Copyright 2006 Dave Sherwin
Do you know why a lot of network marketers never experience success in their career? A lot of times it's because of a disease they have, IKT. What is IKT? IKT is a very contagious disease that is simple to diagnose, but very difficult to treat. As a matter of fact, most people can be told flat out that they have it, but they will remain in denial. And it can't be remedied by any drug or treatment. IKT stands for "I know that".
IKT is a debilitating disease that most of us have. I think I was born with a particularly bad case. I used to attend personal development seminars, hear the guru, and think, "I know that!" And by thinking "I know that", I was essentially dismissing it. The "I know that" complex basically renders the most powerful information useless.
I didn't start to get cured of this disease until I heard one of these guru's telling a story about a security guard he met. This security guard was working nights for $7 an hour watching a building in a resort town. Here is a paraphrase of the conversation as I remember it:
Guru: Have you ever read Napoleon Hill's classic book "Think and Grow Rich"?
Security Guard: Yes, that book changed my life!
Guru: No, it didn't.
Security Guard (offended): Yes, it did!
Guru: How?
Security Guard: Well (awkward pause)
Guru: Are you going to get rich in your current job?
Security Guard: Of course not, this is temporary!
Guru: What are you currently doing to apply the principles in Think and Grow Rich?
Security Guard: Well, one day I'll find an opportunity, and I'll jump on it, and I'll apply everything I learned in the book and I'll be rich.
Sure. What's wrong with this story? The security guard had a bad case of IKT. He thought he knew what the book was about. He was convinced it had changed his life. And yet he wasn't doing a thing about it. "Looking for something" doesn't really count, does it? We all have to be doing something, every day, towards earning financial freedom, and if we aren't, we are kidding ourselves. But we feel better if we think we "know" the answers.
Another concept that opened my eyes to my case of IKT was the following quote:
"A wise man researches what a fool takes for granted." (author unknown)
Very few people are willing to "drill deep" and truly research any topic, because they already know all about it. And this is where network marketers really struggle. Network marketing is such a simple business in so many ways, that after a few meetings and conventions the novice thinks they know it all. But they don't. Having all the answers and getting an "A" on the test aren't what it's all about. Network marketing actually involves mastering several subjects, all of which require study, trial and error, role- playing, and book learning. Subjects include:
Communication
Leadership
Recruiting Skills
Sales Skills
Time management
And that's not a complete list! But let's take just one of those skill areas, communication, and drill deeper. In network marketing the different communication skills that can be developed are:
Live presentation skills in front of a small audience. Live presentation skills in front of a large audience. Written communication The art of promotion How to craft an e-mail subject line, body and signature Telephone skills Blogging Live chat
Again, this is a partial list. And yet there are books, e- books, seminars and courses available on every one of these subjects! It takes years to become an expert communicator. But because most of us have IKT, we don't even pick up the book. I hope I'm making my point. We can go down the list (have you seen how many books are written just on Leadership?!) And we will quickly discover that if we think "I know that" we are deluded.
The good news is you don't have to become an expert in all of these areas at once. Just spend some time each day reading from personal development books, listening to audios, and attend all the trainings your company offers. Network marketing offers some of the best business training on the planet, and if you just plug in to what your company offers you will be far ahead of the masses, those who "know it already" and quit before they ever have a chance at success, never realizing that it was what they really didn't know that killed them.
So I hope that through writing this article any of you suffering with IKT will become aware of it, as I was when I heard the story of the security guard. Because since then I have learned that it is far more rewarding to be a student than an expert, and it wasn't until I started studying and learning these skills that my network marketing career took off. |
