The Inclusive Networker
The Inclusive Networker is a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners, solopreneurs, and network marketers develop inclusive marketing and sales processes that help them authentically reach diverse audiences and subsequently grow large, diverse networks of customers, business partners, or team members.
The Inclusive Networker
The Weiser Way to Network Marketing with Donna Weiser
Get ready for a riveting conversation with Donna Weiser. With an impressive track record spanning over three decades, Donna's wisdom is not to be missed. Her nuanced approach to personal development and her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion have all played a pivotal role in her success.
The power of diversity is at the heart of this episode. Donna shares her own experiences and the influence of multicultural markets and minority populations. Through our candid conversation, you'll gain insight into her determination to champion inclusion within her company and the network marketing industry at large. This episode with Donna Weiser is one for the books - prepare to be inspired and empowered!
In this episode, we talk about the following...
1. The importance of adopting a diverse and inclusive approach in network marketing.
2. Using affirmations and visualizations to build your own inclusive and diverse business.
3. The challenges faced by minority communities in network marketing.
Donna's book: So You Said Yes https://donnajweiser.com/so-you-said-yes/
You can find Donna on…
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/donnaweiser/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-weiser-hennes-90057b18/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nvpdonna
Want more from Dr. Raymona?
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drraymonahlawrence/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/drraymonahlawrence/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drraymonahlawrence/
Thank you for listening!
~Dr. Raymona
Hey, hey, hey, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1:Welcome to this week's episode of the Inclusive Networker podcast, where we help network marketers, small business owners and solopreneurs become aware of gaps in knowledge or awareness that could be keeping their networks and businesses small. Tune in as we give tips and simple practical tools to make your business more inclusive and we teach you how to build inclusive communities that support diverse customers, team members and business partners. So if you want to authentically build relationships with diverse communities of customers or business partners, you are in the right place. But be warned you will be challenged. But here's the thing you won't be judged. I'm your host, dr Ramona. I'm a speaker, coach, consultant, public health professor, wife, mom and a fierce challenger of broken systems that keep people from reaching their highest potential. I'm so excited to be with you on your journey to becoming an inclusive networker, so let's jump right in. Hey, hey, hey, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1:Welcome to this week's episode of the Inclusive Networker podcast. I'm Dr Ramona and I'm your host. And who am I calling in to conversation today? Well, it is Donna Weiser. She is someone who I have admired like absolutely admired from afar and have gotten to interact with on several occasions, and I'm so excited to have her as a part of the Inclusive Networker podcast today. So, donna, welcome, welcome. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I'm truly honored because you are someone who I've respected and admired as well for a long time, so thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for including me and inviting me today? Yes, and so let's jump right in this conversation. So tell me, donna, what is your lens? That's the first question that I always ask everybody on the podcast, and I just want to know, like, what is your background? How do you see the world?
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for asking me. Well, first of all, I just want to let you know that I'm going on 32 years in the network marketing space, which is really exciting, because 32 years ago, when I was introduced to this industry, I had no desire. No, it was the last thing in my mind that I would get involved with a network marketing company. I thought it was one of those things, if you know what I mean. But I was actually given a gift certificate to sample some of the products that my company had offered and within a couple of weeks of using these products, my adult acne had cleared up and I was looking for an opportunity to put my children in private school. Because it was a challenging time and finances were a bit of a challenge. And when I saw the opportunity and the income option available, I said I'm going to give this a shot, because if these products work for me, they'll work for others, and that's basically how this industry works right Use the products and love them. Whatever products people are using, share them with other people which is what we do and teach them how to do the same thing. So that's what I decided to do, and it was interesting because when I look at my life and how did the lens that I looked through to build a business like this?
