Anyone who has made the exciting — yet sometimes unpopular — decision to become a Network Marketing entrepreneur knows all too well the presence of Dream Stealers in their lives. Dream Stealers are exceptionally vocal about what a huge mistake these entrepreneurial people have just made — sometimes to the detriment of the dream that got them involved with the business in the first place.
Do any of these lines sound familiar?
“You’re not going to seriously look at Network Marketing, are you?”
“I heard that company has lots of problems.”
“You won’t make any money with one of those scams, you know.”
“I knew a guy whose brother’s uncle’s second cousin’s dog got involved with Network Marketing and lost everything…”
Yes, what Dream Stealers say can get as ridiculous as that last line. And for the faint of heart, words like these can swipe away a dream faster than Ichiro Suzuki can steal second base.
Old-school Dream Stealers come in the form of self-appointed “well-meaning” friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues — basically anyone with an opinion who believes what they have to say will save the unsuspecting soul from guaranteed heartbreak and financial ruin. Often coming from a place of wanting to “protect” the people they love, old school Dream Stealers succeed insofar as the object of their protection allows them to.
Now enter the new breed of Dream Stealers, one that is far more malicious and potentially damaging than Aunt Hildie ever could be.
First of all, this new breed of Dream Stealers is not about protecting anyone but themselves and their own financial interests. To do this, they use the names of Network Marketing companies in online posts they write, not as a way of building anyone up or legitimately teaching others about the value of Network Marketing (two cornerstones of the profession), but rather as a means of grabbing traffic from innocent folks who are doing research about a particular company and then pitching THEIR products and services to the unsuspecting who land there.
My problem is not with any particular traffic generating strategies, but rather with the intent behind the use of these strategies. Not that long ago, I came across someone doing this who I discovered has a good sized list of negative posts about various Network Marketing companies, all with the clear intention of not helping anyone who might be interested in a particular company build that Network Marketing business (as true leaders would), but rather to guide readers towards what he is pushing — affiliate products and services that will line his pockets.
I would be willing to bet his approach here has yanked more than one dream away from visitors looking for information about an opportunity.
What bothers me about what he is doing is not his entrepreneurial spirit — because clearly he and others like him are driven to make their businesses profitable — but rather the fact that he has never built any of the Network Marketing businesses he is so quick to dismiss as junk.
I would not have a problem with individuals writing negatively about Network Marketing opportunities if they had direct experience building a team with that particular company and things didn’t go well. But to malign an opportunity as a means of attracting buyers for other products and services is, in my opinion, sleazy, selfish, and damaging.
My advice to anyone who has a dream of becoming a successful Network Marketing professional is to do thorough research and always get a second opinion. Then a third. And a fourth. Additionally, always consider the source of any negative reviews of a company you are considering.
The truth is, for anyone with a dream for a better life, Dream Stealers will always be lurking in the shadows, both offline and online. The Internet, with its endless capacity to house every thought under the sun about any and every topic, has fostered a new breed of Dream Stealers that can be particularly insidious.
In the end, if your dream is big enough, no Dream Stealer, no matter how loud or negative or seductive, can take your dream away from you. Learning how to recognize these people for what they are and responding to them accordingly can make all the difference between what you have now and what lies ahead for you in the future.
22. June 2010 at 3:58 pm
Now here’s a one-two punch for the Dream Stealers! Way to go, Mary Lou! All of us as professional network marketers appreciate your direct approach to bringing this danger to the fore. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone into a new entrepreneurial enterprise and taking a “defensive” stance against those who would undermine your efforts is the only way to guard your DREAM.
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Hi Val, Thanks for your response. Some might argue that it takes courage NOT to start a home-based business or become an entrepreneur, and they would be right! It’s all about education and understanding the big picture.
22. June 2010 at 4:54 pm
Thanks Mary Lou for this insightful post about modern day dream stealers. I’ve come across these a few times myself & was not happy with their tactics. It’s sad that people prey on unsuspecting people like that.
It does come down to people being responsible enough to use their head when reading what’s out there. Due diligence will pay off.
