The Buddha Antidote To Hype And Hustle Marketing

Are you as sick as I am of the marketing hype and hustle that comes from promoters of books, CDs, seminars and courses, to network marketing programs?

The Hype:

E.g. "I just finished reading a great book that you absolutely must have. It's called blah blah."

Or

"'I've read every book on marketing printed in the last 150 years. This is the first breakthrough in over 50 years.'

"Kim, this business is going to EXPLODE! Get in early and with YOUR contacts, you can easily earn $300k your first year!"

"This new and amazing product is something EVERYONE will love!"

Then more hype titles from those selling YOU stuff so YOU can do the same thing to others:

"The Secret to Being a Great Closer"
"Mind Control Marketing"
"Hypnotic Marketing"

And now the hustle:

"Buy it in the next 90 minutes or the special disappears forever!" or "Get $3,000 worth of free bonuses when you buy this product for $29.95 now!" "Sign up now and we'll put 84 people under you today!"

My reaction to pitches like that?

1. Yeah right.

2. And so what if THEY think it's great? Especially if I don't know them. They're selling it, aren't they? What else would they say?

3. How can every new book, every new product, every new business opportunity every new ANYTHING be the "greatest" and "absolutely must have" and "life-changing?"

4. Why the frantic rush to close me on the first date?

First I thought maybe it's because I'm a woman. And as such, that I just don't like someone screaming at me how amazing their great thing is. You know, the one they're selling. And pressuring me to buy it right now or I might forever lose my chance at success.

But Mr. La feels hyped, too.

The NY Times reported the other day that at 2:30AM one day last week, Mr. La biked to a Target store to wait in line to get his new Xbox 360. And although as a game nut he felt good about owning it, after playing a shooting game on it for about 30 minutes, he concluded that the machine was not as much fun as he had hoped. "There was too much hype," he said. (NY Times, 11.23.05)

How often have you been disappointed with stuff you bought or things you did because their hype got to you? They're good, these guys. Anything to make a sale.

There's nothing "best" and "must have" or "amazing" for everyone. And no amount of hype, no matter how loud and frequent, has ever changed that.

Maybe I'm just a groupie type. I like being with people like me. I'd rather find someone who actually uses and benefits from my stuff than someone who buys it and never use it, you know? I might sell to fewer people, but my customers write everyday to tell me of their new attitude or a little success here or there. Or a BIG success – like the the gal who got herself 3000 customers by learning to talk to people in a different way. That's just me.

I never dreamt or would presume that my stuff or approach is for everyone.

I market books and tapes showing new or dissatisfied people alternative ways to do direct sales and network marketing.

If you're successful with what you're doing, and your babies are too, then keep doing what you're doing. Don't buy my stuff.

But if you are not happy doing what you're doing in your NM business, and you believe in the business model like I do, then try other options before you quit, because there are ALWAYS other options. (Below's a new audio about a gal who got 3,000 customers in the last 2.5 years.)

For example, recruiting is NOT all there is to doing network marketing.

Notwithstanding the loud voices from corporate and "leaders" in the business, who stand the most to gain from that approach because there's more money in it for them than from you getting regular customers. So they usually belittle customer gathering and promote recruiting.

But many women don't like recruiting (they prefer getting customers) and the 102% drop out rate tells me all I need to know about how flawed that singular approach has been, especially these last 5 years. (The President of the DSA once told an audience the attrition rate was 102%!? How? Because, he explained, many people sign up for more than one company, and drop out of all of them.)

No amount of hype has changed the drop out stats.

What's the point, ladies? And yes, good gents.

Don't succumb to the hype and hustle, even if you're just starting and feel you don't know what you're doing in your new little business.

Try different ways of doing things. You CAN decide what works for you and what goes with your own gut, heart, style and personality. DO marketing strategies that appeal to you. Go ahead and try recruiting. See if there's a match. If not, don't hesitate to go after customers who are not also sales people. Forget about recruiting for a while. Try both warm and cold market – without hype of course.

Never go against your grain to please someone else for very long, if ever.
And yes, even if it's the teacher we're talking about.

The Buddha, one of the greatest teachers known in the history of the world, never hyped his teachings and beliefs to "get" others in or to see things his way. Religious scholar Huston Smith describes the time 2400 years ago…

"In a time when the multitudes were passively relying on [leaders] to tell them what to do Buddha challenged each individual to do his or her own religious seeking and rational investigation. 'Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition, nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a book [scripture]; nor upon the consideration, ‘the monk is our teacher'. Rather, he said, test ideas and actions in your own laboratory of common sense. When you yourself know they lead to harm or ill, abandon them; when you yourself know they lead to benefit and happiness adopt them. Be lamps unto yourselves…" – Buddhism, a Concise Introduction. Huston Smith and Philip Novak, p. 24

So don't just fall for anyone's promises, especially if you know they have an agenda. Try different approaches. Then let your own experience with it be your guide. (Assuming you are doing the thing with honest effort and the best knowledge you have gotten about it.)

Fast forward about 2400 years…

On December 23, 2005, Steven Spielberg, arguably the greatest film director of all time, is releasing a new movie. This time, instead of launching it with the usual fanfare and hype that accompanies all big film openings…

"There will be no press junket, no premiere and, most importantly, no Oscar marketing campaign beyond trailers and posters for Steven Spielberg's movie Munich, I have learned. This dicey decision to have no traditional publicity for the film before and after it opens December 23, 2005 is the director's alone. He will not even be giving press or broadcast interviews. "The official strategy is for the movie to speak for itself," an insider told me this week. "All they're going to do is just show the movie to people…" Full story here.

Is there hope for less hype? Are you someone who wishes for that as fervently as I?

Here's how to help: Look at how you market your products or business. If the words used make promises, or heaven forbid, hype and hustle others, including in the autoresponders sent to others in your name, remember the Buddha. And ponder this from the bible of writing style for the last 100 years:

"When you overstate, readers will be instantly on guard, and everything that has preceded your overstatement as well as everything that follows will be suspect in their minds because they have lost confidence in your judgment or your poise."

Whenever you are at the receiving end of any pressure to do things that are not really aligned with you, remember to check with the most important person in the world –

"Trust yourself and you will know how to live." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

What say you, ladies? And yes, my good gents?

P.S. I am launching a podcast (online audio-radio program) found at http://yourgreatthing.com

The show is designed to introduce entrepreneurs to different ways of doing network marketing and direct sales. "Talking about Your Great thing. How learning what to say changes everything." Reactions and suggested topics from you are MOST welcome. Email me: Kim@BananaMarketing.com