Welcome to part 2 of "Warning Signs" in my current "Work From Home" series! Obviously, since this is lesson 3, there are a couple of other lessons before this one that you need to go take a look at FIRST so that you can be "in rhythm" with this series as we continue with today's entry.
I also strongly encourage you to take the time to watch the video's for this series (YouTube link below) since so much of what I share involves visual effects that is a bit hard to describe. I think you'll be glad that you did so.
In "Lesson 1" I discussed the "why" behind this series and also discussed how/why I feel that I have the qualifications to do such a series. I'm no expert and I've made that clear BUT I do have 15+ years of experience in this area which does qualify me to share the information that I am sharing in this series.
In "Lesson 2" I began discussing some of the "warning signs" that I feel it is important to point out for those that may be considering getting involved with a home based business. I would not say that these are necessarily "red flags" but, more like things that you need to be aware of and that you should make sure that you get complete understanding about through the process of checking on these "opportunities". We covered three in the first part of this section and, in today's article, I will share another set of three.
Warning Sign #4 of 6: Does the product have a real purpose or value? Though this may seem like an odd question, you may be surprised at how many of these "so-called opportunities" actually don't really have a product to offer at all! Oh, they may offer some sort of "digital library" which is readily available for anyone to put together themselves, but they have actually done THAT part of the work for you if you so desired such a "library" of these recordings, e-books and videos. And, from my experience, many times they really don't promote these digital items as THE "product" that is being sold but more of an "extra bonus" to deciding to join up with their organization.
Again, watch the video and/or listen to the podcast for more specific details about that and also know that this also applies to a lot of "supplemental drinks", etc. that some companies try to pass off as an actual "product". Many of these items are basically worthless and are highly inflated in price but, for their purpose, it is a product that they will have for sale, regardless.
YOU NEED TO KNOW what the product is and then YOU must decide if it actually has any value and would you be comfortable in promoting such. Very closely related to what we will be discussing in #6 of "Warning Signs", is that you need to pay attention to whether or not this is clear to you or if you are still trying to figure out what the "product" actually is. If YOU aren't clear about it then you really need to ask yourself WHY this is so and also realize that the same confusion will be experienced by those that you may present this program and "product" to as part of your "business".
Warning Sign #5 of 6: What kind of support will you actually receive? KNOW THIS: All of these companies will boast about their support but very few deliver on the promise. "You're in this FOR yourself but never BY yourself!" is a motto that you will hear many times but, again, just know that most of these companies do NOT deliver in this area!
If you have questions, who can you call to get answers or WHERE can you get answers? If you are talking to someone and they ask a question that you don't know the answer to (and this WILL happen), how quickly can you get an answer and do you know HOW to get that answer? If you are told that your "sponsor" (the person that got you to join) will be available to answer your questions then you must also ask yourself, "How much do THEY know?" and will they have to, in turn, try to find the answer from someone else? How much information (and is it GOOD information?) will be available to you in your "back office" that the company SHOULD provide for you?
Bottom line: You WILL have questions and those questions will often come from your customers. You need to know AHEAD OF TIME how this will work. Remember, don't get caught up in "the hype" and let this get "blown over" in the process!
Warning Sign #6 of 6: Is the advertising that you will do misleading? You may say, "Uhhh, I don't know" but, friend, you DO know! Did YOU find it confusing or did you notice that it actually WAS misleading as you have talked to someone (or will talk to someone)? If so then, guess what? IT IS MISLEADING and YOU will be sharing misleading information as well! THIS IS HUGE!! I have never understood why ANY company would need to mislead anyone or try to "trick" anyone about their product or "opportunity" IF they were, indeed, a legitimate organization that were not scammers. By the way, you have just been told one of the main ways to know whether or not this company/opportunity is a scam or not. PAY ATTENTION and do NOT allow yourself to be "sucked in" with a bunch of hype.
Again, please watch the video to get a better view of this but take a look at the following, actual ad for a company and see if you can figure out if this is a "job" or if this is a "work from home opportunity" and then, what IS it?
Pay attention to the parts of this advertisement that I have highlighted in red! First of all, in BIG, BOLD, RED LETTERS you see, NOW HIRING and you also see a picture of a young lady with a headset on and, if you look closely, you can also see what appears to be another person next to her. It would appear that she is a part of a "call center", wouldn't you agree? I'm not sure how much you can actually read in the box outlined in red but it is a list of things that, apparently, this company is hiring for! Things such as "customer support, sales, consulting, management, coaching, data entry" and on and on. And look! They have "hourly and salary opportunities" as well! WOW!
What kind of job or situation would you think that this would be? A job or a work from home "opportunity"? For me, it would seem to suggest that this is a company that is offering "call center" jobs to people where you can earn money either by hourly wage or even by a salary. My goodness, look again in that "red box" and notice all of the ares that are available...surely you fit into at least ONE of these areas, right? And then look at the part that I circled in red that indicates that you could make between $400 - $1200 PER DAY!!! Double Wow!
Now then, take a step back, take a breath and ask yourself this question: Do you REALLY believe that you are going to be able to have a "call center" type job that is going to allow you, at an hourly rate, to make that kind of money? C'mon now, get real here and be honest. Not even close.
This is NOT a "call center" job even though this company regularly uses that phrase in their advertising and there are NO "hourly OR salary" positions available. Nope! If you call in and are looking for that type of work, you will simply be referred to another link that is simply a site for a job search. Unbelievable, right? And, get this - that person will get an affiliate commission for sending you to that page IF you fill out the information. I'm not making this up and I'm not just guessing about this. I know this to be true.
Isn't it sad that such organizations feel the need to be so misleading? Do YOU really want to attach yourself to such a thing? I HOPE NOT! That is why it is so important to not get caught up in the hype and allow yourself to make justifications to yourself as a way to look past what your own character will tell you is NOT what you need to become.
Remember, if you have ANY questions about any of this information and even if you have an advertisement that you would like me to look at for you, I'll be happy to do so. I will give you my honest assessment about the ad and point out to you any areas of concern that I see. Again, I'm not an expert but, at the same time, I've seen a lot and learned a lot over the past 15+ years.
And, finally here's what I suggest BEFORE you talk to anyone: Have these 6 "warning signs" lined up for you to go through with whoever it is that you talk to about a possible "work from home" opportunity. If they are unwilling to spend the time with you to answer your questions then, friend, you need to move on. I talk more about that on the video and in the podcast so check those out for more about that part.
In our next lesson I will be discussing, "YOUR Purpose & Passion". This may very well be the MOST IMPORTANT part of this process and I invite you to join me for Lesson #4 in this series. In Lesson #5 I will be sharing information with you about "My Suggested Solution" and, yes, I will share some basic information with a program that I've come across that "checks all of the boxes" in a good way...at least for me. I will not be trying to sell you anything but, again, I will share some basic information with you in that lesson. If you would like to get a "head start" looking at that information, just click on the "Live Debt Free" link down below.
Until next time, whatever you do, always be sure to...
"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
Mike
