The Fundamentals of Networking – Develop The List

As part of the Fundamentals of Networking series in these Gems of Wisdom, I have already spoken about the importance of doing your homework before you begin the actual business. One thing to mention is that this first step as a networker is never over. You must always be learning, staying informed, and improving yourself.

Once you are ready to begin the business, it is time to make ‘The List’. This list will quite possibly be your most treasured asset you will ever own as a network marketer. The list is the first part of the ‘Prospecting’ process.

The List is your prospect list.  Sit down and think of absolutely, positively, every single person you can think of, from your family and friends, to your doctor and local shop attendant. Your first lesson here is that everyone – yes, everyone – is a prospect; someone who may be interested in joining your business. So start to write down all of these names. You should be able to come up with at least 100 names. Don’t let that figure scare you. I was speaking on this topic at a seminar once, and I gave everyone in the audience 30 minutes to write down 100 names. One old lady said that there was no way she could think of 100 people to write down on her list. Everyone in the audience was empathic with this lady because they were having a hard time as well. So what did I do? I offered her $100 for every name she wrote down. And what did she do? She wrote down more than 100 names. Why could she suddenly think of so many names? She had started putting a value on each name. This is the mindset of prospecting.

Once you have your list – and I should mention that you should never stop adding to your prospect list – you can then start identifying categories. Start with two categories – all the people whom you think would be easy to approach, such as your family and friends, and the people whom you feel may be more difficult to invite into the business, such as your doctor or someone you don’t know very well. It is the latter group, the difficult group, which you should approach first. These are the ones who you think will have all sorts of excuses, concerns and reasons why they don’t have time for the business or why they’re not interested. You should approach this difficult category first because it gives you a chance to sharpen your inviting skills. This is where your homework comes in, as it will give you confidence, information and resources to tackle difficult questions. But we will speak more about the art of Inviting in a later Gem.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

 

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

The Fundamentals of Networking – Do Your Homework

Many of my readers of Gems are networkers. It is the life we live and breathe. So, I think it appropriate to spend some time talking about the principles of networking. I want to go back to basics and discuss what makes us successful in the beginning of this business. Self-development and character building is important, but in the business of network marketing, you also need to have the skills of a networker. I mean, just because someone is a good person doesn’t make them a good driver of a car. The same applies to networking.

In the next few Gems, I would like to address three basic areas of networking: Prospecting, Inviting, and Presenting. But before we get into any of that, you need to do your homework first.

I think of a network marketing company as a cake with many pieces. If I don’t like one of the pieces, I would not join that particular company.  These ‘pieces of cake’ include considerations such the wider direct selling industry, the company’s background, the network, the corporate management, the compensation plan, and the products.

Make sure you know about the industry, and the difference between pyramiding and legitimate networking. Make sure you know the company you will represent. A good network marketing or direct selling company must have a good, strong sales force or marketing team in terms of the actual network, and the corporate management must be intact and effective. There needs to be that balance. Also, immerse yourself in the compensation plan to ensure it is structured for longevity. If a company has no limits to its payouts, then you know the company won’t last.

Be sure you actually try the products. If you are promoting the products of a company, it is hypocritical and ineffective to promote something you have never used, or a product that you don’t even like. Another consideration is to find out what type of training and support the company offers. This is an important factor in your growth as a networker.

Before you even think about your prospect list or earning potential, make sure you have done this basic background research and that you have taken the time to understand the industry, the company, the compensation plan, and the products. As your life as a networker develops, you will be very thankful that you did.

 

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

 

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Food For Thought

When I was a young child, my parents found it extremely difficult to get me to eat anything that even remotely resembled a vegetable. I loved hot dogs and hamburgers and junk food, like most young children. I didn’t like carrots, and really disliked broccoli. Then, when I was nine years old, I was taken on a tour of a slaughterhouse in the Philippines. I was shocked to see a half-dead cow being hung from the rafters by a big hook, slowly bleeding to death, being kept alive as long as possible so as to keep the meat fresher for longer. I was sickened by the suffering of this animal. At nine years of age, all I could think was, “Is this what animals go through, just so I can eat them?” The reality I saw in the slaughterhouse didn’t match the hamburger commercials I’d seen on TV, where cows were happy and chickens danced around huge farms.

