If you are building your online MLM business internationally like Elmar and I do
- we are actually neighbours: he in Belgium and myself from Germany – then you will have made different experiences with different people from different countries.
Interesting enough that there are many similarities as well.
Building your MLM business internationally is easy thanks to the internet and social media networks like Facebook, YouTube and blogs if you are open minded and have the courage speak English.
I don’t say “if you speak English” because it doesn’t matter how good it actually is. Your courage will decide whether you apply it or not.
I ran into people who spoke it nearly fluently and said that they were not good enough.
Lack of Courage or An Excuse, or Both?
I say it’s insane not to build internationally if you have the courage to speak English.
You are already online anyway.
If you do so, you will learn so much about people and so incredibly fast, fantastic. I recently called a lady from New Jersey who downloaded the ebook “Success in 10 steps”.
Over and above this free ebook, we – that means Mentoring For Free which I am a part of – offer free generic MLM training, a huge archive and 10 free live training calls every week. Everybody who attends these free live training calls learns the skills to succeed in building an MLM business. No affiliate links included, a sanctuary of learning and mentoring. Not for you if you want to make money with a system. So far, so good.
While this particular lady was surprised that I called her, she was polite. However, I felt her distrust and she asked:”Why do you offer all that for free ? There must be a hook or something.”
She went on:”You have to know, I am from New Jersey and people from New Jersey don’t trust anybody.”
Wow, isn’t that interesting ? I don’t know if you know people from New Jersey. I do. And they’re amazing folks. That’s why I am sure that this particular lady didn’t talk about her fellow New Jersey citizens. She was talking about herself.
If someone asks:”Why is that for free ?” they’re simply telling you that they wouldn’t do it for free. That is not of your making, as Jim Rohn would say. So people like this lady belong to the portion of the seeds planted by you that is stolen by the birds. It’s not of your making. Let them go and don’t chase the birds because you would have
to leave the field for that.
I can tell that US citizens usually don’t have problems to accept free help. In fact, that’s what they were looking for when they downloaded the ebook. That’s entirely different in Europe, especially in Germany: 5 out of 10 people struggle
with the idea of paying it forward and working for the universe. That’s why they’re struggling in their businesses, but they don’t know it and they don’t want to know it.
It’s easier to say:”My English is not good enough.” (There’s a German translation of this ebook available, and it has been translated in many other languages, for example French)
Remember, There Are Always Two Reasons:
One That Sounds Good and The True One.
The fact that US citizens like free stuff was explained to me by a lady from the US as follows:”Of course they don’t have any problems with free stuff because they’re greedy and don’t want to pay for stuff. You know, that’s due to the bad economy.”
Aha, isn’t that interesting ?
However, I wouldn’t say that it is greedy to accept free help if it is offered without agenda and the other person is completely free to decide. Remember, don’t chase the birds. If you are closing someone, you are chasing birds.
I am grateful for my international team with people from the US, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and Europe – only possible thanks to the internet and online marketing. They’re amazing folks – and all of them were looking for free help,
accepted it gratefully from me and now offer the same free help to other marketers worldwide.
One thing they don’t do: Chasing birds and closing people who don’t trust themselves.
What Are Your Experiences With Building Internationally,
Do You Build Internationally ?
Why, Why not ?
We always love your feedback, so please leave us a comment down below with questions, thoughts, or feedback.
And please share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends by clicking on the share buttons below. We appreciate you telling others.
To a prosperous life,
Oliver Tausend
+1 201 984 5664 office North America (anytime)
+49 1512 9125216 office Germany & other countries (anytime)
Skype ID: guernsey2016 (anytime)
wordpress@olivertausend.com
Grab a copy of the free ebook “Success in 10 steps”
February 7th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Hi Oliver,
If you are only marketing your business in a particular region then you are limiting yourself. Most network marketing opportunities are available globally,(or at least expanding in that direction) so why not market them globally.
I think it is a lot easier for people in Europe to tap into the US or North American market than the other way around though. So you guys are at a big advantage.
And yes, there are still people out there that don’t trust ‘free’ and are looking for a catch. Those are the kind who wouldn’t make a decision either way though. Like you said, …”don’t chase the birds.”
