I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am!! No, I’m not experiencing a second childhood, or anything remotely close to that. Although, I know a few people who would say I never gave up my first childhood! Anyway… let’s talk about Spam, and I don’t mean the product from Hormel. I mean the e-mails you receive on a daily basis about male enhancement, botox, increased memory, and Hungarian mail order wives. Yeah right, I’m not the only one who receives the Hungarian mail order wives messages……am I?

A few days ago, I was included on a Facebook message from another internet marketer to several people on his list. While the message was fairly harmless in nature, and I have no doubt this marketer was doing his best to add value, the first Not To Do (NTD) comes up rather quickly:

1 -Don’t send out e-mail messages to lists of people where EVERYONE ELSE can see who is on the message. This goes for Facebook and any other social media outlet with e-mail like capabilities. Until Facebook comes up with a BCC option for sending out messages, this should not be a weapon in your arsenal.
When a person receives a message like this, automatically they are thinking one thing: SPAM.

Argue this point if you want, but the truth of the matter is, we judge ourselves by our actions, and others by their actions. This message was viewed as spam by many of the recipients, even though that was clearly not the sender’s intention.

After this confusion was cleared up, some small talk was traded on the now growing thread, and someone asked the original sender how he was doing with his business. The person clearly had more than a passing relationship with the OS (Original Spammer), as he called out his business by name, even though it had never been mentioned in the thread by name or description.

A very innocent, genuine question, but this was the land mine that triggered an explosion the likes of which haven’t been seen since the first Gulf War. Ok, it really wasn’t all that serious, but this is my story, so if I want to embellish, you just have to go along with it

The next thing I know, I’m reading a message from another person on the e-mail chain, essentially bashing the OS’s primary company, in a very polite manner, and promoting her opportunity, which we’ll refer to as Now, I don’t know if the information spammer #2 provided is accurate, or if it isn’t. That doesn’t make a bit of difference, because the points here are:
2 -In any conversation-forum, e-mail chain, discussion board, or even offline-add relevant value to the conversation. Other than asking how spammer #1 was doing in his business, there was absolutely NOTHING about the thread relating to anyone’s primary business.

Question: if you are on a forum, and there’s a thread about cookies, and somewhere in that thread the word powder appears, would it be appropriate to then post about the benefits of using talcum powder in everyday life? Of course not, and it wasn’t appropriate here, either.

What this shows to me, in my humble but accurate opinion, is a person desperate to market their business at all costs. Without getting into the full psychology behind it, a person with a lack mentality does not know where there next lead is coming from, doesn’t believe they will ever get another lead, and is willing to do just about anything to get their message in front of anyone.

On the other hand, a person with an abundance mentality knows for certain that they will have ample opportunity to share their business opportunity with the right people, which the people on this list were clearly not. So point #3 is:
3 -Lack mentality Leads to Spam.

But there’s another point tied directly into point #3 that I don’t want to miss, and it’s this:
4-Being included on an e-mail, forum, etc.. with other people’s addresses visible does not give you permission to solicit them. If you want to spam your own list, that’s your choice. But go build your own list first. If spammer #1 wants to destroy his own credibility with marketing tactics that irritate his list, as painful as it can be to watch, he built the list, so he’s earned that right. Spammer #2? Stop being a lamprey , and go build your own stinkin’ list. Then irritate your list to your heart’s content, LOL.

Closely tied to these two points as well is point #5, which is:
5-Bashing another person’s company=deaf ears to everything you say, regardless of how true your statements are. Really? Do I really need to address this one? SMH….I feel like Kindergarten Cop right now. Who responds well to being told that anything they’re associated with sucks, no matter how nicely you but it? “Hey Mom, this dinner tastes like cow manure, can you add some Old Bay next time?” Try that tomorrow night and see what happens. This is about as bad as harassing the same 5 family members who didn’t want to get in your business last week about getting in it this week. Oh wait, that’s another post for another day.

6-People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I’ll be 100% honest. I know people right now who are involved with business opportunities that suck. Like, really suck. I mean, just awful, borderline FTC violating, substandard marketing system suck. I could list out reason after reason why their soul should feel heavy for being associated with a business like theirs. BUT UNTIL I HAVE EARNED the type of trust that allows you to be that honest with a person, I keep my mouth shut. How do you earn trust? Easy-add value with no expectation of return. YES, I said no return. Give someone an apple, not because you want to hold it over their head someday that you gave them an apple, but because they’re HUNGRY.

Please post a comment, and let me know your take on this!

