Righteous Network Marketing: Being a Righteous Networker

You cannot be established through wickedness. 

However, the righteous cannot be uprooted. -Proverbs 12:3

The passage above is quite true with righteous network marketing, in being a righteous networker. God is the God and Author of clean network marketing and we should make sure everything is according to the right way of doing network marketing. And you cannot do this business any other way but righteously and fairly if you want true success in it.

Of course, we see a lot of crooks and scammers in the industry of network marketing today, and they seem to be successful at it. Making lots and lots of money, however, is not success in any business endeavor--that is, if you strongly believe in clean network marketing. Success in business is when you do everything God's way, accomplish His will, and please Him. That is genuine success. If you're a scammer, you please no one but the devil and you're the worse of all losers even if you have so much money, possessions, and prestige with fellow crooks. 

Yeah, other foolish networkers will look up to you and place you on a pedestal, but that's all empty.  Jesus Christ, the Originator of righteous network marketing, said something like this: So what if you gain the whole world but end up in hell doing it? You cannot be established through wickedness. God's Word said it and that's  final. No wonder I see lots of rich and "successful" scammers and deceivers in network marketing with rotten lives, rotten marriages, and rotten characters. It's a curse on them.

Wicked Network Marketing

I define wicked network marketing as doing it outside the generally accepted basic rules of fair and righteous network marketing. Some unfair and wicked practices are as follows:

1. Doing anything to upset company safety net.
2. Selling products lower than the company SRP.
3. Being an independent distributor but then asking monetary support from the company.
4. Not paying your loans or advances from the company.
5. Not supporting your immediate downlines, especially your directs.
6. Asking money support from your uplines.
7. Mass recruitment or "kamada" in Filipino.

Righteous Network Marketing

Righteous network marketing, on the other hand, is being a righteous networker. This means the right way to do network marketing. Sounds pretty obvious and self-explanatory, but believe me, it isn't in the real network marketing world out there. It's mere head knowledge to scammers but it's not in their hearts. They think network marketing is just all about money and they destroy its image, affecting others who do it with clean hearts.

1. Safety Net: Never do anything that would destroy the company's safety net. Be concerned about how the company is making profits from the business and support it. If you're the type who thinks of ways how to cheat on the safety net, you're a scammer! Think of others' welfare. If you cheat on the company and it closes shop, how about the others who have barely started with the business? Be a godly network marketer. Do everything the right way to do network marketing.

Judas was like that. All he cared for was the money he'd get. He didn't think of God or the Master or the lives of his fellow Gospel networkers.

2. Don't Sell Below SRP: Some networkers have to do lots of monthly product maintenance due to their many accounts. What scammers do is get rid of their many products by selling them below SRP. If you do this, you'd undermine product movement and soon the company will be out of business. New networkers cannot sell their products at SRP to make a little gain from it because you have upset the market selling price.

3. Be a Real Independent Distributor: You're an "independent" distributor, not an employee of the network marketing company. So do the business with your own money. Do not ask for money support or "pang galaw" from anyone--not from the company or from your upline. It's a stupid idea introduced by unscrupulous people and scammers. It defeats the purpose of network marketing, which is to raise up independent distributors who engage masterfully on the products through leveraging. Be a real businessman or woman.

Do Jollibee franchisees ask money from the Jollibee company to do the business? Of course not. You should do any business with honor. And it's stupid to claim to be a network leader and be unable to move without money support from the company. And then your downlines do the business using their own money! It's gross unfairness! It's very seldom true that leaders use the monetary support from the company to "help" their downlines.

4. Pay All Your Advances: Some leaders make product advances without payment. They pay this in installments, as the products are sold. But a lot of them do not pay back their loans. Never be like that!

5. Support Your Immediate Downlines and Directs: You cannot support all your downlines to the nth level, but you can your immediate ones. That's how networking works. Make sure to train them well. It's your responsibility as their upline, even if you're not a network 001 leader. If you don't do this, you are seen as a wicked networker. It's not the right way to do network marketing. Righteous network marketing means you focus training and helping at least your 3 or 5 to 10 directs and some of their directs. At least to the 2nd or 3rd generation, if possible.