Speaker 2:And in my life, I was raised as an Orthodox Jew and I was actually born in Patterson, new Jersey. My grandparents were from Romania and from Russia. They were immigrants and my grandparents actually experienced a lot of anti-Semitism. I experienced some, but my parents and grandparents much deeper, which is very interesting in the time and culture that we're going through today during this challenging war that's happening in the Middle East, and I have cousins whose complete families were wiped out during the Holocaust. So it was an interesting time for me to jump into a network marketing company who there were very, very few Jewish people in our company at that time and I looked at myself as someone who could educate the home office and the corporate people in this company about the Jewish culture and how we are different and how we have certain things that are not the same. For example, we don't celebrate holidays exactly the same as other people do, so we follow the lunar calendar. As Jews, we follow the lunar calendar and, by the way, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, hindu, muslim, thai people they also follow the lunar calendar, and what does that mean? So many of your listeners know, of course, christmas is the 25th of December, but because we follow the lunar calendar, you might notice that during the years, hanukkah is never just this December 25th the same. It's different days because of lunar calendar. So I found myself having to contact our corporate office all the time to educate them on the importance of being aware of when the Jewish holidays were. They wouldn't schedule important holidays or important corporate events during those holidays. So I was able to research those things. So the good news is my company's become more aware and more conscious of other cultures. But it took some time and I believe it's a work in progress and that's why I really consider myself a champion of inclusion and diversity. Today, here it is, 32 years later, and really helping my company become more aware of diversity and inclusion.
Speaker 2:I have a cute example I want to give you. It's not a cute example. It was kind of a stunning example of how important this was to me and continues to be for me. Can I share it with you? Absolutely, all right.
Speaker 2:So there is a time that I was honored to be invited as one of the top income earners in my company.
Speaker 2:They were inviting some of these top leaders to be part of a photo shoot to be in our company catalog or our company literature.
Speaker 2:And I was invited to this, actually in Malibu, california, which wasn't too far from me, and I was in a photo shoot and I got to pop out of this Vinces Mercedes Benz, because that's our company car, and I was popping out of it. I was dressed up, they had made me up and I was excited to be part of a photo shoot until I saw that they used that picture of me blonde, blue eye Donna not really blonde, by the way blonde, blue eye Donna popping out of a Mercedes Benz on the top of the company's opportunity brochure. I was my stomach sank. I was appalled. I called the company and I said this is not the kind of picture that should be on the top of an opportunity brochure, because we are not all blonde and blue eyed and I was. That's the kind of thing that I continue to do to educate the company and I'm really proud of the fact that, as we continue to create more literature that the company is embracing diversity, has embraced diversity much more than they did when I was first involved 32 years ago.
Speaker 1:So that was kind of an interesting story, yes, and I appreciate you having a lens where you could point that out, because a lot of people would be like, oh, this is something that's great, it's something that is happening for me, and not thinking about the bigger picture of the marketing and how that relates to people in diverse cultures. And so I appreciate that larger lens that you developed along the way. And so how did you develop that lens? Because I know that and this is kind of just an extension to the lens question when you think about the fact that you are a white woman with blondish hair, yes, when we think about the idea of growing your lens, what made you move into that, even though you're already at the top of the company early on?
Speaker 1:I know that this is not something that's recent. You've been at the top of the company a long time. Yes, you've had opportunities and resources and things like that. What is it that made you want to expand your lens and to really embrace diversity? Because I know of you in the company as a person who is a true ally. What made you want to move in that direction?
Speaker 2:I just think of my heart, knowing that we're a world filled with so many different people, different backgrounds, different cultures, different educational status. The world is filled with so many people. When you look at the world through a very singular lens, you're limiting yourself to so much beauty and so much growth. I felt that from the very beginning. When I first got involved in this industry of network marketing, I embraced personal development very quickly. By the way, I came into this business already with some personal development. I knew the power of affirmations and visualizations. I created a vision board from the very beginning. In the corner of my vision board I had faces of people I did not know. Those faces included people who are black, who are brown, who are Asian, who are young, who are older, who are educated, who are state-owned moms, who are professionals. It was important for me because the world is filled with diversity. In the very beginning it was important to me. I continued to educate people on that fact.
Speaker 2:I remember back in the very beginning, when I wasn't at the top of the company but I was starting to have a voice that I would open up a catalog. This is what I'm talking about. 30 years ago, I'd open up a catalog. The very first thing I did was I would go through that catalog and look to see people of different backgrounds, of different color. I would run to the person that they had the marketing. That was like eight people ago in charge of marketing. I would say there's something wrong with this. What's wrong with this? Come on, it was just like the fact that I was Jewish and they didn't understand that we have different holidays. You just can't have a catalog that's just as Christmas without saying Hanukkah and of course now Kwanzaa. It's so important because the world is made up of so many people. The more people we get to embrace and love, the bigger our heart will be and the more successful it will be.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I love that your experiences come together with your heart for diversity, equity and inclusion. Also, your work in network marketing has come together in a book. This book is so. You said yes the wiser, y'all get the wiser. It's not a wiser the wiser way to network marketing. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2:This was that. This is a dream come true. By the way, this was just a dream come true. Somebody planted the seed in my mind six years ago. Actually, richard Blissbrook, network marketing guru, planted the seed in my mind six years ago and I was a retreat with him. I was telling him how I got a speaking role on the soap opera General Hospital.
