What About Your Friends?

The first album I ever played out til the tape was no good was TLC CrazySexyCool.  The album is home to such classics as "Waterfalls", "Red Light Special" and of course "What about your friends"

Network marketing is not for the faint of heart.  It requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, learn how to talk to strangers, and sell yourself on a singular idea or concept to the point of it being your consuming occupation. Malcolm Gladwell says that to become great at anything requires 10,000 hours of dedicated work.  Is there anything in your life right now that you could say you have practiced and perfected for at least 10,000 hours of your life?  If you do, then most likely, your friends and family know you as the go-to person for that skill.  If they don't then you probably 1) aren't as good as you think you are or 2)  are terrible at marketing.

In the networking marketing business, self promotion is the name of the game.  Because the business model relies upon word of mouth as the primary source of marketing and promotion, most firms will tell you point blank that you need to start with your warm market and run a viral ad campaign for yourself through your personal networks.

I was never what you would call a social dynamo.  I never had thousands and thousands of friends on Facebook, and I only jumped on Twitter about a year ago.  Even growing up in school, I wouldn't say I was popular or "that girl". But, one thing that I have always been proud of is my close circle of true and reliable friends.

When I joined this business I reached out to my warm market (consisting mostly of friends of friends and family and loose associations, acquaintances.  I made those initial calls and asked for help.  I introduced people to the concept, I asked for referrals.  I did have some successes.  The most success to date stems from referrals from my sister, who is by far my #1 fan and closest friend (next to my husband).  But what I soon realized is that anyone who can't tell you to your face that they think you are wrong, is not your friend at all.

I've had people sit and listen to me (humor me really) and then refuse to return my phone calls, or write me off as naive.  But, I know that even though I may be working on hundreds of hours of experience right now, by the time I get to 10,000 all those naysayers will be long gone and me and all my real friends are gonna be living the dream.  It's not their fault.  They just don't get it. TLC says:

What about your friends. Will they stand their ground. Will they let you down again . What about your friends, are they gonna be low down. Will they ever be around or turn their backs on you.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca said it another way:

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. 

Day 5's reason my business is awesome: You find the people that "get" you