Great post!
Val
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:13 pm
HI Val, Well, the way I look at it is people are people, no matter the era, no matter the technology. It’s part of human nature, I suppose, to position yourself above others, that whole Kingdom or territory instinct at work! I just like to make people aware of tactics that may not have a collective best interest at heart.
22. June 2010 at 5:05 pm
Hi Mary Lou,
Wow! I had no idea that there were people out there doing this tactic. Regardless, you are right that anyone who is thinking of joining a Network Marketing company should do their research before making the decision, and of course, I think, to also research any negative info they may come across to be sure that, like you stated, the negative info is legit & not just someone with a selfish motive. Excellent post!
Christine
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Hi Christine, Doing research these days is a double-edged sword because of the Internet. On the one hand, there has never been as much information on a topic available in one place as there is today. On the other hand, a researcher has to have critical thinking skills in order to navigate through some of the junk out there. The issue for me is the selfishness behind this tactic. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
22. June 2010 at 6:05 pm
This is a great example of turning a problem (dream stealers) into an opportunity, but not one that I feel inclined to emulate. Thank you so much for pointing out the perfidious nature of this new breed of dream stealers! As network marketers, we already have enough issues to contend with – now a new dimension of the problem is exposed thanks to you, Mary Lou.
Great post!
Alan
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Hi Alan, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Anyone who chooses to go in a direction that is different from the rest will encounter individuals who have an opinion — good or bad — about what they are doing. Unfortunately, those of us who have discovered the power of Network Marketing to make our lives better have to live with a lot of outside negativity. Which is okay, it just makes us stronger!
22. June 2010 at 8:51 pm
This is a great post!
I have ran into more than my fair share of nay-sayers. I guess they see someone with a dream or goal and decide it is their duty to bring us back down to reality.
I have not really seen the internet version of this person, although I am sure they are out there. This is where critical thinking and much questioning must come into play.
Sometimes we just have to learn from experience and go from there.
Thanks for sharing!
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Hi Jose, Nay-sayers or Dream Stealers exist in all professions, not just Network Marketing (although there seem to be more of them in this profession). These people are just plain negative NO MATTER WHAT, and will attack whatever they want to. It’s a strange yet real thing that anyone with a dream will come across at some point, someone putting down their idea. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
23. June 2010 at 6:15 am
Hey Marylou,
I came across quite a few of these articles just last night as I was doing some research on a few different companies. It is so disingenuous! The first sign that you are on one of these “New Dream Stealers” sites is the fact that they have a review for numerous MLM’s. I mean really? Did this person really join al these different opportunities to have this information? Probably not. If they did join that many opportunities, is that someone you want to take advice from?
Either way they are not doing a service to anyone or even themselves.
This is a great post, glad I found your blog through the TSA. I will be checking it out frequently even if it’s not on my list for the day.
Scott Manesis
Mary Lou Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Scott, You point exactly what bugs me about this growing trend. I would respect these reviews if the individual had actually built up an organization with a company and THEN had problems, through no fault of his own! But for people who have no experience or education in Network Marketing to make disparaging remarks about the profession and specific companies with zero personal experience is just plain wrong, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing! I appreciate it.
25. June 2010 at 4:22 pm
Right on Mary Lou! You have written a post that has been in the wings of my blog and for some reason I just never got to writing yet. It’s true, these people are out there and they seem to pounce and prey on those unsuspecting people that are looking for direction. “Is Company XYZ A Scam?” These headlines are very obvious to pick out and the people writing them offer very little value except to bash the industry and company they’re talking about.
Thanks for speaking out!
Mary Lou Reply:
June 25th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Hi Don, Exactly my point! It’s one thing to legitimately write about a company you know from experience, but to dismiss a company just to get traffic is very disingenuous, to me anyway. Thanks for your input!
2. July 2010 at 5:37 pm
Mary,
Thanks for saying what needed to be said, and alerting those new to this wonderful field that not all that glitters is gold
JS Yarbrough
Mary Lou Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:58 pm
So true, JS! So true! All that glitters is not gold! Thanks for stopping by!