In this Fearless Networker Spotlight, we're featuring David Skultety. a Jersey boy with a penchant for Finances, a fondness for the Grateful Dead…and a devoted leader to his team.
I caught up with David this past week and cornered him with a few questions on how he became so successful in network marketing. I think you're going to enjoy this conversation…
TFN: So David…we've known each other for a while, but I'm not even sure how you got introduced to this profession. How'd that happen?
DS: In 1990 I graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia and was faced with the challenge of finding a job in the midst of a significant recession. I was interested in Investment Banking, but the major investment banks were not hiring for their analyst programs. So I went out and started an advertising business at the Jersey shore.
During the next couple years of building that business, I was approached by numerous people about network marketing. Honestly, I was not captivated by any of the presentations and never joined. But in 1994, a gentleman from my Father’s country club approached me about an opportunity to take advantage of the deregulation of telecom. That was the first time I saw the circles drawn out and I was in.
TFN: So, did you crush it with that business?
DS: No, I failed miserably. For two years I did everything wrong and honestly made no money. I made myself the issue, didn’t follow the system that was being taught, refused to do three way calls, and didn’t attract anyone to my business. I felt like a total failure, so I quit.
A couple years later I was approached again by a friend regarding a new company that was marketing nutritional products. I never lost my enthusiasm about the circles and potential for residual income, so my wife and I joined that company as one of their founding distributors.
TFN: I love it. The circles got you. So…how was that experience?
DS: Much different. It was a slow start, but after a year we started to attract some amazing people who not only had more experience than us, but had more passion towards the building process. We literally learned from people in our organization and used that knowledge to build a pretty amazing business.
Over a 15 year period our organization grew to over 300,000 customers and produced over $500,000,000 in sales. Needless to say, we built that residual income we were looking for.
TFN: Wow! Those are some HUGE numbers! Impressive. But…let me ask you this, I assume you had some challenges, tell me…what were your most challenging moments, and how did you overcome them? People want to know how you get past tough times.
DS: Todd, we actually faced a lot of adversity in the building of that business. Dealing with rejection, trying to lead people who didn’t want to be led, and learning how to deal with people were all challenges. But the most challenging moment was at a time when we lost belief in the people running the company and the direction they were going.
They were good people, but we didn’t feel comfortable with their strategic decisions, and therefore had to step away. We really didn’t want to start over with another company, so we took a break for several years and consulted other companies with their marketing strategies. This activity brought us to our current company. We started from scratch, and built another amazing business.
TFN: David, what advice do you have for people who are entering the profession of network marketing for the very first time?
DS: Well, to start, it’s important that you do your due diligence and pick a company that will work for you and last the test of time. There are all kinds of factors to look at including, the ownership and management experience, the capital structure, the uniqueness of the products, nature of compensation plan, and marketing tools, just to name a view.
But above all of that, it’s important to be on the right team, with experienced mentors that will support you, and you have a duplicable system to follow. Without systems and support it’s hard to win. And lastly, if your new to the profession, when you find a mentor, be coachable. Find someone who has achieved what you want, and follow their lead.
“It’s important to be on the right team, with experienced mentors that will support you, and you have a duplicable system to follow.” – David Skultety
TFN: Powerful stuff. You have built organizations in the hundreds of thousands of people which very few people can stake claim to, what do you attribute your success to?
DS: That’s a great question, and it all starts with belief. You talk about it all the time. One of our challenges early in our career was we believed in the products and company, but had limiting beliefs in Network Marketing and ourselves. That was a huge stumbling block for us.
But over time, we subscribed to personal development, and created a belief level of pride that we were Network Marketing Professionals. Then we came to realize that we were in the people business. Once we discovered that it was about helping people, good things started to happen. Helping people advance is a key driver to success in this business.
But our big epiphany happened when we came to the understanding that events drive the business. Once we had 100% belief, and realized that we were in the people business, then our efforts shifting to becoming good promoters of events.
And once we became effective at driving people to events, that is when the magic happened.
TFN: Thank you David! I really appreciate you taking time out to share with my readers and listeners. I'm sure I'll see you at an upcoming event somewhere!
DS: For sure Todd. Love what you are doing for the network marketing profession. Keep doing what you're doing.
