Busting NETWORK MARKETING Myths

It is really important to write down this article before I forget my state of mind till 8 Nov 2017, the day I joined Modicare to pursue a career in NM industry. Before I completely transform myself into a Networker and put on my "Big-Boy shoes" on, to show my mettle in the field, it's my duty towards the upcoming networkers to bust some of the most common myths that hold back a layman to become a proud NM professional.

1) It's a SCAM
Majority of the uneducated or lesser educated individuals consider MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) business model as a scam where a company is out there to make some easy money and con the innocent masses. This notion is completely wrong and NM industry is a very lucrative opportunity for the budding entrepreneurs.

2) It's Unregulated
Absolutely not. Every country lays down some legal, governmental constraints within which these MLM companies operate. The regulating body for them in India is IDSA (Indian Direct Selling Association) and one must choose to work with only that MLM company which is registered with IDSA.

3) It's a Chain of Members. If Chain stops, you're DEAD
Please see MLM companies are neither "chain-based" nor provide membership like some government organizations or NGO's. Any person associated with some MLM company is either a "Customer" or a "Distributor", there are no MEMBERS anywhere, neither they have to make a chain to entangle others. It's about formation of a network with the right structure to ensure effective distribution of products or services. The monetary gain is directly proportional to the structure of network and the quantum of flow of goods and services.

4) Only those at the top make money
Everyone makes money despite their position in the hierarchy. Income can be increased by creating a network structure with optimum WIDTH and DEPTH where WIDTH represents the profitability and DEPTH represents the security.

5) Up-line is in a comfort zone making money while sitting idle
In fact, the more you go up, the more insecure you become. Up-line has to stay active all the time and do regular recruitment to deal with deserters and inactive people who're proving to be a polite burden in the organization by being inactive.

6) Down-line earns less than Up-line
Payouts are directly dependent on your efforts and energies you put in to create your organization. Regular rank advancements, achievement of the foundation rank and a proportionate network structure are the major determinants of payouts. An efficient down-line often out-earns an inefficient up-line and people at the same ranks get different payouts due to the concept of differential income.

7) It's an Idler's profession
Actually, this profession is meant for those individuals who're out there to defy the faulty and predatory employment model supported by the traditional elite and imperialistic governmental regimes. NM professionals are a great source of ENVY to the traditional elites who've made it big in their lives either through real-estate or their ancestral lineage, hence, NM is highly condemned by them to see a new class of middle class people rising and defying their supremacy. The term "Idler" used by the traditional businessmen comes completely out of frustration out of their inability to assert their supremacy over the NM professionals.

8) I'm too YOUNG/ I'm too OLD for it
The beauty of NM industry is its barrier-free entry or exit, time & money freedom, no qualification restrictions and flexibility of working hours. If someone wants to deliberately create a mental lock regarding his/her age, that would be completely a personal limiting belief system which needs to be changed immediately. No one would be surprised to see a youngster in early 20's not being successful out of overconfidence and an elderly person in 60's doing exceedingly well out of self-discipline.

9) There must be a hidden crook to limit one's growth
NM industry provides with unlimited potential. Any limiting belief of an individual is completely out of lack of education and understanding of the Industry.

10) Better products can be procured from "Mom & Pop" stores
It's a completely useless exercise to try to locate the products from "Mom & Pop stores" in comparison to those provided by MLM companies as they're neither supported by money-back guarantee nor can match the quality and class of those provided by MLM companies.

This is my third article on Network Marketing and I'm sure many more are yet to come. My previous two are:
1) NETWORK MARKETING- A world of ENDLESS opportunities
2) NETWORK MARKETING- A paradigm shift in the Indian culture

NETWORK MARKETING- A paradigm shift in the Indian culture

Though I've not had a very long stint with Network marketing yet but something that empowers me about writing this article is my glorious struggle with other professions and my exposure to the real life situations which aren't too pleasant or fantasized. In short I'm a REAL person who loves to be himself and always appreciate those who help me get more real. In my last article I hinted about my experience in the IT industry and how people like Munish Chopra help certify the fact that a career in Network Marketing outshines a career in the IT industry by all means. This is the link to my last article:-

NETWORK MARKETING- A world of ENDLESS opportunities

But in this article, I'd rather dare to compare this profession with some of the most glorified professions in India and clearly state how Network Marketing stands out, not to prove my writing prowess as an author but rather to show that reading and writing is almost a lifeline for me and I just can't live without skimming some literature, scribbling the notepad and playing with the keyboard. Let me start with the comparative analysis in the order of their glory.

