The Hypocrisy of Ann Sieg - Was It a Career Booster or Career Suicide?
Read More: Well, you have to assume when you are a well known figure and a proven mlm success within the network marketing community, sometimes not-so-nice things are going to get said. That's exactly what happened a short time ago.
If you are one to follow a few of the heavy hitters in this industry, you keep up with what they have to share. On the weekends, I like to grab my cup of coffee and sit down and read what is going on in my Facebook, Twitter and Betternetworker accounts. One article that screamed out at me was titled, "The Hypocrisy of Ann Sieg" written by Ferny Ceballos. That title certainly caught my attention.
When I first read this article, there were ten comments that had been left since the article had been posted. I must admit that reading the comments amused me; not in a funny haha way but a nerve had definitely been hit.
I am not going to bore you with the details of the article or all the comments, but you can follow this link to the article. I posted a comment as well. One thing about network marketers, we are driven by building and developing relationships so we always have something to say.
It's very interesting to read the many different comments and see which side of the fence people are gathering on. Many are in favor of the author, Fernando Ceballos. Others understand why Ann Sieg chose the path she did. Then you still have the those who are on the fence and choose not to ruffle feathers or ripple the water!
What it comes down to is this.... everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Let's refer to it as perspective. When it comes to a situation such as this, everyone has their own perspective. It doesn't mean they're right or wrong. I learned a lot from reading the many different perspectives that this one topic provoked. I give kudos to the author for expressing himself in an honest and intelligent manner. I also admire those that gave their comments great thought and consideration before publishing them for the whole world to see.
When you get to be as well-known as Ann Sieg is within the mlm business, you are going to get those that think you are the cat's meow and those that immedicately click away from anything that has your name associated with it. That's okay, you can not expect to please everyone. Consider this: if you can make 70% to 80% of the people happy or content, you are doing a great job! I am betting both Ferny Cabellos and Ann Sieg can say that.
When you are one of the heavy hitters within the network marketing field, expect some backlash every now and then. It's how you handle the naysayers while the rest of us watch and learn that will set you apart from everyone else.
My vote on this one article, "The Hypocrisy of Ann Sieg" was a career booster for Ferny. You may not agree with what he wrote but if you didn't know who he was before reading the article, you definitely know his name now!
About the Author: LeeAnn McVey
Company: Personal Touch Card Services
I'm a Distributor For:: Send Out Cards
Industry: Consulting
Primary Web Site: http://www.PersonalTouchCardServices.com
I Think It's a Distraction
I don't blame Ferny for making this topic public--it's his soap box... but personally I wish he hadn't. I've been working hard for some time to bring BetterNetworker to Ann's audience and this has really put a damper on that idea. So everyone here really has lost in the short run by getting a lot less exposure from her audience. In addition to putting the stopper on the momentum in Ann and I sharing BN with her list, I have heard from dozens of influential leaders from Ann's tribe who don't participate here (or refer people here) because of all this negativity toward Ann, past and present.
The BN community (and Ferny) doesn't win by having less exposure. Like it or not her list is huge and her influence is strong and BN is better with Ann's audience in here participating...
I don't think this negative focus is the kind of exposure that attracts new leaders. So far, the audience here is mainly just the same people who already belong to the Magnetic Sponsoring tribe... why not attract (through ATTRACTION MARKETING principles) Ann's tribe. Posting this recent dispute doesn't do that, it makes that tribe run
I sent 1000's of people here and several hundred have set up a membership... I did that to contribute ,and planned to send 20x that number... since Ann and I have partnered up, we were working toward facilitating huge exposure for BN. This would be good for everyone here, of course I still support BN and like Ferny as a person, but none the less, this situation going public has made my job more difficult in terms of creating a much larger BN audience.
Ultimately, this isn't about Ferny or Ann, it's about everyone else who needs strong leadership to look to, and facilitators who can help THEM generate more sales. Seeing their leaders fight it out publicly doesn't help them gain confidence or clarity in direction.
