Act Authentically in Your Home Based Business

The prime source of nourishing interaction is authentic, intimate relating

-Jerry Greenwald

Home Based Business: Action and Authenticity

This VITAL sign promotes two key ideas for a healthy home based business: action and authenticity. Too many new distributors start this business and then go into an extended period of analysis paralysis: reading e-mails, researching their products, reading network marketing books, filing, organizing—planning to get ready. While all of this does play a role in your business, only action (backed by belief) will give you results.

The Pareto Principle is important to learn early on: 20 percent of what you do will give you 80 percent of the return on your invested energy. If you did 10 business-related things every day and two of those (20 percent) were critical to your success, what would they likely be? (1) Contacting potential customers/team members and (2) following up with them!

During your initial contact and in all of your interactions with potential customers and team members, keep in mind this VITAL sign: act authentically. In a world where selling has gotten a bad name from those who exagerate or downright lie in order to convince a prospective customer to buy, we have a duty and an obligation to act ethically and authentically.

Home Based Business Code of Ethics

Here is a good code of ethical principles and practices that can be used in conducting your home based business:

1. Represent yourself, your company, its products, and ser­vices truthfully and with integrity.
2. Carefully consider the prospect's best interests. Never en­courage prospects to purchase products or make commitments that you believe might have an adverse effect on their health or financial stability.
3. Truthfully identify yourself, your company, your products, and the purposes of your solicitation to any prospective cus­tomer or associate. Answer questions directly and honestly.
4. Represent realistic income projections that are in align­ment with your company's reported sales, profits, and indi­vidual average earnings.
5. Tell prospects that their financial results will be directly re­lated to their marketing and leadership skills and their own personal efforts—not a get-rich-quick opportunity. 
6. Give information, not advice.
7. Support our profession by never discrediting any home based business or associate.
8.  Support and encourage other networkers to be successful in the company they are in versus luring them into your company. Never knowingly initiate recruitment of an ac­tive associate from another company or from another line of sponsorship within your own company. (Should an as­sociate initiate contact with you, then you may provide in­formation related to their request. Should they decide to move their position to your organization, confirm that all required requests and notifications necessary or ethically desired within their organization regarding such a transfer have been completed.)
9.  Not engage in illegal pyramid or endless chain schemes, the use of spamming via the Internet, sending unsolicited fax materials, or holding "ambush marketing" meetings. Represent the benefits of your products only as suggested in your company's marketing materials and from your per­sonal experience.
10. Maintain the continuing education required for profes­sional certification.
11. Be a leader.

Authenticity builds trust. As Tom Schreiter relates so eloquently: "There are three reasons why people buy from you. Most of us think it's because of (1) our company (yet how well do you know its financial statement?), (2) our products/services (when was the last time you did a market study to compare similar products?), or (3) the comp plan (can you even explain it?). No, here are the three real reasons: People buy from you because (1) they know you, (2)  they like you, and (3) they trust you."

Use these tips to be successful in your home based business.