Dale Reynolds Blog

If you learn social media from experts like Mari Smith and Joel Comm, you will be taught that social media is mainly intended for 2-way conversations to build relationships, and for letting people get to know you through some personal posts.  But they also tell you that social media can be used to build your business.
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At first, I had a really hard time figuring out how to reconcile those two things.  I did not know how to strike up a conversation, to build a relationship, which might eventually lead to a new customer or business partner for me.  I tried several things to no avail.
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First let me tell you what I have observed that does NOT work!  If you are posting multiple times per hour, your posts will dominate your friends News Feeds or Timelines.  An aggressive MLM marketer will think that’s great!  But do you know what happens?  Most people will quickly unfriend you or hide you because 85% of the population dislikes aggressive marketing!  I have done it several times myself.  I will not tolerate any person dominating my News Feed; I want to see a variety of information when I sign on.
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Unfortunately, most MLM companies just give you ways to easily share links to product pages, business success stories, etc. and they tell you to just keep blasting that stuff out there. When you do this, you are doing all of the talking and no listening!  Even when they teach you how to interact in person, they teach you a “cookie cutter” approach that is supposed to work with everyone.  But people don’t get stamped out of a cookie press, all basically the same.  We have different personalities that require different relationship-building techniques.  And if a person joins your team, understanding their personality will also help you motivate them and train them better because you will understand what drives them, what are their strengths, and what are their weaknesses.
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Let me give you an example.  There are four personality types and while people have various degrees of each one, there is always one dominate type.  I am green.  My husband is even “greener” than me but that is the dominating type for us both.  Facebook has many features I find annoying besides just posting too often.  But I must tell you that whether or not people are annoyed by these features depends on their personality.  For me, game requests, cause requests, gifts, hugs, etc. are all a waste of time and I will not send them and I ignore them when received.  But that’s because I am green!  I do enjoy conversing with people about their families and their hobbies to get to know them.  My primary purpose is to find out how they are doing in MLM and to help them if they are struggling.  The things people send me can be used to help me understand their personality.  It doesn’t mean I must play along, just learn.  I must confess I have disconnected with some people because they bombarded me daily with this stuff!  But if we have started conversing, and building a relationship, the types of things they send me are very informative!  And if you like to use these features, it speaks volumes about your own personality.
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If you understand the personality types, you can be like a chameleon and change colors based on the person you are conversing with.  On Facebook, this means understanding that some people like games while others do not.  Some people will like the causes, and the hugs, and the gifts while others will not.  Some people will talk about their family or their hobbies, while others are all about business and money.  Some people are so put off by the wrong type of communication for their personality, the relationship can be over before it starts if you don’t understand this!
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Would you like to learn more?  It is certainly helping me!  You can download a free ebook to get your started.  Just click on the “Success In 10 Steps” link to the left.

I joined an MLM opportunity with the promise that my upline, my business partners, would teach me how to make money.  I was soon very disappointed.
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I am now happily receiving the training and support I need.  The ironic part?  It came from people who weren’t even in my company!  I am receiving all of the valuable training I need from a mastermind group who asked for no money in return.
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My former company did have training calls.  They taught us about the products and they gave us business testimonials.  But when it came to making money, they only taught us the “old” ways to attract product customers (friends and family, the 3-foot rule, FORM, etc.)  They always told us it was best to attract people with an interest in network marketing yet never taught us how to do that!
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Now I am learning how to do just that.  And I am not talking about the mlm scams like the “get 50-100 leads in one day” stuff.  I am talking about where to find potential network marketing business partners and what to say so they listen and ask for more information.
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But you know what really ticks me off?  Now that I am learning how to do this, I am bumping into people from my old company who are using similar techniques.  These are people in my former upline, who I sent requests to for help and mentoring and never got a reply.  People who actually would have benefited financially from helping me never responded, yet someone with nothing immediate to gain reached out and offered what I was seeking.  My solace?  I have something of value to offer that those people who did not help me, do not have (a free generic ebook, free generic training calls, and a mastermind group), and that is what makes the methods work!  Knowing where to find network marketing enthusiasts is a very small piece of the puzzle!
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If you are frustrated by a lack of training and support in your MLM and want REAL help (not just the tease you get from affiliate opportunities who are always trying to sell you their next course!) I can help you.  My mastermind group gives away training and support because this is not our primary business.  We are not looking to make money from training others.  Our goal is simply to build relationships and support the network marketing industry as a whole.  The great Jim Rohn taught us that to get what you want, you need to help others get what they want.  And I believe it is best not to “monetize” them in the process!  You won’t hear “plugs” for events costing thousands of dollars on our free calls.  You won’t get popups or pages trying to sell you a course costing hundreds of dollars when you download the free ebook.  You will simply get the coaching and mentoring you need.
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If you want to start the process, click to the left to download the free ebook.  I look forward to helping you succeed!

