So, how do you do 'due diligence' anyway? By John Camacho

So, how do you do 'due diligence' anyway? If you move in entrepreneurial circles like I do, you're sure to hear two words over and over again: 'due diligence.'



-- Sadly, however, the words themselves are far more
known and used than the actual vetting process itself.
People talk about 'due diligence,' but fail to do it.
That is, I think, because they just don't know what
to do. Let's change that right now.

Here are 6 steps you can use the next time you're
thinking of joining any business opportunity.

1) What will the company actually share with you?
'Due diligence' is professional analysis. But it can't
work until you have meaningful intelligence to
review. Just what does this company provide? Be
careful when you consider this point because 'more'
doesn't mean 'better.' What you want to know is
how long they've been in business, details about its
leadership (are its executives known and respected?),
the value of its products, its competition and place
in the market,etc.

2) How easy is it to get this useful information?
Where are these data? How easily can you access them?
How clear is the presentation? If you have to jump
through endless hoops getting the details you need
BEFORE you enter the company, imagine how difficult
it will be AFTER!

3) Can you talk to a LIVE person? Lots of so-called
'opportunities' make no effort to understand why
people like you and me need to talk to real people before
plunking down our hard-earned cash. People, in short,
like their questions answered and concerns dealt with
by other people, not just by posted messages. Is a real
person available to you, and just how difficult it is to
reach this person?


4) Do you have the skills, desire, aptitude and
experience to follow the steps which are necessary
to succeed in the opportunity you're reviewing?
Don't assume -- whatever the company says -- that
anyone can make money in the opportunity,
that you don't need anyparticular skills, and that even
a child can profit. Be candid with yourself before
so that you don't lament after.

5) Will anyone help you succeed? The sad fact is,
the average opportunity offers no help beyond a few
printed guidelines. That isn't help; it's lack of help!
Be direct with the company's representative you're
talking to (you are talking to someone, I trust) about
how you get help, the level, frequency, means of
getting it, etc. Everyone needs help; be clear on
how you get it and necessary training from the folks
you are considering joining (and paying).

6) Does what the company say make good sense?
My father used to say there is nothing less common than
common sense. Here, however, is where you need it.
When you look past the hype and marketing promises
(and remember, high-priced marketers like me are
experts in dishing it out), does what the company say
ring true... or are they just making one 'pie-in-the-sky'
promise after another? You need to be cautious,
conservative and thoughtful here to avoid crying
in your beer later.

By John Camacho
treeofopportunity.com