- Image by DavidDMuir via Flickr
- Because I don’t have to and consider myself VERY lucky for that.
- Because it is not in line with my purpose in life.
I try to live a life of integrity. This is hard, and sometimes I slip. But I have a few rules that help me to stay on track.
Multi-level marketing is something that might help businesses to grow. In some cases it might even be part of a campaign we’d propose to a client. On a personal level, however, I would never want to benefit from you buying a product or service that puts me in the middle of the transaction, particularly if I squeeze myself in the middle. If I refer 5 clients to an awesome massage therapist I know and she calls and offers me a free massage in return, I’ll be happy to take it. If I help someone to save $2,000 on buying a car and get a free dinner in return, I’ll take it. But I would never ask for any of this in advance. Helping others on that level does not count in my personal favor bank.
Again, in a business setting we might help a client to increase their sales and get compensated for it. That can be part of an agreement a marketing agency would cut with a client. But I would never engage my personal network; not on Twitter, not in my personal Facebook environment and certainly not on my personal blog.
To do that would deviate from why I am here; as a human, as a person, as a professional. I sell creative ideas for a living and turn them into reality. As a private individual I am trying to support others, to add positive energy to the SELF. I am trying to spread positive energy – being fully aware that it comes back to me in a rewarding way. “Offering” my private network “opportunities” for my own benefit violates my understanding of friendship – even in the broad sense of just being social media acquaintances. Somehow all these people let me into their network and I am trying to honor that. Old-fashioned, I know.
Yes, you can call that a selfish lifestyle, too; putting out positive energy and then reaping the rewards. It is no better or worse then spreading out MLM offers in the social media world. It is just different.