| Sadly, many people get caught by work at home | | | | success, and sometimes they don't show up at all. |
| scams. You don't have to be one of the victims. I work | | | | Many network marketers may have the money to do |
| at home. I am lucky enough to be associated with a | | | | what they want, but what they want may be to drive |
| legitimate company, but, sad to say, not every work at | | | | an old Chevy, and who needs an office when you can |
| home opportunity is legitimate and aboveboard. | | | | do quite well using the community room at Half-Price |
| The very nature of the work at home opportunity | | | | Books or even sitting in the park feeding ducks!Here's |
| lends itself to manipulation by unscrupulous people and | | | | another point not mentioned in Poe's telling of this story, |
| businesses. | | | | but is it possible that the young married couple just |
| First of all, people seeking to work at home with some | | | | starting out in life, or the older couple hoping to improve |
| sort of home based business or network marketing | | | | their retirement might have seen the slick ex-real |
| opportunity are usually entering an area they know little | | | | estate investor as some guy in a suit who drove a big |
| about. They tend to believe in the claims made by the | | | | car that he was going to pay for with their |
| ads they read or commercials they see on TV. | | | | hard-earned money!Looking at it that way, is it any |
| Even if they don't truly believe, hope and a desire to | | | | wonder that many people often have a certain degree |
| find a way out of their present life encourages them to | | | | of mistrust for anyone who claims to be able to show |
| at least "check out" the latest opportunity to work at | | | | them the way to wealth? At the same time, something |
| home that they encounter. After all, it seems so easy, | | | | inside of them wants to believe that maybe, just |
| and many people know someone who is actually | | | | maybe, it all COULD be true!So, along comes |
| making some money this way...or know somebody | | | | somebody with something that looks like a good deal. |
| who knows somebody who is. | | | | They buy in, and the next thing they know, their money |
| To make matters worse, many completely honest | | | | is gone and they have nothing to show for it. |
| network marketing, or other work at home businesses | | | | To make things even worse, those who sign up for a |
| are closely duplicated by a myriad of dishonest people | | | | completely legitimate network marketing work at home |
| and companies which promise the moon, but generally | | | | business opportunity have a good chance of losing |
| don't even deliver a good, honest clump of dirt! | | | | every penny. The sad fact is that network marketing |
| Additionally, once in a network marketing program, | | | | is relatively simple, and there are many people |
| many people see the only way to make money is to | | | | succeeding with every kind of work at home business |
| make claims that will help them build their downline. | | | | imaginable. However, there are skills to be learned, and, |
| Still, the biggest problem with any work at home | | | | as we have seen, some to be unlearned. There is |
| business opportunity has to be the ignorance of the | | | | training that must be undertaken and real work to be |
| participants. I do not mean this in any detrimental way, | | | | done. |
| but it is a simple fact that most people who sign up for | | | | The first thing you must do to protect yourself from a |
| a network marketing business opportunity or other | | | | work at home scam is to do your homework. Find out |
| home based business have no idea what they are | | | | everything you can about the company and the |
| getting into, or what they have to do next. | | | | opportunity. Get as much independent information as |
| As if that weren't bad enough, what they DO know, or | | | | possible. Don't just read the company brochures and |
| think they know, often does not apply to many | | | | listen to the line of the person recruiting you...no matter |
| network marketing or work at home business | | | | how much you respect them. |
| opportunities. Just look at business hours for one. Most | | | | Next, make sure the company is a good fit for you. |
| people are used to working at least some sort of | | | | My personal test is to ask myself, "Would I feel |
| schedule. A network marketer or anyone else who | | | | comfortable recommending this company's goods or |
| works at home either has to be able to set up a work | | | | services to a close friend or family member if I were |
| schedule or accept the fact that they must work | | | | not going to get paid a penny?" If the answer is, "Yes!", |
| when there is work to be done. If that is 3 AM, then so | | | | then you are on firm footing, and making presentations |
| be it. That's when they will have to go to work!Another | | | | or explanations later will be easier. |
| example of the sort of thing encountered in network | | | | Create the mindset that you are going to have to |
| marketing and other home business opportunities was | | | | work to make this business successful. This means |
| recounted in Richard Poe's classic, "The Wave 3 Way | | | | learning about the company and the product. It means |
| to Building Your Downline. | | | | that you may have to do something uncomfortable |
| "In this instance, a successful real estate investor got | | | | such as speak to a group, or interact with strangers. |
| caught by a turn in the real estate market. He saw his | | | | This doesn't have to be too difficult, by the way. |
| wife's network marketing business as a way out of his | | | | Network marketing is about networking more than |
| financial straits. However, despite the fact that he was | | | | marketing. Go into these situations with the intention of |
| an excellent and experienced salesman, he still had an | | | | making friends and having interesting experiences. |
| office to work out of and bring prospects to, and | | | | Eventually someone will want to know about |
| many other factors which had served him well | | | | that...whatchamacallit...that you sell. This brings us to a |
| previously, he was failing miserably in his attempts to | | | | final point. |
| recruit new members for his downline. | | | | Do not expect success to come overnight. Most of |
| A more experienced and highly successful network | | | | the people I know or know of who have been |
| marketer reviewed his presentation and HIS | | | | successful with a network marketing business or any |
| recommendations were to lose the office, the slick | | | | other work at home opportunity have spent at least a |
| presentations, and the business suit...all the things that | | | | few years building their business to the point where |
| had helped support the image of the successful real | | | | they felt they were successful. |
| estate investor. He was now dealing with truck drivers, | | | | Finally, do not let greed cloud your judgment. The old |
| school teachers, housewives, house painters, small | | | | adage, "If it looks too good to be true...it probably is" |
| business owners...most of whom were intimidated by | | | | holds just as true here as anywhere else. True, |
| the thought that to be successful they had to drive a | | | | fortunes are made in network marketing, but the |
| Cadillac, wear a Rolex, and have their own office. | | | | money does not leap into your hands any more than |
| The truth is that in network marketing, Cadillacs, | | | | fish leap into the boat when you arrive at the lake with |
| Rolexes and even offices come somewhere after | | | | a fishing rod in your hands. |