6. Never Ask Money from Your Uplines: Remember, your uplines are independent distributors, too, doing the business with their own money. They're not obligated to support you financially. But if they decide to do so, it's pure grace. Be grateful, and make sure you use the money well to do the business. It's awkward to ask money from uplines, but if they offer it voluntarily, then why not? Just be a faithful steward of his or her money. It's part of righteous network marketing, the right way to do network marketing.

7. Mass Recruitment or Kamada: This is pure greed. Some network leaders recruit people en masse to defeat the company safety net and put it out of business. They don't care about their downlines; they just use them to get money unfairly. After they have amassed lots of money, they do another networking business, not minding the hundreds or thousands of others they brought to the first business and who haven't earned any profits yet.

Kamada is Ultra Wicked

Kamada is wicked [it's hell's way to success, the broad and easy path to destruction] and it's the method of even wicked politicians who amass people deceitfully to gain their votes during an election. After they use their votes, they throw them away as useless junk. Come next election [or come next networking business], kamadors use these unthinking people again and they willingly join them again. Kamada in network marketing produces networking lords and their stupid minions who always stand by their sides to support them and make them rich--even if they themselves don't. 

If you want fair and righteous network marketing, never let yourself be used by a kamador. Avoid kamada at all costs. And never be one! Be under a righteous independent distributor and be like him or her. The profits may come in very slowly at first, but it will work out soon, because God always rewards patience. Never give up. Keep doing the business righteously. 

Network Marketing: Hope for the Hopeless

Clean network marketing is really hope for the hopeless. I'm not referring to unscrupulous network marketing companies or networkers who devise scams and stash away people's money. Clean network marketing is a good earning alternative for people who are rejected by this world's standards.

I see lots of people, especially in the Philippines, scorn network marketing and networkers. They belittle it and look down on networkers. In a sense, I don't blame them. A lot of scammers have marred the image of network marketing here. Yet, this unique business can make the hopeless hopeful again. 

Hope for the Marginalized

Some people are gifted with talents, intellect, and good looks. They capitalize on these to make it good in life. They become successful business people, corporate leaders, government officials, or showbiz personalities making lots of money in "decent" ways. Decent because anything traditional is decent and acceptable to most people. And they scorn anything new and strange to their ears, like network marketing--labeling them "evil" even without knowing what it really is. They just base their judgment on what they hear people say or what some book or newspaper writer or TV reporter say about it.

To be sure, when some popular people say things against something, it's because they're serving the interest of another who is hurt by the thing they're adversely commenting about. Particularly, most people hate the idea of the hopeless or poor suddenly getting well-to-do or rich and no longer under their control. For instance, a lot of businesses capitalize on people's inferiority complex. They sell products that supposedly boost confidence.

Imagine if more people are helped by network marketing and boost their confidence and no longer need confidence boosters. That would be bad news for these businesses. Or, imagine if poor people are suddenly catapulted to greatness and riches. That would be added competition for already popular people whose entire life is their popularity. And that could also spell loss of fans for them. Why would poor-people-turned-rich admire them any longer?

Network marketing provides a very affordable and feasible way for marginalized people to be empowered to realize their dreams together. It's people power for business that can really earn millions for them if done correctly and righteously. Network marketing is hope for the hopeless. Unfortunately, a lot of networkers are not educated well on how to manage their new-found fortune. They use it for vanity to emulate the rich and famous and end up bankrupt again.

If the masses are given power to pursue better education because they have more money through network marketing, who would want to remain fanatics of showbiz people or maids for the rich? Less people would remain idiots serving as fans or servants for these people. 

Get-Rich-Quick Scheme?

They still believe network marketing is a get-rich-quick scheme. They do not realize the hard work involved here because they have never really tried doing it. Try doing it for at least 3 years and you'd see that initially, it's not a quick scheme for riches at all. It's mighty hard work. After 3 years, when you have gained a lot of confidence from customers, the business becomes easier and faster, and it works that way with traditional businesses, too. 