Excellent article!
All the best,
Ilka
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admin Reply:
February 8th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Hi Ilka,
Thanks for your awesome comment, there’s nothing that I can add to it…
Take care,
Elmar
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February 8th, 2011 at 10:33 am
@: Hi Ilka – my German friend from overseas,
thanks for your comment. Glad you like this post. I don’t know whether or not it’s an advantage for us in Europe. All I can tell is that I was sponsored by a guy from the US. I remember that I was surprised when I called me, but it was a very positive experience so it was the most natural thing that I joined his team.
Take care
Oliver
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February 8th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Hi Elmar,
thanks again for offering the opportunity of writing a guest post for you and the wonderful cooperation.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
admin Reply:
February 8th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
It’s my pleasure Oliver!
Take care,
Elmar
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February 8th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Hi Elmar,
I am not in MLM business and running few blogs but I am totally agree with you that we should not limit our online business for a particular region.
I am not very good in speaking English but I can speak and write English so thats why I love to blog in English.
Nazam Warriach
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admin Reply:
February 8th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Hi Nazam & Oliver,
Indeed, as Oliver says, we should not limit our business for a particular reason. One of the biggest advantages of working online is the fact that we can work internationally!
I agree with Oliver about your English Nazam : “The most important thing is that we are understood by our readers”. Maybe your English is not perfect (neither is mine), but you have the courage to write in English and that’s great!
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Elmar
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February 8th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
@: Hi Nazam,
thank you very much for your comment. The most important thing is that we are understood by our readers. And if we are able to write in English and have the courage to do so it makes absolutely sense to write in a language most people in the world understand.
Take care
Oliver
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February 9th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Thank you for sharing this post Elmar.
Hey Oliver,
I like your point that she wasn’t necessarily speaking of her neighbors as much as she was speaking of herself.
It’s funny how people assume that everyone is like them. They cannot fathom the idea that others have their own opinions, feelings and thoughts. We need not go with the flow, and it’s okay to be different. Help is actually a great thing to seek and accept.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Susanna
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February 9th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Hi Susanna,
thanks for your comment. I am glad you were able to relate to my experiences.
It’s true that some people aren’t able to understand that others might be different. For some reason they are extending their own excuses on others, probably the excuses sound better then.
Misery loves company, as the old saying goes.
Take care
Oliver
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February 10th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Interesting post Oliver, and nice to see you here!
I agree with Ilka. Not to be looking to build your business beyond a single country is to be limited.
It’s interesting to see how people from different cultures communicate and approach different things though. However I agree that the woman you spoke to was projecting her own mistrust on her neighbors, not describing them as they are!
Lines like ‘My English isn’t good enough’ are generally excuses – as you say there are always two reasons – the true one and the one that sounds good. Being able to listen to yourself and others and identify which is which is a very important skill to develop.
Thanks for sharing this Oliver, and thanks for hosting Elmer – great to have a multinational conversation here!
Jym
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February 10th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Hey Oliver,
Right on the topic. My fellow internet marketer and I were chatting about this last night.
People can become very suspicious when you offer something for free. They always question free offers, assuming that there is a catch. Does the situation change when you put a price tag? No!
So, there is point chasing such people and feeling worried about the whole thing. Move on and find people who are genuinely looking for solutions – free or not.
Yes, I am building an international team. My opportunity is global, so I take advantage of that
Thanks for sharing your insights, Oliver.
All the best,
Mavis
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February 10th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Hi Oliver,
Congratulations on guest posting here!
Without a doubt I think building an international team makes life interesting and provides more learning experiences for all of us.
I particularly applaud non English speakers like yourself for taking this on.
I am sure there aren’t too many English speakers trying to market in non English speaking countries so well done for walking the talk when it comes to leadership.