Speaker 1:Right up to you, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was telling him how that story relates to having courage in this industry to open your mouth. You want to create something. You have to plant the seed and then take action. He said you should write a book. That's a great story. I went home from that retreat and started writing a book. Here it is almost six years later and the book has come to fruition. I'm excited and I'm proud of that.
Speaker 1:You got to let us in on the General Hospital piece. Now Tell us a little bit more about that.
Speaker 2:I had just gotten an. It's not the same time that I got involved with my network marketing company. I was looking for a way to make enough money to put my children in private school. They were six years old and nine years old at the time. I had been given the opportunity to be an extra on the show General Hospital because a friend of mine was an assistant director. I was an extra when you're an extra.
Speaker 2:For those that don't understand the world of TV or movies, an extra is just somebody who's there in the scene, sitting in a restaurant, walking down the street so that it looks like there's people active. I was sitting in a pretend restaurant having a pretend conversation for a couple of days and I really wanted a speaking part. I said to this guy I was talking to in the scene, the other extra, how do I get a speaking role on this show? He said you don't get a speaking part, you're an extra, you're not an actor. I wanted to prove this guy wrong and type a personality that I am. I quietly went up to the casting office and knocked on the door of the casting director and I said hi, I'm downstairs. It's an extra today. I said I'd love to. How do I get a speaking part on the show? She said do you have a tape of your performance, a tape of your acting? I said I don't have a tape of my acting, but I do have a tape from an acting class. She goes I'll take a look at that.
Speaker 2:The next day I brought her a tape of my acting class and she said she'd watch it. I said may I call you? Can I call you tomorrow and see what you think? She said sure, now, that was where I learned to be courageous, because other people would say here's my tape, call me. But I was more bold. Here's my tape, may I call you?
Speaker 2:I called her several times and she hadn't watched it. Finally, maybe five, six times later, she left and she said you are so persistent. I said listen, I appreciate you. I'd love you to take a peek at it. If it's fit, great. If not, then no worries, which is what I do in my business. Right, right, I worked it from the beginning, exactly Fast forward.
Speaker 2:She finally watched it and she said she liked it. And she said I said what happens now? She said I'll give you a call. It's like now the ball's in her court, just like our business, we have to let go. Let go of the results. About a week and a half later, my little pager because that was back in the 90s, I had a little pager. We didn't have cell phones in those days my pager beeps and there's a little phone I didn't recognize and I put a quarter in the telephone, the pay phone. I dial this number and on the other end I hear general hospital casting and poof. I had several speaking roles on that show. That's exactly how I used many of my life experiences to help me build a successful network marketing business. That's what I talked about in this book. That really tips for someone who said yes, and they want to be successful in this business because this business, like other businesses, it's all what happens in here between your ears.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my goodness, that is a classic story. Yeah, that really launches everything that we do in network marketing. It launched your career. It launched the things that I'm sure that you have in this book. Tell us a couple of other tips and some different things that you've talked about within the book as far as network marketing.
Speaker 2:Well, I talk about having courage. I talk about how important it is to win the day, how the importance of first thing in the morning waking up and doing meditation first thing, doing your gratitude list first thing, assuming a phenomenal day by affirming a phenomenal day. I have several affirmations in the book. I talk about how to talk to people at your meeting. I talk about how to close how to close what you're doing an opportunity, event with someone, or sitting, having a coffee appointment, one-on-one, the kind of things to say, because oftentimes when we do a presentation with someone and we finish the presentation, we never know how to close it, what to say.
