Dick Francis is one of my favorite mystery writers for many reasons, not the least of which is that he writes mystery novels about horses. But more importantly, I love his novels because all of his main characters, sleuths, have one thing in common:
Integrity
Sadly, integrity is a quality that most MLM marketers claim to have, but is questionable at best. Why is integrity so hard to come by, especially in online MLM marketing? Because it’s so much harder to be honest and have integrity. Having integrity often means that your business builds slower than the people who have the flashy websites featuring lots of happy people laughing on a yacht or bunches of “promises” highlighted in neon-yellow.
It’s sad. It’s also true. The good news is that you can (and should) build your MLM business online with integrity. It will serve you better in the long run.
Online MLM: Integrity Makes You the Last Man Standing
Talk to any successful MLM marketer who has been in business for 20 years or more, online or offline, and you will find people of integrity. The MLM marketer with integrity is literally the “last man standing.” Why? Because they make promises, and then they make good on their promises. Translated into “MLM Speak” that means that they promise to train and lead prospects, often through a duplicatable system that has been proven to work, which eventually creates successful MLM business builders who contribute to the MLM marketer’s check … month after month after month.
In short, MLM marketers with integrity often take longer to build their businesses but end up with larger checks, stronger downline networks, and more residual income with less work over time.
And that is exactly how certain main characters in Dick Francis novels “make it” – they do it with integrity. They find that business growth is slower but business keeps getting better over time. For instance, in a recent Dick Francis novel I just read, “Knockdown,” bloodstock agent Jonah Dereham starts out lean and hungry but ends up with more business that he can handle as he becomes notorious for being one of the only honest agents around.
Online MLM: What it Means to Have Integrity
Since “integrity” is one of those vague words that is quicksilver to define, it might be a good idea to get down to brass tacks and figure out what the word means in the world of online MLM. There are lots of ways to have integrity when promoting your MLM business online. I’ve started a short list here just to get you thinking.
To have integrity in online MLM, you can:
- speak honestly about your own experiences (good, bad, or ugly) – read why a little grunge is sometimes a good thing
- share real experiences and successes from your upline or downline
- be honest about the amount of time and effort that went into creating those successes
- demonstrate your approach to online MLM marketing on a consistent basis, be it daily, weekly, or monthly
- encourage downline members and support them with leadership and training, but be clear that success ultimately resides in the member’s own initiative and efforts
- match downline members with the prospecting and training programs that best fit their needs (i.e., would article marketing be a better fit or social media? Perhaps both?)
- be straightforward with the amount of time and effort you are truly willing to invest in downline business builders
- be honest about your own skills and achievements (just remember that honesty never means that you have to sell yourself short!)
I hope this short list gives you some ideas of how integrity might look in an online MLM business. There are lots of ways to exercise integrity when you promote your business online and as you support your downline. The goal is to find ways of working your business that are principled yet still allow you to work your MLM business in a way that suits your personality.
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