CHAPTER 1
IGNORING THE REJECTION ROCKET
Make rejection your ally instead of your enemy.
NETWORK MARKETING IS ONE of the most fun and rewarding businesses in the world, but
eventually all network marketers are faced with certain widespread and universal challenges.
No matter how long we participate in Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) and no matter how successful we become, there is always the possibility that we will be shot down temporarily by the most prevalent and dangerous weapon of all—the Rejection Rocket. It can and will strike any time, rendering us virtually immobile, thus destroying our enthusiasm and
excitement, which are the essential qualities for success.
Rejection By Your Spouse
EVERYONE faces rejection in life, but what makes our form of rejection so very devastating is that it often comes from the very people we most love and respect: our spouse, our
parents, our best friends and business associates. We are convinced that rejection causes more people to fail in MLM than any other factor, and often they fail literally before they ever
begin because their approach is from the head, not the heart.
Here’s the classic scenario.
Bob is at a transitional place in his life and open to a career change. He is receptive to listening to a new business concept. He goes to a network marketing meeting and for the first time everything makes sense. He may have considered working in this industry four or five times before, but he was never in a “change” mode during previous presentations. Now,
because he’s about to be laid off, he has a transitional mind-set. So. not only does Bob begin to see the wisdom in networking, but he actually finds himself enthusiastic about the earnings potential. Throughout the second half of the one-hour presentation he begins to
make a mental list of the friends and associates whom he knows would be excellent at recruiting. Now let’s look at two possible outcomes. Regardless of whether Bob actually signs up or not, he’s about to be attacked by the first adversary in this business. And unless the person conducting the presentation prepares Bob and the others for what is going to
occur, by presenting certain facts at the end of the first recruiting interview, Bob is going to quit before he ever begins. Later, we’ll return to the particular details of this story, but first let’s see what happens to Bob once he leaves the presentation. In fact, we’ll examine several
scenarios.
Because the timing is right in his life, Bob is excited. And because Bob knows several people who will be naturals at recruiting, he can hardly wait to break the news to them that he has found the “ultimate opportunity.” If the person who introduced Bob to MLM is one of those folks who signs people up at the first interview, Bob may actually fill out a distributor agreement, promising to come back on Saturday for training. More than likely he won’t be asked to sign up at the first meeting, but will instead promise to think about the business and
call the presenter back with his answer. However, unless the recruiter carefully prepares Bob
for rejection, Bob is now set up for failure. He’s excited, though he may not have admitted that to anyone yet. But Bob is about to be blindsided by the Rejection Rocket, an inevitability
seldom explained properly by most recruiters. Because he hasn’t been trained, here’s what happens.
First, Bob corners his wife. He’s really excited and the conversation goes something like this:
“Honey, our worries may be over.’ I think Phil has given us a gift from God. You remember
how I explained the cutbacks at my company and how I told you I could actually be one of the future fatalities?”
“Yeah, Bob, but you don’t really think after all these years that you could get laid off. I mean you weren’t serious were you?” His wife finds this inconceivable.
“Honey listen, it doesn’t matter. I was just over at Phil’s and he and Nancy have gotten into a new business that looks really great. I can’t believe how much money there is to be earned
and freedom to be gained. Honey, Phil is about to get his first big check. And I brought home some samples of the products. Nancy is blown away by this creme and shampoo. Here, I
brought some home for you to try. She wants you to call her!” (The Rejection Rocket is aimed directly at Bob’s head and is about to be launched.)
Bob’s wife takes the two packets of moisturizer and shampoo from him, looks at them, then
at him incredulously. “Wait a minute, Bob. You’re serious, aren’t you? Let me get this straight. You’ve been with your company for seven years. We have a company car, health
insurance, and we just bought our dream home. Your boss loves you like his own son and is about to recommend you to the Golden Acres Country Club. They lay off a few lousy
executives and now you’re seriously thinking about giving up a legitimate career and all of those years I suffered to put you through your MBA program to do some pyramid scheme.
Please, Bob, tell me this is a bad dream. Tell me I’m not hearing you say this!”
Bob grins and reaches out to touch his wife’s arm and she jerks it away, snarling like a cornered wharf rat. He hasn’t seen that look on her face since he accidentally backed over
the puppy last summer.
“No, honey, you aren’t listening. We’ve got a chance here to get in early. We can be earning over $20,000 a month in a year. Do you realize how many hours I’ve been working? The
baby cries when I pick her up because I’m virtually a stranger. They’ve laid off thirty-five men and women this quarter and I could be next. Honey, look, I’m telling you, Phil and Nancy are our friends. They aren’t . .”
“Oh come on, Bob!” interrupts his wife. “You yourself have said that Phil is irresponsible. He failed at that tire cornpany. He failed at life insurance. Then he tried that stupid greeting card deal and we both laughed at how dumb that was. Bob, Bob, Bob, you’re not thinking straight.” She softens and launches a new tactic. “Bob, honey, we’re set. You said so yourself. And, besides, what am I going to tell my parents? That you left your company to sell shampoo door to door?”
Bob has just heard the same spousal arguments that countless other men and women have heard over the years. It could easily have been Bob leveling the same objections at his wife who just returned from her first serious network marketing presentation. Often it’s the wife
who is bombarded by personal affronts from her husband. Had Bob simply said nothing until he could get his wife to Phil and Nancy’s for a legitimate presentation, the Rejection Rocket would have never been launched. Or, had the approach been emotionally positive instead of
intellectually negative, the outcome might have been different.
But keep in mind that even if the circumstances differ, the outcome is often the same. This discussion could have happened on a Sunday morning following a Saturday training session
in which Bob had already signed a distributor application. It doesn’t really matter. The point is this: We are convinced that as many as 50 percent of all potentially successful networkers fail before ever getting started because their sponsor does not prepare them for the spouse
Rejection Rocket. The tragedy is that those very circumstances could quite easily be minimized if not completely eliminated through preparation and proactive measures. It’s the
responsibility of every recruiter to fully prepare prospects for rejection, then provide them with the tools to overcome rejection. Phil should have insisted that Bob bring his wife to a
full-blown presentation, either at this first briefing or at another one soon to follow.
In addition, he should have said emphatically, “Bob, don’t try to explain this to your wife until
you have more information, or better yet, bring her to us!”
To be continued…………….
Sir Lofty. The incoming network marketing APOSTLE.
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BADENYA HARRY 