First let me state that NetWorks! Boise is not just for salespeople. Some of our best members are business owners & serve in a variety of capacities other than sales. That being said, if you are a commissioned salesperson and you are of the opinion that you can’t afford our dues, is that a joke? It must be because you can’t afford not to belong to NetWorks! Boise Valley! If you are a crummy salesperson, that’s different. Then again, we don’t want crummy salespeople anyway. NetWorks! Boise Valley is, quite frankly, a “no brainer” if you are at least partially compensated on your selling efforts and those efforts include cultivating new business.
Still, I hear it all the time …. “I can’t afford the $29 per week dues ($348/quarter) and my company won’t pay them for me.” Are you compensated, at least partially, by commission? Do you eat out for lunch at least once per week or do you “brown bag” it? How about coffee or a tasty adult beverage with a client or co-worker? Do you ever take clients to lunch?
Let’s talk about priorities and simple math. Your investment in NetWorks! Boise Valley is ….
- $29 dollars per week and, if you already eat out once per week, your net cost is more like $15 per week.
- Every meeting is like taking out 20 of your best clients to lunch and they all pay their own way. How can you beat that?
- When you take a client to lunch, you write off 50% of that on your taxes. Dues in NetWorks! Boise are (check with your account) a 100% write off under “dues and subscriptions”. So, if you are in a 30% tax bracket, your dues are more like $5 per week after that one meal out. And you can’t afford that!?
I’ve been involved in a lot of leads groups through the years and have always been awestruck when people tell me that they can’t afford to be in this group or that. They would, of course, do so if the company would pay for it. How about you get a little “skin in the game”? What I hear you saying is … “I’d rather not increase my earnings way over what they are now because I will have to invest a little time and money to do so.” How crazy is that!?
My last 5 years in direct selling were spent as an independent contractor. No benefits. No nothing. If I did not sell I did not eat. I joined a leads group and it was a terrible group. However, at my very first meeting I met a gentleman and that resulted in a sale that put over $5,000 net in my pocket. Dues in that group were $800 per year. I had covered my nut for the next 6 years and was going to get fed breakfast weekly during that time.
So, how much would you need to sell to earn an additional $10 per week? Not much! Certainly, if you are a salaried employee, I would expect the company to pay your way. If not, sorry but I just don’t get that and you are either so successful that you don’t need us (congratulations), we don’t fit your market focus (I can accept that), or you can’t sell anyway (perhaps you might wish to find another profession).
Mind you, networking is hard work. We can provide you with the opportunities and the tools to enhance your suggest. What you do with those is entirely up to you. We have no control over your actions. However, if you are willing to do what is necessary, there is no question you will be successful. If you are not willing to go those extra miles, once again, direct selling may not be right for you. Am I being rude here? No, I don’t think so. Is what it is.
Thanks for visiting!
Craig