~Marcus
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February 10th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
@: Hi Jym,
I also love the multinational conversation. If someone has basic knowledge in English, they will improve dramatically within 12 months. Of course, they need a team that helps them to bridge that “weakness” – even more than that they need the willingness to accept the help and not to consider language as an issue (at least when it’s English, if it was Mandarin, it would be a little bit different)
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
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February 10th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
@: Hi Mavis,
I also don’t care from which country the money is coming from, that’s the bottom line. If the internet has one advantage, then that one: That we can communicate with people real-time free from time and space. Even time zone differences mean little with a little bit of good will and flexibility on either side.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
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February 10th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
@: Hi Marcus,
in fact, building an international business is something I have always dreamed of, I only know that by now. I was narrow minded before when I had my local financial consulting business I wasn’t able to expand easily due to regulations.
Well, my sponsor is from the US. He called me and we communicated in English and now I am sponsoring people from the US and from elsewhere.
Interesting enough that there are gurus who say that it doesn’t work and that the internet is not suitable for creating leads.
Where are they living ?
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
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February 10th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Limiting yourself to only one region of the world will only hurt you. If you can read or write in any other language, then you should absolutely be marketing to people who speak those languages. It only makes sense to me, get over your fears and just do it!
Great post Oliver!
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February 10th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
@: Hi Ian,
thanks for your appreciative comment. Everybody whose native language is English is in a good position. But anyway, people who speak English as a second language can tap into the abundance of the global market also !
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
February 11th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Hi Oliver, interesting post.
Never limit your opportunities. Being online is about going global so why limit that?
Touching on your ‘free’ idea, there are many philosophies on ‘free’. The quality of the free information you offer and the type of followers you attract all play a part.
Free often does come with a catch to buy, but it’s also a way to connect, it’s a way to invite someone in, so it should be good.
When I go to the grocery store and they offer free food samples, if I like the sample, I’ll buy the product. So your sample better be a good one and your product even better.
How many people sample, like it but don’t buy. They’re not likely to buy anyway, they just want something for free. They should move on and so should you.
Nice Post as usual Oliver
Liz
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February 11th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Hey Oliver,
Very Interesting guest post here.
You’ve shared a very important point about language. I don’t think speaking English language is a hard thing.
Building an international team is awesome idea. Really great post man.
Thanks for sharing.
~Dev
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February 11th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
@: Hi Liz,
I had the best situations of sampling for free when doing wine tastings in France. You taste the wine and the winemaker stands beside you, full of expectations, lol. It’s important to let go of expectations (=the agenda) when we’re giving stuff away for free.
But you are right, all too often, there’s a catch.
Thanks for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
February 11th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
@: Hi Devesh,
it isn’t hard for me – at least I give my best and don’t care too much about my mistakes. The problem is rather that I my writing style is too complicated. I am glad that I found a proofreading plugin for WordPress blogs that even helps with that.
Bottom line is that language shouldn’t be an issue.
Thanks for your comment.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
February 14th, 2011 at 7:24 am
Oliver, first of all, I would like to applaud you for how well you write in English. In my humble opinion, I don’t think anybody would guess you were from Germany if they had not watched you on your video’s when you say “Hi this is Oliver from Germany”… and of course read your bio, which I have!!
I think international business building is awesome. The internet has opened so many doors to creating partnerships, friendships and much more.
As for people feeling their is a catch when something is “free”… well sometimes there is… but often online as we all know – offering free advice is commonplace as we all help each other to the best of our ability.
Having run my own successful ‘offline’ business for quite a number of years, I can ‘almost’ understand how a person my be surprised at the generosity on the internet.
With a Brick and Mortar Business, particularly in my neck of the woods, if my competitor (so to speak) offered me all kinds of free advice, I may have wondered what the heck he/she was upto and checked the calendar to see if it was April 1.
Online, I just ‘know’ that we are much more open to helping our fellow marketers, regardless of the business they are in.
I find this to be such a refreshing industry because of all the good will.
I don’t think a person could get their head around it unless they were involved.
So many points to talk about Oliver… sorry if I seem to be bouncing around, but there is so much food for thought.
I really enjoyed the post and I am so pleased to have met “Oliver from Germany” and may not have if you did not have the courage to move forward and post in English. You definitely benefit us all!
Jayne
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February 14th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
@: Hi Jayne,
wow, what an amazing comment. It brings the tears to my eyes. It’s people like you and their wonderful feedback that keep me going, no matter what.