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If you’ve been marketing online for any amount of time, I know that you’ve heard the phrase “Become the hunted, not the hunter.” So I thought we’d take a good look at the hunter in action:

In most cases, the person using this phrase is talking about Attraction Marketing, or positioning yourself as an expert, or in some way positioning yourself as a leader in your field. The thinking here is that when you do this, you will begin to attract like minded individuals to you, and generate business without having to use cold prospecting tactics. WRONG!

Attraction Marketing works ONLY when you first make yourself “Attractive.” One of the ugliest things you can be as a Network Marketer is a “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer. I am going to describe for you what this person does, and then I’m going to give you _____ tips on how NOT to be this person. How will you know if you’re exhibiting traits? Well, think about them, and if you can’t think of anyone who displays these traits, then the “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer on your team is probably you, LOL.

The “Gotta Get Me One” Marketer:

• Thinks their next prospect is the greatest thing since sliced bread
• Thinks they need their prospect more than their prospect needs a business opportunity
• Thinks that one prospect can send their business into the stratosphere
• Thinks they have to oversell the opportunity to make it more appealing to their prospect (exaggerated income claims, etc…)
• Sponsors one person, then sits on the new distributor’s head and waits for them to hatch into a millionaire
• Thinks their prospect is more important than their upline or mentor
• Markets their opportunity based on price, not value
• Comes across as desperate, rather than positioned as an expert.

So, now that you know what a “Gotta Get Me One” Network Marketer looks like, how can we make sure this dreaded disease doesn’t happen to you?  Here are 5 tips that can help keep you immune to the “Gotta Get Me One” syndrome:

1. Understand that the most important person in your business is YOU. Your team will duplicate 50% of what you do.  For some people, that’s super exciting, and for others, that thought will wake them up screaming in a cold sweat later tonight.
2. All prospects are suspects until they prove otherwise. In my humble but accurate opinion, all prospects have equal value.  A lady with a downline of 20,000 people considering joining my business is on equal terms with a man all by himself.  Their interactions with me is what will determine whether they qualify for my time or not.
3. You have something they want, and not the other way around. Once I really grasped this in my business, it made a tremendous difference in my own attitude, and in my business growth.  If a person is taking time out to look at your business opportunity, there is some hole in what they’re currently doing that your opportunity can fill.  Bob may be a multimillionaire, but working 80 hours a week to keep those millions may be getting pretty old.
4. Your mentor is always more important than your prospect. I don’t mean this in a hero worship sorta way.  Here’s the principle:  if you or your prospect had everything it took to get where your mentor is, wouldn’t you be there already?
5. RELAX! 823,000 people searched for the term “network marketing” on Google in March alone.  There are more than 15 million unemployed in the United States today.  There is an endless supply of people looking for an opportunity, you just need to learn how to find them.

Please leave comments on this post, I’m really curious to see what others in the industry think on this subject, because it’s nearly impossible to cover everything.

Also, if you’ve found value in the info presented here, please share it with the world!  If you’re going to re-post it, I just ask that you link back to http://jamiegaymon.com/uncategorized/how-to-eliminate-the-gotta-get-me-one-mentality-from-your-business.

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As I was skimming through some article headlines the other day, one in particular caught my eye. It read “Justin Bieber fever: Careful, it’s catching.” My first question was “Who is Justin Bieber (Sorry folks, I don’t watch much TV, please forgive me)?”

The title stood out to me because as a professional network marketer, I want to create a viral marketing frenzy, and have as many people as possible catch Jamie Gaymon fever.  Many of the questions I receive in a given day are from frustrated network marketers wondering what it takes to grow their businesses virally.  Also, musicians are one of the clearest examples of the “build it now, get paid forever” philosophy that we as network marketers are striving to attain.  The title of the article made we want to take a closer look.

For those of you like me, Justin Bieber is a teen singing sensation, who was able to flip a strong YouTube following into a recording career. Now, I do have to say that Justin is a very talented singer, as he displays here.

But I also know that the recording industry is a tough one to get into, and that the world is full of talented people who didn’t make it. Here’s the simple blueprint for success that Justin Bieber and his management team put in place, that you can surely follow to success in network marketing.

