Vested Interest
When you’re facing choices in your life, it’s important to be very careful who gives you advice. Anyone who has a vested interest in the outcome of your choices will skew their advice and input to suit their own selfish ends. Does your “financial planner” tell you that you need millions in the bank before you can retire, when in reality all you need is for your passive income from Joint Ventures to exceed your cost of living? Why does he tell you that you need millions? Because he wants to get his commission on whatever he sells you, of course.
Any salesperson has a stake, that’s obvious. And that doesn’t make salespeople bad, it just makes them biased. Subjective. Even dishonest. I am always amazed when I hear the ridiculous questions people ask salespeople: “Does this work well? Is it reliable? Can’t I get a better deal anywhere else? Is this the best there is?” What do you expect them to tell you? “No, sir, if you potter off down the street you’ll find a better product at half the price”? Wake up and smell the coffee! Go online and do your research – do your own due diligence. Don’t ask the salesperson!
Do you think your boss wants you to start your own business? He will tell you that you will assuredly fail. When I fired my boss 19 years ago, he told me that I would fail in my own business and that he’d keep my job for me. How about most politicians? Do you honestly believe they care about what’s good for you? All they want is to keep their jobs. They will do whatever it takes to keep their jobs and get their pensions. I said “most” politicians – I’m sure there are one or two honest ones.
We need to form alliances with people who are smart enough to give us good advice, yet have no stake in the decisions we make. We need objective, sane, wise guidance. Ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” I like to use third party testimonials on my websites because those people have no vested interest in my business. We need people who will tell us the truth, not try to placate us or please us. We need a few mentors and friends who have nothing to gain from our endeavors.
This doesn’t mean we need to question everything a salesperson tells us or become too cynical to be able to think straight. It just means that we should be very realistic about human nature. Ask someone from one religion what they think of another religion. What do you think the answer will be? Which brings me to the subject of cults. I know people who work for a huge cult – they do training under the umbrella of that cult. I realized very early in the day that they would NEVER refer business to me, unless I joined their cult! They will take, but they will never give. It’s simple group dynamics. You’re either one of them, or you’re a lost outsider. And they will always try to convert the people they train, to their cult.
There are a lot of cults out there, not only religious cults. Don’t forget that their sole purpose is to recruit you and convert you and all your friends. They will tell you whatever it takes to get you into their group. That is their purpose. Don’t expect a reasonable business relationship with them. Be objective, realistic and unattached.
Remember what Ayn Rand said: “Freedom is to ask for nothing, to expect nothing, to depend on nothing”. That is why I use Joint Ventures to maintain my financial freedom – I do not rely on any one person – I am unattached and free.
Any salesperson has a stake, that’s obvious. And that doesn’t make salespeople bad, it just makes them biased. Subjective. Even dishonest. I am always amazed when I hear the ridiculous questions people ask salespeople: “Does this work well? Is it reliable? Can’t I get a better deal anywhere else? Is this the best there is?” What do you expect them to tell you? “No, sir, if you potter off down the street you’ll find a better product at half the price”? Wake up and smell the coffee! Go online and do your research – do your own due diligence. Don’t ask the salesperson!
Do you think your boss wants you to start your own business? He will tell you that you will assuredly fail. When I fired my boss 19 years ago, he told me that I would fail in my own business and that he’d keep my job for me. How about most politicians? Do you honestly believe they care about what’s good for you? All they want is to keep their jobs. They will do whatever it takes to keep their jobs and get their pensions. I said “most” politicians – I’m sure there are one or two honest ones.
We need to form alliances with people who are smart enough to give us good advice, yet have no stake in the decisions we make. We need objective, sane, wise guidance. Ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” I like to use third party testimonials on my websites because those people have no vested interest in my business. We need people who will tell us the truth, not try to placate us or please us. We need a few mentors and friends who have nothing to gain from our endeavors.
This doesn’t mean we need to question everything a salesperson tells us or become too cynical to be able to think straight. It just means that we should be very realistic about human nature. Ask someone from one religion what they think of another religion. What do you think the answer will be? Which brings me to the subject of cults. I know people who work for a huge cult – they do training under the umbrella of that cult. I realized very early in the day that they would NEVER refer business to me, unless I joined their cult! They will take, but they will never give. It’s simple group dynamics. You’re either one of them, or you’re a lost outsider. And they will always try to convert the people they train, to their cult.
There are a lot of cults out there, not only religious cults. Don’t forget that their sole purpose is to recruit you and convert you and all your friends. They will tell you whatever it takes to get you into their group. That is their purpose. Don’t expect a reasonable business relationship with them. Be objective, realistic and unattached.
Remember what Ayn Rand said: “Freedom is to ask for nothing, to expect nothing, to depend on nothing”. That is why I use Joint Ventures to maintain my financial freedom – I do not rely on any one person – I am unattached and free.
Definition of a Cult:
Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following 5 characteristics:
1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate, and retain its members
2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society
3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma
4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds and recruit people
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society
1. It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate, and retain its members
2. It forms an elitist totalitarian society
3. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma
4. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds and recruit people
5. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society
Ring any bells?
Robin J. Elliott http://www.dollarmakers.com/
posted by Robin J. Elliott at
5:07 PM
