# 19: Social Selling Part 3- The Point Is to Make Money, Not Spend It

So, you want to be a Social Seller.  You’ve seen the posts on Instagram and Facebook of people living their best lives, carefree, traveling, spending their days doing things you can neither afford nor have the free time to do. 

They tell you in their posts that it’s easy and it’s the key to freedom and ultimately, happiness. They tell you, “it’s not selling, it’s sharing”. You’re relieved since you know absolutely nothing about sales. Now you just have to figure out which of these “amazing opportunities” and incredible “mentors” are the right fit for you. 

I can’t tell you what product to choose, that’s a personal decision. Sell something you like and believe in so that when you do start talking about it you’re genuine. Authenticity is key. 

What I can do though, is help you know what to look for- more importantly what to avoid- so you don’t end up wasting a ton of time, energy and worse- money- with a company that is set up for you to fail.

Here are a few of the things you should be on the lookout for, when evaluating whether an opportunity is right for you:

-Look at the cost to get started.  Don’t spend money you don’t have to get your social media business off the ground. All companies are required by the FTC to have a “join” option that is basic and doesn’t include products.

-Don’t fall for “the bigger the starter kit you purchase, the better chance you have at being successful” shtick.  This is absolutely not true.  The person saying this to you gets a bigger commission for selling you a bigger pack. Don’t fall for it.

If someone tries to pressure you into buying a lot of product, run. Either they are dishonest, or they just don’t know any better.  If they’re dishonest  with your very first interaction with them, it’s an indicator that they do not have your best interest at heart- just their own. If they’re poorly informed, they don’t know what they’re doing. Either way, no bueno. 

-If someone suggests you open a new credit card to get started, saying that you’ll earn the money back before the first payment is due, run. 

Although technically, it’s possible that you’d make your money back right away, it’s not very likely. If you’re using the credit card to join an MLM, just know that the industry has a more than 99% rate of failure.  So could you be in that top 1%? Absolutely. But there’s a 99% chance that you’ll just end up stuck with more debt, which is the opposite of what you were trying to achieve when you started the business.

-Look carefully at any monthly requirements.  It’s very common for a company (particularly MLM) to require you to have a monthly minimum purchase (autoship) requirement. The person who recruited you will probably say something like, “you’ll be so much more successful if you’re a product of the product”.

That’s strictly a manipulation.  Do you think the only successful salespeople at a Hermes boutique are successful because they themselves carry a $40,000 Birkin bag? I highly doubt it.  Many companies will try to trick you by saying there is no personal purchase requirement. What they don’t make clear though, is there may be a monthly sales requirement before you’re eligible to be paid. If the sales requirement is $200, for instance, and you sell $199, you’re not getting a commission on it.  And if you sell $201, your commission would be on $1.

 -Make sure you understand how rank advancement is tied to your compensation. Is it possible to hit the top rank in the company without building a team? If the answer is no, then this means the business favors recruiting over product sales… HUGE red flag. 

-Look at the company income disclosure statement.  See how much Reps are really making.

-Finally, don’t be fooled by rags to riches stories told to you by people who will financially benefit from you joining their team.  Instead, do your homework, treat it like the business decision that it is, and remember, the point of starting a social selling business is to make money, not spend it.

There are companies, and products, and opportunities out there that are reputable, and will have you making money if you’re willing to learn and actually do what it takes.  

Just remember, though, there’s no such thing as easy money, and if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.