1. Build a list-Justin Bieber has over 1.7 million Twitter followers.  His videos on YouTube alone have received over 100 million views, and he has more than half a million YouTube subscribers.  He cut a video 5 days ago that ALREADY has over 3.4 million views on YouTube.  He has over 2.5 million fans on his official Facebook page.  I would say that Justin and his team have the list building business down pat.
2. Build a relationship with that List-In many ways, this step is how you create such a huge list.  By providing valuable content for free to all of your fans(readers, fellow marketers, etc…), you are giving them an opportunity to get to know you, and decide if you are someone they would want to be in business with.  For  Justin, this meant posting over 60 videos posted on YouTube alone, doing all sorts of things.  Some of them are him singing covers of songs by artists such as Kanye West, Drake and Justin Timberlake.  Some videos have moments with other artists, such as Usher, Taylor Swift and Diddy.  All of these provide candid moments that grow his fame, but show him to be a regular person also.  On Twitter, Justin is very responsive to his fans, replying to their messages, retweeting messages, and staying very close to the people responsible for his meteoric rise to stardom.
3. Monetize that list-Has this viral marketing push been a success?  His first album entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 6, selling 137,000 copies its first week, while the latter, “My World 2.0,” entered the charts at No. 1 with 280,000 albums sold in the first week.  His Twitter followers are organizing album buyout groups to go to stores and buy EVERY copy of his album in their local stores. He is the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Folks, there is no magic bullet out there.  If you can learn and master the associated skills necessary to accomplish these three tasks, you can build a successful network marketing business, no matter what company you’re with.

If you would like some help with developing the skills necessary to build an organization to the magnitude of Justin Bieber’s musical career, I would recommend you click here.

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Insanity makes P90X look like Sweatin’ to the Oldies. Don’t believe me? Take a look below:

I was going to do a full blown review of this workout program, but the video speaks for itself. By the time you’ve finished watching it, you will either be ready to order your copy, or hiding behind your couch praying that Shaun T doesn’t come find you and make you do it.

If you’re still reading, click here to join the Insanity NOW.

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When I first got the news about XELR8 cutting their network marketing arm in favor of direct sales, I was so tempted to write a blog post blasting them that I almost couldn’t see straight.  Then, when I just found out that iLearningGlobal is doing the exact same thing to their distributor force, I was tempted to go after them with both barrels blazing.  but, as I’ve looked over the MLM landscape in the wake of  these catastrophic events, an even larger target has reared its ugly head.

Have you ever heard the term “ambulance chaser?”  It’s a derogatory term,usually used to describe a lawyer who spends most of his time at the scene of accidents and disasters, looking for clients.  It would kinda be like following this cart around.  Not only is this behavior in extremely poor taste, but it is actually a violation of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Stop and think for a second:  if you were just in a catastrophic car accident, would you want to be represented by the lawyer who just “happened” to be at the scene?  For that matter, would you even be in a position to process anything that person said to you at that time?  Understand that what has just happened is not just a matter of dollars and cents.  People’s lives have been tremendously impacted by these situations.  Many have spent countless hours building large organizations, convincing people that ILG or XELR8 is the right opportunity for them, only to have the football pulled out from under them right before they get to kick it.  All kinds of emotions are running through these people right now:  shame, anger, guilt, humiliation, the list goes on and on.

How do I know this?  I was a professional recruiter for more than 12 years, and I’ve had to lay people off on more than one occasion.  I’ve also been laid off multiple times myself, and there were definitely times when I had no idea the axe was swinging my way.  Suffice it to say that I’ve been there on this one.  Maybe there is a better way to connect with them to help them see that than a full frontal assault?

At the same time, I do understand the lure of wanting to contact a fellow network marketer who is looking for a new company, and may or may not be bringing a group with them.  You believe passionately that your business can be their saving grace, if you could just get them to take a look at it.  So rather than use this as an opportunity to beat up on people, I’m going to use this as an opportunity to hopefully help you reach out to our friends in these other companies in a caring and compassionate manner, rather than the “bull in a china shop” approach I’ve been seeing and hearing the past few months.

Here is my list of Don’ts and Do’s:

1. DON’T post a message like this to a Facebook Group or Fan Page:  ”Man, so sorry that your company gave you the axe.  But here’s a link to my company instead, come join us!”  This will result in you receiving a message like this:  ”You are a vulture-your company may be great, but you suck as a person.”
2. DO reach out to people individually, and share your sympathy with them for the situation they’re in.  let them know that if they would like to discuss a potential opportunity once they’ve had a chance to recover, you will leave them with your contact information.
3. DON’T put a link to your opportunity anywhere near this message, that move would officially make you a spammer.  If a girl that you liked got jilted at the altar, would you ask her to marry you before you left the church?  Of course not, so use that same common sense in this situation also.
4. DO start as high up an upline group as you possibly can.  Out of respect, you want to afford that upline first opportunity to maintain continuity in their group should they decide to join you.
5. DON’T bash the offending organization.  As much as it sucks, this is business.  All network marketers should understand that although we consider ourselves business owners, we are ALL independent contractors.  That means the client can change the game on us at any time, with no approval needed by us.  There are only 2 things you own-your network and your brand.  Focus on branding you and the network will follow.

