I was very pleased to see that this VIP asked for my opinion on what causes a market's decline in sales volume, when other markets are increasing, rather than just think that their problem was one that was shared by all VIPs.

I do believe that if one or even a minority of Execs in a country/language market is experiencing steady declining volume, then the problem is the leadership of these Execs. Individually, they probably wouldn't agree, but blame their declines on other factors or the company. Of course, that is why they have the problem - they don't see themselves as the solution.

However, when an entire market is seeing declines, can the same thing be said? Is the problem the leadership or is it due to uncontrollable factors, or is it because the company is failing to provide what it once did when sales were increasing in that market?

To gain an objective answer, we have to see if other markets are increasing their sales. If they are, the primary problem can't be the company's, but it has to do with either leadership or other factors. Here are the questions that were posed to me, along with my responses (modified somewhat for a general audience viewing):

Q: Is it a leadership problem?
A: I believe that this has been and always will be the typical cause for growth and problem for decline. See more about this below.

Q: Is it a structural problem?
A: This is the leading problem for matrix MLM plans and also a a major problem for all MLM plans, as they do not allow the distributors to control their structure, nor do they have any way to work as an organized structure. Although we are always looking to improve our hybrid MOM plan, just by our having one, we have shown that we have addressed this industry wide problem.

Q: Are tools no longer working as they did before?
A: Compared to other network marketing opportunities, which may lure away our VIPs , we have the most and best tools available. Our research has shown us that no one has the kind of reports that we do, or the ability to monitor and manage training and follow up, as we do.

However, I do believe that we can and should constantly work to improve our tools and the one "tool" that is in real need of an update is the eBusiness Institute Training Program, which we are doing in conjunction with our launching our Glocal Income Business Opportunity. But even despite its "aging", it cannot be the major problem if other DHSC markets are growing.

Q: A saturation of the market ?
A: I do not believe this to be true based on our numbers in virtually every market. We have not even come close to saturating the entrepreneurial markets in any country and we have a miniscule percentage of almost all consumer markets.

But I do believe that a kind of saturation problem exists in the online market, in some languages, that is communicated with via free advertising (email and/or website). We are continuing to see growth in a number of free online markets, in other languages (besides English, Dutch, French and Italian), as well as in markets where other than free, online marketing methods have been created and developing by leaders.

So no, there is no saturation in any country - just in the free, online, "entrepreneurial" markets.

Q: Are we handling things to conform to the new ways of marketing that are showing up each day?
A: In a manner, this is linked to my response to the saturation question. If the only marketing method that one provides to their sales organization, is the free online methods, then they are sure to reach a plateau, then start to eventually decline in sales. However, if a leader is constantly looking at new, free or low cost ways to individually market, as well as develop individually, affordable group marketing and advertising cooperatives, then they are doing what is necessary to grow their businesses and help other VIPs to do the same.

This is not the responsibility of the company to do. This is the responsibility of the current and future Executive Directors to do.

Just as the leaders need to constantly look at and develop new marketing methods, the company needs to constantly work to improve our company and our opportunities. And this is what we have done and do, every day, every week, every month, and every year since 1997.

Historically, our company's sales have grown in the markets where leaders have been able to effectively and efficiently communicate to people about our opportunities and then motivate and train their workers how to do the same. These leaders, I call "lifters". They believe in the company and the opportunities we offer (business and consumer) and they are willing to be interdependent with the company, and they lift us up and enable many prospects to see who we are and what we offer.

In the saturated, free online markets, we can find many "shifters". Although they may have once shown leadership, their independency, short term thinking or just plain greed, provides them with the motive to shift from one "business opportunity" to another (typically a pyramid scheme), and then take as many people with them as they can. I believe that the free, online market is saturated with "shifters". Any "success" that a "shifter" may see is short term, short lived, and based on recruiting other "shifters" or "drifters" in the free, online marketplace, who are left without their money when the pyramid scheme crashes. "Drifters" are people that just drift around, hoping and waiting for something to happen. They see success as external (something good happening to them or for them), not internal (making something happen).

Finally, there are "rifters" (rifter is not actually a word, but rift is. A rift is "a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes a break in friendly relations"). These are the people that also see success as external, not internal, but not in the hopeful way that a "drifter" does. A "rifter" plays the "blame game". The reason they think they are not succeeding, is due to their downline, and/or their upline, and/or the company. I can't tell you how many times I have spoken with a VIP at a Conference or Convention, that told me that their problem is their upline. They say things like, "If I had a different upline, I could succeed". That is when I tell them, "I never had an upline", for which they have no legitimate response.

"Rifters" love to argue and disagree and tell their upline, our staff and me, how we all can improve ourselves and that we are their problem. They create rifts between themselves and their upline and/or the company and many times try to gain the following of their downline when doing so.

Do you want to increase the size and strength and loyalty of your organization? There is only one way to do so in ANY network marketing business. Be a "lifter", not a "shifter, or a "drifter" or a "rifter". Methods change but principles do not. You have to believe in the company and the opportunities we offer (business and consumer), and be willing to be interdependent with the company, and then lift us up and enable many prospects to see who we are and what we offer. That is the ONLY way that you can create a lifelong and residual income in this business!

Work to utilize new technology and methods to advertise and market, and/or work offline and give away free memberships, and/or work with your upline and downline to organize and support cooperative (co-op) advertising and marketing methods. The VIP "lifters" that are consistently and persistently doing these types of things are the ones that are growing their organizations and increasing their sales.

The key to becoming prosperous, is to steadily and deliberately apply time honored principles in your business and in your life.

Dick Burke