by Jonathan Gilliam, Momentum Factor
Looky here! This is the most incredible blog post you will ever read! It’s going to revolutionize the industry!! lt’s has so much hype that we are running out of exclamation points!!!
Are people skeptical about your products? Do they reject your product or promise out of hand? People are naturally averse to hype. In personal lives, in politics, and especially in network marketing. Perhaps it’s the industry’s larger-than-life personalities or maybe an unfounded fear that if we don’t scream about something it won’t be heard. The net result is the direct selling industry struggles to overcome its image as over-promiser and under-deliverer. The habit of hype sends brand trust to the bottom of the consumer barrel alongside infomercials and political campaigns.
When you look at the most successful network marketing companies, what do you see? The best companies say what they mean and do what they say. Their message is consistent, authentic, value-driven and cause for belief. They minimize the use of adverbs, they make realistic promises and let their products and service speak for themselves.They don’t create unrealistic hype.
This does not mean you need to change who you are or mirror big, boring corporate America. Excitement and possibility are what network marketing is all about. It does mean it’s time to stop promising to revolutionize everything and start being “optimistically honest”, winning over credible third parties, laying paths to the greater vision, and appeal to logic and reason – at least some of the time.
Discouraging internal hype
You should aggressively discourage any boasting, bragging and egoism inside and outside your company. It’s not good for business. Sure, distributors may over-do it, but your corporate marketing must follow a set of guidelines to ensure its message and brand promise are delivered on open ears.
“But Jonathan!” you say. “We like using the word Revolutionary! Every good idea should be labeled, Revolutionary!!!!!!” Well good ideas are important, but my contention is that hype and “impossible promises”, as I call them, are actually counterproductive and do exactly the opposite of what is intended. They actually slow down momentum.
No one is perfect – that’s what makes us interesting and ultimately, believable. These days, perfection is easy to find in technology and, as a result, people are searching constantly for what’s real. So be real.
When it comes to branding your company, it would seem that a humbler and more accurate picture will serve you much better than hyperbole.
“Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?” ~F. Brice.
To learn more about this topic or how the Momentum Factor team can be of assistance, reach out by clicking here.