Network marketing gets a bad rap over a number of different issues, it would be a terrible thing to cause more infighting and bickering over something so preventable.  It’s as simple as this:  put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a second, and think before you act.  Really consider the way you are presenting your opportunity, and whether that is the way you would want to be presented to.

I would REALLY love to hear what others have to say on this topic, so please stop by and leave your comments below.

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My career as a recruiter has served me very well in my network marketing career. In fact, the process I use to sponsor is very closely modeled after my recruiting style. But the greatest lesson I learned while being a recruiter is to always be willing to listen to another career opportunity, even if you are quite happy and satisfied where you’re at. I’m always open to listen to your business opportunity, idea or suggestion. Now, I know that some who read this are probably thinking “well, he wouldn’t take a look at my opportunity,” and you’re right. Here are the two reasons I won’t look at your opportunity:
1-You’re not the first person to pitch me on it – I get 5-10 ‘check this out messages per day, don’t be mad that you weren’t the first person to come a courtin’.
2-You’re approach sucks – if your first message/connection to me is a 5 page treatise on why your opportunity is the best thing since the wheel, and I would be stupid not to join you, you will get 0 seconds of my time. I’m an old fashioned kinda guy, your going to have to date me before I go running down the aisle with you.

So with that being said, here’s the blueprint you will need to follow in order to get me to leave my current opportunity.

Products-In my current opportunity, which is in the health & wellness industry, I have a product line I personally believe in, and am able to generate immediate profit with. most companies lose reps because they can’t get that new person a check within the first 90 days. Problem is-most new people quit just outside of 60 days.

I know, I know, there are people on the internet who say that health & wellness is tapped out for network marketing. Well, there are also people who say the world is flat, and you can’t make any money in network marketing using the internet. I personally challenge the intelligence of any person who would make any of these claims. I would point them to the 64% of the adults in the United States who are overweight or obese. I would ask them to tell that to the 25% of America’s children who fit that same description. Personally, not only have I been an athlete for much of my life, but I have battled weight all of my life. From a market standpoint we are positioned fantastically with a solution that works, and I know it works because I am using it myself.

Lead Generation-For the first time EVER in my network marketing career, I have a serious problem. Currently, I have more leads than I know what to do with! I am part of the #1 Attraction Marketing System in the world, and am steadily building up my lead count through tried and true online and offline marketing techniques. Also, I have the ability to generate endless leads, pretty much at will, through search techniques I learned during my corporate recruiting years. As if that wasn’t enough, one of the business teams I plug into within my business offers free leads on a weekly basis, and I receive free leads from two other sources I’m not even going to discuss here! Now, are you ready for the real game changer? If I sponsor 2 reps onto my team, our corporate office will automatically enroll 10-20 retail customers into my business for free, every single month. If I sponsor 8 reps, they will begin to automatically enroll new business builders into my team, about 5 per month. I don’t even have to tell my friends and family I’m in business to make the engine move, and I can certainly teach everyone on my team how to find leads for free, and what to do with them once they have them.

Company Longevity-That’s great that you believe your company is going to be the next Facebook, but your company could just as easily be #11 on this list. Notice the fact that all ten of these companies were in business less than 5 years. That’s not an accident-most small businesses fail within their first 5 years. If your company makes it, it will be the exception, not the rule.
In my corporate life, I’ve seen companies go out of business so fast, they didn’t even have time to cancel the orders for the furniture that got moved into the office they never set foot in. Not interested.

Compensation Plan-For me, a binary plan makes the most sense. I’ve witnessed firsthand the dischord and backstabbing that can happen in a stairstep breakaway plan, all in the name of “earning my upline’s time.” With a binary plan, with only two lines of sponsorship beneath a distributor, it helps to keep in focus that the #1 goal of the business is to help as many other people as possible get what they want, and that will automatically lead to you getting what you want. Plus, a binary plan takes advantage of the numbers we already know to be true in network marketing: the average rep sponsors 2-5 reps during their network marketing career. In a binary plan, sponsoring 2 reps gets you activated into the compensation structure. Particularly with my company, sponsoring 2 puts you in position to get 10-20 new retail customers per month from the company. We get paid on volume, and you can’t create lasting volume without customers.

There are many additional factors which I look at when evaluating a business opportunity, but I’ve found that most businesses are unable to meet even my most basic business needs, so I continue to build where I’m at. I hope this helps you to not take it so personally that I won’t immediately jump out of my business and into yours.

