I am absolutely convinced that the “person-to-person” approach, based on one-on-one relationships, is very important, especially nowadays. In 1999, I started with referral marketing with no capital investment and no fixed costs. Today, I no longer have to work and I have the luxury of choosing where I want to live. I love the mountains and the ocean. So everywhere I see this, it feels like home.
I am often asked how much money I made in my first months. My answer is honest: it is difficult to say because I still get paid today for work done during those first months… On my second billing, back in May 1999, there are names like Lissy, Erika and Mathilde. Today Erika is a “diamond” (the highest level in our qualification system). Lissy and her husband Werner have a six figure annual income. Can you imagine what this has meant to me in the last eight years? And even better, what will it mean for me income-wise in the future?
Small things, big opportunities
What an amazing opportunity! Can you imagine how many people miss a great opportunity because of something trivial? If 100 people apply for a job in the private sector, maybe only five have the proper education and qualifications for it. The others are either too old, over-weight, under-qualified, what can I say… In short, they are ruled out.
In referral marketing, when 100 people get started, every one of them has exactly the same opportunity. In this business, only you can rule yourself out because of, for example, personal hang-ups. In my business, I am always amazed when someone tells me on their first day that they cannot do it, right when they have next to no information. As in every business, you need time to learn, to gain experience, you have to take your time to turn your dreams into goals.
Actually, in my profession, “dream building” is a highly-paid skill because: the sooner a potential partner can see that referral marketing is the way to reach their goal, the sooner they will accept the opportunity!
I did not want to open my eyes!
1995 was a year I will never forget. Back then I was a single mother to a ten year old son. This was my worst year ever. Four years earlier, a short time before real estate prices took a nose dive, I had bought my own flat. Due to a smear campaign against my former company, my income had dropped to 2,500 DM per month. This was actually still quite a good income except when you’re faced with 6,000 DM monthly fixed costs and you’re alone with a child. Often there were mornings when I did not want to open my eyes. I did not even want to think!
By chance – although we all know that in life there is no such thing as “chance” – during a seminar I learned the technique of the “vision board”. Today I know that our WHY, by that I mean the reason for taking action or not, is the underlying factor influencing our decisions. Never blame circumstances, they are the same for everyone. Never blame the economy, politics, the weather, fate, or even your partner. Attitude alone determines our success or failure. Nowhere does this apply more than in our business…