It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. It only looks that way because it is more feasible and lucrative than traditional businesses. Traditional businesses only make you earn money from mark-up profits and you shell out lots of money for your overhead cost. Network marketing lets you earn not just from mark-ups but also from continuous and increasing override commissions from your downline-partners--or what they call residual income, plus bonuses and incentives. And you don't have any overhead cost (rent, electric and water bill, salaries of employees, etc.). 

People who are not that gifted, intelligent, and good looking (and whom employers and companies are always prejudiced against--they reject them outright in job interviews) can come together as one team or one force to do an affordable, people-based business that can help them realize their dreams.

You should try network marketing.

Product Expertise: Key to Stable Success

BE a product expert--that's the secret to a sustained and clean network marketing business. Always know products details and never just rely on what the company says about the product. Do regular researches. When you have established yourself in product expertise, you can talk confidently about it with anyone, even doctors--and they will listen to you.

Plain Recruitment 

A lot of network marketers zero in on the marketing plan. They lure people into their network by hyping them with how high the potential income is. In short, they are just in the recruitment business. Most networkers have that wrong notion about how network marketing is recruitment. Truth is, network marketing is sales and marketing. It's really selling a product and getting repeat purchases. The goal is to get customers for life who benefit from the product and know how they in fact do benefit from it.

Thus, a big part of network marketing is educating customers on how they benefit from the product. That's how you enjoy sustained sales and continuous network growth. The more they know about the product the more they're hooked to it. But how can you educate them with product information if you don't know anything about it--because your skill is fixed on recruitment? And if you do not update your product info, how are you going to excite them about it to up your sales? 

You cannot give what you do not have. A lot of networkers, being lazy with  their homework, just keep recruiting people. Their only skill is to hype and lure people. That's it. Once these people join their network, it's up to them to continue with the business or not. Lazy uplines do not extend help to them--they just want to earn money from their downlines. And these are mostly binarians--because the Binary system is more suited for recruitment, and thus very few professional and clean networkers are binarians.

Look at Drug Companies

Look at drug companies like Unilab, Pfizer, and other big names in that industry. Why are they stable and why do they keep producing professional sales and marketing people? Because they are product oriented. Their agents know their products and know what they're talking about. They can confidently face doctors and doctors listen to them--something very few networkers, if any, can do. Med reps are respected and ooze with professionalism. Just one look at them and you know they're smart. I hear some of them do product presentations and use medical and pharmaceutical terms like they were physicians.

Not so much with most networkers. All you hear from them is how much they earn, or the potential earning of the business. That's why they often smell of scam. They cannot even speak intelligently because all they talk about in their BOMs is hype, money, and gimmicks. They seldom discuss the product intelligently.

Some networking companies have poor taste for the products they choose and this is to eliminate the need to discuss their products intelligently. They just offer product packages of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and perhaps a coffee or chocolate drink. When product presentation comes, all they do is show the products. "Okay, these are our products!" That's all. And all you see are overpriced products also available in any supermarket. 

The point is, why would I be a distributor of those products? What benefit would my customers have with them? Will they be better off buying from supermarkets than go to me with an overpriced brand? Real distributors should know the answers to these questions. You are in the service business, too, as a distributor. But I guess most networkers do not understand what being a distributor means--and probably they do not realize that they are product distributors.. All they know is how to recruit.

Professionalize Network Marketing

Network marketers should start being professionals. They should be product experts, first and foremost, and not just know something about the product. They should be an authority in their product line. That way, network marketing can become known as an intellectual business and attract more people and make more customers for life. 

What Do You Do If You Have a Lousy Upline?

Too bad about networking is that often you cannot choose your uppermost upline. The guy just earns money from your efforts but doesn't do anything to help you. Worse, he even does silly things that affect you and other downlines negatively. So, what do you do if you have a lousy upline like that?

Complain?

Complain is the last thing you should do. Well, there are times when complaints are justified, but not always. Often it just adds to the problem. You just prove that you are as sick and a pain in the neck as your upline is. Some downlines rebel against or bad-mouth their leaders. That's not clean network marketing.

Request Change of Upline?

Requesting to be transferred to another group is not a solution. It will disturb the whole system and even mar the image of the company. So beforehand, know the nature of the group you're joining into. And anyway, most uppermost uplines are like that--useless to you. So why bother? It would be a never-ending transfer if you look for the perfect upline. There's none.