So thank you very much for your reaction, not only because of the appreciation you show, but also for the point of view you bring up: I have never seen this difference between an online and an offline business – that people who only know the offline world can’t believe how generous people on the internet are.
This idea will definitely help me to communicate better.
Thanks again for your wonderful comment.
Take care
Oliver
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May 7th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Guten Tag Oliver,
I agree with your comments and those of Ilka. Anybody who would not look to levarage the huge international potential of the internet are most definitely limiting themselves.
English is the business language of the world and if you are a in a position to converse with people than you certainly have a great chance of building a succesful international business.
Every Success,
James debono
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May 12th, 2011 at 8:09 am
@: @James:
Hi James,
that is so true, it’s self-limiting unless you live in a country with 200 million or more people. Of course, the counter argument is focus.
Thanks for your comment and your kind success wishes.
Take care
Oliver
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May 12th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Oliver, aloha. Congratulations on your guest post over here at Elmar’s. No doubt his readers will enjoy “getting ot know you” as much as I have.
Oliver, when I saw your references to Jim Rohn, the seeds and the birds, I smiled. No matter how many times I hear that part of the CD, it always makes me smile. The birds definitely do “get” some and, quite frankly, there are some seeds we should just throw to the birds.
No doubt your assessment of the lady in NJ was correct; how sad for her.
We look at people through the filter of our own lens, do we not?
Oliver, years ago I heard a story about some people moving to a new town. The first couple saw a man sitting outside a store and asked what the people of the town were like. In response, he asked them how they found the people in their former town. They said, “Oh, they lie, cheat and scheme. They will never do anything for you or help you in any way. They are miserable to be around.” Whereupon, the man replied, “yep, you are going to find it the same here.”
A little while later another couple walked by and asked the same question. The man asked the same question of them. They replied, “oh, everyone was wonderful. They simply couldn’t do enough for you; everyone was so helpful. You could even go anywhere, leave your door unlocked and know that all was safe.” The man replied, “yep, you are going to find it the same here.”
Oliver, no matter the country, there are some terrific people and some who are not so terrific. The better we become at recognizing the people who are not so terrific and helping them out of our lives, the better we will be.
Like you, Oliver, my business is international. In fact, even my US business is primarily on the mainland with very little in Hawaii. To me, if you are talking on the phone or online, it does not matter where the person is. Other than an awareness of what time it is in the other person’s country, what’s the difference whether someone is geographically close or distant? In most every instance, I would be doing the same activities with them.
Oliver, since Germany is 12 hours ahead of Hawaii, oftentimes I find myself thinking of you and what you are doing when I see one of your comments–especially when it is noon my time.
My hat’s off to you and to all the others who do business so successfully in a second language. The extra efforts you make no doubt lead you to your success much sooner.
Elmar, thx for inviting my friend Oliver to post on this terrific topic. It is always a pleasure to read his insights and perspectives.
Best wishes to you both. Aloha. Janet
[Reply]
admin Reply:
May 14th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Hi Janet
I’m really grateful to have Oliver to be my first-ever guest blogger! He truly has wonderful insights to share.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Take care,
Elmar
[Reply]
May 13th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@: Hi Janet,
thanks for your thoughtful comment. Yeah, that I am around after midnight is the side effect of an international business.
Sometimes I have to force myself to go to bed because I could start calling people in Australia at that time as well.
I realized that after the initial phone contact, most people are willing to set an appointment at a time that is more friendly for me.
I am also aware that we are 12 hours ahead/behind and I also get comments from you at unusual times
Well, with regard to these clichés people have of others and themselves, to a certain extent they simplify our lives but in most cases they are excuses for dealing with each other adequately.
Most people make a confirmation error: Just as an example, for the human brain the sentence “Most terrorists are moslems” equals “Most moslems are terrorists” Of course, the latter is not true (probably not even the former) but we tend to believe it only when we hear the former sentence.
Entire ethnic groups had to die throughout history because of this fallacy of the human brain because dictators and demagogues can push that button very easily.
Take care
Oliver
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