Speaker 2:So many things I've learned over the years from phenomenal speakers and coaches and teachers. I have a lot of those messages in the book and I'm honored that many of those people shared red in the manuscript and they quoted in my book. I have Mark Victor Hansen, I have Rita Davenport, jerry Royson Tool, ellie Molina, who's an intuitive coach, michael Durkin, david G, who's my meditation teacher, sonia Stringer, richard Brook wrote the foreword from my book. So this is a huge honor for me that these people were willing to put a stamp of approval on my book, which I created to support other people and help them be successful in the network marketing space.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I love the fact that you've not only done this with people who look like you. You've thought through this process when you thought about here are the affirmations and the visualizing that I needed to do with diverse communities.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:I know we talked about as you were growing and you were wanting to build in diverse communities, when your company was going to thinking about moving into Taiwan and you started to think about the different things that you could do with the different Chinese activities that you could do in your own city. So tell us about how you not only just do the network marketing piece, but how you bring this diversity piece in to your systems.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. One of the things that's so important is that if someone has the intention I love that word intention has the intention to be an inclusive networker. They have to see the world from the lens of others, not just themselves. They have to realize that the world, as I said earlier, is the world is huge. We're not just in a little bubble. So we have to learn to network outside of our own community and educate ourselves on what's happening globally and locally.
Speaker 2:So when my company decided to open their doors in Taiwan and I didn't know anyone in the Chinese community personally, on a personal basis I immediately googled Chinese activities in my area. I found some wonderful networking opportunities and I went. I got myself up, even though I had fear. I felt the fear and did it anyway, which, by the way, was the very first book I read when I came into Arban Feel the fear and do it anyway by Dr Susan Jeffers. I talk about that in my book as well. So I got over the fear. I went to those networking activities. I met people. I even met a woman who taught me Mandarin. I started learning Mandarin. That's exactly what people can do when it comes to expanding their business. I, just just for you can Google black activities in my area, latina activities in my area and then get up and go meet people. It's so powerful what people can do.
Speaker 2:What I did when I was wanting to build a more inclusive, diverse business, as I started creating affirmations and visualizing exactly the kind of people I wanted to have in my business. So the law of attraction is huge. Affirmations of visualizing is huge. So I'm going to give an example. I actually wrote it down. I'm going to read it to you. An example of an affirmation I am a recruiting superstar. I'm recruiting amazing leaders from all generations and backgrounds. People from all walks of life are excited to join my team. An affirmation like that people from and you can be as specific as you want but when I did my vision board 31 years ago and I had people of different backgrounds, that's the beginning of planting that seed of having people from every background. It's such an important part of this business and of understanding that we are not the same and if you just stay within your own bubble and only network with people in your own community, you're missing the boat. I mean, the statistics are incredible. I actually did some research. May I share a few things with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, because I think it's so important. Not only because often, when we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, we talk about the why you should do this. We talk about it as a moral imperative, but I think that we have to understand the business case as well and understand that this is not just something that fly by my fan. It's something that's so important. If we are going to be leaders in the global marketplace, we have got to start having diversity, equity and inclusion, not as something that we add on to what we do, but it's how we do business, and so I think that's so important for you to bring out some of these stats so that we understand the real foundation of some of the work that we're doing with diversity, equity and inclusion. So, yeah, go ahead, jump in 100%, 100%.
Speaker 2:It's so powerful. So multicultural markets are leading growth in the US economy Huge. The Census Bureau projections show that the US population will be majority minority sometime between 2040 and 2050. Most features is saying around 2044. Now, minorities accounted for 92% of the US population growth between 2010 and 2018. This is powerful. Women of color account for 89% of new businesses opened in 2019. 89%, that's a huge number, right. 50% of them were opened by African American women, so my business is predominantly women. That's huge right. The combined buying power of African Americans, asian Americans and Native Americans is estimated to be 2.4 trillion, while the nation's Hispanic population commands 1.5 trillion in spending power. That's larger than the GDP of Australia.
Speaker 2:So, goodness gracious, if you are not tapping into these markets, then you are not. You're not doing your job right. You're not doing your job. There's just. There's so much available out there for you. From a business perspective, it is so powerful and from a network marketing perspective, there's a. If you are willing to embrace diversity, inclusion, if you're willing to reach out there and get out of your own bubble right, there's a broader market reach. A diverse group of network marketers can connect with a wider range of customers from various backgrounds, various cultures and demographics, different perspectives. Diversity brings together individuals with different life experiences and perspectives. Right Cultural sensitivity, understanding and respecting various cultures is crucial in network marketing. Having a diverse team can help avoid cultural insensitivity. It's so important that we educate other people right, improve customer relations. It's adaptability, reputation and brand image. Companies that embrace diversity tend to have a much more positive reputation and are seen as socially responsible, which can enhance the brand image. That's it. It's so powerful, don't you agree?
