Fake it Till you Make it?

This term has been being thrown around a lot lately. I have seen it discussed on youtube.com, a few mommy boards, a couple of my team members asked me more about it, and it there is a discussion about this on my team board as well.

I am going to give my honest opinion of this term "Fake it till you make it".

This strategy was actually designed to assist people with personal depressions and alcohol abuse. It is designed to assist someone who is trying to get well. If your an alcoholic- you would start your therapy by taking the normal one day at a time thought and keep telling yourself you are a no longer an alcoholic. I know that it worked well in this capacity.

When used in a business capacity- I have seen this very strategy chew up and spit people out. The failure rate is very high for this in business because the term is taken way to literally. The word "Fake" is a word that is NOT positive in my eyes.

Fake
1   /feɪk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [feyk] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, faked, fak⋅ing, noun, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1. prepare or make (something specious, deceptive, or fraudulent): to fake a report showing nonexistent profits.
2. to conceal the defects of or make appear more attractive, interesting, valuable, etc., usually in order to deceive: The story was faked a bit to make it more sensational.
3. to pretend; simulate: to fake illness.

While it can be very helpful for a business person to put themselves in a role they would like to be in- they shouldn't FAKE being in that role. If you are a secretary- you do not tell people or present yourself as a Lawyer. If you are a sales person you would not tell people or present yourself as a Store Manager. This is a HUGE misconception to the strategy and it becomes very hard for people to separate what to FAKE and what not to FAKE. This is NOT a shortcut to success, it's a shortcut to confusion and possibly to failure.

My thought process for business is this: Be Real. Be honest. Work Hard. Make Goals. If you are a sales person and you want to be a Store Manager, write down the goal. Figure out what it takes to be Store Manager and what steps you need to take. Work hard on those steps, and tell yourself every day that you are ONE DAY closer to your goal! You can tell yourself that one day, you will be the Store Manager. Keep excited about it and keep working for it. You can keep yourself motivated by working the system with a buddy, keeping a journal or asking a friend to help you.

I really have a hard time believing in anything that makes people believe they are not good enough at the level they are at. Everyone has to start at the bottom and earn their way to the top. This is the only way to truly succeed and know that you EARNED it, step by step!

Here is a few examples of mistakes I have seen Reps do in Direct Sales.

A New Rep is doing her 3rd party in her 4th week- She is asked how long she has been in the business. She gets butterflies in her stomach and says " A few months". The customer who asked thought she was doing a fantastic party and would have been extremely impressed if she said "Actually, this is my 3rd party and I am new to the business- How do you think I am doing?"

Jane Doe has been in the business for 6 months and has not recruited anyone in her downline as of yet, she wanted to master the art of selling first and really just decided it would be time to start building a team. She is asked if she has brought anyone into the business and how she trains her people. She says " Yes, I have recruited people and I do training over the phone and we have team meetings at my upline's house". She could have said " I have not recruited anyone as of yet. I was getting more comfortable with the business. I am really excited because I would love to talk to you about the business- you never know, you could be my first recruit..... you can be my number 1!"

A seasoned Rep meets another Rep from a different company who has a higher rank than her. Instead of befriending her or respecting how hard she has worked and take advantage of talking with her, the Rep becomes intimidated. She then over exaggerates the amount of people on her team, the amount of sales her team products, how many personal recruits she has, etc. This is a HUGE mistake. She had made all your hard work and your teams hard work seem insignificant! She needs to be proud of what she and her team has accomplished no matter how big or small!

A conversation among Reps leads to a conversation about business apparel. One Rep is very passionate that she feels wearing sneakers is not professional business apparel and she NEVER wears sneakers to any type of business meeting, party or event. This was very unfortunate because there are pictures of a 2 day workshop in Texas on the company website. These picture clearly show this particular Rep wearing sneakers on both days at the workshop. She could have said "I have worn sneakers before but have decided as of last month that I will not do that again. I realized that if I wanted to be taken as a professional- I need to dress as a professional."

These are situations where someone is using "Fake it till you make it" strategy in a negative manner. The term was taken literally and it will cause problems for them in their business.

I guess I am old school and want to see people represent themselves with pride and dignity. Everyone should be proud of each new step they take in their business. Take advantage of trainings. go to meetings, get on calls and chats, participate in team or company discussions and be yourself! There is NOTHING wrong with being yourself and having goals to reach the top!

I will end this blog with my favorite quote and an article by Life Coach - Nina East

THERE IS NO ELEVATOR TO SUCCESS.....YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE STAIRS!

Fake It 'Til You Make It? If that’s your strategy for success, we NEED to talk!
By Nina East

How many times have you had people tell you to just “fake it ‘til you make it”, or “act as if”? One? Ten? A hundred times? Well-meaning friends, family, and business coaches have been doling out this advice for ages. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard it. And, being the good client that I am, I followed their advice. I “acted as if” and “faked it” for years. Here’s the question you need to ask yourself: How’s that working for you?

Have your dreams come true? Probably not - at least not to the level you would like. Here’s why: When you’re faking it, you KNOW you’re faking it. And your constant awareness of “acting” or being “fake” actually takes you out of the energy and momentum of making the changes you need to make. You are being constantly reminded that you haven’t made it yet. That’s just the way the brain works.

I realized that the more I “acted as if”, the more I felt like an imposter. The more I felt like an imposter, the less I was able to produce the results I wanted.

What’s the solution? Become a creature of habit. Humans are naturally creatures of habits. Behaviorists estimate that 90-95% of everything we do is actually habit – from the way we put on our shoes, to brushing our teeth (or not!), to the way we think about things and the attitude we have about them.

I realized that the difference between successful people and me wasn’t my desire for success. I had plenty of that. The real difference was our habits – what we did habitually every day to move us toward or away from our dreams. When I was honest with myself, I saw the habits I had been using had led me to exactly where I was at the time. When I made the shift to developing the habits of success, everything shifted. Everything – business, relationships, health, you name it.

Think about your habits. What are your success habits – the habits that move you toward success? What habits do you have that hold you back? (Notice how you answered these questions…Are you responding in the same old way? Not taking the time to respond? However you are responding to the act of answering these questions is just a habit.) Take this opportunity to be honest with yourself and look at your habits. The key to success is making your habits work FOR you rather than against you. When your habits work for you, everything is more effortless – your attitudes, beliefs, and actions are all lined up together. For you to have the success you want – the effortless success you want – What would you have to think about habitually? What would you have to do habitually? What would you have to believe habitually? What would you have to focus on habitually? What sort of attitude would you have to have habitually?

When you develop the habits of success, you don’t have to fake it or act as if anymore. Your habits will naturally, quickly, and effortlessly move you in the direction of your dreams. No faking.