Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Links & Blinks

I've been pondering various issues lately. A small sample...
  • Network Marketing vs. Corporate Sales (Buy from a friend or give money to shareholders.)
  • Network Marketing vs. Classical Enterpreneurship vs. Workin' For The Man
  • Rejection is a bitter pill to continually swallow, and I'm almost full. (Link)
  • Why do people think I'm scamming them when I'm paying money out of my own pocket? Doesn't that simply show how much I believe in my idea?
  • Top 10 Reasons for Network Marketing (Link)
  • Top 10 Problems with Network Marketing (Tracking...)
  • Risk vs. Reward. Security is our priority. The present is more important than the future.
  • We defend what we know and attack what we don't know. Church, business, whatever.
  • I'm a brilliant idiot.
And now for something completely different...

Did you hear about the latest perpetual motion machine? Well, it's not exactly perpetual motion but it apparently defies the laws of physics in a similar way. This guy has invented a type of engine that speeds up when a sold magnet is put near it. Without adding more energy or gas, the engine should not be able to do that. At worst, this might allow us to create more efficient electric motors. At best, it would create an electric car engine that gets charged by simply braking. The trick is, he needs to convince people that this is real because everyone just keeps telling him it's impossible, even after agreeing that his demonstration seems real.

Mark Twain said, “Never let public schooling deny your child of an education.” My dad wrote a blog post recently, Edumacated Versus Desire To Learn. He comments on the irony of well-educated people having a difficult time learning certain new ideas. Their circular reasoning goes this way. "I’m educated and therefore this new idea that I’m being presented with can’t be good because if it was good I would already know about it because I’m educated." I think he has a point there. (BOCTAOE)

13 comments:

Lori said...

Maybe people aren't comfortable with you paying money out of your own pocket.

I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on Brilliant idiot.

Lori said...

You refer to Network Marketing - what is the difference in your opinion between Network Marketing and Multi level marketing?

Jamie A. Grant said...

"Network Marketing" and "Multi-Level Marketing" refer to the same thing. The latter has a terrible reputation so the former is more commonly used now. And for marketing/business courses in college and university about this, "Network Marketing" is the choice term.

Re: My Own Pocket
Then by all means, people are welcome to pay out of their own pocket. And some do, actually, but usually it's just an excuse since they don't want it in the first place. For those without the money, though, my offer is seen as generous and they fully appreciate it. People do react in very different ways...

Re: Brilliant Idiot
That covers a lot of ground, actually. I had several job interviews recently in which I admitted little .NET skill while at the same time declaring myself a 'brilliant' programmer.

Or take my views on church. Being a life-long church kid and pastor's kid, I am pretty well-versed in many aspects of Christian religion. I can debate evolution, explain the God trinity, etc. I'm very smart in that way and it's only recently that I've even begun to understand the limitations of church as we know it. I'm a brilliant churchie but I'm also an idiot about understanding the power that religion can have over us.

Being an entrepreneur, friendships, family, network marketing... It's easy to see how smart I am and how dumb I am, all at the same time.

Well now, I appear to have written a mini-blog in these comments...

Lori said...

You are very generous. And you are hilarious too!

David Grant said...

Hi Lori,
Just had to respond to people not being comfortable with someone paying for them out their own pocket.

It's difficult for us to imagine someone investing in us. The usual approach is to fend for yourself. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, etc.

If it truly is more blessed to give than to receive, who are the receivers? Somehow there has been a twisted view of receivers in that they are takers or users. Givers aren't receivers. Maybe great givers are great receivers.

We seem to have come to a crunch period in our society where giving and receiving have been very skewed. Trust in others is at an all time low. The idea of seeking someone else's good is flippantly ignored or seen as some sort of devious scam.

In the good old days farmers learned that it was often better to help another farmer who in turn helped another farmer, who in turn helped another farmer. This was all about economic benefit. I think what Jamie is desiring is the modern day version of re-discovering the lost freedom and benefit of helping others who help others, who help others...

Not too many business models out there that actually want and encourage that. It might almost be seen as counter-cultural, maybe even revolutionary.

Abe said...

I think a core problem that needs to be covered is whether people think the product itself is flawed. They may not think that you're scamming them, but if the product is flawed, someone is being scammed. Therefore, however much you believe in the idea becomes irrelevant.

Jamie A. Grant said...

Indeed, Abe. This week, I was actually thinking about what people mean when they use the word "scam."

It can refer to many different aspects, from lying to false promises to a money grab to useless products. That term kind of covers a lot of ground. I imagine that it's used somewhat flippantly at times without realizing what the accusation actually means about somebody...

Either the person selling is naive, or they're lying, or they're genuine. I s'pose that's the tough part about me not taking offense to polite denials in all of this, which is what I apparently need to do.

Lori said...

Agreed re: product. People might not be comfortable with you paying if they don't support the product or see themselves getting involved/endorsing with the product (for many reasons, price point being one of them).

As far as trust goes, I trust you very, very much but that's totally not the point with respect to something like this. It's a matter of passion, and interest, etc. for what I want to become knowledgeable about, support, blah blah...could write a book on so many aspects.

David Grant said...

Product is always the point. I heard tons of stories about the product that were fantastic but they weren't mine. My parents have so radically changed as a result of taking the products that I am a bit of a zealot these days. But that's my story.

From the business side of things I continually come across people who are desperately wanting to improve their financial and/or work environment but don't have the skills, education or support to change.

This allows for a whole new way of people defining their financial security and freedom.

It is an overlooked area in our society simply because our educational model completely bypasses this means of supporting ourselves and others.

Obviously this model isn't for everyone on a full time basis but for those who are trapped in a dead end job or wanting more freedom within family obligations the advantages of network marketing are staggering.

Lori said...

Defintely, David. And your blog on the top ten reasons for network marketing is really good!

David Grant said...

Thanks Lori. You are one of the most encouraging people I know.

David Grant said...

Further. We never know what the future has for us and it's possible that our plans might change for any number of reasons: job relocation, sickness, etc.

This is a story of how doing a simple thing like signing up worked out for a friend of mine.

He signed up in a network company 8 years ago but did nothing with it. The guy that signed him up continued to add people who in turn added people under him. He wasn't active ie. spending money for products and getting cheques.

Six years later his physical health took a drastic downturn and he decided to look more closely at the product. He physically improved so much that he then looked at the business and immediately began getting $200 per month that he had never done anything to earn other than signing up earlier.

Not bad for a $100 investment.

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