Believe in What You Sell, and Sell What You Believe In

I ran into an old friend of mine, Brian, at a nearby bookstore, and we immediately went through the pleasantries of finding out what the other had been up to. Brian started telling me about how he and his wife were struggling financially, but that he was hopeful about a new business venture he was starting. Being who I am, I asked him what his new venture was. Brian said that he was going to start selling some kind of weight loss vitamin supplement that someone at his church had told him about.

First, let me say that I have nothing against supplements, or anything against networking marketing businesses. There are millions of people who benefit from supplements, and millions of people making a very good income off of network marketing. Nonetheless, I was skeptical about where our conversation was headed.

Secondly, I was surprised that Brian was going into this business considering he doesn't and never has looked like a guy who needed to lose weight. Even his wife was always fairly fit. That's when Brian dropped the bomb on me. Brian told me that he and his wife never used this stuff. They didn't even think it really worked.

So I asked the obvious question, "How do you expect to sell this product if you don't believe in it yourself?" Brian explained that he figured that the statistics, the testimonials, and marketing would speak for themselves. I explained to him that he would be limiting his income by selling a product he didn't really believe in, and that he could make more money if he actually used and believed in the products he's selling. He shrugged as if he really didn't care. For a guy who goes to church, Brian didn't seem to understand the importance of faith.

Brian then asked me if I'd be interested in trying out the product. First, I was kind of offended that he thought I needed a weight loss supplement. And then I said, "No thanks. I just don't have any faith that it would work for me." Brian spent the next fives minutes unsuccessfully trying to sell me a product that he didn't believe in.