Most Network Marketers probably don’t get past making a list of friends and relatives to "contact". Yet, "contacting" as taught by most MLM gurus is probably the main reason why no one will sit down with you to talk about your business.
Anti-MLMers don’t get it either. Most of them believe that if you take away things like tapes and cold contacting, you will solve the problems associated with MLM.
The problem doesn’t lie with the audio program or the process of cold contacting. The problem lies with the teaching behind those things.
Are there problems associated with MLM tapes, including hero worship?
Of course there are. But does that mean that an audio by a well known speaker must be promoted using hero worship? Of course not. It all depends on the content of the audio and how it is promoted.
Does cold contacting people give Network Marketing a bad name?
Of course it does. Contacting people in order to promote a get rich business concept while ignoring the fact that way less than 1% of MLMers really get rich is not a legitimate way to build a business.
However, cold contacting someone while coming from a mindset of allowing that other person to determine whether or not they have a need for your products or business is perfectly legitimate.
As Dave Stone, Passport LLC Vice President put it:
"You gotta sell stuff in your business, right? You have to find clients/partners that are in the market for what you are offering?"
There are ways to find customers online and offline. Find the ways that work best for you.
Read Dave’s somewhat related post at: MLM Today
Interesting. You want to remake an Amway tape that taught cold contacting for a "business opportunity" to get rich, where a tiny fraction of 1% of the participants actually get rich. But now it all depends on the context.
Did it depend on the context when you were promoting that same "business opportunity" by cold contacting people with misleading hype?
If you want to make an audio about stimulating interest in your products through contacting that's one thing. But that is NOT what was meant in a post entitled "Bo Short's 'It Takes Practice' 2005" in which you suggested remaking Bo Short's "It's Called Practice" Amway prospecting tape. I understand why you want to pretend now that you didn't mean what you said. And if you'll take another look, my initial comments were directed at the clear implication that you intended to remake an Amway cold contacting tape.
BTW, got those retail v. self consumption numbers yet for Passport associates yet?
Amen brotha! You just said a mouthful,