For those who have purchased my book already since the launch in January 2016, I have revised it because I neglected to leave an important part to what makes Massachusetts so unique when it comes to doing MLM. The following sub-chapter can be found in chapter 10 – Why Do Most People Fail in Network Marketing? The change will be reflected in the Ebook and in the 2nd edition of the softcover. Feel free to share your comments and frustration if you can relate to what I’ve written.
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One of the things that I have reiterated over and over in this book is how much the people of Massachusetts are smart. We are the most highly educated people in New England and across the country. We have more top ranking schools in Boston than most states will ever have. Therefore Massachusetts is prominently a Sea Urchin state. The majority of those who do join network marketing have a tendency to attract themselves to business models that complement their intelligence and knowledge.
This is part of the human nature factor that many of us cannot resist doing. It also explains why many would be network marketers who join MLM fail without evening knowing it. Simply because network marketing does not work like that nor does it really give you an edge above all the rest if you are smart. In actuality, your intelligence can help if you are very creative and have a dynamic personality as you grow your business but other than that it does not work well in the MLM industry. Simply put MLM does not need your intelligence; it needs your understanding to follow systematic processes. Furthermore you cannot duplicate your intelligence on to someone else for them to be successful. You cannot force someone to think like you base on your advanced degrees or previous trainings. Network marketing is a business model that welcomes everyone from different walks of life, religious beliefs and levels of education. MLM is probably the only industry that does not care about your educational background. All it cares about is whether or not you are coachable and teachable.
Therefore the companies that these Sea Urchins join do not guarantee them success nor do they serve as successful business models to get into just because they have done a thorough job of vetting the company out. In fact many of the ones they join tend to require some form of a license such as a real estate license, an insurance license like a property and casualty, a series six or seven, a health or life insurance license, etc.
Do not get me wrong, all of these businesses that require such a license or training certificate are great businesses. However they all fail to meet the standard by which the MLM industry thrives on: activity, momentum, duplication and action. The reason why these business models are a hindrance to one’s success is because many newbie associates find themselves spending more time studying for such licenses or certification before ever doing the business or any activity. The most common rational they give for not doing any activity is that they do not want to leave any money on the table or that the state’s policy dictates that one must first have a license or certification before they can sell the product or service. A Sea Urchin will most likely read you the law verbatim and will not budge until they have gotten their license or certification. It is who they are by design.
Furthermore it is my experience that while many of these associates who gravitate to these business models are proven Sea Urchins at their best in passing exams, they tend to fail at being great recruiters and sales people. Meaning they have a harder time selling their product or service than one would expect. Having taken the time to pass an exam first before doing any activity in the business does not make you a great associate. What constitutes a great associate is one who fails in the process of learning, gets back up and tries again. They understand the concept of practicing while learning. It’s the same philosophy of being on the job training. When a Sea Urchin fails, their desire to move forward dwindles down the more hurdles they face. They have a tendency to want to do it by themselves. They will more or less fall back on their intelligence to get through a specific hurdle in the business rather than ask an upline who has already gone through that hurdle themselves.
One of my suggestions before joining a business model that require you to pass an exam is to find out how many actual associates who pass the exam go on to being great associates in the business or even stick and stay? Next you should find out how long does it take the average associate to pass the test? Third, if the business has been around for a long time in your state, find out how many people have their license versus how many associates are active in the business? The organizer of the briefing may not have or know the exact answer to that question but you can make a good assessment of the success of that briefing if you attend a regional event in your state. What you will find is that the numbers are low if not very low for each one of those questions. The numbers just don’t lie.
In conclusion, what the answers should tell you is that building a business in New England does not require one to be highly educated to be successful at network marketing. If anything the more educated you are, the more likely you will fail because many will attempt to force their intellect into a duplicatable business model that is governed by systems in place for you to already be successful at it to begin with. Sea Urchins have a hard time following a duplicatable system that does not allow room for them to express their intellect. Hence the reasons why they usually gravitate to these types of business models and not others.
Furthermore it is the same reason why you will not find too many people in those organizations having success because of one important fact. They all tend to buy into the recruiting hype that they should go and recruit everybody into their business. The only problem with that is the business model is really not for everybody. It is only a great business model for Sea Urchins to get into and not the other three fishes. Well in this case, Sea Urchins are the prevailing characteristic that is necessary for them to be successful in those types of businesses. Therefore a Shark, Dolphin, and a Whale must all have the Sea Urchin trait in them to really make it. Being a shark is not helpful in this scenario.
Nevertheless Sea Urchins thrive in those kinds of businesses but they hardly will ever build a six figure income from them simply because they will attempt to recruit a lot of people who cannot do what they do best. They can get a lot of customers and sell them on their products or services but they do not always make great recruiters who can build a team and create leverage for themselves. Why, because Sea Urchins like to control things and secondly they are very comfortable in recruiting other Sea Urchins in their image. Third, they can be seen as boring people who love to focus on the details and not the activity towards getting to the goal. Fourth, Sea Urchins just make things too complicated for Sharks, Dolphins and Whales. They like to take their time. They are methodical and analytical. Therefore moving at a fast pace is not a priority for them. If they cannot control the growth of the team, they feel as though they are not in control of the business.
In hindsight, it is these factors and others that cause a Sea Urchin to fail at network marketing. While everyone else is seeking to explode their business, that kind of massive success is not manageable for them. Once again it is the intellect of Massachusetts that prevents network marketing from having the explosive growth that is necessary for everyone to see that this industry does work. Consequently why network marketing does not quit work in Massachusetts and New England has more to do with who we are as a core group of people in the states then a sixty year old growing industry that has created more millionaires out of average people from all walks of life than any industry. Yet it has not even scratched the surface of reaching its tipping point. Go figure? I guess we will just keep sticking to our diplomas’ on the wall even though the truth hurts. Only time will tell! All I know is that you can make money or look smart, but you cannot do both in this failing economy. Something has to give! I just pray that it is not too late for you to make up your mind to let go and let God figure out the rest.