Be the Exact Opposite

Just be the exact opposite of your lousy upline. Determine to help your downlines, and the greatest help you can give is to train them well in the business--product and marketing. And you can only do this if you are yourself well trained. An expert. Only experts can train others. So study well the product and marketing and attend training seminars. Forget about what your upline can do to you--and which brings us to next very important point.

Forget about Your Upline

Forget him or her. Just do the business. Build up your own team. Build up from 7  to 10 people under you who would also build up others to be like them. Be the leader you hoped your upline would be. So, what do you do if you have a lousy upline? Produce your kind of the upline from your trainees.

Don't Perpetuate Yourself to Active Leadership

Be the leader, but don't perpetuate yourself to that role. Imagine if all your downlines would just rely on you to the business for them, leading them and taking initiatives for them. You'd surely die. They'd kill you! Train others for leadership. Give them roles and responsibilities. When they're fully functional, then you can have some rest and free time for yourself. They should train others who would train other people for leadership. Make it a goal to have a team of leaders--and righteous leaders at that! That's what clean network marketing is all about. That's powerful righteous network marketing!

Be Product Based, Not Network Based

Sell the product, not the networking system. Sell the product, not people. Be product based, not network based, and you'd never go wrong.

A lot of networkers sell the networking system. They just show you the product and say something like, "This is the product. It's a unique toothpaste from Mars," and that's it. He proceeds with explaining the marketing system and spends much time for it.

Sell the product. Master the product, research on it, so you can present it well to prospects. I know I said somewhere on this blog that you should say outright when asked that what you are is a network marketer. Don't tell a lie. But do not sell the networking system. Begin with the product, it's unique benefits to users. Then, if they ask you if it's a networking business, then say so. Be honest.

The truth is, you are really selling a product. The networking system comes in second. The prospect should fall in love with the product first. Then he'd be further impressed by the concomitant earning system. Why is this important? Because marketing is really product movement, not people movement. The whole point about network marketing is developing a network of consumers always doing repeat purchases. Product loyalty. 

It is tempting to get out of clean network marketing and instead recruit a mass of people to be under you whom you can "use" to make money for you. That's what happens when network marketing is done without product expertise and emphasis. It becomes a scam. That's why we see unscrupulous leaders with big groups bolting away from a company and bringing with him his whole empire of unthinking downlines who do not realize they're just being used. He brings them to different networking businesses so that in the end he and some of his immediate cohorts are the only ones profiting.

Always be product based, not network based. Build a team of downlines educated about the product and committed to re-purchasing and benefiting from it. When there's product movement, everyone benefits, especially if the leaders and uplines make new entry slots (or buy again as a "new member") now and then under them that benefits their downlines. 

Later, they may decide to do another networking business while continuing to do the former. Business is investment, and you have to have more than one investment to play the thing safe. Unscrupulous networkers, on the other hand, leave the former business altogether once they have profited from it, unmindful whether their downlines have attained ROI and earned enough profits. They keep hopping from one business to another, and then brag about their wealth, to the detriment of their downlines' investments. But foolish downlines like it that way and are even proud of their uplines. 

If you want fair and righteous network marketing, be product based, not network based. Sell the product diligently, train your downlines, and the networking system will just be added unto you.

Make Recruitment Easy for You

To be successful in network marketing you have to know how to make recruitment easy for you. It will be easier if you do this tip: always be honest. In clean network marketing, honesty is the best sales policy. And you have to be honest about what business you have.

Don't Hide Behind Disguises

Many networkers hide behind disguises and don't say outright that what they are offering is a networking business. Say it right in the beginning when asked. Be honest. This is a networking business. If the prospect hates network marketing, make that as your launching pad to your presentation. Ask the prospect, "What made you hate network marketing?"

People will always appreciate your honesty and openness. They may not like network marketing, but they'd like you. And when you declare your business, "I'm a network marketer," be proud of it, and make sure the prospect sees that. It's easy to do this especially when you get fat checks regularly and own a new posh car and a house of your own. But what if you ain't got nothing yet?

