Much Month At The End Of The Money.”

Holding a job confines you to building someone else’s dreams, taking orders on what to do – how to do it – and when to do it – from your “boss.” “Bosses” come in all sizes, shapes and forms. What irked me in life was the “stupid size.” I could never get over that folks who held a position over me – who I had to work for – were really not that smart. They simply had lasted far longer in a system – that I hated.

By nature – I’m a risk taker. I’m an entrepreneur. I like working for myself. I hate working for someone else. In my lifetime I have had five jobs. I hold an under graduate degree in accounting. I’ve managed to practice this profession maybe 6 weeks in my lifetime – in two different positions. The word position is a nice way of saying “job.”

The first “job” ended in four weeks when the CPA firm I was working for discovered that my father-in-law at the time owned a competing CPA firm. Were the bosses afraid I was a spy? Who knows? I justify that my services were no longer needed. The second position ended in two weeks – when I came to the conclusion that everyone who worked for the firm I was working at were fools – for simply holding their “jobs.” I quit. I hated the atmosphere. I hated the environment. I hated the 8 to 5 routine. I was a rotten employee – because I was a “don’t wanter.” I simply did not want to hold a job.

In my lifetime I’ve managed to hold three other jobs – for a bit longer in life. During the Vietnam War era I was a Captain in the Medical Service Corp in the U.S. Army. I started in that job as a Second Lieutenant – and managed to get two promotions – and three years later – after earning an MBA from the University of Colorado (while I was on active duty) – the Army was in my past and I was looking for a way to support a nasty habit that I had attained. What was the habit? I needed to find a way to support a wife and three kids (from my first marriage). I needed a job.

I did get a job with a fancy title – of “Manager of Corporate Service” – for what was at that time one of America’s fast growing public companies. I lasted one year. I hated the job. I hated the politics. I was good at what I did – but I saw that a job really did mean “Just Over Broke” – and “Too Much Month At The End Of The Money.”

My solution to finding happiness was to turn myself into a College Professor. For two years I taught (full time) at the University of Baltimore – and one additional year at a college that was later merged into the University of Baltimore. Bottom line – even these positions – which did not require an 8 to 5 office day – were not to my liking.

When back in 1971 – my wife (at the time) and kids moved back to Florida – I was a full fledged entrepreneur – without many prospects. I knew what I didn’t want to be – but I just didn’t know what I wanted to do.

What I did learn from this entire process is that I didn’t want to live the good life of having too much month at the end of the money. I certainly did not want to work for someone else. I wanted to work for myself.

For anyone who has my temperament – who is willing to gamble on themselves – who does not have direction or a place to go – look into Network Marketing. Working within the Network Industry can be a pretty place to hang your hat for the rest of your working life.