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. I really love the business model of network marketing because it promotes equity in business. I'll tell you why. A lot of people don't think about this. But the entry point of network marketing is low. You don't have the big franchising fees. You don't have all of this that it takes in many companies to become a part of the business. You can own a business from sometimes $49 to $99 and start the process and start to build those networks and really build that income for your family.
Speaker 1:Network marketing facilitates equity in building a business.
Speaker 1:When you talk about doing that with minority communities that don't typically have access to resources in the same way that other communities do, I think it's so important for us to focus on that and to really help people come into the business, but not only come into the business, but we have to help them to thrive, Because then we are sending people back to their communities to have businesses, to have resources to really make a difference and they can bring on other people more easily to really be able to build the wealth of their communities.
Speaker 1:And so I think it's just an excellent business model for that. But the issue is how do we ensure that we are not only in and I've said this in trainings before that we don't just duplicate ourselves, but we translate our systems so that they work in diverse communities, Because that has a big issue is that we duplicate what works in white, middle class communities oftentimes, or upper class communities, and it's not always the same. So we have a risk versus a framework that anybody could use to change out the flavor and the spices the work in their community. And so I think that's what's missing in network marketing often is people expanding their lands to help promote this equity and this translation of the processes that we have, versus just duplicating it, Because when we try to duplicate only, we don't really help people that have different communities to thrive.
Speaker 2:The thing about network marketing which is brilliant. It's a level playing field. So you can have someone who has a degree an eight-year degree as a doctor or an attorney, or you could have someone one of the top income earners in our company never went to college, so it's a level playing field. So how do we reach out to other markets? If someone says to me I don't see enough people who look like me in your company, my response is then help me, help me get into your community, help me reach out to other people, because I can help you, I can support you because the business model, as I said earlier, is so simple Use the products and love them.
Speaker 2:Teach other people how to use the products and love them, share them with other people and teach other people how to do the same thing. So, when I can reach out to someone who is Asian, african, american, black, if I can help someone, see you know what, perhaps there aren't as many of you in my company today. Help me expand, help me invite other people, because I, as a mentor, can teach you how to build a business like this. Because I came into this business with no background in this industry none at all but I was coachable and I was willing to get out of my own way, willing to feel the fear and do it anyway, and that's the secret of success in this business.
Speaker 1:And yeah, and I think it's so important for us to think through where people start. I think that's where the equity conversation comes in often because, yes, it's a level playing field, but people come in with different networks, different types of resources and things like that, and so I think, having the conversation and saying, you know what do I need to do to help you build your network, it may be different than another person who comes in with a larger network and who can just hit the ground running and all of a sudden have huge amounts of volume. And so I think this is a really important conversation is that how do we make sure that we level the playing field with the network that you have, with the resources that you have within your community, and that takes adapting.
Speaker 2:It does. And you know it's interesting because when I came into this business, my family and friends wanted nothing to do with my business. I dropped out of graduate school to pursue this business and they wanted nothing to do with it. But I really saw the vision and so I said I'm going to do this, whether with the support of my family and friends or not. So I literally went out into the we call it the cold market people that you don't know, and I warmed up the cold market and I would go to them. I dropped my little kids they were six and nine off. I'd go to the mall and I would just network, I'd meet people, I'd build rapport and as easily as I could go up to someone who's blonde and blue I'd like myself I could just as easily go up to someone who's black or Latina or Asian I could just as easily do that when I have my antenna up of inclusion, diversity, exactly right. So I'll give an example. But when I start my day saying people are excited to join my team, I'm excited to build a team of diverse, beautiful people from different backgrounds. When I start my day with that affirmation, I go out into the world.
Speaker 2:And a couple of years ago, I remember one of my leaders on my team. Today I went into the store and this gorgeous woman who was black gorgeous I mean gorgeous inside and out she had the most beautiful personality and I said to her you are amazing, I would love you to be part of my business. She said what's your business? And I told her what I do and I said I'm looking for people just like you. I'm looking to build a team of beautiful black women who can support their community, because that's what this business can do. It can help you support your community, because when you have more and you do more and you become more, you can give more. And two days later we were having coffee and a week and a half later we were. She was becoming a consultant on my team. And that's exactly how you do it. You just open your mouth, you feel the fear, you jump out of your own, you get out of your comfort zone.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and so, as we think about these types of things, so when you're thinking about prospecting and going up to people, what are some of the things that people who are inclusive networkers would do every day?