Don't pretend you're rich or making big money already out of networking. Don't pretend to be something you are not. Be honest. Clean network marketing will make recruitment easy for you. God will bless you, for sure. If you haven't made a single cent from networking, just appear professional, tidy, smart, and confident to your prospects, making sure he or she sees that you have studied your product very well and that from such diligent study you believe in the product intelligently.

Start with the Product

Although honesty is of the essence, never start with presenting the networking business. Present the product first and highlight its benefits. After all, there won't be any business without the product. Don't just have the product for the sake of having a product. Be a master of the product. Remember that product expertise sets you apart from scammers. Scammers just want the money. Professionals sell product benefits. They are there as consultants to help their prospects and customers.

Then Comes the Business

After the product, proceed with the business. If the prospect has no more queries about the product, say something like, "You see, the company wants customers to earn from the product. And there's big money in this!" Always sound excited enough about the business.

If he or she asks, "So, how much have you made so far?" Be honest. If it's only a few hundreds or thousands, say so. If you haven't made anything yet, say so. Then say, "With diligence, anything can grow into millions." Say how you've seen other guys in the business make millions through initial hard work. And do emphasize that. Say something like...

"You see, with network marketing, you just need to pour diligence into it initially for 6 months to a year--or 2 years--and the effort will be rewarded in big increments and residual income." Residual income is income that grows by itself periodically.

Spread the Word Around

Make it known around your sphere of influence that you are a network marketer. That may send people away or towards you, depending on the situation. But, don't worry. If you're honest, God will soon send people to you begging to be in your team. Moreover, it's important to let people know who and what you are so they can refer sales or recruits to you in the future. 

When so many people know who you are and what you do, that will make recruitment easy for you. And make sure you keep a good reputation as a networker. 

Duplication Bible Fomula

The important thing in network marketing is duplication--to be able to duplicate yourself on your downlines. There should be a transfer of mind and heart from you to your immediate downlines (or directs), and then from them to their directs, and so on. This is the unbeatable network marketing formula.

Teach What I Teach You to Those Who are Qualified

St. Paul told his disciple Timothy [2 Tim.2.2], to duplicate himself on his disciples or downlines. And the feeding has got to come from Paul alone. Paul was taught by Jesus Christ, Paul taught Timothy, and Timothy taught qualified men who were able to teach others. Thus, network marketing (or true discipleship) is really teaching. It is founded on educating people. Real, professional, and career networkers ought to be skilled educators. 

Now, let's examine in detail the Paulinian duplication formula.

Qualified Men

Paul told Timothy to look for qualified or "trustworthy" men. Qualified men, in this sense, are not necessarily college graduates or titled or degreed people. In the bible, Peter, James, and John were chosen by Jesus but they never became college graduates or professionals. In fact, people saw that they were "unschooled" folks. Jesus himself, says John 7.15, was unschooled. 

Qualified men are those who are trustworthy. You can trust them to do the business righteously. Why the need for this? Because they will be using your name, being under your network umbrella. Whatever he or she does will affect you and your image and reputation as a networker (or a follower of Christ, in the ministry sense). 

If a person is a scammer, don't put that person in your network team anymore, even if he is a veteran and skilled networker able to bring you lots of sales--unless he has evidently repented. The number one qualification for clean network marketing or righteous network marketing is trustworthiness. Remember, God is the ultimate Rewarder--or Punisher. He is in the center of business--a business gets blessed or otherwise solely on His decisions or permissions. So better surround yourself with only the trustworthy.

Qualified men are also qualified for network marketing duplication (or discipleship). They should be willing to be under your mentorship. They should be willing to do the business with you and in your righteousness standards. Your downlines can strategize on their own, but everything has to be within righteous ways. Nothing should be illegal or unfair practice. 

In short, qualified men are of good character like you.

Able to Teach

You should be able to "teach" (present the product and business well, or present the faith, in ministry terms) so that your downlines would follow suit. You are what your downlines are. It is a must--downlines should be able to teach and not just rely on their uplines or the BOM for product and business presentation. If everybody in your team can teach like you, imagine how fast your business would be!