Cricket
Not everybody is born to be a cricketer, though most of the Indian boys dream to be the same during childhood. Cricket isn't just about skills, fitness and luck, it also has a dark side of political interference during selections. Thanks to first class cricket leagues like IPL that cricketers have started feeling financially secured who otherwise would've struggled to get placed in government job after playing the Ranji trophy if they didn't qualify to become a part of the Indian cricket team. Network marketing would even welcome a retired cricketer in it if he couldn't make it big in his career.

Bollywood
9 out of every 10 Indian youngsters are "wanna-be-actors" not because they have great respect for the art, but simply because they are too allured by the glamour and stardom an actor enjoys in his life. Though there a few chosen-ones who made it big in this industry despite their humble background, not everybody is lucky enough. There's a dark side to bollywood too. The casting couch mystery and prostitution rackets employing failed or struggling models or actors aren't much of a respectable things about Bollywood. Moreover 6-pack abs and size zero waists that the actors promote on screen are neither permanent nor healthy. Hence, Network Marketing makes sure the bollywood isn't the only way to fetch someone a celebrity status.

Civil Services
That executive part of the government which claims to be a permanent part of it would look pretty secured and a glorified line of career for many idealistic and studious Indian youths but the harsh realities of the same would not be easy to digest. Keeping aside a faulty reservation policy and a selection process, I just want to get personal as I've devoted quite a few years of my life preparing for Civil Services exam and in the process, interacted with many successful candidates too who feel that a temporary bonhomie is created for year or two after clearing the exam where everyone is respecting and inviting you to be a part of their lives but ultimately they get a bit insecured about the same people taking undue advantage of their powerful positions. The idea of sufficing to somebody else's vested interests and kissing the butt of a political boss never suits the same bureaucrat who was once an idealistic youth and hence at the social level they find it pretty safe to isolate themselves. Ultimately by the time of retirement, these bureaucrats become powerless, though qualified professionals whose only big achievement in life was cracking the Civil Services exam. Network Marketing doesn't entertain such superficiality where a person has to pretend to be wiser than he/ she actually is.

Politics
Power allures everybody and not just young people. Even an old saintly man with a grey flowing beard thinks that he'd be a better Chief Minister than an incumbent one and youth finds it a right outlet for their energy and muscle power. Ultimately, the saddest picture is that people with an aim to sit on those Ministerial thrones end up becoming petty workers of a political party shouting out "Zindabaad-Murdabaad" slogans and taking the blows in the lathi-charge and facing water cannons to put some other other people in power who're sitting comfortably in their offices or SUV's watching the whole thing. Network Marketing people know that everyone is for himself and not for others so false promises aren't entertained in it.

Armed Forces
Without being unfair and too maverick in my writings, I want clarify the fact that discipline and integrity isn't a prerogative of only the men with the weapons. Yes they're important for the safety and security of a country but the inherent bias, politicized higher positions and threat to life during an internal or external violent outbreak doesn't make it a best option for those who want to live life to the fullest. I have full respect for soldiers who lay down their lives in counter-insurgency operations but the ultimate orders of deploying or not deploying them in the hands of an Army General or Defense Minister does raise a suspicion over the integrity of the armed forces. Network Marketing would happily accommodate anybody whose served the armed forces out of their discipline and the fighter spirit.

Aviation
Those who like to be airborne for their whole lives know it very well that it's never going to happen. All the pilots know they have a limited career as long as they maintain physical fitness, mental alertness and adhere to the company policies/ authorities they work with. Even many air-hostesses and flight stewards don't like to be servile to the passengers on board for a fat pay-check. Air-hostesses sometimes even complain of molestation by unruly staff and passengers. Network Marketing does give you an equally good pay without going through the expensive courses required to work in the Aviation Industry.

I could even comment on another evergreen industry called RELIGION to be out-smarted by Network Marketing, I'd rather prefer to take a more sugar-coated way to put it in a perspective. Network Marketing Industry does ensure a huge paradigm shift in the socio-cultural and political culture of India as very less often you see a collectivity/ group of people having an honest opinion about money and providing a support system for others to earn it. In a sermon usually, money referred to a "Moh-Maaya" is often considered evil and in the political rallies, public-money is often projected as a bone of contention between a party/ alliance in power and the other party/ alliance that wants to topple it, but the real fight is to make that "public-money" private. So the sermons and political rallies always deny the flow and role of money behind the scenes that made them possible. And in our Network Marketing events, people just worship money for being the GOD that it actually is. So who says Network Marketing sucks ???? Bring it on....

