From Education to Appreciation: Understanding (and Succeeding In) the Home Business Industry

I am active in discussions online because I like to learn. I like to learn more about various view points, experiences and the backgrounds of those who are giving the view points. So in my quest to determine exactly where the misconceptions surround the home business industry come from, I settled on what I feel to be the major cause of these misconceptions: lack of education!

Now I don't mean education in terms of elementary, high school or college and degrees. I simply mean that the general public lacks a basic understanding of home business, what it means, what it involves, and what kinds of goals and expectations should be set. We've been presented with so many different slogans, promises and expectations that it seems hard to know what to really expect from a home business of any kind.

To get to the root of the problem, I'm analyzing the general mentality of 2 groups: those who are already in a home business and trying to create an income, and those who are actively (and even desperately) seeking an opportunity of their own. So first, we look at independent reps and distributors of income opportunities. Most do not have enough knowledge (or bother to gain enough before they start to promote) about their own opportunities. So most are not able to answer questions about their programs with ease, and usually refer you to their sponsor or upline (who sadly know little more than they do) to have your questions answered. This is the first part in the breakdown of communications, and contributes greatly to many of the misconceptions that plague the industry.

In addition to the lack of knowledge about their own opportunities, many reps and distributors are out for one thing and one thing only: to make money. Rarely do they take into consideration the actual products and services being offered, which poses 2 other major problems. Not only can they not answer questions about their wares, but it also leaves to the imagination the reason for the products being offered at all. I have noticed this in particular with a lot of direct sales-based opportunities. There are viable products and services being offered, but because many distributors are more focused on making money (and recruiting others into their opportunity, thinking this the best and fastest way to earn), they promote only the income opportunity, making the products look useless or worthless. And lets not forget the big-time promises that are made by a lot of distributors and reps in their advertising. They mislead interested prospects with claims of huge earnings (sometimes skyrocketing into the double-digit thousands per month), as well as promising all kinds of training and support that they aren't capable of providing because they don't have a clue themselves. This kind of unethical advertising presents false statistics and creates ill-formed expectations in the minds of those looking to join. And these together subject the entire business opportunity and company (not just that individual distributor) to scam accusations.

The other problem (and perhaps the biggest one) caused by reps and distributors is that because they are in the frame of mind to only make a quick buck, they rarely stick around to help those they do manage to snag get started. This leads to a heap of new members that have little to know experience, even less knowledge than the one before them, and no clue as to how to get their businesses off the ground. And because they know no better, these new members turn around and take up the same unethical practices as the ones who've sponsored them, thinking it the best way to get sales.

Now we'll look at the other half, those seeking to join or start a home business. The first thing I want to cover is perhaps the most important, and the reason for the majority of bad decisions that are made when starting a home business. While there are those who are already entrepreneurs seeking a new opportunity to add to their repertoire, most of the individuals researching and looking to start with a home business are people who are struggling financially, fed up with their jobs, up to their eyeballs in debt and looking for an end-all to their problems. These kinds of situations create a very vulnerable mental state, a state which doesn't respond to reason, which isn't able to rationalize. SO what might appear to a clear-headed person as an outright scam starts to look like a great deal to someone in that desperate and vulnerable mental state. This leads to decisions being made in haste, with little or no research being done and little thought as to how the decision will affect them financially and emotionally, or even how it will affect their families.

As if this weren't bad enough, many opportunity seekers fall for the exaggerated hype that is being thrown about by inexperienced and ill-prepared distributors. This could be due to that vulnerable mental state I mentioned earlier. Promises of easy riches with little or no effort are particularly enticing, because the seekers are so worn out from there day-to-day routines and feeding solely on the hope that there is a program out there that will work, and the more they promise the better the opportunity must be. And from the hype, they develop the notion that they will not have to work much, but can still earn money. Instead of leaning on their better judgment and common sense, they look for "the lazy man's way out" of their situations.

But it gets worse. It's amazing to me what lengths people will go to in order to make sure they're purchasing the best vacuum or car. People utilize tools like Consumer Reports every day to make sure they're purchases are good ones. But when it comes to business, that "cautious consumer" mentality flies completely out the window. All it takes is a few simple searches online to find out more about a particular business opportunity or home business company. Yet the number of folks who don't bother to do this before jumping into an opportunity is astounding! Where there are review sites and forums a-plenty to learn about the true nature of a program (and the kinds of people promoting it), there should be no reason to be ill-informed about anything! Yet seekers become either extremely skeptical, so much so that they don't even bother to research opportunities but give them up for scams, or they become infatuated and take the plunge before they even know what they're paying for!

