UNDERSTANDING MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING NETWORKING 101 SERIES- IV

THE 21^ST CENTURY BUSINESS

The invent of the Victorian System of Education brought about the Introduction of the White-Collar jobs. Jobs that require professional skills more than physical labour. It was the most lucrative, most enterprising and most rewarding. In the early 90’s, a school cert holder is well respected far more than an elder in the village. The Victorian system of Education created living machines or robots suitable for administrative work (the corporate world) even till today.  Now, there is nothing absolutely wrong with being a Career person but everything is totally wrong when we are not malleable to Change. Change they say is a constant thing.

Today, working in the Corporate world/economy is no longer guaranteed , how much more help fulfill everyone’s dream because, there are less administrative work to do, those in the system do not want to leave at the appropriate time and if they do, they put their own persons. It is always assumed that the corporate world is the safest and most respected place to work. Today, every now and then, the government and other Corporate public and private  entities are downsizing, implementing pay cut, cutting down cost at any slightest chance. Do you still think your job is safe? An average pensioner barely gets his pension, yet an average graduate dreams of working in that same Corporate world. What an irony?

Personally, I wouldn’t blame anyone who sticks to his gun on Corporate world because the readily available alternative such as physical business ownership in the form of semi-professional skills like hairdressing, mechanics, fashion designing etc.; Provision shop  amongst others; have need for a reasonable capital which is barely available. So we are stuck!

Just take a look at the trend

100 years ago:

• ·         Go to school to learn to be an employee
• ·         Join a company waiting to employ you
• ·         Work for the company for donkey years
• ·         Retire and be redundant till death comes calling

A few decades ago:

• ·         Go to school to learn to be an employee
• ·        Find a company that will employ you
• ·         Switch companies for various political/economic/financial reason till you are satisfied
• ·         Make sure you do not retire because you have nothing tangible to fall back to by adjusting your documents, so you can stay a little more while you do everything you can to retire massively and financially stable at least.
• ·         Retire and be redundant till death comes calling

Today:

• ·         Go to school to learn to be an employee
• ·         Find out you are either unemployable because you lack basic skill now needed by recruiting companies or you are one hell of a lucky dude who is employed which can be due to several factors, one of which I call the NIGERIAN FACTOR.
• ·         Go into entrepreneurship or go to learn a skill to start a small scale business which may or may not survive the first two years
• ·         Continue to switch between jobs or join the political terrain

·         Whichever path you choose, you are still a low income earner, one with a J_ourney O_f B_orrowers earning S_omething A_lways L_ow A_nd R_idicules Y_ou .

Just like Robert Kiyosaki said “Your job is not going to take care of you. The government will not take care of you. Nobody’s going to take care of you. It’s a new century, and the rules have changed. My  parents  believed  in  job  security,  company  pensions,  Social  Security,  and Medicare.  These  are  all  worn-out,  obsolete  ideas  left  over  from  an  age  gone  by. Today  job  security  is  a  joke,  and  the  very  idea  of  lifetime  employment  with  a single  company—an  ideal  so  proudly  championed  by  IBM  in  its  heyday—is  as anachronistic as a manual typewriter”

If you’ve spent years climbing the corporate ladder, have you ever stopped to notice the view? What view, you ask? The rear end of the person in front of you. That’s what you get to look forward to. If that’s the way you want to view the rest of your life, then this write up probably isn’t for you. But if you are sick and tired of looking at someone else’s behind, then keep tab with NETWORK 101 series.

Now, it is important to know that the economy is not the issue. The issue is YOU. Life is tough. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Or are you part of those who keep on blaming witches and unverifiable phenomenon of your challenges

In as much as the above scenario is still at play in Nigeria, the world’s paradigm has changed from corporate time economy to performance economy. In the nearest future, YOU will be paid according to your performance irrespective of your profession. Already, it is happening in several sectors top on the list is the banking sector. . If you want a solid future, you need to create it. You can take charge of your future only when you take control of your income source. You need your own business. A 21^st century business called Networking.