Did this help Ferny's exposure? I don't think so. I understand (because I made an EFFORT to understand) Ferny's reaction to the Bernie letter. But I also understand (because I made an EFFORT to understand) Ann's side of it... there is no right or wrong in my opinion here, there is only cause and effect. Right now the effect is everyone at BN will see less exposure--no matter what anyone says to sugar coat all this, that is the outcome so far I can assure you
But as I've said before this has all just been a bad case of the flu in my opinion and it will pass. Once it does I can get back to seeing how I can help facilitate giving BN more exposure... once I'm confident that we can all work together.
I don't blame Ferny for this or Dillard for endorsing it, but I do believe they have other options that are better for them, Better Networker, the industry and for everyone in it.
It's one thing to know how to craft copy writing to sway people to see things one particular way or another, and then there's just good leadership. Let's exercise great leadership and let the marketing and copy writing fall under that umbrella, instead of the other way around.
Mike
Looking to the Future
In the end, what purpose does it all serve? Do we have to choose between Ferny's terrific programs and Ann's work? Who will be the losers?
Ann's book was my introduction to Attraction Marketing. It helped me "get it." Some time later, through Mike Klingler, I was introduced to Mike Dillard's Magnetic Sponsoring. I learned a lot from Mike D too and I now follow his teachings as well as Ann's. By having access to both programs, I am a more well rounded marketer. Then there are the hundreds of other books and trainings I've received - each adding another layer to my knowledge base.
In the end, the people to lose out will be those whose faith is shaken in our industry leaders. Many have already been "burned" by programs promising results and then not delivering. In my experience at least, Ann, Mike D and Ferny all deliver.
So, behind closed doors, do what needs to be done to make peace. Then, go back to sharing your talents and gifts with us. We need all of you!
It's a Rainbow
Hi...
As I posted in the original thread about this. It hit me real hard because Ann has been my personal friend, my personal sponsor in a company we were both in years ago and even my neighbor at one point. I met her at our local Barnes & Noble Starbucks where we sat an talked about MLM and sponsoring. In her heart, she just wanted to give me whatever she could to help me build my business. This meant her time and even letting me borrow some of her CD's about sponsoring. I think I gave them all back. Yikes...maybe I better look.
Anyway. I have great respect for Ann, Mike Dillard and all the others that had come out of the shadows to do what they felt they could to put a stop to the massive frustration I've seen industry wide since I started trying to be a Networker more than 20 years ago.
I saw what Mike posted above. Mike, I dig BetterNetworker and I'm here. Then again, I'm just one tribal member.
I don't understand the "true" purpose of the original posting. I saw a repeat of this posting by someone else in the WAHM forum. I saw it there first actually. To me, it seems to be more about calling attention to oneself by airing some personal dirty laundry. An opportunity for some self promotion??? Perhaps. In the end, it will be forgotten and the new networkers that have never heard of Ann Sieg, Mike Dillard or Ferny will not give it much attention.
The part that upset me the most is that some people are trying to make a connection between Ann and the less than favorable opinion of network marketing in the public eye. This was the case in the thread in the WAHM forum. I've been around way to long to believe that for one moment. MLM has had a bad public reputation long long long before Ann, Mike, Attraction Marketing or even the internet was around. I dare say someone outside of MLM has ever heard of Ann Sieg.
So....in conclusion. I follow, promote, admire and respect both Ann and Mike. I don't know Ferny...but I will be watching him. I take the postion that I can gain knowledge from many places including people here on BetterNetworker. Together we're creating the beautiful and colorful MLM rainbow family we have today. hehehe. But like any families, we don't always get along.
Not the sort of career boost I'd choose
And I doubt it's one Ferny one would have chosen. Plus, it seems that his career was going pretty well before this anyway.
As for whether it has damaged BN, I'd have to disagree with you Mike. So not all of Ann's followers will want to come here - but a lot of them will. And so will a lot of other folks who find value in what BN has to offer. If Ann is the leader you say she is, why wouldn't she want her followers exposed to that value? Unless she thinks they might be swayed by what Ferny has revealed?
