It’s not even a joke, really. But if it weren’t so sad, it’d be funny.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently. He and I got started in network marketing
at about the same time and we’ve both done well for ourselves.

So, when he called the other day, I asked him how business was going.
He laughed and said, “Dude, there is no business anymore! Didn’t you know
that? All the prospects are gone….everyone is a &$*#Y GURU nowadays!”

I nearly shot iced tea out of my nose.
(Remind me not to drink anything when I talk to Jeff on the phone.)

What’s his point? It’s simply this:

Due to a handful of very effective communicators in our industry who
are really good at getting people to adopt new ideas….

….there’s a mass movement in network marketing where everyone tries
to pretend they’re a guru, a leader, an expert, a trainer or a coach.

They’re all into “branding themselves as a “name”….but they seem to
be missing an important factor that no one told them about: RESULTS.

Many of these people have NO results. No track record. Their MLM income is
something that many steadily-employed teenagers would not aspire to!

But they’re out there telling everyone that they’re an expert.

Some of you MLM veterans will know what I mean when I say that it’s the
modern-day version of “fake it ’til you make it”.

If it were the 1980s, these are the same clowns who would park their
beat-up Datsun around the corner from the hotel and walk into the
meeting with a fake Rolex watch and a suit that they’re still paying
for from when they bought it on a MasterCharge months earlier. (snicker)

Again, if it weren’t so sad, it’s be funny. And it’s not only sad, it’s
harmful.

Because these are a very LOUD bunch of people. They spend all their time
writing articles about their expertise….and making videos….and posting
their “expertness” online every day.

Of course, the reason they have time to do all that is because….that’s
ALL they do. They’re not actually building a business.

See, once upon a time, the “leaders”, the “coaches”, the “trainers” and
the “gurus” in our industry were people who had actually MADE A TON OF
MONEY in network marketing….and were showing others how to do it.

Many of today’s “self-proclaimed experts” are just people who decided to skip the
whole part about actually having successful experience….and they’ve
decided to go ahead and be experts without it.

So, how can you tell when you’re talking to a SUCCESSFUL person who can
assist you…..and someone who’s just a wannabe, self-proclaimed guru?

My friend Jay suggests these signs; I’ll paraphrase:

1. You find them engaged in personal branding…but it’s nearly impossible
to find out what company they’re with.

2. They only promote affiliate programs. They really spend more
of their time and energy selling “how to do MLM” materials than anything
else.

3. Ask them about their network marketing business and they start to
dodge questions. They’d rather tell you about their coaching and
“expertise”. After all, if they actually start talking about their
MLM company, you might discover that they’ve never actually had any
significant success or earned any significant income in that business.

4. Ask them specifically, “I’m not asking about your affiliate programs
and coaching deals….but, I’d like to know more about your network marketing
business. How many people you’re enrolling weekly…what kind of income
you’re earning”, etc. This makes them very uncomfortable. They’d rather
tell you how many Twitter followers they have…or name-drop a few people
that they met at the last Guru Seminar.

I can go on and on but you get the point: these are people who want to
become successful by pretending to be an expert on something they’ve
never done themselves.

I’m not suggesting that you deliberately antagonize these people. But,
it’s worth noting these things because it might be helpful when you
encounter someone and want to know if they’re really a leader…or someone
who’s just posing as a leader.

And don’t get me wrong: there ARE some real leaders in this industry.
I can think of quite a few of them off the top of my head.

Art Jonak
Randy Gage
Tom Schreiter
Robert Butwin
Kim Klaver
Jackie Ulmer
Jan Ruhe
Don Failla
Doug Firebaugh
Mark Yarnell

But one thing that sets THESE people apart from the current crop of posers is
that these people ACTUALLY HAVE RESULTS TO back up their teachings.

They’re not just regurgitating what they read or heard in the latest, greatest
“how to do MLM” home-study course or coaching program.

Lastly, if YOU are one of these people who fell for the whole idea of
“present yourself as an expert” or “attraction marketing is about presenting
yourself as a guru”…..then do yourself and the rest of the industry a favor:

…go work your business.

Really. Just go work your business….make a ton of money and learn
all you can while you do it.

THEN — and only then — will you really be someone who’s got an opinion
that’s based on experience and results….and you’ll have the success
in your bank account to prove it.

Tony Rush