Speaker 2:Well, they would just actually they. First of all, they have to realize that the world does not they don't just look like them, whatever their background is, whatever their race, their nationality, that the world's filled, as I said earlier, with people. The world is filled with so many beautiful people. I remember when I was a nursery school music teacher, there's a song the World is a Rainbow filled with many colors.
Speaker 2:I taught that to my children from the very beginning, and so if you are someone who is networking in the world, you have to find a way to have an intention the moment you wake up in the morning, when you get out there, because that's how this business works. You have to meet people and share your business, your service, your opportunity, and you have to make a decision that I'm gonna share this with everyone who I come in contact with and I'm gonna purposely look for people who don't look like me. It has to be a conscious intention to get out there and purposely welcome, smile, make conversation with people who don't look like you, because when you do that, you'll be blown away at how many wonderful people are out there that you'll be able to meet and inspire and mentor and help them build a business for their own family, for their own and when, again, as I said, the more that you have, the more you can give.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So tell me a little bit about what you do. As far as I know that, you love to give back and you've talked about some things that you do with people who have a disorder, that they have too much collagen. Tell us a little bit more about that. Thank you for asking that.
Speaker 2:Thank you so there's a pretty horrific disease called scleroderma, and scleroderma is a disease where your body produces too much collagen and it causes every and, by the way, collagen is made in every organ in our body and if your body overproduces collagen, your skin becomes thick and tight and stiff, and the same thing happens to your organs in your body, and this is a deadly disease. And sadly, my cousin, who's a dear friend of mine, has this disease. So I made a decision, if I was gonna to write a book and profit from a book, so you said yes, that I was gonna donate a portion of every book to the Scleroderma Research Foundation so that we could obliterate this horrific disease. So I'm proud of the fact that I can be a champion for my cousin and this disease. Thank you for asking me.
Speaker 1:Yes, and that is wonderful. I know how it is to have a chronic disease and have different things like that, so it's great to have a champion in someone who's really wanting to give back in those cases, and so I'm sure that your cousin is very appreciative as well. So tell us, where are we gonna find the book? How do we?
Speaker 2:get it. So at this point the book is housed on my website. It's called Donna J Weiser, so it's my name, d-o-n-n-a-j. Initial J-W-E-I-S-E-R. Dot com. Very easy, donnajweisercom. And currently there's a pre-sale because the book will actually it's being published right now, so they sent me this kind of a to prove of it. This is like my hard copy, but the book. So right now it's on sale through the middle of November and you can see the sale on my website, and you can also learn about Scleroderma Research Foundation on my website. So thank you for asking me about that, and this is so exciting for me that I can take the gifts that I've learned over the years from the wonderful mentors that I've had and be able to pass it on to others who would like to see success. As a matter of fact, shad Helmstetter, who I love. Shad Helmster wrote the book called what to Say when you Talk to Yourself, which is so important because self-talk is crucial not only in network marketing but in life, wouldn't you agree?
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 2:Shad Helmster. After reading my book he said an expert guide for anyone who wants to excel in any area of life. I was so honored that he said that about my book, so I'm so thrilled and I appreciate your asking me.
Speaker 1:So I want to dig a little bit deeper into this idea of prospecting, because you had talked about that. You've gone out and you were able to walk up to this black woman, this woman of color, and you met her the next day and things were great. You were able to express to her that you want to expand your team and you want more people of color on your team. But I want to challenge in this conversation just a little bit and for other people to think about this idea of prospecting and to think about does this really work the same way for people of color?
Speaker 1:So if you think about the things that have happened in our country, we have black men who were standing out just watching birds and got the police caught on them, people who are doing just their normal jobs and there's brawls that work out. All these types of things happen. So when you think about a black man or a black woman going up to someone and in randomly in the street that was cold traffic, cold prospecting to do the same thing, do you think that there are differences? Because I really want us to expand and really think about what's different with recruiting in minority communities and with people who are coming on to our teams who don't look like us. How is it different so that we can really make change in this industry?