Hi friends, I am back again with another fine example of aggressive MLM tactics on the web.  Will they ever end?  (not likely!)
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Today’s invitation was to visit a website promising techniques to “steal” traffic from big companies who pay top dollar for their pay-per-click advertising.  Now I do not know about you, but I was raised to believe that stealing was a bad thing.  So if I did not love writing about MLM scams I would never have even visited the site.  But I wanted something to write about!
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They get your attention to visit the site by talking about how you can “steal” these leads for free.  Only problem is, they want to charge you $97 to teach you how.  That might not be a problem if the person who wrote the course had credibility, but I never heard of the guy.  Now I guess I could google him and see what comes up, but if you want people to buy from you, do you think it might be wise to have some sort of bio on the site and convince people you actually are some sort of expert?  The person who sent me to the site did not write the material, so of course this is an affiliate program and he would get a cut of that $97, that is his motive for promoting it.  The only “proof” of the course author’s expertise is supposed copies of bank records showing deposits.  Anyone can fake that.
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Now my favorite part of these scams, is once you decide you will hang on to your money and try to exit the website, you get a popup window and the “cancel” option actually KEEPS you there but the OK option is what you need to exit.  They do it backwards of what the normal person expects to trick you into staying there.  MAN I can’t STAND these people!
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If you want to learn how to get fresh MLM leads that are truly targeted, and truly free or low cost, please contact me.  I can plug you into a system designed by someone who has 30 years of MLM experience and who is mentored by one of the most trusted people in the industry.  We do not want to scam people.  We want to help them avoid scams!  And we do not practice nor teach aggressive tactics.  We teach people to build relationships that can last a lifetime!

How can a website be aggressive?  What’s wrong with an aggressive MLM website?
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There are a few things to keep in mind that could give a website an aggressive tone.  You will notice that company replicated websites always steer clear of these.
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1) Aggressive colors, namely red.  Fast food restaurants have been known to have red decor to encourage people to hurry up and people who drive bright red cars have a reputation for speeding.  Red incites bulls and is used in bull fights.  Also red is often associated with errors, which gives it another negative connotation.
2) Flashing icons on the screen.  You might think these look really cool but they actually annoy many people so keep them to a minimum if used at all.  If there is one area of the site you want to call attention to, that would be the only place to use it.  Also anything with movement will cause your site to load slower.
3) Automatic sound, especially if it is not clear how to turn it off.  This is also a major annoyance.  Keep in mind some people browse the web at night while other family members are asleep.  Also many people prefer to read information, or at least to listen only when they choose.  If the site plays sound and they can’t quickly find the “stop” button many will immediately leave your site.
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What ’s wrong with an “aggressive” site?  Well, as I have mentioned in other posts only about 15% of the population responds to aggressive approaches while 85% are turned off by them.  If you want people to stay on your site, read the content, perhaps look at products (or buy them) or explore an opportunity, make your site pleasing and not annoying!  Respect how others think even if it is not how YOU think.
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Finally, ALWAYS make sure your site has some valuable content for the visitor, and that it is something they would expect to come across with your keywords and title.  Don’t use keywords that are meant to draw people to your site but really are not related.  A common example of this in MLM is people who title a post “Don’t join xxx company until you read this” and then the content is not specific to xxx company at all, it’s really about their own company or affiliate program.

