Mind Your Own Business
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Comments
Remember as kids we could say things like “Mind you own beeswax!” or “Don’t be a Buttinski!” While such comments may not bode well for you as an independent consultant, the advice is sound.
A dear friend once told me to spend 90% of my time minding my own business and 10% of the time keeping others out of my business. That is some of the best entrepreneurial advice I ever received (it’s relevant to non-work related life too).
Specifically I’m referring to independent consultants of the same company – any company, it happens industry wide – spending waaaaaaaay too much time worrying about what other consultants are doing. If they spent a fraction of the time tending to their own business they wouldn’t have time to get their panties in a wad over what other consultants are up to.
I fully embrace that if you are made aware of someone who is participating in a bona fide compliance infraction and it can hurt your own business or the company as a whole, then you should make the powers-that-be aware of the situation. This type of issue is not what I am referring to.
But rather I am talking about the tattletalers. Again, no matter what company you represent I’m sure you see this on some scale. A prime example of this time consuming whining is eBay sales. As far as I know, most direct sales companies prohibit consultants from retailing on eBay. Yet on any given day you can search a particular direct sales company name and find hundreds or thousands of listings of product. That’s a fact.
Yet consultants want to take up time on message forums or complaining to upline and anyone else who will listen that “So and so has listings on eBay!” Then to consume even more time, these folks also take time to email the seller and attempt covert action of uncovering the consultant’s real identity. “I wrote the seller and just casually asked if they had any other items available or if they could order more!”
People! Mind your own business! Just go sell the wax [or jewelry, or makeup, or kitchen gadgets or lotions and potions or whatever product you sell]. Let your corporate office handle these issues.
“But… but … they’re taking my customers away,” you sadly lament. No. No those who purchase from eBay are looking for a bargain. They buy on eBay so that they don’t have to pay retail or attend a home party or deal with an overly eager consultant. Those are not your customers. Besides, the sellers often are losing money after they pay for the cost of goods sold, then eBay and PayPal fees. So let them continue to lose money.
Instead of worrying about what other consultants are doing, get tunnel vision for your own business and you’ll start to see profits soar.
Remember this mantra:
- Sell the [insert your product line here]
- Get others to sell the [insert your product line here]
- Repeat
Simple, right? Now go mind your own beeswax and make it a productive day!
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Leslie Truex is the pajama-clad work-at-home mom dedicated to helping other moms live and work comfortably. She's the author of The Work-At-Home Success Bible and owner of 
Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with 
isn’t that the truth!
While I do allow reps to sell on eBay, etsy and other venues I still get emails from other reps ‘tattling’ on the ’sellers’.
If they’d just worry about selling the product themselves their time would be better spent.
ROFL! Super great post because it’s SO true. Thanks for sharing.
I think that a little bit of research on others is important because it will help you be a better businessperson and it will help to increase your skills, but in the examples you’re talking about – you’re totally right. There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior.
Great post Laurie. The people who say “They’re taking customers away,” are inaccurate. If they’re wasting time worrying and trying to get other consultants in trouble, they don’t have customers.
At the same time, I don’t understand why some companies have rules that really limit its consultants. If a consultant is creative and industrious enough to use marketing tactics regular businesses use, more power to them. I had a consultant profiled on my website once and she had to have it taken down. Why should she be penalized for recognizing the power of the web and submitting her profile for others to learn about her and her business?? It made no sense to me.