Speaker 2:That's such a great point and I've always looked to you as a mentor in this area. I've heard you speak and train and always love learning from you, and it's important because your lens, of course, is different than my lens and, again, learning to look at things from a different lens is so crucial. So I'm going to turn it back to you to help educate me, because I can get out there and I can say go out there and talk to everybody. I could go to the mall tomorrow and I could get 10 names of people within an hour because I can do that. Pardon my personality, my personality is warm, I'm open. But you're right, I mean it's hard to imagine a black man particularly, I guess, a gentleman's, unware he is who he's talking to, but to go up to a white woman and say, hi, I want you on my team. So I'm going to turn it to you and ask you what do you think we can do as an industry to help overcome this challenge?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think these things are not necessarily going to change. Right, people still have to do the work. They have to prospect, they have to go out and talk to people. Now we have a lot that's online, so I do think that these types of things is prospecting, talking to people that we don't know. It's important.
Speaker 1:I think, though, expanding our lens in network marketing and really thinking about now, how does this really work for somebody who doesn't look like me? It's going to be important, and I've talked about before that we have these sayings that we all have the same compensation plan, we all have the same products, we all have the same amount of time in a day. The only difference is you, but when we think about recruiting, that you is so important, and we look around and it's not just our company. Every network marketing company that I've worked with has similar types of issues where we're saying, okay, we got to recruit, we got to recruit, go out and talk to everybody that you can Make sure that you get out there, don't be afraid to network, but there's not a lot of attention to the actual process of networking that different communities have to go through. There's not as much attention to the amount of trust.
Speaker 1:I've heard different people in the Hispanic or Latino community talk about the amount of trust that they've had to build before this process even would start rolling. I know that there is a lot of history with African Americans and you know, just living life normally and going up to talk to people, and so I think it would take us saying here's the way that we recruit and this is how I want to, you know, relay this process to my team. Now let's talk to people who have different backgrounds and say how does this work in your community? And then let's not only talk about it, because that's part of the issue. Let's not just talk about it, but let's write down actionable steps that we can use to adapt these systems to different communities, to help people to say, okay, here's how this might work a little bit differently in my community and here's how I can actually take action.
Speaker 1:So I think that the biggest piece of this is saying, no, it doesn't work the same for everybody, and I'm not going to say that, oh, you just go out and if you just work hard enough, you're going to get to the top. There's something else going on, because when we think about companies that are 40, 50 years old and have no African American women at the top of the company, it's hard for me to believe that nobody's worked hard enough in all of that time to get to the top. There's something else within the system that we have to really think about, and so I think that that's the thing is how do we really think through our systems, our recruitment, how we onboard people? We typically recruit for diversity, but we onboard for conformity.
Speaker 2:That's so interesting and you're so right and you're so smart, and I would love for you and I to have another conversation so you could help me create a training in this area. I know you've talked about it before, but this is again. It's so important to look at this through a different lens, and you're always so brilliant and I so appreciate you because I'm a cockeyed optimist. People have always called me a cockeyed optimist. I will not give up. I will continue to fight for this cause and I know that you and I together can make it happen.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and it's no issue. The biggest thing is how do we make sure that we have different people in the room that have different lenses, because I don't have everybody's lens, and so we build a lens together that helps us to look at multicultural markets and that looks at different perspectives, and we say, when I take a little piece of your lens, a little piece of this lens, and we all work together, then that is the way that we have a comprehensive view of this industry and we really made change. So together, yes, we can do it.
Speaker 2:I love you. You're amazing.
Speaker 1:Thank you, donna, for being a guest on the Inclusive Networker Podcast today. Thank you all for tuning in. You will catch Donna's information in the show notes and we will see you on the next episode of the Inclusive Networker Podcast. Bye, and that wraps up another episode of the Inclusive Networker Podcast. I want to express my sincere gratitude to you, our listeners, for joining us on this journey of learning and growth. Your support and engagement are truly, truly appreciated. Creating a more inclusive network and beyond starts with us, individually and collectively. Let's continue these conversations beyond the Inclusive Networker Podcast. Engage with others, challenge your own assumptions, take action to make a difference in your own spheres of influence and share, share, share this podcast with a friend. So here's what you can do next Go to drramonahlawnescom and keep up with me. Stay in touch. That's D-R-R-A-Y-M-O-N-A-H-L-A-W-R-E-N-C-Ecom. Don't forget my why in Dr Ramona and don't you dare forget your why. See you on the next episode of the Inclusive Networker.