I would like to explain from personal experience how aggressive behaviour can lead to frustration in MLM.  There are 2 reasons.  The first is that a person who is not aggressive by nature won’t be able to pull it off, and will fail at gaining new team members with an aggressive approach (or if they succeed they will feel “dirty”!)  The second reason is that 85% of the population is totally turned off by aggressive approaches!
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May I share a story to illustrate?
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I was hired by someone who wanted to grow an MLM business but could not devote much time due to having a different primary business, owning an alternative health practice.  He believed that people in his primary line of work were good prospects for his MLM team, because they would have access to many potential customers for the product line.  So one of my assignments was to contact other practitioners.  This by itself was uncomfortable enough, since I am not a practitioner myself.  But he thought as long as I said EXACTLY what he wanted me to say it would work.  The approach was to create urgency by saying something to the effect of “we are expanding our team into your area and we only need 2 new team members, so if you would like to be considered for our team you need to call me back by Friday.”
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This person had also signed me up on his team, so getting these new people to join would also benefit me.  But that motivation was not enough to make me comfortable with the language.  Why?  Because I knew we would LOVE to have more than 2 new team members in any area!  When you attempt to deliver a message without personal feeling and passion for that message, it does NOT work even if you follow the script.  I am passionate about HONESTY, and I felt like I was lying.
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When this approach was failing, at first my boss/sponsor said I had not called enough people (it is just a numbers game, you need to get more “Nos” to get to a “Yes”.)  Finally I pointed out that I had called over 1,000 doctors and I was DONE.  Neither one of us really knew at the time why it did not work.
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Now, I can tell you why.  Remember, 85% of the population does not like pushy, aggressive people and approaches.  Most doctors are part of the 15% who do not mind that approach because it is in their nature to be that way themselves.  This tactic might actually have worked if the doctor made his own calls.  He can deliver that language in comfort and at least some of the target audience can receive it in comfort.  But he hired me because he did not have time, and I can’t sound positive and excited when I feel that I am lying. 
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At first I felt great frustration and I felt like a failure, but now I know it was not my fault.  While the doctor felt I just needed to “step outside my comfort zone” in reality if I were ever to become comfortable with this approach, I would be changing the very core of who I am.  And I do not want that!
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Here are more examples along the same lines:
1) “I can grant you access to this wonderful web site.”  If the site is not password protected, you will instantly lose credibility with anyone who knows anything about computers!  It is fine to say “I will send you the link” but to say “grant access” implies they need a password.
2)  “There is a meeting this Thursday, and it is completely full but I know the person who is running it and I think I can get you a seat.  May I call you back this afternoon to confirm?”  PLEASE!  Who ever heard of an opportunity meeting where they can’t find room for more people?
3) Inviting people to an opportunity meeting and not identifying it as such, and not mentioning your company, but instead using language like this: “We will be presenting business strategies that can help anyone in any business improve their bottom line.”
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These are just a few examples. Keep in mind that very often, the people who are comfortable with presenting and training are in that 15% of the population who uses aggressive tactics by nature and they see nothing wrong with it.  In fact, they see softer approaches as “weak” or “too slow”.
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Where did I learn about the personality types?  From the free ebook “Success In 10 Steps” by Michael Dlouhy.  You can get it from the button on the left.  Give it a read, you’ll be glad you did!

Are you getting tired of all of the people out there claiming to be MLM gurus?  Have you noticed that the REAL gurus, the people with 30+ years experience, don’t even use that word?
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The words “guru” and “expert” seem to be used many times in conjunction with affiliate marketing or attraction marketing.  Either you are supposed to get fresh MLM leads by selling the courses created by some self-proclaimed guru (who likely makes more money from those courses than from an actual MLM team!) or you are supposed to create your own material and “brand yourself” as an expert.  I’ve seen people claiming to be an expert and to know it all, and they are 20-something.  COME ON, who are you kidding?  It doesn’t fly with anyone who has real experience in ANY business because we know how much a 20-something really knows!
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The real question is, what are they teaching you?  How to build capture pages and drive traffic to them.  What do you do with those great fresh MLM leads once you get them?  Do you now send them to your replicated website to watch videos and read product information?  That’s likely what your company will tell you to do.  Just let those videos sell the company or the products for you.  The trouble is that those videos don’t take into account differing personality types, and they don’t build relationships!  The only other thing they might teach you is how to “close” people.  Well, guess what, 85% of the population despises being “closed”!
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There are plenty of big MLM lies and big MLM truths.  The biggest lie right now is that you can build a strong team on autopilot.  You might get leads on autopilot, or even some customers, but without the relationships there is no “team”.  The biggest truth is that relationships, when built properly, can create a team that will survive the demise of a company and carry over to another opportunity intact!
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For more information on this approach, check out the free ebook “Success in 10 Steps” by Michael Dlouhy, who really is an MLM guru even if he won’t ever say it!  The button is in the information at the left of the page.

Are you an MLM Success or an MLM Failure?  If you feel like a failure, what should you do?  Quit? (hint: WRONG!)
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I had an interesting experience today.  Someone accepted my friendship on Facebook (knowing I was looking to connect with others in MLM).  I noticed in her most recent post that she is giving up on MLM.  I offered her the free ebook “Success in 10 Steps” which would help her see why it wasn’t her fault she had failed so far, in the hope of getting her back on track with her MLM dreams.  Instead, she immediately “unfriended” me!
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I guess her experience really hurt!!  In hindsight, I should simply have asked “what went wrong?”  But it might not have made a difference.
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It really saddens me to see this, and yet I know exactly how and why it happens.  I almost gave up myself!  As Michael Dlouhy (who has 30 years of MLM experience) explains in the ebook, the methods taught by some of the most successful MLMers are methods that the majority of the population simply can’t implement!  When you are coaching and training a team member, you must be aware of their personality and work with their strengths and help them improve their weaknesses. 
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If you feel like you’re failing at MLM, get the ebook and read it!  If you’ve got lots of people on your team but they aren’t doing anything and you don’t understand why, get the ebook and read it!  It could change your life, and save you years of failure and frustration.  I wish I had found it sooner; I would have saved a bunch of money too!
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There’s a button in the sidebar you can click to get the book.  After you read it, I can connect you with even more free training and mentoring so you can become an MLM success story instead of an MLM obituary!

