The Modern Age of Network Marketing – Lessons Learned from the Avon Lady
My grandma was an Avon Lady for as many years as I can remember. I learned the “Ding, Dong. Avon Calling” line from her. She loved Avon because she loved the friends she had through Avon, she made some pocket money to buy her Avon and of course she loved the jewelry. My childhood image of her is forever tied to to the smell of Avon Skin So Soft, her well worn blue flower Avon bag sitting in the kitchen and she always wore pretty costume jewelry.
When she passed I received a small felt jewelry box with some of her Avon jewelry in it. I lifted the lid and saw these old rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Many had the finish rubbed off from years of wear and age.
While none of these things are monetarily worth anything, you could tell all of them were clearly things she loved, wore often and took pride in owning as if it were a treasure chest of fine jewels and diamonds.
Many of us have had an experience with a network marketing company as a customer or even as a distributor. We sign up as a distributor for numerous personal reasons, invest in a kit and we’re off with vigor and excitement for something great we have found. Your outlook and personal reason for doing this when you first start off is important to keep in front of you but so is always being open to something more and unexpected.
I believe regardless of the company you choose, the people who are successful with it or eventually will be successful with network marketing products are the ones who deeply believe, love and use those products in their lives. They went into distribution with a network marketing company because they love the product and they love being with other people. Maybe you remember the Avon lady that would come to your house every other week with a small blue flower suitcase filled with creams, make up, jewelry and catalogs. She would sit down with your mom, share a cup of coffee and talk about the kids, their husbands, what they were cooking this week for dinner and other gossip. The actual “sale” was secondary. It wasn’t about the Avon, it was about the relationship. It was about knowing one another, deepening and strengthening our human bond to each other.
Sadly, a lot of network marketing companies are all about how many you can enroll to grow your team. The pressure to enroll turns the pleasure of using the product into a full time job that can become harder than our regular 8 to 5 gig.
When this happens we miss out on the simple joy of developing friendships, enjoying human camaraderie and the social well being it can provide to our spirits. We also soon forget what we loved about the product that drew us in originally because we’ve become over focused on making a sale, enrolling a person and wondering why no one wants to talk to us anymore.
When I enrolled with doTERRA as a Wellness Advocate it was because I enjoyed the oils. I wanted to learn and apply these to my life. It was exciting. They made a difference in my life and I wanted to expand that in my home. I didn’t join to sell them.
The beauty of doTERRA is there is only 1 difference between a Wellness Advocate and a Wholesale Customer. As a Wellness Advocate, I can share with others, help them enjoy and realize the benefits of using oils and of course get a little compensation if they enroll or choose to buy something at retail. That’s the only difference. I chose the Wellness Advocate side because I knew I’d be talking about these oils with others. They had made an impact on my life.
Sharing oils has come very easy to me because I don’t see it as a pressure cooker to enroll people. I choose not to approach it like that. Sure, I’d love to make the highest rank ever and enjoy the benefits of it. It all sounds and looks great! Maybe that will happen and then maybe it won’t. Either is alright. I’m not out knocking on doors and ticking off all my friends pushing them to buy oils.
Instead, sharing oils is an extension of conversations I’m naturally having with people. They see me using oils in person or on social media, they smell them and want to know what I’m wearing or they want to try some themselves. I may even suggest something I found useful to a problem they’re describing to me. I am particularly loving writing about them and what I’m using them for in our home.
If someone expresses interest in more, I happily will provide it but again it’s done in the spirit of one human sharing what’s working for them with another human free of this underlying push to sell. I’m not selling used cars here and I don’t want anyone I’m talking to about oils to have that impression of me.
It’s a fun journey and if along the way someone I’ve shared oils with becomes interested in learning more and perhaps enrolling – that’s awesome – I just made a new friend to talk to about oils!
RELATIONSHIPS SHOULD ALWAYS TRUMP YOUR BUSINESS!
I also love the doTERRA team I’m on. There’s help, support, training, access to information and encouragement. I’m making friends while enjoying something I love. We share a common interest and are building camaraderie.
Who doesn’t need more of that in their life?
If the team or sponsor is all about pushing sales numbers, bottom lines and making ranks then many of us have a regular job to get that kind of pressure from.
The oils and other doTERRA products I’m using are things I truly enjoy and would purchase even if I wasn’t setup to sell doTERRA. Based on what I have learned about oils, what is available on the market and what I use them for, doTERRA was the best choice for me. I have friends who swear by other brands and that’s OK; we still talk to one another and share what’s working for each of us.
There’s always a reason someone chooses to become a distributor for a network marketing company. It could be to have some extra cash, form a new social circle, make friends or the thought of flexible working hours, being your own boss or quite simply just doing something you enjoy. In the end however, all of these aspirations should stem from a genuine love and interest from the product.
Perhaps when I pass on, someone I love will receive my wooden box of neatly organized and alphabetized, labeled oils. They will open the box and fondly remember all the times I smelled of jasmine and patchouli or was diffusing lemon in the kitchen and think to themselves, she sure did love doTERRA.
Interested in more?
Contact me via our blog or email dragonspitapothecary@aol.com. I’m happy to talk oil, what I use them for and how they have enriched my life.
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