Excuses or Money: It's Up To You
SUCCESS STORY
An Upline Interview with Sharon Ludders of Oxyfresh
Been there, done that, not interested-- that was Sharon Ludders' candid opinion about Network Marketing. She had been open-minded enough to get involved in a few Networks in the Seventies and early Eighties, but nothing ever seemed to work out the way she had been told it would. "There just wasn't enough integrity and committed leadership," she recalls. "I was never taught the right way to do Networking." So when an old friend called her up in November of 1986, and went on and on about something called Oxyfresh, she wasn't interested in hearing about it....
Let me tell you the Sharon Ludders Box Story. Randy Anderson contacted me-- I had known Randy from another Network years before. He called and asked me if I had ever heard of Oxyfresh-- at that time Randy was the National Vice-President of Sales for the company.
I said "No, Randy, I've never heard of them, and I'm not at all interested."
He said he wanted to get my professional opinion about the company's products. I was a dental hygienist for almost 30 years, and very actively involved in the profession. He asked me to give some of their products a try; you know, see what some of my patients thought of them, and see if it was something I could recommend.
Well, my first thought was no way. It sounded like all the things that salespeople are always bringing into the dental office-- try this, try that, let us know what you think. I didn't want to hurt Randy's feelings, but I had never heard of the stuff, and I thought chances were that meant it was no good.
Randy went ahead and sent me a box of products with some information. I knew it was Networking, and that had no appeal for me. I knew from personal experience that Network Marketing didn't work. So the box arrived and sat in my garage, and it never even made it into my house. The box sat in my garage for a whole year.
Randy called a few times: Have you tried that stuff out yet? Isn't it great? I told him the box is unopened and sitting in the garage and that's where it's going to stay. By that time I was sort of rude with him. I just wasn't interested, but he wouldn't give up.
A year later, in November of `87, I got another call from Randy-- he was in the Bay area and asked me: Sharon, if I come over and take you out to dinner, will you please open the box? I thought to myself: A free meal? You bet!
Randy took me out to dinner, and we talked about the products and the business and the experience he was having with this company. I finally told him, okay, okay, I'll give the stuff a try, and the rest is history.
I had all the excuses for not doing the business. I was a single parent, working ten and a half hour days, five days a week; my credit cards were maxed out; I had no disposable income; and I had zero time to give towards anything else in my life.
I would come home from work at night exhausted, cook dinner, clean up, do laundry, make the kids' lunches for the next day, and go to bed to rest up for another day of the same thing. I was in a real rut in my life, and not very happy about it-- and no, I didn't see Network Marketing as the solution.
I never saw myself as the type of person who could have any success in Networking. I was just too busy to be successful. I had too many other things to worry about.
How did I overcome all that? I had a great sponsor, and an incredible upline to help me-- that's how.
That's the truth-- if I hadn't had these people to help me, I wouldn't have made it. Randy didn't just send me a box and sign me up. He committed to my success. He made my struggles and my dreams a priority in his life. He was my partner, not just somebody telling me what to do, and that made all the difference. My upline is the reason I am successful.
One important thing, that I didn't really see so much at the time, was that Randy was teaching me how to be a good sponsor. By his example, I learned everything I needed to know to be an effective leader and teacher with my downline.
I trusted Randy, and he followed through. All he asked of me was that I do my part: Make a names list and get him in front of those people. That was my end of the bargain, and I did just what he said to do. There was no challenge we couldn't overcome working together.
The one thing that I relied upon the most was my attitude. It's crucial to success in our industry. You have to think like a winner.
I'll be honest with you, I didn't start out that way. But as you go on, and you begin to enjoy a little success, your belief level and excitement grow. People need to be willing to go through that process, and give themselves a chance to grow in the business. I see so many who just aren't willing to hang on, and let go right before success arrives.
Once I started to see that this thing could really work, there was no stopping me. I had a gut-burning desire to do whatever it takes, because I needed to put my kids through college. I didn't want to be chained to a dental chair for the rest of my life.
I focused on the positive possibilities, stayed in action-mode and never looked back. I know that sounds like a cliché, but it's true. It really works; it does!
I did exactly what my upline told me to do, and I didn't question it. I just went out and did it, and they were right. Do you really want to be successful in Network Marketing? Then get close to your leaders, listen to them, watch them, and duplicate them. It's that simple.
You can make excuses or you can make money. It's up to you. You need to pick one. There are a million reasons you can probably think of why you shouldn't get involved in Network Marketing, or why you think you wouldn't be a success. But all you need is one reason why you should-- one reason, and success will be yours. If you have children, your reasons are right there.
If you are brand new to Network Marketing, or even if you have been around for years, sit down and give some serious thought to what your reasons are for doing this. Determine what it is that's motivating you deep down in your heart and then just be willing to go out and do the work to make it happen.
The greatest reward for me has been the personal relationships I have built in the business. The freedom and independence are thrilling, yes, but it's even better when you can take thousands of dear friends with you. You cannot put a price on the friendships you will enjoy in your business.
The world is so full of negative, cynical people-- I love Network Marketing because the relationships you have are built on a genuine, positive, upbeat excitement about life. Above everything, it is the people I know in my business that make it so worthwhile for me. I am just so thankful to be able to share in their lives with them.
SHARON LUDDERS is a full-time Master Director and Advisory Board member with Oxyfresh, Network Marketers of health and personal care products. She has been with the company for almost 11 years. Sharon lives in Golden River, California.
Reprinted with permission from Upline, Ludders-Success Story-October 1998, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com
