Hey everyone,  Its Morgan here!

Slight change of plans from the normal today. Its been some time since I posted on this blog, in fact, the last time was when I gave my account of our time in Amsterdam back in 2012!!  Anyway, Some recent events really got me thinking about this topic and prompted me to write this short post.  It started out as Facebook post and then the next thing I knew I had a couple of thousand words.  So I figured hey why not share it here?  I hope you enjoy it and find some value in it, i know it’s a little off topic from what you may to be use to but its something I’m really passionate about…… ENJOY!

Working from a café today I couldn’t help overhear a conversation going on behind me.   Some poor girl was being grilled in a job interview, to be fair she was doing a good job and holding her own.  She seemed bright and very bubbly, but sitting here listening to the language, the tone and general vibe of the convo made me feel a bit anxious.

One person trying so hard to Sell themselves  the other revelling in their self-perceived position of power.  Out comes the “Work Voice”, you know the one?  It’s similar to the one you put on as a kid when you’re answering the home telephone but you are in earshot of mum…….  “Hello Richards residence, Morgan Speaking!”  just the most fake thing you can think of.

The reason it made me feel so anxious though is because that was exactly how I felt working in corporate, going to corporate meetings and talking the corporate talk all day long.  Trust me, there is nothing more soul-destroying than working in a profession where you can’t really show up as yourself or say what you truly mean without fear of what your “boss” might think.  I would often think I wonder what would happen if I spoke honestly to my boss’s even for 30 seconds, how would they take it if gave them  an honest appraisal of their performance as a leader.   The answer being that most employers wouldn’t take it well and it would be reflected in my pay review and promotion prospects.

I feel the same type of anxiety in airport lounges when high-flying harry big balls is sitting next me talking on the phone or talking to his staff.

Actually that just reminded me of a story.  A few weeks back Anna and I were waiting for a flight in Melbourne, we used our points to upgrade to business (we aren’t flashy dickheads, but when we can we upgrade).  Subsequently we were given access to the business lounge and we were sitting there on our laptops enjoying a red wine before our flight (Anna of course a Champagne) when a few moments later this guy in a suit comes in and sits just near us, entourage in tow.  This guy thought he was Harvey spectre (watch the show suits to understand that example) and he wanted everyone to know it.  Berating his staff for asking questions, talking down to them like they were dirt.  Not just quietly either, loudly, he didn’t just want the staff to know how important he was, he wanted everyone to in the room to.  I always try my best to be impeccable with my word whenever I can, not to judge people  but after listening to this guy for over an hour it was fairly safe to assume that this guy was, well, a massive dick.

I thought about John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership as I often do when I’m around this type of person. This guy was the definition of level 1-  TITLE.  People (his staff) only tolerated him because they believe they had no other choice because of his rank in the company.  But you know what I honestly felt? I honestly felt sorry for him, because one day his time and position of power will end and along with it his own self-worth.  When your own self-importance comes before developing others you can’t create legacy, once the power of your title is gone you are left with nothing.

But most of all I felt sorry for his staff, I knew that feeling of being made to feel second-rate by some A-hole on a power trip.

It made me wonder, why do people put up with that? Seriously, in any bar across any country in the world if one person spoke to another the same way as this guy did to his staff, fists would probably fly.  But because there is an exchange of time for money (that’s basically what a job is right?) we tolerate the worst people in world and we do this by choice?

I’m not saying that pursuing a traditional career is a bad idea, in fact I was speaking to a friend of ours the other night who has just landed his dream job in an incredible company.   He is super passionate and excited about the work he will be doing and the people he will be doing it with.

What I am saying however, is if you don’t love what you do, change it or at least takes steps to do something about it.

Casual Friday AKA the day i left corporate and became a full-time Network Marketer

As I sit here in this café today listening to the girl being interviewed and reflecting on high flying harry big balls display in the lounge I found myself filled with so much gratitude for our chosen profession.  Anna and I are so fortunate to able to say that we love what we do now. Not only is it important to be our authentic selves, its critical for success.  We treat our team with respect and in turn we get it back in droves, but most importantly we treat people exactly the same when they enter our team, as when they are working in our team or if they decide to leave our team.  Yes network marketing isn’t perfect, and yes you still get the occasional knob but I ultimately have the say on whether or not I choose to work with them.  There are no high pressure interviews where you need to have a shiny CV full of qualifications and pre requisites that (lets face it) you probably lied about anyway.  It’s often said that it doesn’t matter if you have gone to Yale or come from Jail to have success in our profession.  Ultimately your success is measured (and paid on) the amount of people you help be successful and rise through the organisation, which is completely the opposite in the corporate world.

