aashtech's Full Review: John Milton Fogg - The Greatest Networker in the W...
One of the great joys in life is finding something new -- meeting a new person that inspires you, finding a perfect little Italian place, picking up a collection of jazz you never heard of. The next best thing is sharing that with like-minded people who appreciate these gems, too. Hmmm. Is that why you are reading and writing on this website?
The best resource you can bring to these moments is an open mind. Without it, you might never say, "hello" to that interesting person with the weird jacket. You might not want to enter that bistro since the location is a little unusual.
Can you keep an open mind when I say two words? Let's see. Network Marketing. I can almost hear it closing from where I am now! Everyone has horror stories about Network Marketing and in many cases they are, sadly, true. Too many of these associations are just money laundering pyramids with no product, no service, no past, and no future. Many people get hurt and only a few are helped.
But true Network Marketing begins with a real product or service and is, ultimately, the complete Responsibility business. You are only paid on your efforts and, generally, just a small amount with each sale or new customer. The only way to attain financial freedom comes from keeping your customers happy, and that requires good products and great customer service. When a customer leaves, the money stops.
My financial planner describes it as weaving a macramé. It takes time to carefully add each loop, and the piece grows slowly. No matter how big it gets, though, a single tear can quickly unravel the whole thing. He builds his business that way. Current customers refer new ones and they refer more. One unhappy customer will pull their assets out and can drive old ones away, which dries up new referrals. Any business built on word of mouth dies the same way. It builds slowly and collapses overnight.
But a good Network Marketing business is the strongest organization imaginable. I don't expect you to entirely believe that, since it stands against your "better judgment" and you probably have some bad experiences of your own. I don't doubt them and certainly won't dispute them, although I consider responsibility the most important ingredient. The product or service delivered must be valuable. The agent must be focused on customer service and must be active in developing his or her business. Weakness in any of these areas is a recipe for failure.
Please take an honest assessment of these traits in considering the information that has closed your mind. Network Marketing is not a get rich quick business. It is a get rich slow model, as is all real success. Plant seeds in the spring. Protect them from the harsher elements, and harvest in the fall. The true overnight success is tomorrow's failure. How many lottery winners are still wealthy five years later? Those we think of as overnight successes in sports, business, entertainment, politics, and so on worked hard to achieve it. Do you think Tiger Woods ever practiced golf, or did he just stroll onto the course one day and never look back? Do you think Thomas Edison ever made any inventions that failed?
Responsibility for failure must be accepted and is often our best teacher. The biggest responsibility we all have is for the quality of our own lives and the strength of our relationships.
That is what this book is about. Even if you have had terrible Network Marketing experiences, you can enjoy the story presented here and learn about living more fully in whatever you choose to do.
But what about the book, man!
This is a very easy to read book. Slender, with relatively large print and a good deal of white space, the prose is swift and straightforward. The author writes from the perspective of someone who is ready to give up on his short Network Marketing career, when he meets a successful mentor who teaches him how to discover his true purpose in life and then, how to attain his goals.
The mentor has been very successful and is a good teacher. In fact, many of the vignettes revolve around the teacher-student relationship, and that is where the reader learns, too. The author learns to listen to his own heart as well as those around him. You can see how patterns in life reveal desires and drives, but can be overlooked in a busy life. There are many examples of how opportunity presents itself time and time again to all of us. By being prepared, we can seize these moments and make the most of them.
I like the way that the author used the Socratic method, so that the reader has the chance to consider the situations and find the answer on their own. Naturally, this carries added benefit. Not only is the answer understood more fully, but the exercise of discovery brings its own reward and is a valuable skill, too.
I think you will agree that in teaching something, you learn it better yourself. There is really only one "formal" training session described (although the whole book is a lesson,) and that has to do with teaching fifteen six- and seven-year old kids to play tee-ball. The same instruction method that helps them, can help everyone deal with their lives.
The story outlines four main goals in any endeavor. Meeting them in order, they are:
1: Have fun
2: Teach all the skills and techniques that you can
3: Make sure the students develop as individuals and members of a team
4: Win when you can
If it isn't fun, you won't do it for long and you won't have the desire to do it well. Teaching really draws out everything you have to offer, and helps everyone grow. Winning is also fun, although losing from time to time gives a good lesson, too.
The sponsor's lifestyle is quite remarkable--quirky and enjoyable. He built a powerful organization in Japan, and I appreciated the insights into that culture. His family life is also memorable and the characters are compelling, although not deeply drawn. You can read the entire book in a few hours, so it is not great literature, but this little book certainly makes you think. It opens your mind to different perspectives and you can learn to appreciate life and all it has to offer. I have read it quite a few times and see something new with each pass. I am a better person for having opened these pages.
If your mind is open to meeting a new paradigm in a non-threatening way, you will not forget what you learn here. Returning to the opening analogy, set aside your trepidation and c'mon in. The music is intriguing, even if it is only in the discount rack.
Just the facts
Publication year: 1997
ISBN: 0-7615-1057-5
Section: Business / Network Marketing
Author John Milton Fogg, who also founded the industry journal Upline, and serves in a biographical role for large parts of the main character, has ghost written many industry books, newsletters, and training pieces.
The MLM Classic. --Richard Poe, author of Wave 3Network marketing is a burgeoning field, and it can be a frustrating and difficult experience. There a...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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