NB: No one will employ you a graduate because of your certificate, but the skills you have acquired wherever, whenever which is the key to your performance. Its not gona be business as usual anymore. STEP UP

UNDERSTANDING MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING NETWORKING 101 SERIES -III

A NEW ECONOMIC MODEL (PERFORMANCE BASED)

Over the years firms employ people for their time especially in Nigeria. An average office job is a 6am-6pm time frame. So irrespective of whether the day was productive or not, an employee is expectant of his S_omething A_lways L_ow A_nd R_idicles Y_ou (Peanuts) at the end of a time frame usually 30 days. But, permit to forsee the future, that productivity will be underlying factor to earn as one will be paid by one’s performance and not by one’s time. What this means is that,

·         A sales person would not get expected pay until he/she meet target sales.

·         An employee earning a steady salary let’s say N100,000 would have it slashed to basic pay like N20,000 and would be given a performance benchmark to meet up to earn additional pay. No, you have no option than to keep the job because there are several persons who will jump at the job. Moreso, the firm has nothing to lose but everything to gain. You are the one on the hot seat. Hit the target, earn more. Fail to do that; earn far less. Now, by the time you consistently hit performance target, guess what? It would be raised (a new target is given). Listen, that is what the future holds for every profession sooner or later.

Is someone saying it’s not possible? Ok. May I remind you, there are lesser jobs to do courtesy of technology and recession. Firms are cutting cost with immediate alarcrity. Thus, creating an under-staffed working environment with only the anointed few either by merit or by the opposite of it that were spared. These spared employees are over-worked and given expected targets. Check around in the banking sector, civil service, the oil and gas sector to come to terms with reality.

Still in doubt? if I may ask;

·         when was the last time you wrote a letter and posted it? When you could just make call.

·         When was the last time you bought/rent movies in a movie store? When you could just download away in a jiffy.

·         When was the last time you went to the bank to withdraw at the counter? When the ATM is a stone’s throw away.

Do you realize, technology and efficiency is taking away our every day jobs.The hand writing is well written on the wall. You can choose to read, acknowledge and begin to re-align or worst still ignore it. A new Economic model has come to stay and has brought with it the means to survive it (Network Marketing).

AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD 2017

Starting your Journey

Are you looking for mentoring to launch or grow your business idea in Africa? Submit a brief summary of your idea now to start your entrepreneurship journey.

When you submit your business idea proposal to the African Entrepreneurship Award, you embark on a journey that puts you at the center of a community of entrepreneurs and mentors in Africa and around the world. As a community, we are dedicated to helping you improve your business idea and achieve your goals of building something awesome in Africa.
You can learn exactly how to submit a proposal to the African Entrepreneurship Award by watching the video on the right (or below if you are on your mobile).

Eligibility

You, the entrepreneur, must meet the following criteria as you submit your business proposal:

• You must be a citizen of an African country.
• You must be a minimum of 18 years old as of October 1, 2017.
• Your business must be applicable in an African country.
• Your business proposal must include a technological component (digital, machinery, computers, ICT, automated processes, field related technologies, etc.).
• Your business must be for profit.
• Your business idea must include a social impact. You need to articulate the problem that you are trying to solve as well as the solution that you propose to offer.
• Your business must be relevant to one of these categories:
• Education – positively impact education in Africa
• Environment – positively impact the environment in Africa
• Uncharted – a high-impact business venturing into unexplored territory or untested markets

 DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, THEN CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

UNDERSTANDING MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING (NETWORKING 101 SERIES-II)

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT NETWORKING

At the mention of Network Marketing business lots of Nigerians flee. Their running away could be as a result of bad experiences or wrong information and mis-information about the business. Many of us cannot tell the difference between 'Ponzi' schemes and networking marketing. In fact, I think ponzi schemes (which many have fallen many victims) is part of the reasons why network marketing has such a bad name in many Nigerian minds.The key reasons why this business concept, though amazing, is not working for many Nigerians are a function of what they have been told or seen especially from the unsuccessful persons. Some of the impressions include:

An External point of view (An average Nigerian not interested or have lost interest in Networking)

 

1. Network Marketing is all about HAWKING DRUGS. 

Response: All things being equal, no genuine marketing firm hawks drugs, i.e. if they are selling drugs which i strong doubt. What many persons perceive as drugs are actually food supplements.

