Carole Taylor by TNMM Editor

The best learning comes from the successful one’s who have gone before us and Carole Taylor, with a residual income of over $1 million a year in Isagenix, shares a treasure trove of learning with her team and you! Carole, if you would travel back in time to when you first heard about network marketing… can you tell us what that was like? The way technology has advanced, looking back, it’s like we were in the Stone Age. In the early 80’s, I was working in the Corporate World in the Pharmaceutical industry. At that time, many of us viewed Network Marketing ‘questionable’ as a business model. Maybe it’s because it was so different from traditional business or maybe some of the skepticism came from the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, beware”. It certainly did not have the Professionalism and credible business image that it has achieved today. There was a lot of product front-end loading with heavy inventory to stock. NULL Today, the industry is much more a people business than it was 25 years ago. Building relationships, putting people ahead of products and profits is more the idea now. We are in the ‘service economy’ ~ a big shift from the information age. Network Marketing back then was more local than global. There were lots of home party presentations, local advertising and local meetings. This is still a great way to build a NM business; however, with all the advancements in communication, information and air travel, we are not limited by geography to build a great business. Long-distance sponsoring and building is much easier now. In any case, in the early 80’s, I seriously needed to find a way to earn more money and I was introduced to it by someone who really seemed to believe in it ~ and who was making serious money ~ so I decided to explore it. What caught your attention most? The FREEDOM! The freedom to do business my way ~ to own an independent enterprise where I could be in control of my life. No boss and no employees. No daily commute to the office. Total freedom where I could be fully responsible for my own activities and hours ~ and the freedom that I imagined could come from earning the extra money. What challenges came up for you in the beginning and has that changed over time? Well, I had my personal challenges, mostly centered around financial concerns, needing to support myself ~ as well as disenchantment with the Corporate World. When I left my corporate position as a manager, I put aside a certain amount of money to start my Network Marketing business and placed myself in a position where I had to make it with my new business. One of the amazing things to me is remembering the challenges of working without the innovative business-building tools we have today. For example, the way we communicated was so different. The fax machine had just become popular at that time. There were no cell phones and no inexpensive long distance phone plans like we enjoy today ~ and no personal 800 numbers. For long-distance sponsoring and Conference Calling, we had to plan very carefully to keep our costs reasonable. We had to plan ahead and do our calling at night and at certain hours on the weekend, when the rates were less expensive. We created and sent newsletters by mail to stay in touch with our organization and promote training and meeting events. You really had to work your way around all of those things. We built our Network Marketing businesses by phone, fax and regular mail which was costly and slow. Remember, there were no PCs at home yet. No e-mail. No internet. No websites. No webinars. No CDs or DVDs. It was still fun back then ~ but today it is such a pleasure to be in this new era of Network Marketing with all the new tools and communication advancements.

I knew I could never go back to the corporate world. My personal and spiritual values had changed forever. It simply wouldn’t work any more. I was psychologically unemployable.

It was 1982 and I was doing everything I could to be sure my Network Marketing business worked. My Network Marketing company at the time was the very first to introduce videos. I remember I was very proud of them for that presentation breakthrough as it introduced a whole new way to show or present the business. You didn’t have to continually talk or worry about presenting every single facet of the Product or Business. That worked well and my business grew faster. I was right there at the right time. I also had a good sponsor who held me accountable for my own success.

He let me know . . . ‘if it is to be, it is up to me’. Those ten tiny words have a lot of power.

He supported me but made it very clear that I had to do it. He let me know if I was going to be a success I would have to step out of my fear. That was really good for me. I often felt scared and anxious and like I was out on my own, but I was very determined. I just felt that I absolutely had to do it and that was all there was to it! So I pressed on. Life is like a “do it yourself project”. You have to keep growing as a person. That increases your desire and ability to learn more and to earn more. Network Marketing is like a Personal Development course with a Compensation Plan. So, I did get my check up to about $5000 a month in less than a year. In those days, the early 80’s, that was a lot of money, certainly for me. But, around that time, because the company was a very successful weight loss nutritional company producing great results, it was investigated by the FDA. The company was targeted and it was in the News everywhere. Even though the Company ultimately won against the FDA, the court proceedings, etc., provided very negative publicity and many distributors left. Although the company weathered the storm, and actually ended up winning against the FDA, it took nearly three years and I really didn’t have the financial luxury of waiting it out. It was really heartbreaking and I felt devastated. I had built a large organization and it just crumbled. As soon as the media spread the word and the public started hearing the story, they would back away. And people that had been looking at the business just disappeared. That was a major challenge, not just for me personally but for the whole company. They did go on to be a very strong company, still in operation today, but I just didn’t have the resources to stay and build there at the time. It turned out to be a great survival story for the industry ~ still a NM success 26 years later. So would you say the best thing you learned from your sponsor was to get out of your comfort zone and expand yourself?

Yes, and also that there are no excuses. Network Marketing is a self-driven business. I really appreciated how clear I became about the fact that building my business is my responsibility.

I teach that to my team today. It doesn’t help anyone to be an enabler. If one is not ultimately willing to commit to do it themselves and give the time and energy to the business, then they are really not ready for success and it’s time to say “Next”. One of the things I love about this industry is that all of the things we learn to be successful ~ the business-building and communication (survival) skills, apply to our personal lives and relationships in general. I remember one time when I was still working my full time job. My sponsor asked me about going to a meeting and I wasn’t really planning on going because I had just been there the night before. He said, “Well, I thought you wanted to build a business.” And naturally, I jumped to my defense and said, “I’ve got a big department I’m managing at the office and I have a lot of responsibilities” and he said, “Yeah? What does that have to do with it? I thought you wanted me to show you how to build your own business”. Well I said, “Yes I do!” and he replied, “Then come on down and bring s
ome guests, there are no excuses.” And that was basically network marketing 101 for me. It sounds like he taught you a sense of urgency. Yes, it was exactly that now that you mention it. It put the idea into my mind that this is a real business. It’s not something you play at. If you play at it, you have a hobby, not a business. And I don’t expect anyone else to do it for me. There’s no free lunch.

It helps to be an active part of a team; like the geese flying in formation. It will leverage your effort, but you’ve got to get up there and fly!

 

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