2 Riddles Created Success in Network Marketing
My Dad died in Korea when I was 3 years old.  I never knew him.  If he was sitting next to me in a coffee shop or on  a plane, I simply would not know.
I do have a brother Joe who is 9 years older than me and while we are brothers today, for a long time he filled that father role. Â I am not sure he wanted it but I think I sorta pushed him into it and he did what bighearted big brothers do. Â He stepped up ~ big time.
He was on a fast track with Mobil Oil, a real whiz-kid, [went on to be mega successful, never got off the path], so when I entered the work force after college I was always picking his brain.  And, he obliged.  I got on  a fast track with Combined Insurance and was trained by W. Clement Stone.
Stone was life long friends with Think and Grow Rich author Hill [free copy, no kidding, no up-sell crap, click here] so I heard this great stuff early, had a great role with Joe yet I just could not make the corporate climb.
“You’re too unwilling to bend to make it in the corporate world. Â You better start your own business or start bending,” he told me. Â This matched the Stone, Hill philosophy so I did. Â Nickel and dime stuff but I was learning, earning, failing, growing, building sales teams, losing sales teams…..pretty normal path.
I was getting lots of advice,[wink-wink]. Â from experts and after years had done OK, [six figures], but not great.
Most of the experts, OK, all of them, had hidden agendas, some helped a little but nothing really career changing. Â They all worked one of two ways ~ evoking fear if I did not do ‘that’ ~ or ~ HUGE results that would stun my imagination if I did do ‘this’ ~ they were committed to the dynamic of the pitch to get me emotionally involved ~ they were not committed to my success.
Most of them were full of crap, just selling their stuff  but …..my desire to succeed influenced my judgement; I heard what I wanted to hear I guess.  I heard ~ ‘That there was a shortcut‘ ~ ‘a way to get massive exposure to explode my business‘ ~ and, of course, the always popular with pitchmen ~ the ‘easier way that my competition did not know about,’ ~  [give me a break, I’m Polish and Italian]…..and, the fear factor at WARP 6 ~ ‘everyone is doing this and if you don’t you’ll be a dinosaur….’
and common sense vanishes when our personal agenda, instead of the flawless observer we all have, is in the top spot.
The cost of running a traditional biz is not cheap and employees compound stress.  So I took a look at multi-level marketing.  Tiny start-up by comparison, bigger pay-out, residual income, yada, yada, yada.  I join.  Guess who shows up?  Experts with ‘secrets and ‘short-cuts’ ~ same type of clowns that show up in every business sub-culture.
I want this to work, I don’t know anything about it so I call Big Brother Joe. Â Looking for advice, like I had many times.
Tells me, “I am going to give you a couple of riddles, not suggestions.”
My heart starts pounding, I can feel the adrenaline fear precipitates rushing through me. “Why?”
“Cuz you only take some of what you ask for and you don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“You are  making my point.  What I’ve done with you in past is the same as what’s in your Hill/Stone books.”
“What’s that?”
He chuckles, “you’re making my point again.”
Cussing by me, laughter from BB Joe.
“Now,” he says “don’t miss the point of the first riddle. Â It not about getting it, it’s about getting the point.”
“huh?”
More laughter.
Here is the first riddle he gives me.
It’s the old west and you’re being chased. Â They are hot on your heels and will kill you.
You come to a fork in the road. Â One road leads to certain death the other leads to safety.
Indian is sitting at the fork. Â There are 2 tribes in the area.
One tribe always tells the truth, the other always lies.
You only have time for 1 question. Â There is no way of telling which tribe the Indian sitting at the fork is from.
What question do you ask so you know, with 100% certainty, which road to take?
So let’s do this folks, drop your answer into the comments box and catch this blog tomorrow.
Remember BB Joe’s directions ~ don’t miss the point of the riddle; it far more important than the answer.
The second riddle and the significance of both posted here tomorrow.
It took me 6 years to figure out the way to ask the question, and, I did not get the point for another year.
Once I did, the second riddle, which I had heard before and had plagued me for years instantly was solved and making lots and lots of money, stress free, was never a problem again.
So…go ahead…..hit comment and remember its a 2 part-er….what question do we ask AND what is the point of the riddle?
You don’t need the answer to the riddle to get 100% benefit of it.
believe
mark j
World’s Laziest Networker
Count me in on this thread my friend!
I would ask him how many tribes are in the area? If he tells me the correct answer, 2, then I would know I could trust his answer to my second question, which way to safety?
you only get 1 question ~ LOL…..
I would ask him which fork the lying tribe would tell me to take. And I would take the other one.
In looking at Stan’s answer, he looks like he is on to something. I would like to use Stan’s answer. His logic makes a lot of sense.
But how do you know that he is telling the truth?
I would ask the Indian to join me.
I would pick one and ask the Indian to come with me.
The 1 question to the Indian: “Who should I tell about many men coming right now to kill Indians?”. Then follow the Indian down the path to safety.
Here’s the Real answer: “which path to safety would the Indian from the other tribe tell me to take?”. Whichever path is pointed to, take the other one.
Won’t get it done, assumes
Another great attempt Chuck but this also assumes the Indian is in danger.
Keep thinking, you’re closer
I would tell the Indian, people are coming to kill him, and follow him.
Doesn’t work…..there is a question….1 simple question…..that will insure you take the correct path….and that is the point….the correct path and asking the right questions to make certain you’re on the correct path
i would ask…
id ask for the path to the indians who lie..
so when the pursuers come theyll lie about having seen me!
Won’t do it…..you still have not figured out the correct road to take……