And the kicker to all of this is that, when it's all said and done and a person has finally decided to go for an opportunity, they forget the most important skill they've ever learned...to READ! Those terms and policies aren't there to make the site look pretty and full of info. They are there to inform potentially new members of what is expected of them, and what they can expect in return. Every business opportunity I've ever been involved with has had specific rules, terms and policies. I've never seen one without. And the interesting thing is that in most cases, a person has to agree to abide by these terms and policies during the sign-up process. What's more, these terms and rules don't disappear once you become a member, they are still there for members to reference. How then, are there so many individuals who end up in court over situations with a home business opportunity (whether they violated some law or rule, or else feel cheated and want some kind of compensation or refund)?

All of these issues, for both distributors and opportunity seekers alike, arise from lack of education about the opportunity in question and the home business industry in general. Every misconception out there can be associated with lack of proper communication between the distributors and potential customers, lack of knowledge about the program, lack of effort in researching and/or joining, and an overall lack of common sense! So how can these issues be avoided, and misconceptions dissolved? Well, coming from the perspective of an entrepreneur who has both failed and succeeded, here are a few tips to help both distributor and opportunity seeker reach their desired goals:

For Distributors:

• Upon joining, learn all that you can about your program, you should know it inside and out!
• If there are consumable products, make it YOUR business to know all of the ingredients
• If products touch any portion of the body, be sure YOU know the possible side-effects
• Work up a list of frequently asked questions for yourself, and answer them!
• Work to make yourself the expert, NOT your sponsor or upline!
• DON'T promote until you're comfortable enough to answer all questions & close your own sales
• When promoting, use only realistic figures, facts and info that can be verified
• Learn proper marketing techniques, not spamming, cold-calling or harassment
  
• Stay AWAY from hype!
• Learn to generate your own leads through your own diligent marketing efforts
• Avoid confronting your "warm market" or complete strangers to promote
• Be sure you know how the sign-up process works, from start to finish
• Take your new customers/members personally through the sign-up process to avoid mistakes
• Have some sort of plan in place to help your new members get started
• Answer your phone and/or respond to emails from your downline

And last but not least....

DO NOT depend on the efforts of others to build your income! You know what results you want and when you want them. No one can make that happen better than you!

For Opportunity Seekers:

• Before you begin your search, take a good long look at your current financial situation
• If you cannot afford to start a business without using yoru credit card, then DON'T
• Make a list of realistic goals you hope to achieve through this business
• Look at your schedule, and make sure you'll have at least 1-2 hours a day to work it
• Be sure to choose a program that provides a product/service you can benefit from yourself
• If you can't feel proud about it, then DON'T promote it!
• When searching, look at several websites from which promote the same opportunity (chances are, each one has different info)
• Be proactive! Don't hesitate to ask questions. Answers won't appear magically in your head
• Do as much research (if not more) on the potential sponsor as you would on the program itself
• Be sure you're aware of all costs and fees upfront (including merchant accounts, etc.)
• Be sure to find out exactly what will be expected of you in order to achieve sales
• Talk to others in the program currently. If you feel the need, ask for proof of earnings
• List the pro's and cons, and then decide. If the cons outweigh, then move on!
• Take your time making a decision. Don't let anyone pressure you with time-sensitive offers
• If you decide to join, be sure you have fully read the terms, policies and so on
• If you have legal questions, get a statement from the founder(s) or consult an attorney
• Be sure you know exactly what you're paying for, and how to access it once you've paid
• When paying, be sure to keep all receipts

And of course, always go with your gut instinct. If it sounds too good to be true (as in promises of instant riches or huge incomes in a short amount of time), you may want to get a second opinion from another distributor or sponsor. If you feel the least bit uneasy about the program, then simply don't join. There are plenty of opportunities out there, and there's no reason to limit yourself. And finally, be an adult, be professional and be responsible. No one can force you to join a home business program. That decision has to come from you. So if you decide to go for it, realize that there will always be consequences to your actions. Or to put it better, what happens from then on will be a direct result of your choices. If you follow the steps above, you can protect yourself from getting involved with scams or unethical practices, and from losing money on programs that aren't the right fit for you.

No matter what the industry, success cannot come without proper education. If you're interested in home business, do your part to learn what you can before becoming a member of any opportunities. When you know what to expect, nothing can take you by surprise. In a closing reminiscent of my childhood days...."knowing is half the battle!"