While I was in Twitter the other day, I came across someone who was repeatedly bashing MLM in his tweets, claiming that ALL MLM companies are scams.
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At first I was tempted to reply, but I decided not to because I didn’t want to get dragged down by his negative energy.  But I do wish the people who constantly bash MLM (or anything for that matter) understood the Law of Attraction.
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When you are sending out negative energy, that’s exactly what you attract in return.  I’m sure this man probably had a bad experience with MLM or he knows someone who has.  But, as the old saying goes, “one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch”.  There are legitimate companies, and some very nice people making really good money by helping other people.

The problem is, nobody can force these negative people to see the truth.  They must figure it out for themselves, because they aren’t listening!  The important thing is to not let yourself get dragged into their negativity.  Use the Law of Attraction to your advantage by staying positive!

Have you read the full policies and procedures of the MLM company you joined, or are planning to join?  If not, you should, because you won’t believe what many of them say!
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First make sure you don’t confuse the “Terms and Conditions” with the full policy document.  If it isn’t called “Policies” you likely don’t have the whole thing.  If you can’t find it in your back office, request it.  If they won’t provide it or they tell you that the Terms are the whole thing, get this in writing AND do a web search on your company name and “policies and procedures.”
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Once you get the whole document, the first thing to know is that if it is longer than 6 pages you probably don’t want to get involved with that company.  There is just no reason for the document to be that lengthy; if it is they are hiding something.  Here’s a partial list of what it might contain that should make you run for the hills!

• >A clause stating that they can terminate your agreement, or choose to not renew it, at their discretion (no violation of policy or investigation required.)
• >A clause stating that they may, if they choose, stop marketing their products through direct marketing channels and choose to retail them instead (you lose all that you built!)
• >A clause stating that there is no warranty or guarantee on the product or service and they are not liable for any refunds if a customer isn’t satisfied.
• >A clause requiring you to recruit people every month to keep earning commissions (this means you can never retire with a residual income.)
• >Lack of a clause stating that you can will your position to your heirs when you die.  (Even if you can, if the above recruiting clause is there then your heirs must recruit to keep earning money.)
• >A clause stating that the company can move people to anywhere in the organization whenever they want without approval of the person’s upline (meaning they can steal people from your team and give that income to someone else.)
• >Anything else that just looks shady or unfair to you (do NOT assume all companies have the same policies!)

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I know you probably think your company would never follow through on any of those clauses.  Maybe you’ve met the owners and thought they seemed nice and honest.  Rest assured that companies HAVE executed such clauses in the past, and will again in the future.  The clause would not be there if they didn’t think they might want to use it someday.  Before you get in too deep, PLEASE do your homework!
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For more information on choosing a good opportunity, as well as lots of other helpful information, you can download the free ebook “Success in 10 Steps” by clicking on the button to the left.

I received a message on Facebook inviting me to join a group that is promoting an opportunity. Although I’m not looking for an opportunity, I always check these out as so many are great fodder for my blog! This one is no exception.
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There is no mention of products on the original website until you listen to the video. This is where you learn that this opportunity is really a front for another company (why do they need a different name?) The products are tools for internet marketers. This immediately limits your potential customers. They seem proud that they are not selling wellness products or skin care, but how many internet marketers do you know who don’t already have an autoresponder, capture pages, and a contact management system? If they already have it in place would they really switch because of this income opportunity? I can sell wellness products to associates of mine, but not these products!
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The real fun begins when you visit the REAL company’s site to learn more about the opportunity. First, they talk about “spillover”. As my mentor, Michael Dlouhy, points out, the promise of spillover just attracts lazy people who sign up and wait for someone in their upline to build their team for them. This company claims to have a system that is effective at building a team for you without you doing any recruiting. You will “most likely” earn a profit. That means someone is doing lots of work recruiting so you can earn money without lifting a finger. Does that seem fair and equitable?
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Now the next great thing is their “ladder” system. If I understand this correctly, you pay the company more money each month for the right to earn higher percentages on your downline, regardless of how much volume they actually produce. I saw no mention of you receiving any other products or benefits for your extra money. LEGITIMATE MLM companies promote you to higher bonus levels as a reward for building your team and helping your members get promoted, and it doesn’t cost you any more out of your pocket! You might help yourself somewhat by buying extra product, but at least you got something tangible for your money!
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This is another one I would run FAR away from!
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