At such a young age, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a vegetarian. I certainly didn’t know there was a whole philosophy behind vegetarianism. But instinctively, I just felt it was wrong to take another life so I could eat. I had never before made the connection between live animals and the meat on my dinner plate. My young mind thought that if there was an alternative to killing the animals I saw in the slaughterhouse, then I would rather take that alternative. I haven’t eaten meat since then.

Being a vegetarian is a matter of choice. And there are many reasons behind why people make the choice to become vegetarian. Of course, some of these reasons are health-related. A properly balanced vegetarian diet is healthy and beneficial to the human body. Also, scientifically, the physical make-up of humans is not designed to be carnivorous. If you look at the anatomy and function of herbivores in the animal kingdom, their intestines are very long, like humans, meaning they’re not able to fully digest meat, which rots very fast in the intestines. Vegetarian animals, like cows, water buffalo and giraffes, don’t have canine teeth that are designed to rip through meat. Instead, they have flat, grinding teeth, much like that of humans, which are perfect for eating plants and vegetables. What’s more, our saliva contains a specific enzyme that has the sole purpose of digesting complex carbohydrates found in plant foods. This enzyme is not found in the saliva of carnivores. Interesting, isn’t it? We’re just not designed to eat meat.

Not only are we not designed to eat meat, but instinctively, we are not meant to either. I remember an experiment where a toddler was placed in a cot with an apple and a rabbit. The toddler ate the apple and played with the rabbit. But when a small tiger cub was placed in the cot with an apple and a rabbit, the tiger ate the rabbit and played with the apple! The meat industry and commercialisation has made it so easy for humans to eat meat, by removing from sight and mind the connection between live animals and meat we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Our natural instincts have been diminished.

Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” This quote is perhaps even wiser than the man who said it.

There are more than six billion people in this world, and according to the UN, if everyone adopted a vegetarian diet, not one of those people would need to worry about going hungry. Plus, the meat industry is one of the biggest contributors to global warming, deforestation, and water consumption; consider the hundreds of thousands of litres of water needed to rear livestock and produce meat products, the many hectares of trees that are being cut down so that cattle can graze, and the sheer magnitude of methane produced by cattle. More than any human activity, these things are slowly chipping away at the ability of the Earth to sustain life.

The QI Group is a vegetarian company, but that does not mean we try to force our employees or anyone else to be vegetarian. Everyone has a choice. As Group Managing Director of QI, the Board of Directors and I agree that the health, ethical, and environmental advantages of practicing vegetarianism is worth promoting and embodying. It is our company statement that all life is sacred.

Please take a moment to ponder… Vegetarianism is a choice we make for our own good, as well as the greater good. It is a choice we make after realising the bleakness of the consequences of the alternative. But it is a choice. And we must decide, sooner or later, what choice we are going to make.

 

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

 

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

 

 

To Be Like the Bee

There are many lessons we can learn just by looking around us… from the most seemingly insignificant occurrences in nature to the most obvious of human behaviour.

Take, for example, the predispositions of the humble bumble bee and the common fly. Think about where you normally see these creatures. You will find the bee merrily buzzing around the sweet nectar of flowers. The fly, on the other hand, is drawn to the filthy places of rubbish bins and waste. The same can be seen in people. Some people choose to surround themselves with good by seeing the positive things in others and in the world around them. They recognise there is negativity and evil, but they choose to focus on what is good and right. They do not gossip about the badness of others. They do not finger point and bring people down. These people are ‘bee-like’. Then there are the ‘fly-like’ people. Attracted to the dark side of things, these people choose to see the negative and they draw the attention of other people towards the ills of something. They point out people’s flaws to third parties and they have no interest in helping the person they are talking about.

This is not to say that we must be blind to others’ faults. But if you are to draw attention to these faults, you should do so to the person concerned, and only with the motive of helping that person to improve. It is not for you to speak about that person’s flaws with other people, as this is non-constructive and serves no purpose other than the spread of malicious rumour that will not help the person involved.

Please take a moment to ponder… do not focus on the imperfections of others. We are imperfect ourselves. Before we correct others, let us first correct ourselves. We should be humble in what we see and do. We should be bee-like, and should avoid the trappings of viewing the world through the eyes of the garbage-seeking fly.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd