MLM | Home Business Success

Think Success,

Be Successful

Napoleon Hill said that when you choose people for your mastermind team, avoid anyone who sees defeat as a negative. The people who will benefit you the most in building your MLM business are those who don’t much worry about failure or adversity. Serious problems are a fact of every great venture. The correct attitude is to recognize them, understand them, and overcome them.

Unfortunately, some people are ruled by their fears. So they mostly sit on their thumbs, afraid to take action. Those are not people you want advice from, unless your goal is to stay in the same place.

And that’s not all. Whenever these people actually DO get started, they’ll usually give up at the first sign of trouble. They’ll tell you the sky is falling, and that you had better get off the playing field and into a bomb shelter.

If you are serious about achieving your dreams, learn the Colors Personality techniques (feautred on the home page of this website) so you can team up with people who will truly support you verbally and physically. You want to work with people who look at problems as a blessing. When you find the other kind, explain the Colors to them. Tell them how they need to change in order to become an achiever. Let them know that once they do that, you’ll be happy to have them in your MLM mastermind group. But until then, no, thank you!

The Secret

What we know for certain is that when you really listen to someone, they love you for it.

The problem for most people is, they know that whoever they are talking to is only waiting for their chance to talk. And that is confirmed for them when you start talking immediately when their sentence is finished. Obviously, you've been thinking about what to say while that person was speaking.

Instead, try this:

1. Let them finish.
2. Take a breath.
3. Wait 2-3 seconds
4. Then talk.

When you start talking immediately, the result is often annoyance or irritation. But that short pause of a second or two after the other person finishes can make a huge difference in the way they perceive you. You aren't just in a verbal boxing match, waiting for them to finish so you can jump in. Instead, you are ... actually ... listening!

People aren't used to others who really want to hear their complete thought. It's a big sense of relief for them, and they are likely to put a much greater value on talking with you.

And that is also a great start to a strong network marketing business relationship. Really listen to your clients! This builds relationships, which builds a trusting foundation for business to then make its way in. But don't start off with your business opportunity, it is a total turn off to most folks, and they will immediately reject you and your business. Nobody wants to be sold!

Network marketing is NOT a sales business, it is a relationship business.

Once you learn that, you are in for a terrific career in this industry!

Crazy P&Ps

This is a great research article from my friends Bob and Anna Bassett. They did a lot of research on several different policies and procedures (P&Ps) from many different network marketing companies. This is a sample of some of the crazy things they uncovered!

“Promotions are approved at the discretion of the upline leader, but company distributors may choose the automatic promotion option.”

This one made no sense until we realized that the company has a stairstep breakaway comp plan. When people promote below you, they take part of your check. This company allows your upline to stop your promotion, even though you have earned it!

“In keeping with the Company rule that a husband and wife cannot hold separate sponsorship positions, they must choose which one of them will transfer to the distributorship of the other, while leaving the transferring spouse’s sponsorship group behind. If for some reason a dispute should arise over the choice of sponsorship lines, the company reserves the right to decide each case independently.”

This means that if Alice is a successful distributor and she wants to marry Bill, also successful, one of them must give up his/her business! We wonder where that other business goes. To the company? Hmm. This company is looking for ANY reason to steal your check. This is breakage at its finest.

“In order to maintain status as a distributor, the distributor, spouse, family, household member, or distributor’s business partner are required to not actively participate in any other network marketing or direct sales company.”

Can you say indentured labor? Dictatorship?

“The distributor must fully, at all times, disclose the fact of ongoing income being received from any other network marketing or direct sales company.”

Picture your boss requiring you to disclose your earnings from your second job. This is what we meant in our first article about MLM companies controlling you more than any employer ever would in the ‘real world."

“The Company expects associates to make good judgments when referring customers and avoid situations that may lead to fraud or high customer turnover. Associates will be subject to a charge back for any incentive, bonus or commission earned if a customer fails to become active or is deactivated or canceled for any reason or suspended for non-payment within 180 days after becoming active.”

Does this mean that if a customer of mine fails to make one payment in the sixth month, I must pay back EVERYTHING the company has paid me?

Protect yourself, start with this free e-book, Success in 10 Steps. It will save you years of failure and frustration, and hopefully an unpleasant termination.

More to come, check back later for some more crazy P&Ps!

Colors Training

A Discussion of Different Personality Types

Great information from my Mentor Sarah Thompson

BLUE: You may be a blue if you are scattered and dis-organized, you start 100 things a day and only manage to complete a few, if that many! You have sticky notes all over your home and you very rarely follow up with anything. You LOVE to have fun, and if it’s not fun, then you are not very interested in doing it and that includes work! You love to talk and often exaggerate. You will voluntarily tell your life story with very little prompting and the minnow you caught while fishing in the neighbors back-yard pond will turn into the shark you caught while fishing from the deck of a cruise ship! You are “direct” in your answers and very “open” and you make up 15% of the entire population. You are confident in what you know and in what you do. You love being with people and you are often the life of the party. The “blue” craves excitement and things that are fast paced, you would rather drive the race car than to watch it on TV. You are an excellent promoter, are enthusiastic, bubbly, motivating, convincing and very creative. “Blue” personalities are some of the most creative people on earth! You also have a short attention span. If you were an animal you would be a curious cat, a friendly dolphin or an unpredictible monkey. The “Blue” will enjoy hobbies such as scuba-diving, jet ski riding, parasailing, dirt-bike riding, rock climbing, hiking and drag racing, anything that is fast paced and exciting.

“Blues” are loving and attentive parents and they show their children how to have fun at an early age. They are the parents you often see riding the bikes and playing catch in the front yard. They show they care and give the children the love and attention the kids need. The “Blue” sees the big picture immediately! They will make an instant decision on the spot with NO information at all. They love to drive fast, always over the speed limit and they drive sports cars or anything fast. It MUST have a V-8 engine a V-6 simply will not do! If the car needs an oil change at 2,500 miles the “blue” will push it to 5,000 miles and justify it by saying that they drive a lot of highway miles. They keep their vehicles clean and the chrome polished, ready to drive off at a moments notice.

Money to a “Blue” is an opportunity to get the things to have fun with. The dirt bikes, the fast cars, the boats! “Blues” also love doing the things that make big money, starting your own business, singing in a band and building race cars. To a “blue” the actions themselves often mean a lot more than the actual money they receive. The money is often easy to get for a “blue” and can be risky if credit cards are involved. They are too optimistic to ever worry about the consuquences, and can often end up in debt with no way to pay if not very careful. Because a “Blue” is so creative and they see the big picture so easily as soon as they start looking at an opportunity they are thinking up ways to market it. They don’t really work out well in the normal work force. They want to be creative and someone is always holding them back, it’s a constant battle to keep their interest. The “blue is a spontaneous buyer and shopping is pure torture! They go into a store with tunnel vision and pity the poor fool who gets in their way. They have buyers remorse and often ask themselves if they payed too much. They don’t like to shop but when they do go they go in a store with laser focus. They get what they came for and get out. You don’t want to waste your time looking at other things. For entertainment the “blue” will be more than happy to go to the drag strip, the boat races or the nearest amusement park and ride all the rides, they’ll stop at a fast food joint and go through the drive-thru. When they go to a restaurant they’ll try anything, you don’t care about the days special. It’s all about trying something new and you’re so busy talking you’re the last one to order and often still have food on your plate when everyone else is done and wanting to go home. You eat fast and talk talk talk!

GREEN: You may be a green if you are in-direct ( you don’t really say what you mean ) and self-contained (you don’t give a lot of information ), you are extremely organized and you plan things and events days ahead of time and think the world is coming to an end if something or someone upsets your perfectly thought out plans! You are very dependable and can be counted on for anything you are ask to do. You are accurate in all of your calculations and judgements. You are task persistent to the point of hard-headedness! You are a wonderful problem solver. You follow through with EVERYTHING! You will not make a decision unless you have every little fact and figure you can get your hands on and it has been researched at least 3 to 4 times. You are looking for the “why” in everything, you want to know exactly how it works and what makes it work that way. You are over-analytical, hard to please, lonely and often prone to bouts of depression that no one can talk you out of. You love graphs and charts and doing research, it doesn’t even matter what it is you just love to do it. You hate pushy people, no facts and being late. If anyone is ever late for an appointment or a phone call with you it is seriously frowned upon! You are always very punctual “Greens” do not like being sold! You only want the facts, figures and the data. You will analyze it, research it and sell your self.

When you are talking to a “green” they are trying to calculate and figure out ahead of you exactly why you are asking them that question. So, take a breath and slow down. You can’t talk to fast with the “Green” They think they are the smartest people on the planet so they try and figure out why you are asking them the questions you are asking. Ask the question then let it sink in before you move on to the next, slow down the pace. The “Green” will not give you more information then they think you need. They enunciate their words correctly and they talk slower so that they can try and figure you out and why you are asking them these questions. The “Green” spends so much time in their own heads that they get paralysis by analysis and they are incapable of making a decision for fear that they will be wrong. Always give the “Green” breathing space when you talk to them. They always expect you to listen to every word they say and if you don’t listen they will scratch you off their list. The “Green” is a perfectionist and very hard to please. They are naturally pessimistic about everything.

“Greens” make up 35% of the population and should not be skipped over just because they analyze and do the research more than once, want ALL the facts and figures and will prove that it won’t work. Once they do the research and figure out that it could just work they make some of the best business builders there are. It will be well worth your time to coach and mentor the “green.”

YELLOW: You may a yellow if you are open ( you give information freely and answer questions willingly ) and you are indirect ( you don’t respond with the ask for information but give another response and they will answer your question and stop ) your voice is soft and gentle and you dress casual and comfortable, khaki’s and Birkenstock sandle’s, T-shirts and sweats. You are dependable, a great team player, the patience of Job and you are supportive and nurturing. The Yellow walks at a slower more relaxed pace and their handshake is warm and soft. The “yellows” are just amazing people, They are the best listeners, so dependable and they make friends very easily. You are also over-sensitive, a follower, and you are not goal oriented. You dis-like pushy and aggressive people, bullies and anyone who is mean to animals. They don’t like any kind of confrontation. They choose occupations as school teachers, veterinarians, day care workers, nurses, network marketers or anything to do with nurturing and giving back to others.

Yellows have built the largest organizations when they finally get the belief that they can do it. They are natural mentors and don’t even have to try to make friends. All they need is the belief in themselves. They enjoy life and they enjoy being alive. They dance to a different drummer and are naturally sweet and serene people.

If the “yellow” were an animal they would be a cuddly Koala Bear, a precious baby deer or a slow and steady turtle. They love animals as much as they love other people and will go to war over what they may think is an abused animal. They use such words as ….together, feel, caring, loving, nurturing, sharing, teamwork, help or anything to do with feelings. These are the most feeling-oriented people. They don’t talk fast like the blues but, they are not carefully enunciating their words like the green either. They talk about family and the family run business, anything to do with nurturing.

RED: You may be a Red if You are very direct. But what happens is, sometimes people think they’re being open, when they’re not. They are just very, very direct. You refsue to show weakness of any type. Reds will come right to you and want to know why You are asking that question

Reds are very Direct and self contained.They will go right to you and want to know why you are asking that question. Red is so direct in answering your question that you might think they’re being open with you. But they aren’t. They’re being direct, and they are going to control the conversation.

They’re going to ask you a question, and don’t think you’re going to avoid the question. They will get their questions answered.

In business or in your personal life, what you struggle with more than anything is your relationships with other people. It’s much more obvious in your personal life, because you can’t order your family around and still maintain their love.

You may be a Red if…you allways dress for success You wear designer clothes. Whatever the “in” look is, that’s what you focus on. Whatever is designer, new, sheik … Dark suit, red tie. You wear power suits or power clothes. You wear what the president of the company would wear. You have a monogrammed hankie in your pocket with your initials on it.

What Reds really need help with is their ego. It’s a monster, and they want it constantly stroked. If Your a Red..You think you’re perfect. You think you’re always right.

Choose the Right Company for the Long Term

Quick cash = quick crash.

Normal people can't sleep at night when they have ripped off other people and stolen their dreams. You have to get this understanding.

Network marketing is a business that can pay you and your children and your children's children for the rest of their lives ... when you build it with a "5 Pillars" company. For details on a "5 Pillars" company, read my article "The Company You Join Must Have the 5 Pillars" on EzineArticles.com.

But so many people get sucked in to "build it fast." I just talked to someone in a binary and she told me, "Oh, they put me in a spot where I've already got 700 people down one leg."

Good. How much money are you making?

"Well ... none, yet!"

And that is because they don't pay anything on the strong leg. They pay it on the weak leg ... which no one will ever give you. You have to build that one. But they'll promise you all those people on your strong leg, because it doesn't cost them anything, and many people will just sign up because they don't know any better.

Some companies have a business model of very high-priced products that could never be sold to the public on product merit alone. The only way they can be sold is as a money-making opportunity. THAT business model creates an atmosphere of "recruit, recruit, recruit." And you're setting yourself up for massive failure.

Don't fall for the scams. Build for the long-term!

FREEDOM TOUR 2008-2009

Veteran Network Marketer Michael Dlouhy will be touring the U.S and Canada this fall and next year, speaking in several cities about how to really succeed in network marketing!! Learn from the master! Learn how to own your life! Protect yourself during these scary economic times!!

If you are interested in attending the event in your area, please contact me (click on "contact me" link on the left) and you can go for FREE as my guset!

Check out this website for more information on dates and cities.

Explanation of the 5 Pillars that a Network Marketing Company Must Have for You to be Successful

Before you get involved with a network marketing company, make sure it has these five key qualities before you sign up (and, of course, before you invest any money!)

If not, run like heck (in the opposite direction!)

Pillar 1. Does the company management have integrity?

Do a Google search on the company owner(s). If the owner has had any experience in building a network marketing downline then the compensation plan will keep the distributor in mind. The plan will make it easy to build a business and there will be an excellent support system in place.

If, however, the owner(s) have never built a downline, the compensation plan will put the company before its distributors. The plan will make it very difficult for the distributors to make money, if they can at all. Another thing to consider is the Policies & Procedures of the company. If the company does not make the P&Ps readily available to read before you sign up, they may have something to hide (like lots of extra hidden fees, etc.)

Pillar 2. Timing in the company. Timing in the industry!

Approximately 92% of new companies fail. If the company does not own it’s own software program, they will have problems with it most of the time. They will have to hire someone to tweak it here and there, they will not be able to maintain the website themselves. This can be very costly. It is much better to join a company that has been in business for two years or more.

Timing in the company - if your current company is past the growth phase, then it will be very difficult to build a large business - the right company should be entering or in the momentum phase of its growth.

Pillar 3. MLM products!

Most companies do have remarkable products. But you have to ask yourself this question: “would I buy the products if there was not a business opportunity involved?”

If you join this company, do you get a discount on the products? If so, what is the product really worth? This type of behavior indicates a recruiting mentality. If you are only recruiting, you are only building a temporary paycheck. There must be retail sales to develop a true residual income.

Pillar 4. Network Marketing Compensation Plan.
A good compensation plan is one that pays the most with the least amount of people in your downline. Does the plan pay on your total volume, or does it pay on specific numbers of levels, or stop after a set depth? Does it pay part-timers? Do you make money on retail sales? If it is less then 7%, that will kill you!!

There is a simple formula that will show you exactly how many people you will need in your organization to make your desired monthly income:
How much money do you make per person, per spot, and divide that by your desired monthly income. This simple formula will give you the exact number of people you will need in your organization. Once you have that figure, ask yourself if this is something you think you can reasonably achieve. Then ask yourself if this is something that your team will be able to achieve as well.

Pillar 5. MLM Systems for Success!

It is absolutely imperative that you have a system that is duplicateable. People are not duplicateable, systems are!! So when your new distributor asks, “can I do this, and will you help me” will you be able to? Network marketing is about building relationships and trust. People join people, they do not join companies!! If they do, they don’t stay long.

For more information on how to succeed in this business, check out my Mentoring for Free Web site and download my FREE e-book - Success in 10 Steps. Best of luck with your network marketing business!

Read Those Policies & Procedures

I just talked to a prospect. He was all excited about this new wireless network marketing company he just joined. I told him to email me the policies and procedures (P&Ps). First off, his "awesome" new company's P&Ps are 28 pages long!!!!! 28 pages!!!!! Wow! This company must have paid some over priced lawyer a lot of money to come up with that junk!!!

Anyway, here are some highlights from those P&Ps:

Section XXX (exact details of which I am keeping confidential for my own protection and my prospect's) said that the company has a right to terminate you at any time for "any unethical, illegal, fraudulent or deceptive business practices." Well, folks, that means just about anything that they don't like. You smile wrong, you say a curse word, you lock you keys in your car, whatever, and they can terminate you, steal your downline, and take all your money. And the business you just spent, 2 years (or 5, 7, 10, whatever) building is gone! Poof! Just like that! And you have no legal standing because you signed those P&Ps. You are toast!!

This guy did not even read the P&Ps for this company before he signed up. The company sent them to him in the U.S mail, one week after he joined!

Folks, if you can't see the P&Ps before you join, if those P&Ps are more than a page or two, if those P&Ps contain any red flags (like we can get rid of you whenever we feel like it), then run like heck in the other direction!!!!! Don't join! Simple as that!

Do You Want Answers?

If you’re like most people struggling to succeed in network marketing, you’ve asked one or more of the following questions (this is from my colleagues, Bob & Anna Bassett):

Why am I struggling so to make this work?
What are the secrets to recruiting?
Should I be using closing techniques?
Where are the best places to find interested people?
What’s the best MLM recruiting system?
How do I find the top ten mlm companies?
How can I avoid a scam?
What are some good MLM strategies?
Does my network marketing company have the five pillars?
How important is a good product?
Should I try for multiple streams of income?
Should I buy leads?
What’s wrong with me?
Why am I losing so much of my downline?
Where’s my sponsor?
Why can’t I find good workers?
Should I try a ground floor opportunity?
Am I treating people like numbers?
Why doesn’t anybody want my product?
Why are my friends and family avoiding me?
Is this sales?
Why am I not making the money I expected?
How can I improve my phone skills?
How can I improve my people skills?
Are there inexpensive ways to advertise?
Where can I find a mentor for network marketing or MLM coach?
Why do so many people fail at MLM?
How do I figure out my company’s pay plan?
Are all MLM compensation plans the same?
Should I have read my policies and procedures before joining?
Where can I find help in my MLM business?
Am I doing something wrong that I don’t know about?

If you want answers to these questions, and any other questions you might have, read this FREE e-book, Success in 10 Steps. It is a guide for those weary, frustrated network marketers looking for answers! Save yourself years of failure and frustration. Also, check out my Mentoring for Free website. Everything is free, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

The Chicken & the Eagle

Here is a little story from my mentor Sarah Thompson that helps to illustrate a difficulty that many people will face at some time in their life.

A man found an eagle’s egg and put it in the nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he thrashed his wings and flew a few feet in the air.

Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong, golden wings.

The old eagle looked up in awe, “Who’s that?” he asked. “That’s the eagle, the king of birds,” said one of the hens. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth - we’re chickens.”

So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that is what he thought he was.

My friend, you too were born for the sky. As a unique human being, you have, deep within yourself, a burning desire to achieve something with your life. But for many people, the reality is that they get so caught-up in the daily-grind of trying to make a living, that they never really discover that desire and so they end up living their entire lives like the “chicken”.

What the “chicken” really needed was to discover that he really was an eagle; and then he would have been able to begin to learn how to fly (even eagles need to learn); and eventually he would learn how to soar.

Do you want to soar with the eagles? Check out my FREE e-book - Success in 10 Steps.

What's in Your Comp Plan?

Want some insight into figuring out how your MLM company is paying you? These are some general but, Oh So important questions to ask, and get answers to about YOUR money!

Is Your Compensation plan set up for recruiting or retail sales? If Your plan is focused on recruiting you’re just building a paycheck, you’ll get no residual income from recruiting and you’ll never be able to retire….Isn’t that what we’re doing this for? Your plan should be focused on retail sales.

How many people do you need in your organization to make your desired amount of income per month? Ask yourself…How much do you make per distributor? per spot? and divide that into your desired monthly income. That will tell you how many people you need to make that amount of money each month. Then ask yourself….Is this do-able for me? and how long will it take me? You just may be surprised at the answers you get!

How is the money transferred? Does your new distributor send YOU the check, then You take your share and send the rest to the company? Can you only pay with cash? a money order? or a check? If You’re taking the money then, taking your share and sending the rest to the company, who owes who the 1099 tax form at the end of the year? That company is only going to claim the amount of money that they received. If Your company does not accept credit cards, they have NO merchant account! Why?

What product is your company promoting? If Your company has NO product ,or NO retail sales, then you are in an illegal pyramid scheme. This company will eventually get shut down and all the time, hard work and money that you have invested will be gone forever!

Ask Yourself, would I buy this product with no business opportunity attached to it? Did you know that 72-74% of a downline are product users only! Not everybody wants in on your business!

Have you done a search on Ebay for your companies product? What’s it selling for? If I can go to Ebay and buy your product for $2 a bottle and you’re trying to sell it to me for $19.95, which one do you think I’m going to buy? Also….If there is an over abundance of your companies product for sell on Ebay I would want to know why?

Is your company Publicly Traded? Publicly traded companies have a high overhead, the higher the overhead the less you will be paid! The cost of maintaining the fancy building, the vehicle fleet, and the CEO’s extravagant vacations 4 times a year will continue to rise and the Compensation plan will continue to be adjusted taking money from YOU, the distributor, each and every time.

Does your Compensation plan pay part-timers? This is important because when we first start our business it is often necessary to keep our full time employment until we are established and making money. The only time we have left is “part time” to work on our business. If the Compensation plan is designed to pay part timers then we will be in profit much sooner and able to own our own lives…..Isn’t that what we’re doing this for?

In summary,

People, take a good long look at the compensation plan before you join any company, get the answers to these questions and make an educated decision on if you really want to join this company and if You will ever be able to make any money with it. The answers are easy to find, you can get a great start in this free e-book,

Success in Network Marketing - #1 - Do not Buy Leads!

So, you’ve tried and tried, and worked and worked, and paid and paid! I know, I’ve been there. I’ve lost a lot of money and was frustrated at my lack of success. But Network Marketing can and does work. But you have to know what you are doing, you have to learn the ropes, and you have to be with a good company, where management has the higest integrity and is looking out for you.

You want to be successful and financially free. And Network Marketing is a good way to accomplish this. But there are lots of scams out there. Or companies that are just not looking out for their reps.

Are you buying leads for hundreds or thousands of dollars each month. Trust me, buying leads does not work!! I know, I’ve tried it. I once spent $1,275 on leads in one month, and you know how many people I signed up? Zero!!! Yep, that’s right, a big fat zero!

There is a way to make money in this business, but you have to know what you are doing, and you have to work with great people who know what they are doing, too. And nobody should charge for this information. A good mentor will mentor you for free,

So, where do you go from here? Well, you need to be educated, and you need a great mentor.

Check out my links for a free e-book called Success in 10 Steps, and the Mentoring for Free site.

Seven Steps to Remember When Building Your Network Marketing Company

Why does success in network marketing seem so difficult?

Let’s agree to start teaching “The Seven Steps” of network marketing success to those who actually want to create the life of their dreams, and leave the rest of the world alone. After all, we’re involved in a great industry, with terrific people, offering unlimited opportunity. And we should be proud to speak the truth .

1) Network Marketing is a business.

Networking is a unique form of enterprise, and you’ve got to understand the game you’re playing. Therefore mentally consume every page of your distributor manual the day it arrives. Listen to your training tapes again, and again, and again. Like a song on the radio, you learn the lyrics by hearing the music one more time.

2) Freedom by the numbers.

Understand the numbers, and your compensation plan. Start by involving three or five people, whatever number your plan dictates. By your fifth year, the commissions paid on your invested efforts could well equal a mid six-figure annual income. After that, the sky’s the limit.

3) Attend every live event.

The weekly presentation is part of the process. You need to be in attendance every week, to see the presentation again. Remember the music? You need the association, and the environment to showcase your company for your prospects. True, not everyone attending every meeting earns $10,000 a month. However, everyone earning $10,000 a month attends every meeting. Now that’s a refined study of the obvious.

4) Work only one company.

Leaders understand this truth, because no man or woman can serve two masters.

5) Have a compelling written “Why?”

Success in Network Marketing is 20% how to, and 80% why to. The best part is, if your reasons are strong enough, you’ll learn everything you need to know along your journey.

6) Invest in yourself first.

Some people are still trying to earn 2008 money using a 1982 education. It can’t be done. If you want to earn more, you’ve got to learn more. Therefore, read all the books, attend all the classes, and learn everything you possibly can.

7) Decide in writing you’ll be here a year from now.

Long-term written goals possess the power to pull you right to the top of your company. Put your dreams for your future on paper, and begin building your dream life!

These “Seven Steps” will take you to the top!

Policies & Procedures - Read Them Before You Sign

This one is from my colleagues - Bob & Anna Bassett

Policies & Procedures (P&Ps) are legal contracts that people are required to sign when they join a network marketing company.

The problem is that the majority of people either don’t read them or didn’t understand them. (Some companies’ P&Ps can run to 30 or more pages, and it’s pretty boring legalese.)

Policies and Procedures, Terms of Service, Consultant Agreement, and Independent Sales Rep Contracts are a few of the names MLM companies call the legal binding contracts they require you sign when you join their company.

Does this look familiar to you?
“I have read, understand and agree to the Terms of Agreement, the Policies and Procedures, and the Compensation Plan.”

How many people read the entire contract all the way through?
Probably not too many.

If you hired a lawyer to read it first and explain it to you in layman’s terms, then you would have a clear understanding of whether or not you wanted to sign that contract. But who is going to go to that kind of trouble and expense. And besides, you are saying right now, “my awesome network marketing company would never cheat me out of my business! It is a totally honest company!”

They want you to think that signing the P&Ps is just a simple formality. Think again.

Here’s a little story.

Joe and his wife Mary joined a great network marketing company. Things were really going great for Joe and Mary. In just a few short years, they were able to quit their day jobs and build their home business full time. They were so happy to be living a life that had always dreamed about.

Then one day, all the happiness and success came to a screeching halt.

Joe and Mary received a letter in the mail from their network marketing company. When they read the letter, they tried to make sense of the devastating news: the company told Joe and Mary that their affiliation with the company had been terminated. No reason, no apologizes, just terminated.

Joe and Mary were very upset, of course. They spent years building a great organization of honest, hard working people. They helped the company train people and gave seminars. They gave everything they had to this company.

They took all of their documents to a lawyer to find out what they could do legally to stop the company from terminating them.

The lawyer sat reading through the company’s Policies and Procedures that Joe and Mary had signed when they joined the company. After reading the document, the lawyer took out a red marker and circled something on the paper and handed it to Joe and Mary.

Joe and Mary looked at it and read:

AGREEMENT TERMINABLE AT WILL
You may terminate your relationship with [company] at any time by providing a signed written notice to [company]. [Company] may also terminate the relationship with you (including any partnerships, corporations or other entity) at any time by providing written notice. You or [company] are not required to have any reason, nor do you or [company] have to claim or prove any cause to terminate this relationship. If and when the relationship is terminated, you shall have no claim against [company] nor any right to claim or collect lost profits, lost opportunities or any other damages. Termination will result in the loss of all benefits as an [company] Independent Consultant.

There wasn’t a thing they could do about it. The loyalty and dedication they had shown the company had not been reciprocated.

Please, if you are thinking of joining a network marketing company, read the Policies & Procedures, don’t become another victim of heartless companies. You deserve more than that.

This free e-book will help get you on the right path to learning the skills and knowledge you need to be a complete success in this wonderful industry. There are great companies out there that will never do this to you. But you have to learn how to identify an honest company! If you are in a company already, read your P&Ps, if you don’t like what you read, then you definitely need to read this ebook!

Best of luck to all!

More Scams - Protect Yourself!

This one is from my mentor Sarah Thompson.

These headlines are from MLMwatchdog.com

FEDS WANT $55 MIL ITV - MLM PARENT
7 Aug 2008 — Federal rules against ITV

AD SURF DAILY: FEDS GRAB $53 MILLION = SCAM
5 Aug 2008 — Owners houses seized/searched and offices records taken.

CALIFORNIA AG HITS YTB $25 MILLION
This morning 5 Aug 2008 - As WatchDog Predicted numbers just don’t run

You can read these at mlmwatchdog.com

Mentoring for Free has been trying to spread the word that if your in an MLM compnay, YOU need to:

READ Your policies and procedures
Understand the Company’s Business Model
Know if You are in a “5 Pillars company”

You have to protect Yourself and your money! The only way to do
this is to learn what defines a “valid” company that You can
build and not worry about losing it when the Feds shut You
down. Valid not Legal.

Mentoring for Free can help! We teach, mentor, and coach folks for FREE and we can show you how to properly evaluate Any Network Marketing
company.

We do this so that the average person can become successful
at Network Marketing. This is a Great Industry, and network marketing can and does work. But you have to learn how to do it right, and how to pick a good company!

Do you realize that when these three companies topple, that nearly
200,000 people — thats Two Hundred Thousand Distributors — will be affected ? They will lose everything!

If Your are in one these companies, or you are not sure about your company, and If you want success, Please, Please download my FREE e-bookand then I can answer any questions you might have.

It is Later than you think! Read this e-book today!!

Calif. AG: "YTB Is a Gigantic Pyramid Scheme"

My mentor Sarah posted this on her blog to expose these pyramid schemes.

Do Your homework before you commit to a company or program to avoid pyramid schemes and scams. You need to know what to look for to do the analysis - When You know this it is like having your own crystal ball. You will be able to predict whcih companies are Scams and Pyramid schemes .

California Attorney General Brown said:

“YourTravelBiz.com operates a gigantic pyramid scheme that is immensely profitable to a few individuals on top and a complete rip-off for most everyone else, Today’s lawsuit seeks to shut down the company’s unlawful operation before more people are exploited by the scam.”

The above quote comes directly from the office of the Attorney General for the State of California. Industry leaders in the network marketing industry immediately reported YTB, or Your Travel Biz, as being a pyramid scheme. They had the knowledge to properly analyze YTB, and to see behind the curtain.

Another example is Burnlounge, they too were a publicly traded illegal pyramid. The Attorney General sued them and they terminated the MLM program within a few short days - All of their distributors lost their entire organizations.

Did you know that YTB has released plans to change to a franchised operation. You need to find out if your MLM company’s pay plan is similar to YTB’s. Read your company’s policies and procedures and the compansation plan. Once You have read these, compare it YTB’s P&P and comp plan, see if they are similar, I have seen many network marketing companies that have YTB mirror-image compensation plans .

Typical companies with low profit margin products and services using YTB mirror-image plans are usually service and education or technology-based operations.

As these companies grow, the number of people that get scammed increases, when the pain level increases and distributros atart screaming, the state Attorney General has to act. This is Why these companies last for only 2 or 3 years.

You can learn and watch for reports like this one by signing up for Rod Cook’s MLM Watchdog newsletter at http://mlmwatchdog.com

My axiom “Get educated, or get scamed!”

You can further your education here for Free! Check out my Mentoring for Free website and this Free e-book, Success in 10 Steps.

Are You Frustrated by Your Lack of Success in Network Marketing?

A big reason for the effectiveness of this FREE e-book, Success in 10 steps, is THAT keyword - Frustrated!

This e-book answers all the questions of frustrated network marketers … who REALLY want their questions answered. It’s eating away at them, why they just haven’t made it big. They are so darned … FRUSTRATED!!!!

Use that word, FRUSTRATED - when you are advertising and talking to your leads. Pound, pound, pound on “frustrated.” That word is worth its weight in gold.

Things change over time. It may not always be this way. But it definitely is true now. MLMers are frustrated right now, and they want answers now. Use that knowledge when you advertise to them and when you talk with them.

Success in 10 Steps targets people who are frustrated by their MLM failures. Tell your leads that “It Is NOT Your Fault!” When they hear those words, they will feel so much relief!

When you can show a person how he or she got into a position where he/she could not possibly have been successful, that giant weight lifts off him/her. These people will realize, “Hey! It really wasn’t my fault!” And now, these leads will be free to work with you and pursue MLM success with a much greater knowledge of what it takes to achieve that success … and with the understanding of how to evaluate one network marketing opportunity against another, to choose the one where they have a real chance to achieve their dreams. In essence, those 5 Pillars companies!

THAT can make all the difference in the world to these folks … and to your business-building results.

The Best Network Marketing Prospects Are Already in the Business

When you are trying to find leads in a very competitive market, you should only focus on people who are actively looking to make money from home. In fact, people who are already in a network marketing company or thinking of joining one will be your best prospects. It is a waste of your time to pursue anybody who has not recently demonstrated that desire.

There are two types of people who “want to make money from home:”

1. Those who have experience in MLM

2. Those who don’t

People in group #1 are frustrated! This is a group that you don’t have to explain MLM to. They already understand the concept. (For some people not involved in the industry, the idea of and the reason for seeking residual income isn’t always easy to grasp.)

You could come up with a lot of other reasons, but the bottom line is that group #1 is just a lot more targeted. And there are millions of names in that group. It’s just a matter of finding the ones who are looking NOW for the right opportunity.

So, you do not want to target:

entrepreneurs
work-at-home moms
business executives
investors
coaches
home business people

Now, some of the people you attract will fall into one or more of these categories, and that is great. But you want to advertise to them ONLY if they have experience in MLM.

If they don’t already understand MLM, trying to sell them on it will be a waste of their time and yours.

Start with this FREE e-book to learn more.

What's Wrong with Asking Friends & Family?

Good question. Here’s how this works.

Most businesses, over 90%, fail. You and your friends and family are no different. And when your friends and family fail, who are they going to blame? YOU!

Once you have your business working and you are making money, then go for it, ask friends and family. You probably won’t even have to call them - they will hear the good news, and they will call you. They will want in on your business and they’ll want to know how you did it. And then you can teach them exactly how you read this free e-book, Success in 10 Steps, to find the strongest leads in the business to build your network marketing income.

So don’t lose your friends, and alienate your family. Read Success in 10 Stepsand get good training and get good at building your business. Make your mistakes with the people you don’t know. You can ask friends and family later, after you have achieved success.

That will make for a much happier Thanksgiving dinner!