Lance and Tracey Smith – MonaVie 26 years In Direct Selling
Lance and Tracey Smith from Escondido, California, USA have achieved the prestigious rank of White Diamond Executive with MonaVie.
Lance opens up to provide answers to the top misconceptions in the direct selling industry and what he's learned in a career that spans 20+ years and $14 Million in combined career earnings.
This month, Tracey and I celebrated our 26th year in the direct selling industry, as well as our 23rd year working full-time in the industry. In that time, we have been blessed to work with two amazing companies and hundreds of thousands of independent business owners.
There were many career paths we could have chosen, but after all these years, we can honestly say that there is nothing we would rather be doing.
As great as our industry is, it is often misunderstood. The great news is that it's easy to get in. Unfortunately, it's also just as easy to quit. At times, it seems like the people who quit are the ones who speak the loudest. So it's no surprise that I talk with people daily to explain the real facts behind the industry that I love.
Below are a few of the most common questions and concerns we often answer about network marketing.
Q: Don't you have to get in at the very beginning to become successful?
When I joined the industry, I was 21 years old and was introduced to it by my cousin who lives in another state. When I signed the application, I was officially registered into a company that was 30 years old. As a matter of fact, it launched 9 years before I was even born!
After three years of hard work, Tracey and I were financially free. Today, that company does over $10 billion a year! While there are some benefits to being one of the first movers with a new company, there are also many risks. Thousands of companies launch each year only to fail within the next year or two. If you look at the top earners in the most established companies, these top earners joined somewhere between year 3 and year 20.
Summary: The early bird doesn't always get the worm.
Q: Isn't this a get-rich-quick idea?
Many who are new to our industry try to spin it this way, but it's just not the truth. As everything in life, it will take time and effort to build and secure your business. When someone registers in our industry, I like to compare it to buying a gym membership. If the client has not seen results in the first few months, is that the gym's fault? Of course not! All the membership does is allow you access to the machines and equipment. Showing up, staying consistent, and getting the results are all up to you.
While we are on the gym analogy, some people show up, work hard, and see results, but then they stop, they lose their results, and often blame the 'gym'. If you want to make this a career, you MUST stay consistent.
Summary: If it was easy, everyone would do it.
Q: Will I have to bug my friends, family, and talk to everyone I know?
While it does take people to build your team, bugging friends and family is the last thing we want you to do. When we go to a good movie, we tell our friends. When we go to a good restaurant or find a good deal on item we like, we do the same. We don't bug them; we simply tell them about something we've tried and liked.
The same principle and approach applies to our industry. I started my career sharing this opportunity with those closest to me. Since I had confidence in the plan, when I shared it with my friends I never begged or pushed them. Instead, I ran with the people who saw value in our products. The rest I kept as friends and told them to keep an eye on us. In today's social media world, there is no need to push or beg…simply share what you are doing and let the people with doubts follow your success in the months and years to come.
Summary: You are a promoter, not a used car salesperson.
Q: Will it last?
Over our career, we have seen just about all there is to be seen in this industry. While I don't claim to have all the answers, there are a few facts about building it to last that I do know.
| BUILT TO LAST | BOUND TO FAIL |
|---|---|
| People who build their businesses on hard work and hope. | Those who build this as something for nothing and are all hype. |
| People who treat this like a marriage. | Those who treat their company and people like a ‘one night stand.’ |
| Leaders who help their people in depth succeed, build teams that last. | People who are only interested in sponsoring the next person. |
| People who commit to a company and their leaders. | People who jump from one company to the next with little to no input from their people. |
While there may be an exception or two to this, just look around at the top earners in our industry. Success always leaves clues.
Summary: Hard work always beats hype.
Q: Don't the people at the top make the most money?
The top producing professionals in any industry or sport will always make the most money. The top athletes, who contribute the most to their team, make the most money in professional sports. The top actors and actresses—the ones hauling in awards—make the most as well. The top investors, lawyers, and doctors who are getting results will always get paid the most. However, our industry is a little different in one aspect: we all get in and start at zero. From that point forward we get paid on what we produce, regardless of who brought you into the industry. If you out-produce your sponsor, you will make more money than them.
Three years into my career, you had to go 20+ positions above me before you found a leader who was making more money than we were. On the other hand, 10 years into my career, I had a leader on my team that was making more than us.
This industry has one of the fairest pay plans I have ever seen. When you register with a company, you get a number and a spot. Each week or month, the company computers run a report to track volume and then cut a check to each spot based on volume and business structure. It doesn't ask if you are old or young. It doesn't ask your nationality or your gender. It doesn't ask for your educational background or religious affiliation. It simply issues that person a check. When people say they want equal opportunity, I say come get it!
Summary: Welcome to an industry with no limits.
Q: Can anyone really be successful with this?
Twenty six years ago, I found myself face to face with a top earner in the company I had just joined. At that point in my life I was young, unemployed, broke, and living at home with my parents. Furthermore, I struggled with my self-esteem, was afraid to talk to people, and had zero experience in this industry. So when I asked this leader if I could do it, I shouldn't have been surprised by his answer. He looked at me, smiled and said, ';No. Not as you are…but you can change.' I left that conference with over 50 recordings and a handful of books: The Magic of Thinking Big, Think and Grow Rich, How to Win Friends & Influence People and The Richest Man in Babylon. Those tools started us down a personal growth and educational process that continues to this day.
Over the last few years, I have watched hundreds of people jump from one thing to the next, trying to hit the next big thing. The truth is that what they need is internal growth, not an external event. Remember, the great success you will have in life is not financial. Success is about who you become, the difference you have made and the lives you have touched.
Summary: Have fun, make money, bless others, and make a difference.