Unlikely MLM Advice from Seinfeld Star George Costanza

So, What is The Deal With Those Network Marketers? Buy, Sell, Upline, Downline. I Just Don’t Get It!

Unlikely MLM Advice from Seinfeld Star George Costanza

Remember the Seinfeld episode where George has an epiphany and learns that everything he has ever been taught is wrong, that every intuition and inclination he has ever felt has lead him in the wrong direction.

George: It’s not working, Jerry. It’s just not working.

Jerry : What is it that isn’t working?

George : Why did it all turn out like this for me? I had so much promise. I was personable, I was bright. Oh, maybe not academically speaking, but … I was perceptive. I always know when someone’s uncomfortable at a party. It became very clear to me sitting out there today, that every decision I’ve ever made, in my entire life, has been wrong. My life is the opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat … It’s all been wrong.

( A waitress comes up to George)

Waitress : Tuna on toast, coleslaw, cup of coffee.

George : Yeah. No, no, no, wait a minute, I always have tuna on toast. Nothing’s ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted … and a cup of tea.

Elaine : Well, there’s no telling what can happen from this.

Jerry : You know chicken salad is not the opposite of tuna, salmon is the opposite of tuna, ‘cos salmon swim against the current, and the tuna swim with it.

George : Good for the tuna.

( A blonde looks at George )

Elaine : Ah, George, you know, that woman just looked at you.

George : So what? What am I supposed to do?

Elaine : Go talk to her.

George : Elaine, bald men, with no jobs, and no money, who live with their parents, don’t approach strange women.

Jerry : Well here’s your chance to try the opposite. Instead of tuna salad and being intimidated by women, chicken salad and going right up to them.

George : Yeah, I should do the opposite, I should.

Jerry : If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.

George : Yes, I will do the opposite. I used to sit here and do nothing, and regret it for the rest of the day, so now I will do the opposite, and I will do something!

( He goes over to the woman )

George : Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice that you were looking in my direction.

Victoria : Oh, yes I was, you just ordered the same exact lunch as me.

(George takes a deep breath )

George : My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.

Victoria : I’m Victoria. Hi.

Good work, George. This would have been a great step forward if you were a network marketer. You have taken the first step toward un-learning years of irrelevant instruction and experience.

At one point in time, every network marketer gets sold on the dream.

“You, yes you, can be making six figures in a year. No, you don’t have to have any professional experience in this industry. And yes, you can do this all from the comfort of your own home. Just by following a few simple steps, you too can make …”

Blah. Blah. Blah.

OK, it’s not all hogwash and smoke-and-mirrors. Yes, new people still succeed in the network marketing industry. All the time. It’s still a crucial part of MLM process to recruit new people to the industry.

Common sense tells us to follow in the paths of others. Ancient Chinese proverb tells us that to know the road ahead, we should ask those coming back. Robert Frost tells us that two roads often diverge in the woods and to take the one less traveled.

But sometimes, it is just as effective to shed all the common sense and conventional wisdom and cut your own path.

Whether you’re new to MLM or have been doing it for years, you’ve probably sat in bed at 3:00 a.m. staring at the ceiling and asked yourself the “why am I doing this?” questions.

Isn’t there a better (and more efficient) use of my time? Why I am banging my head against the wall and not getting the results I expected? Why am I taking direction from someone that not successful in this industry? Or is everyone else successful but me?

Over the course of the next several weeks, this blog will explores some of the most pervasive lies in network, … and help to de-bunk them. Some may be the exact opposite of what you’ve been taught. And what you’ve put in to practice over the years.

All we ask is that you let go for a few minutes, fight your MLM intuition and find your inner Costanza.

George : My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.