The Taming of the Hairy Beast

I can clearly remember the excitement and anticipation I felt when I got involved with my very first Network Marketing Company more then a dozen years ago. I can also clearly remember the paralyzing dread I felt when the idea of prospecting was given a definitive identity.

It seems that as long as I was left to network in my natural style oblivious to what I was doing, I was ok with it – even successful; then once it was defined and parameters were imposed, it became a big hairy monster with yellow eyes and toxic drool running down its chin.

Today I am aware that the only thing that actually changed was the intention behind my socializing and networking and yet, that was enough to stop me in my tracks. Suddenly, I was networking with an agenda – for personal gain and worse then that, all eyes were on me to see if I succeeded!

It shouldn’t have surprised me however, over the years I have had the privilege of speaking with hundreds of people in the industry and I have found that my experience was extremely common. In fact, there are a large group of people out there who won’t even consider working a Networking Marketing business because they inherently know that the formalizing of networking is a terrifying idea to them.

What makes all of this happen? I’ve noticed a bizarre and yet powerful contradiction in the cultural attitudes of North America.

Most of us have been taught that it is wrong to promote ourselves or anything that we will benefit from – it came in the form of being told not to brag (or whatever the language used in each household) as children.

Bragging and any other form of self promotion was discouraged in my family rather adamantly. Now the contradiction is that in order to financially succeed in our culture, self promotion and several variations of that are required.

It makes perfect sense why so many people can promote something that they gain nothing from and yet sweat bullets, stammer and freeze if they find themselves promoting some thing they will benefit from.

The most important question here is what can we do about it? How can we help people to get past their fears so they can experience the wonders of having financial abundance for themselves? While there are no simple answers to that question, there are some observations we can draw on and use in the training process.

We’ve all seen it: The new guy goes out and sponsors 2 or 3 of his friends right off the bat before he even knows what he is doing. It’s absolutely amazing what naïve enthusiasm can create and it happens over and over again. So how can we as sponsors tap into the brilliance of naïve enthusiasm?

The reason so many new networkers have such brilliant early success is because they are still simply being themselves with the energy of excitement driving them forward.

It’s not until they are faced with learning the definition of what they are doing that their success tends to drop off; many never recovering from their education. It is my personal belief that sometimes, we make too much of training. Why fix what’s not broken? If it’s working, why not let them carry on as they are? There is always time for training later.

How about those who have already been chained to the big hairy monster?

I wasn’t able to tame my monster until I began to consider prospecting from a more heart and love centered perspective.

I had to work very hard to break the habit of seeing people as resources for my own financial potential and begin working more from a point of ‘who can I help?’ Once I finally adapted that perspective, it became rather easy to approach people – at least once that perspective became authentic.

No matter what I do these days – Network Marketing or otherwise – when it comes to training I spend far more energy in teaching people how to love and how to be of assistance to others than I do on what they will get personally. They usually know what they are going to get; they saw the business plan. So how to do they get what they want?

Help as many other people get what they want as possible.

Training someone to be a genuine caring person who wants to assist others and experiences abundance as a result is as easy as being a good example of a genuine caring person. Being this example invites them to take their eyes off themselves long enough to assist someone else.

The easiest method of prospecting in any situation is one based on love, mutual respect and an authentic desire to help people get what they want.

Wasn’t Mr. Carnegie brilliant?

In Gratitude Kat McCarthy Kat McCarthy has journeyed through the jungles of business, interpersonal relationships and successful living strategies for most of her adult life. She is unique in her coaching style offering those she works with an opportunity to 'find their own magic,' assisting them to incorporate business seamlessly into a lifestyle that is balanced and profitable using the tools and principles of manifestation, mindful living and strategic integration techniques.

Kat is a cofounder of the successful internet community called "http://kat.powerfulintentions.com" Powerful Intentions operates a specialty directory called The Secret Yellow Pages which aims to bring like mind people together in the market place and is co-creator of a free internet magazine called The Magic Happens.

Kat holds 3 degrees in business, has spent more then a decade in affiliate and network marketing and is presently attending an on line teaching facility whose sole purpose is to make learning to market on the internet as simple, easy and profitable as possible. Please accept Kat's invitation to attend with her and learn to make your home based business truly home based. Wealthy Affiliates Internet Marketing Invitation To Contact Kat feel free to Email - kat@themagichappens.com or pick up the phone for a friendly chat. (519) 304-1335