2. Networking is about using people to enrich a very priviledged few. 

Response: Actually, this is not true especially if you understand the nature of the business model. It is pyramidal in nature just like any organization that have very few people at the top with huge benefits and the lower you go, the less benefit. The difference between a genuine networking model and an average corporate body is that, firstly, any one can get to the top at any point in time in the former as there are no hard and fast rules. It is strictly performance base. While in the later, promotion is a function of several things amonsgt which age, certificate, connection, aggressive ambition are factors that determines where one will end up in the percking order.  These persons whom you think are enriched or using people actually worked for it. And if you do your homework well, you could be part of them. it is not 1 + 1, it is actually a gradual thing. The problem with Nigerians is that, we are  money-conscious such that everyone wants fast money. Put N5 to get N10 at the expenses of others whom you think you outsmart.

3. Many persons have been swindled, used and dumped in the name of Networking.This is actually not a misconception but a serious challenge.

Response: The very few who have been swindled by ingenuine networking firms or greedy nigerians who work with genuine networking firms,  have used their experiences as a yardstick to shut down on networking. I wouldn't blame them. This form the bulk of the major resisitivity to the Networking business model. But,it does not remove the fact that, there are persons making it real big in this Business model. The difference is this, they were lucky to get the right information from the right persons, they took time to understand the business model and work towards achieving their dreams amidst the negativity.

An Internal point of view (An average Nigerian who was coerced and deceived into  Networking) 

In as much as Nigerians are willing to do anything to make money, there is something most persons fail to do. Understand the modus operandi of whatever they are getting into. According to Eric Worre, Many persons who are in this category are either Posers or Amateurs. And sooner or later, they will fall out of the business. Why? lack of patience, lack of understanding, unteachable mentality, selfishness and greed. Other things that lead to failure and misconception include:

4. They don't work as a team. Everyone is working independently and selfishly striving to outdo each other

Response: Networking is Teamwork. Teamwork is networking. immediately anyone in your team begins to loose focus, it will affect the growth of virtually everyone in that team. And for it to work, the nigerian mentality of ME, I, MYSELF must be exponged to be WE, US, OURSELVES.

5. They partner with Network Marketing Company with big but shallow reward schemes

Response: This is a very genuine challenge. And this usually crops up when one finds it difficult to develop his/her team. It is expected that before you join any networking business firm, do your background check them. Know their conpensation plans and  more importantly, what kind of products do they sell, can YOU use the product? take note, i did not say, can you sell them?

6. Many persons claims they cant do marketing of products

Response: When i usually hear this, i laugh inside of me. why? because just as man is a political animal, so is man a naturally instinctive marketing officer. But, we fail to be realistic. Our problem is not telling people about the products, Our challenge is simply, TRUST ISSUES. Do you actually believe that the products can do what is ascribed to do? have you actually used it to boost your confidence in it? There is nothing being used or useful in life, if it is not recommended. Whatever product or goods or services you engage today is a function of recommendation by someone you know physically or some place you heard it recommended. And you bought it because, you have been told of its efficacy. So, marketing or recommending a product is not the problem, but your trust level in the product and one more thing, your ego.

7. The products are too costly especially when we have its equivalent very cheap here.

Response: This challenge is a Nigerian challenge. We like cheap things and we do know cheap things do not only last, they are of poor quality and worst still have negative health implications on us. So the question is,would you rather have something that would help you maintain your health, improve it at some quality cost or use cheap and degrading products piling up decay and illness in our bodies till it manifest such a way that, it will cost us extremely much to regain health. That is a matter of one's choice to make.

8. You'll just sign up to a network marketing business and money would keep flowing into your bank account while you sleep all day and hang out with friends. 

Response: If you don't understand the products you're promoting and don't know how the model works, you're only flushing your money down the toilet. Network marketing requires knowledgable,  smart and goal-oriented people. Now you may not fit into all of the aforementioned but you can make yourself fit, if you deem it fit. If you are determined to succeed. networking is like any other business that requires one's time and effort but not as much as other kinds of businesses. it is passive in nature and more importantly. You do not need physical presence but you need human presence because, that is your capital.