Our personal integrity is the measuring stick of our character. It applies to us on a personal level and also applies to how we conduct our business. Everyone involved in network marketing would do well to consider their integrity before they blindly follow their up line into the business. I say this, because while network marketing is a business that builds leaders, not everyone involved in network marketing has yet learned how to be a strong, effective leader with integrity. Up lines will train their recruits to work the same model that has been successful for them. And as long as people within the industry continue to sell the businesses as a get-rich-quick, make millions-of-dollar a year opportunities, there will continue to be people involved in the business who do not conduct themselves with a great deal of integrity.

I want this industry to be the respected business model it should be. In order to get there, it begins with me. And you. And each and every one of us that consider ourselves to be network marketing professionals. We must pay attention to our personal integrity for the industry to get there.

I have searched the quotes databases on line and have not found the origin of the quote, but I have a friend who always says, "Those who don't believe in anything will believe anything." (I am certain that is a quote or a modification of a quote, and I apologize for not being able to credit it to the appropriate source. But I didn't come up with it myself! I am not that smart, I only recognize smart!) It is very easy to follow an up line down a path that will destroy your integrity if you have not considered what you believe in. Oh, and did I mention, we must act based on what we believe to be right and wrong. Belief is only a concept until you put it into practice!

This is particularly important for younger people to consider, but is a good reminder for those of us who have been around the block a few times, too! Without the experience and wisdom of life, it may not have occurred to a younger person that integrity is something that needs to be worked at every day and with every decision we make. Opportunities to demonstrate our integrity do not happen in hugely obvious ways like they do in the movies. There is no dark music in the background heralding a pivotal choice! They happen every single day in small ways. Every decision we make reflects our integrity and every single action we take is a tiny building block on the foundation of who we are. Every decision we act on reinforces who we are, either positively or negatively. You may believe you have great integrity, but it is your actions that will cause other people to see you the way you believe you are - or not.

So, exactly what is integrity? According to dictionary.com, integrity is defined as: "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty." I like to think of moral principles in terms of the Golden Rule. "Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you." That's pretty simple. Treat others the way you want to be treated. I think of ethical principles as morals applied to a societal group. So morals are your personal actions based on your choices, and ethics are the guidelines and standards the company (or group) you are working with has adopted.

The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the organization that governs the principles that direct sales companies must comply with in order to be a member. The association is well regarded and enforces standards and principles to companies ensuring the member companies adhere to high ethical principles and standards. I strongly encourage you to affiliate yourselves only with companies that have been given the DSA's seal of approval. They are actively involved in understanding Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations. Being involved in a member company will save you heartache and money and will give credibility to your business efforts. The DSA website is located at http://www.dsa.org/, and I recommend that if you are not familiar with the association, you take the time to learn about them and the great things they do for you and the industry. You absolutely cannot explain to prospects the difference between your company and a "pyramid" without being aware of the DSA!

If your company is a member of the DSA, then you can be comfortable the company believes in strict ethical practices. But that does not necessarily mean that everyone working that business, to include your personal up line, have incorporated proper ethical principles into their training. Not because they don't believe in being moral and ethical, but because they are going to train you the way they were trained. Remember everything they have taught you about duplication? But please refer back a few paragraphs to the quote, "people who don't believe in anything, will believe anything?" If they have not thought about their integrity, they might not have recognized practices they were taught and they are teaching that might not be positively reinforcing their personal integrity.

OK, so that leaves us with moral principles. Treat others they way you want to be treated. If you have been involved in direct sales companies for more than a day; I can guarantee you have stories detailing how you don't want to be treated! If not, give it another week! Every time you see or experience something that does not "feel" right to you, you need to evaluate whether or not you want to duplicate that action based on your personal standards of integrity. You must constantly be asking yourself, "Is this right? Is this action consistent with the person I want people to believe I am?" There are many does and don't, I can provide the following suggestions based on my own experience, but that are certainly many more you will stumble upon if you constantly as yourself the questions above:

Never, ever, ever train your down line in a manner that is not focused on their success. By the way, they are responsible for defining what success means to them, not you. You need to listen and give them the help and support they need to meet their goals. Their success will lead to your success. But you must help your down line with the single focus on them, not you. People know when you are being selfish and they will feel used. Don't do it! Make your business revolve around helping others. When your business is bigger than you, people will start to see you as a leader worthy of following. When people follow you enthusiastically in this business, your success will grow.

Never, ever, ever encourage your down line to spend money they do not need to spend before they need to spend it. I was previously involved in one of the "party" direct sales company. Shortly after signing up, I went to a training meeting with one of our up line. You know the type, one of the ones making $50,000 per month. We were encouraged to buy a huge amount of product in order to have samples to show at the parties. The benefit to us was that buying all these products not only gave us the tools to show at parties, but we would make our first promotion! Yeah!!!! Well, I did that. Basically bought my way to a promotion that I could not sustain based on my sales and recruiting strategies. This type of "training" is what causes many discouraged multi-level marketers (mlm'ers) to feel that only the ones making money will continue to make money and it is off the backs of the recruits. This is just not a technique that helps your recruits be successful over the long run. I believe this company's up line would have been more ethically and morally credible if the up line would have helped the recruits with their parties and help them establish profitable business practices before encouraging them to spend the thousands of dollars required to have all the samples necessary to show. Just my opinion.... It's more work for the recruiting member. But direct sales is work. So you need to be willing to do the work to make the paycheck.

Always make the business about helping others. That is the only way people will want to work on your team.

Those are actions that are consistent with the person of integrity I want to be known as. You don't have to subscribe to the same principles I subscribe to. But the point is, you must not follow blindly! It is imperative that you apply your personal sense of right and wrong to this business. But to do this, you need to know with certainty what you believe!

So, just give it some thought. Know who you are. Know what you believe in. And don't compromise your principles.

Live your life and your business with pride!

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