NETWORK MARKETING- A world of ENDLESS opportunities

Imagine a life full of struggle and tumbling through it out of parental and peer pressure, financial constraints, burdened expectations and obligation to pay-off your bills and liabilities. This is a part and parcel of every middle class person's life. But the most delusional part is that we all hope that it's going to be all over one day and there will come a day when I'll happen to live a life I deserve. Network marketing is an industry that gives us a chance to live such a life full of abundance. It has proven its mettle in the west but slowly and steadily gaining a stronghold into the Indian facade. Though keeping aside the minute facts and figures I'd like to stress more on the larger picture of why it is the BEST career option in today's time and why you need an emotional connect and a few inspirational stories to get going in your professional life.

Like majority of the traditional Indians, I too had a negative view about the Network marketing industry and somehow felt imposed upon to join it but as I dug deeper into it, I realized it was a calling that I'd been looking for my whole life. A neighbor of mine in his mid 40's introduced me to Modicare business and said that he having 13.5 years experience with the industry guarantees me to change my life with this business. The claim seemed quite hollow and superficial in the first instance but having a critical mind I wanted to study the details first before I could take the first step as my mind is completely programmed to play safe with money. So it took me a while to start and today I repent wasting that first month of detached involvement into this business. Today I wish I had thought BIG from day 1 and today I'm into this business for over 100 days and I feel I'm onto it completely as it's too addictive and the positivity is just contagious.

In the network marketing community, it is believed that when you make choice to pursue this business, you simply choose a life of abundance and with my last 100 days in this business I can say with all the conviction and belief that:- "Though I haven't made a huge financial gain yet in this business but I feel proud of myself having made a decision to work in the industry." Here are a few people and stories that make me feel proud of my decision-

Mr. Munish Chopra, Global Black Diamond in Modicare, having a monthly bonus cheque of over 5 lakh INR. The former IT professional faced a financial crunch to the extent of his daughter becoming a fees defaulter at a reputed school despite his Project Manager level job in an IT major like Infosys and also having a spouse working in the same industry. The last 3 yrs 8 months of Modicare business has completely changed his life to an extent of having regular foreign recreational trips, a luxary villa in Holy city, Amritsar and a flashy SUV worth 35.5 lakh INR. He really makes me proud of my decision of giving up my job in the IT industry way back in 2008 of which my dad still tries to make me guilty about.

Another inspirational character in the story alongwith Munish Chopra is Dr. Shakti Kumar. A physiotherapist by profession earned quite a fortune with his 3.5 year long stint with Modicare, though has a bit of a negative experience with some other company. He really inspires the way he's broken regional and language barriers to prove his professional prowess as he originally belongs to Bihar and has one of the strongest networks in the business based in Punjab. Having a monthly bonus cheque worth 2.5 to 3 lakh INR, Dr. Shakti enjoys great respect and prestige among the networking community out of his purely self-made persona.

On top of the list of inspirational stories, stands a lady whose personality and monthly bonus cheque seem to be quite a mythical mismatch and a hard to believe reality. The topmost lady in Modicare India, Dr. Surekha Bhargava has a monthly income of over 55 lakh INR and below is the picture of her publically being felicitated with the bonus cheque last year besides her monthly cheques.

A typical Indian lady who is actually a doctorate by her qualification but besides that thought of household chores as the ultimate calling stayed a homemaker for a long time in her life. This hardcore Modicare loyalist has a 32 year experience of network marketing and her journey to the top demanded some supreme sacrifices that she made with all the grace. Her husband Mr. Arun Bhargava left for the heavenly abode after staying paralyzed and wheelchair-ridden for quite a few years and she left no stone unturned to provide all the love, care and medication to him until his last breath and ultimately, the iron lady had to submit to the will of the almighty. But her success is really worth it and inspiring.

Though majority of the established leaders in business stress on the fact that it's an emotional dream-driven business and encourage those who're new to have a dream and go public with it but I don't know why, the course of my life has made me voracious of sounding professional and rock-solid logical all the time but I think I have a long way to go in this industry and I'll have to welcome some changes in myself to go ahead and accomplish my dreams in it.

Though I don't consider myself an expert yet but the amount of work, study, trainings and R&D I've been able to do in the last 100 days in this industry have helped me verbalize my opinion in a very structured way about the productivity timeline in the industry and what makes people hate or scare this industry. I spoke about it in a facebook live-stream today and here is the link:

Facebook Video: Why people hate or scare Network Marketing ??

With this, I'd like to wind up this article here and would like to give a message to my fellow network marketing professionals in India- "I have a habit of verbalizing my mind through videos and articles and I'm sure as the time goes by, my articles will begin to make all the more sense to you and will definitely be more than useful to our entire community. Just keep acknowledging !!"