Why Being an "Expert" Could be Hurting Your Business

In our industry of network marketing, there's often the idea that you have to brand yourself perfectly and become an "expert", "influencer", or "coach". People say you have to make the most impressive website, have the most professional looking photos on Instagram, and portray a lavish lifestyle. "Fake it till you make it!"

Well, I am going to tell you now that all that pressure of becoming "perfect" or an "expert" is unnecessary, stressful, and possibly detrimental to your business. Why? You may be spending so much time creating an image that may not even be the real you while you could be focusing your efforts on real results producing activities. You might be spending money that you don't have, or could be using it towards a different area of your business. Most importantly, when you begin to build a team, your new teammates will find what you do difficult and not duplicatable at all. This is especially hurtful for your business. Getting your new teammate started should be fun, simple, and easy to teach. A new person coming into your business now may think, "dang, I can't do that. How did she do all that? I don't even know where to begin." Or your new member may think, "I just started and I don't know everything about this company or the products yet. How am I going to pull off being an "expert" at what I do? How am I going to convince my family and friends who have known me my whole life that I am now this amazing guru?" I'm not saying you shouldn't look professional or care about your image. It's true that YOU are your best brand. What I am saying is, you don't have to pressure yourself into being something or someone you're not. Once you feel like you have the posture and the results to back what you advertise, it's then a great idea to really polish up your online presence. I can't tell you how many people who claim to be coaches, experts, gurus, entrepreneurs, mentors, influencers, and trainers add me on Instagram and Twitter with promise of making me into a millionaire when more than likely they haven’t achieved millionaire status themselves. I know this because at some point in my career, I learned this method of marketing as well.

I feel a bit vulnerable talking about this, but not bad by any means. This is a part of my journey and growth into becoming a better marketer, of better service to people, and a better leader. Once I released the pressure to advertise myself as an expert, I became so much happier and relaxed. I am happy to just be ME. I am Shizuka. I am a wife, a mother of two, a president of an all female motorcycle club. I am a career woman. I love animals, movies, family time, delicious food, skin care, cosmetics, exercising, and expressing myself through art. I love cars and motorcycles. I love tattoos and piercings. I have a passion for network marketing and focus on self development... the list goes on. But the point is, I got in touch with myself again and because of that, I became relatable. I am able to connect with people on a more real level.

So, if you're in network marketing or you're thinking about getting into it, fret not on being perfect. But there are things that you can do now to immediately look and be more professional:

• Remove any offensive posts on your accounts.
• Excessive memes and shares of random content may lose your followers' interests. Keep them to a minimum.
• Remove and refrain posts that include highly charged topics such as religion and politics. You want to create an inclusive and safe experience for everyone.
• Keep your posts positive! Nobody likes to follow Negative Nancy and her constant rants.
• Add value! Share tips and valuable information that your followers could use and appreciate.
• Have a profile photo of you. If you have multiple social media accounts, have the same profile photo so your accounts appear uniform and it's easier for your followers to identify.
• Don't spam people with "join me!" or "please help me reach my goal!" posts on your accounts. The honest truth is your friends scroll right past them. It's like you're immediately asking someone to marry you without courting him or letting him get to know you first.

Lastly, how you treat people with respect, genuinely care about their needs, and how you make them feel will resonate with them the most. Yes, first impressions are important, so put more care into how you initiate a conversation and listen to what your audience has to say.
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What are your thoughts? Do you feel the same? Opposite? Voice your thoughts in the comments below.