Working from our local cafe in Fremantle

Now, I can already tell what some people will think as they read this “but morgan I had a friend who was involved in network marketing once and they were let down really badly”.  Which is a totally valid statement, yes in the past and even today people are let down by network marketing companies.  They are let down in the same way they are let down by bad restaurants, Taxi drivers who take the long route, publicly listed stock, airline companies, telephone companies, Investing money in the wrong shares,  mechanics and of course trades people and contractors who rip off their clients.  The worst by far are Plumbers! They show up late, they overcharge and not to mention the dreaded plumbers crack (what’s up with that?).  I remember a plumber charging me $1000 to fix my hot water system, I then found out from a friend a few months later it was an $180 job. The difference is 3 years later at 3am one morning, the toilet began overflowing. Now like most sane, rational people I didn’t throw my hands up in the air, tar all plumbing companies with the same brush and allow the turds to flow through my house.  I called any plumber that was available to come out and help fix the problem regardless of my past experience.

It frustrates me why people think that our profession and industry is somehow immune from the same type of stuff that happens in  any other industry?

Yes, unscrupulous companies come (and very quickly go), yes sometimes people with poor ethics find their way into our profession, but what profession doesn’t have the exact same problems?  If you pick any profession across any industry you will find the exact same thing, in the medical industry with dodgy doctors, in the legal system with corrupt judges and what about the people we trust to run our governments?  I’m not trying to make excuses for these companies, in fact I get as angry as the next person when people get let down by our industry, what I am trying to point out is that network marketing is just like any other industry.  There is the good and the bad.

Finding a good network marketing company is like finding a good plumber or mechanic.  Difficult, but not impossible, provided you know what to look for.  There is a whole swag of things to be mindful of that will help you cut through any BS, but that’s a whole other post for another time but its something I’m also really passionate about.

The common thing for many people is they seem to believe that if they purchase a product from a network marketing company they somehow are being duped or they are a sucker? Common sense time guys…….  If you pay for a membership at cost co and all you receive is a trolley full of groceries that you love every single month, are you being ripped off? If you are a member of a wine club and all you pay for and receive is a case of wine each month are you being taken for a ride? The answer of course is a NO!  Your membership allows you to purchase products at the best possible prices, you get products that meet your needs and you consume them on a regular basis.

Quality Network marketing companiess are no different! You find a product you love (MASSIVE HINT), make sure it has a money back guarantee (any decent company would back their own product, our company certainly does)  you pay a membership fee to receive the best possible price, you order the products and you consume them.  There never is an obligation to pursue the business (if there is run the other way), that’s because legitimate NWM companies MUST HAVE REAL CUSTOMERS in the exact same way that cost co does.

But for some reason when there is an opportunity to earn rebates and/or commissions by making referrals, peoples scepticism seeps in?  Like it sounds too good to be true?  The truth is, it’s not to be good to be true because it requires hard work, dedication and commitment just like anything where the rewards are high.  It’s no different to sharing a movie you love, a restaurant you had good service at or hotel that went above and beyond.  In fact most of us are doing it don’t even realise it!

Big companies like Apple and Samsung are already leveraging your networks, you just aren’t being paid for it.

No thanks, Sounds like a pyramid scheme.

Network marketing has come of age, It’s no longer a question of viability or if it works, it does……. It’s the people who don’t.

The industry will continue to grow with or without you or me being a part of it, people will continue to buy quality products and distribute them to friends, families and total strangers.  My hope is that eventually common sense will prevail when it comes to the everyday person looking at our profession and even though it may not be for them, they understand that’s it is just another profession.  I’m not saying that’s its perfect, but if you hate working for knobs who treat you like dirt it’s a bloody good option.

Of course this is just an opinion post,  it’s up to the person reading this to make a decision on what they believe about network marketing. It may or may not be for you, but there is only one way to find out….

Image: here & here.