My transition from a full time opera singer to ... something else has been shall we say...challenging. Really, it is like being back in high school without a clear picture about what I am going to do from now on.
You see, I believe it is important to be able to clearly articulate what you do to earn a living not only for your own clarity and peace of mind, but also so others have a chance to understand it. I have not been able to do that and it is holding me back, that and a number of other things.
Since my time in music, I have written a book. Writing is something I love doing and I reckon I am not bad at it. But, I haven't really identified as an Author full time. Writing books is not a novel idea. What do you need to convert writing a book into a livelihood? Marketing. So, I became interested in marketing because lets face it unless people know something exists they can't possible become interested in it and ultimately buy it. That is what marketing is...bringing a product or service to the marketplace.
So, I have been trying to fit my head around the "Business from Home" idea. Basically, it is the practice of earning an income from home by referring or selling products to customers. One way to do this that I found to be an interesting idea was network marketing which is basically designed for a "Home Based Business Owner." The idea of course being that you become part of and build a team of people who work together to create sales volume for th company and get paid commissions based on either retail sales or sales volume, not only what the networker creates but also what his team makes. This is otherwise known as MLM or Multi-Level-Marketing. This type of sales organization makes it possible for people to earn from the efforts of others in their organization.
Another thing one can do from home is affiliate marketing which is also referral marketing but compensation is based only on what the affiliate produces in sales. It is much less complicated and much more straight forward. Plus, just about every retailer on earth has an affiliate program. Amazon is one great big affiliate program for instance.
The Problem
People who are interested in creating a business from home to earn income are usually clueless when it comes to business. I know I was. I have been studying this stuff for about 10 years now. When a person goes out into the world and tries to answer the question "What do you do?" they don't have a real world answer. I believe it is important to have a real world answer.
The problem with not having a real world understandable definition of what you do is that it is impossible to build trust. If you can't define what you do, then how is anyone else supposed to understand it? Plus, it has to be a legitimate answer. Not something cute. That is just an alarm bell for people.
In this "Home Business" niche, regardless of type, seemingly everyone looks at the business model from the side of the referral representative. I looked at it that way too...until I heard about a university professor who taught university classes in Network Marketing.
Everyone in this group knew the name of the professor, new the university he worked at, and claimed this as a piece of positive evidence that Network Marketing is a legitimate business model. Yet, when I asked them what it was he actually taught nobody knew. They hadn't researched it, they did nothing to actually understand what it was about. All they cared about is to be able to say..."It's taught in universities." as a selling point. To me that was alarmingly stupid.
This was ridiculous. So I set out to find out what it was all about and I did. I looked up the University website and found the business section and lo and behold it was true, two classes about network marketing! I saw the name of the professor and just up and emailed him.
He emailed me right back! We had several interactions and I think I even spoke with him briefly once. He had produced a CD recording for networkers explaining how to tell a legitimate business from an illegitimate business model, in other words a $CAM.
You see, when I looked at the course description from the university it was presenting the courses from the point of view of a business owner with a product or service to sell. The courses were about how to set up a company that used network marketing to promote and sell its products! Neither course was about how to be one of the networkers or independent representatives. NOT ONE WORD! It was all about the company, not about the independent contractors it was going to use to promote and sell their products.
The Business Model
How do car manufacturers get their cars sold? Through a network of dealerships and sales people. Many of the companies pay their sales people commissions solely based on sales made. These types of sales people are "Independent Contractors" who are independents working to help the company sell cars. The same goes for Real Estate agents, Insurance Agents, and so on. So being a representative for a company as an "Independent Contractor" is completely common and legitimate.
Now, network marketing is a bit more complicated because of the way commissions are paid. Part of what a network marketer does is to recruit more marketers into their organization to help increase sales in their organization. So therefore it is possible to earn income not only based on your production but also on others who make sales as well under your leadership in the organization you support.
The recording clarified one VERY important fact about the entire referral marketing commissions based compensation plans.
The Big Misnomer!
It is a mistake to say that customers buy from the affiliate or networker. They don't. That is NOT true. People need to STOP saying that! The customer does not give the affiliate or networker money, unless of course they bought the product wholesale and are selling it retail, then it is profit, not a commission.
