The Daily Crisis of, "Can't Afford It"

I was in the grocery store recently.  There were two young kids with their mom.  The boy was about 7, the girl 4 or so.  Like most kids in the checkout line, they were wide-eyed and grabbing candy bars.  Even before they could ask, the Mom said, "Put it back, we can't afford it".  With a sunken whimper, they complied and that was that.

For me, I just stood as a stoic observer, but inside I was crushed for the kids.  They were just doing what kids do... testing limits and "going for it".  But, the thud of the Mom's authority struck me.  Their budget obviously could not withstand a frivolous candy purchase.  She didn't say, "Not this time" (or) "No, we got candy last time..."  It was like, shut 'em down, drop a rock on their head finality - and they knew there was no sense in arguing.  They were being trained to "not afford it".

This simple example is how many people live... on the edge and barely making it.  A $2 make-or-break proposition that sucks the life out of things.  It is the daily wearing down of peoples' souls because the money simply does not exist to buy $2 worth of happiness.  It is chronically being in crisis - day after day, month after month.  It is the definition of being stuck, frustrated and miserable... and a candy bar is just one little example of the millions of ways this can play out.

We simply offer an option.  A different, additional path to consider.

To have the tact and empathy to approach this Mom - and invite her to have a look at what we do and explain how we can help is just one little moment that may never avail itself again.  This was a woulda', shoulda', coulda' moment for me.  I didn't say anything to this Mom, this time.

These moments exist every day.  Our role is to ask for permission and invite them to evaluate something that may be able to help them.  In doing so, we potentially elevate peoples' lives.  You never know, unless you speak - you act.

Access to Economic Opportunity

This article is about tone.  It is about how we present ourselves to people evaluating what we do.  It is about "access" to an off-ramp on the highway of life.  Some people will choose to read the road sign, turn on their blinker and pull off to have a look.  Most will keep moseying on down the road without a thought of attending to what is passing by them.

Yes, we have something to offer.  Ultimately, it can be transforming in terms of income, lifestyle, and options people have.  Our ethos and values dictate that people understand that we are simply one of many options.  We feel no need to impress others in a showy manner but allow the overall "tone" of what we do carry-the-day, followed by responsible, descriptive information.

We don't want to be perceived as the latest, greatest, whiz-bang deal that you want to jump on and get rich with.  It is simply not that easy and does not work that way.  Therefore, our focus is the friction.  It is the work involved.  It is the competence gained through skills and knowledge acquisition.

The overall mechanics of what we do are no different than many, many other opportunities.  The value proposition of what we offer is how we go about posturing and explaining what we do.  We offer a portal to Economic Opportunity and invite people to step through it to experience what is on the other side.  Our goal is to be perceived as honest and measured in our approach.

As such, we are educators who provide information for people to evaluate.  We do not need to "sell".  People will see it, or they won't.  This is the nature of the "game".

At the end of the day, the more people you expose to what we have to offer, the more money you will make... with the caveat that you focus on, and build productive relationships with people you bring into our business.

As the old saying goes, we lead horses to water... however, humans have a bit more brain power in deciding whether they drink.  The point here is that we are "leading", not pushing or prodding.  Inherent in what we do is to create exposure to people who potentially may be interested based on varying degrees of being stuck and frustrated with their lives.

If the time is right, if the life-angst is high enough, if the few bucks it takes to get started are available... or, if the "risk" seems worth the effort, then people act and join.

The majority do not.  This is simply the reality of what we do.  The predicate to your success is the number of exposures you make to people who may potentially be interested in having a look.