As you've already stated this isn't about taking sides. They both have a lot to offer and nobody else is ever likely to know the real issues behind it all anyway. to be honest, I don't recall seeing that much negativity towards Ann here on BN. Maybe you see it more because you're affiliated with her.
Of course, there will be more of Mike's followers here at BN, it evolved from the MS site, but that number will only get less over time now that BN is an open forum.
It's a shame that you feel this is preventing you from promoting BN at the moment. I don't see the logic behind this personally but that's just me.
Will I Refer People to BN?
Susan, just so there isn't any confusion about my intention with BN, I intend to continue supporting BN. I wouldn't be here now engaging in conversation if that wasn't the case. But the recent environment does make me cautious... because I value my time.
I don't particulaly enjoy having to address hundreds of people's questions that arise when a friend and business partner's reputation is under attack--it's a time sucker for me. I've had to spend a great deal of time on this issue in order to put an objective and two sided perspective on the situation. This is what many leadres will not want to find themselves having to do... it is why many leaders who are associated with Ann and who respect her, won't refer people into this kind of environment. It's a waste of their time to have to address stuff like this. That's why it is best not to publicize something like this unless you intend to exclude other leaders from participating.
In response to all of this I hope to find time to start a discuss about the "new model" of leadership that Eban Pagan and other leaders of our day refer to. It is that new model of leadership that will make a great tool like BN an industry accepted resource.
I don't think it takes a big effort in an exercise at emphathy to understand why Ann may not see a point in investing her energy here. Who wants to have to constantly defend themselves? It's an energy waster for her to be here under this kind of environment. I am sure she is feeling pretty relieved right now that she hadn't directed hundreds of thousands of poeple this direction. Imagine if she had -- how much time she would have to devote to this topic--what an ugly waste of time that would have been.
It's never about right or wrong when you have two good people disagreeing or disputing something , it's about misunderstanding. Why would Ann want to direct people into a pool of dispute and misunderstanding? Why invest the energy and time? She is smart to stand as far away from all this as possible and focus on her business.
As for me, while I won't continue developing the plan with Ann to direct her audience to BN, I will continue to support BN for as long as my presence is welcome. Down the road maybe Ann and Ferny will be best buds (I believe that is quite possible) and this will be like my 7 and 5 year old... one minute there's yelling and fighting (and at least one time I think there was biting)... and then they're best friends.
Mike
Kids. Who'd have em,huh? I
Kids. Who'd have em,huh?
I appreciate how much time you've spent on this Mike. I just wonder if it all would have gone away a lot sooner had Ann responded personally to Ferny about it?
I learned a long time ago to 'choose my battles wisely'. Some things are worth fighting for, others aren't. Ferny saw this as a battle worth fighting and Ann didn't. Each to their own.
I still think Ann's followers have a lot to learn here at BN. Not least of which is the fact that what you do and don't do, how you act and react, can have 'unintended consequences' that can come back and bite you on the bum. :)
Learning here at BN
Susan,
I think you bring up an important point. You said that "Ann's followers have a lot to learn here at BN."
Since this is a social community, the most important "win" for any of us is the relationships we build with the rest of the BetterNetworker folks. I don't think the present circumstances are very inviting for Ann to build relationships here, but I don't think that will necessarily always be the case.
However that all works out, I hope we, as the BetterNetworker users, don't wind up with an "Us and Them" mentality. Taking sides, on something we don't really know that much about, won't help us in the end.
I am a relative newcomer to BN. I appreciate your reminder that what we put out on the internet stays there and when we respond emotionally to something, we may regret it later. I don't want to make friends here with a "my guru is better than your guru" attitude. I just want to soak up the chance to learn and socialize with other networkers.
With any established community, it's best to get a feel for the "rules" of that particular group. Here at BN, I've noticed that comments can be stronger in nature than at some other sites. Some of the forum discussions come off more like arguements than discussions, but there is still a lot of value there. I enjoy going through the comments and finding the people who consistently bring the discussion back to something we can all benefit from. Those are the ones I want to build relationships with.