What is the right way to explain it? The customer pays the company for the product, the company then pays a commission to the referral marketer based on the compensation model. The company delivers the product, services the product, does customer service for the product and so on. ALL the referral marketer does is make people aware of the company's product so they can look at it and decide if they want to buy it. The referral marketer is not responsible for the product, the company, the sale, the exchange of money or the accounting and legal costs of the business.
But this is important on a much higher level, especially in network marketing.
IF, referral marketers received money directly from a customer that would set up the possibility for money to move directly from one hand to the next and on up the ladder. It is VERY IMPORTANT this never happens, because then it becomes what is dreadfully known as a Pyramid Scheme.
The other important factor in this discussion is that there is a real product or service for sale. If that doesn't exist then there is no value, only money exchanging hands and this is highly illegal.
When you agree to be an affiliate of a company you have to be granted permission to represent the company. What does that mean?
It means you start a business relationship with the company in an agreement you have to sign which makes you a real "independent contractor" with that company. In that agreement there are rules to be followed and expectations to be met in order to qualify to earn commissions. The ONLY way you get paid is when the company sends you a check for the commissions you've earned from sales made through your efforts.
All the Coy Disguises
I was recently on a call in a sales organization that prides itself on authenticity, honesty, and higher ethical standards. Yet when someone asked what do we say when someone asks what we do, the answers were in my mind very inaccurate and complete BS.
Stuff like "Freedompreneur" "Dream makers" and "Home Business Consultants" or other such terms. It was terrible. This is exactly my problem with the entire realm of these home based businesses. They blame all of the "ignorant" people for not understanding what they do when in fact there is no way they can understand it because those things you won't find in any kind of business description guide.
Why do they do this? It is very frustrating. To me just telling the truth would be nice.
What 'we' are actually involved with is "Internet Marketing". This merely means we use the internet as the market place the "job" or "work" is to go out into the population, find people and compel them to take a look at the products a company has for purchase. That is done by marketing.
"Internet Marketing" is a blanket term for doing business using the internet. It can include many different types of things from non-profits, charities, political campaigns, religious evangelising, to affiliate and network marketing. Under the term includes content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, video marketing, search engine marketing.
So, the reality is that when asked what it is I am doing, or trying to do, the answer has to be an "Internet Marketer" working as an Independent Contractor as an Affiliate Marketer for products created by a company or companies that I believe in.
So when the business I am representing is designed to help "Home Based Business Entrepreneurs" get started and become successful in their business then what it is the prospects are actually faced with becoming is an Internet Marketer. This is a skill set to be learned, worked on, practiced, tweaked, and grown. It isn't just a "thing" to make money. It is an education in learning the skills that someone needs to build a business from home.
Then yes, you can tell your prospects everything that is offered through the company and why it is such a great organization to be a part of. But, all of that doesn't change the title of the job to be done and that is if written out as a job description...
Wanted:
- Internet Marketer
- Independent Contractor for XYZ Company with compensation based on the company's affiliate program. (not an employee)
- You are paid in commissions based solely on a percentage of sales made through your efforts.
- Sales are billed monthly so your commissions are paid automatically every month as long as your customers stay subscribed.
- There is no limit on the number of sales your efforts can make.
- Work full or part time, whenever you want, as much or as little as you want.
- There is no guarantee of income. Your income is based on your abilities.
- No benefits offered. You are an Independent Contractor.
- Independent Contractor for XYZ Company with compensation based on the company's affiliate program. (not an employee)
- No experience necessary
- the company offers detailed instruction through its massive tutorial video library
- Offers 11 different live calls and video conferences with the company owners to learn from EVERY WEEK!
- All calls and conferences are recorded as well if you can't make the live version(suggested)
- Plus an entire community of successful people doing the same thing who help you learn and grow as you earn.
- Great Company
- Work with one of the most trusted companies in this niche.
- Work with people who support and care about you.
- Work from home or anywhere.
- Work on yourself and get better and better while building an income online.
Now, doesn't that look realistic to you? It does to me.
This thing of acting like something 'different' from normal conversation has to go. It is going to continue to be disrespected by the general population if this doesn't happen.
It is a legitimate business. Act like it!
Why all the coy disguises? It is hurting everyone who is doing it and confusing people who may want to but don't understand it.
I'm out.