Sometimes, the best tips you can get are the “what not to dos.”
It was many years ago that I first heard Jim Rohn say that there are two ways to have the tallest building in town. One way is to tear down all the other buildings leaving only yours, and two is to build yours taller. In the former choice you are known as a wrecker and in the latter you are known as a Builder.
How would you like to be known in your community? As a Builder or a Wrecker?
In business, this corresponds to how you speak about your competition. There is no need to speak poorly about your competition. First of all be glad there is competition. Competition keeps you on your toes. It means you have a viable market. It makes you better. In the case of multi-level marketing or referral marketing companies it is a huge disservice to your industry (who the majority of people already don’t truly understand how good it can be) itself when you speak poorly publicly about other companies. Its okay to share your opinion if asked in private but do it like this: “I don’t like to speak about other things, but if you want me to share my perspective I will, but I don’t know everything about that.”
I tend to point out what I believe the other company does well, and I do it respectfully, unless I really don’t believe in their practices. The same is true for products. If you have to attempt to tear down other products to make yours look good? You need to market another product, because before long, you will have lost all respect among the people that matter in your community.
Case in point; There is a woman in our church, I have heard her name multiple times, but not in the way you want to be known (I wouldn’t know her to see her). She is trying to build her business by being a wrecker. She is spreading false information, as a means to make her product look better. Now she looks awful on two fronts, one she is using a negative campaign, and two she is being dishonest and deceptive. Even if she has success short term, eventually the truth wins out. At this point I have no respect for her and I haven’t even met her. I know others who are people of influence who also feel as I do. By the way….how do you become a person of influence? Through consistently demonstrating high competency and high character.
This is the opposite of what this woman is doing. She is demonstrating no true competency, because true competency is about working skillfully in a positive way and she is demonstrating zero character.
So make sure you work in a spirit of abundance. You work in a way that builds not only your business but spreads a positive association for all people in your field. And as you work, your influence will grow as your business grows.