I also hope this post will help you realize that the people you are most looking to sponsor don’t really care that you have a “ground floor opportunity” with a “brand new company.” I know people who got in Amway within the last 2-3 years, and are making a strong 6 figure income, and Amway’s been around for 50 years. So the market saturation theory is as much a failure as the theory that a human being can’t run a four minute mile. Learn to understand people’s needs, then meet them at their needs, and your business will explode, I promise you.

I would love to hear your comments about this blog, so please leave them below.

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WARNING: This will not be a fluffy cloud, ponies and princesses, hearts and stars post. If you are looking for a Happy Valentine’s Day article, you have come to the wrong place, so please do yourself a favor-click the Back button, and come back to this one tomorrow when your job is beating you up. This post is not written for you, it’s written for the WINNER INSIDE OF YOU.

No matter whether you build your business online or offline, you will face adversity in your business. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but there is no way to sponsor 100 percent of the people you talk to, no matter how many slick marketing tactics you learn, and no matter how many training systems you belong to. Most of your team is going to quit, and most of the ones who do stay won’t duplicate what you do. Most of the distributors on your team will do 10% of what you do. The 80/20 rule holds so much weight because, for the most part, it’s fairly accurate. If the reality of these statements is what blows you out of network marketing, guess what? If not this, some other excuse would blow you out, so you might as well quit now and save the rest of your year. Go find a new job, maybe that will work this time.

Do I have your attention now? Good. Consider this article a mindset intervention-I’m doing this out of love, I really am. I want every person who gets involved in network marketing to achieve outrageous success, and I truly believe that any person on this planet can develop the skills necessary to do so. I also know that you don’t NEED everyone who joins your business to do it in order to build a lifestyle unlike any other. If you know what the numbers are, then you know what you need to do to make the numbers work to your advantage. But I would be an awful person if I sent you out into battle and didn’t let you know that bullets will come your way.

There will be setbacks, failures and hardships. No matter what they may be, only one thing will keep you moving forward: YOUR DREAM. You will never, ever, ever ever build a huge downline team if you don’t have an absolutely unshakable dream for your life and your business. When I say unshakable, here’s what I mean. Not only will you be willing to do anything it takes to accomplish your dream, you will be willing to do EVERYTHING legal, moral and ethical it takes to make your dream a reality. Most people get in network marketing with a hope or a wish, but they get blown out before they ever develop a dream.

How does that happen? Easy-along the way of building your business, whatever it is, you will run into the clan we affectionately refer to as “The Dream Stealers.” This could be your prospects. Trust me on this one, cold contacting people in the mall enough times that shoppers start to recognize you as the “Pyramid Scheme Guy,” and openly laugh at you can rattle the cage of the most courageous MLMer. Your friends and family could be part of the clan, either intentionally or unintentionally. Your dream stealer could be a person in your upline or downline who quits the race. The leader of your dream stealer tribe could even be the person you lay next to at night-talk about sleeping with the enemy!

If you’re an MLM vet, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. If you’re a newbie-stick around for a little bit, and you’ll know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. The point of this article is that your dream should be like air to you. Imagine if someone were trying to strangle you, or you were drowning in the ocean. You would fight with everything within you to make certain that you see your next breath of air, and THAT’s the intensity you need to have in order to be wildly successful at anything, but especially as an entrepreneur. The good news is this-if you get started and don’t quit, you build your business and you stay steady, there will come a point in time where you will have the microphone(and the big checks), and everyone will want to know what you have to say. Maybe you will handle the situation with grace and class, or maybe you will not change the names to protect the guilty-either way, that choice is yours.

My first venture into network marketing was with Quixtar(Amway), and I owe a great deal of who I am as a business owner to the training, support and leadership development materials which they provide. Regardless of what your opinion may be of the one person who ever prospected you about Amway, or the annoying cousin Billy who keeps calling you to join his team, the Amway business and its affiliated motivational organizations are responsible for producing a great deal of the success in network marketing today.

I was reading a blog by David Wood today, and he reminded me just how important it is to pay homage to the leaders who helped us get where we are, both personally and in our industry as a whole. I know that when my dream was in jeopardy, there was one CD I could always put in that kept me motoring down the road to one more meeting, one more presentation, one more training. “Oh, Harry” by Jim & Bev Mainor is one of the classic CD’s in the Amway motivational library, and I wanted to share it with you here. Click on this video, watch and listen, and really think about what your dream is:

Oh, Harry

Ready to go back out and do battle one more time? I thought you would be Make 2010 your year, and go get your Harry!

Please leave your comments on this post, as I’m interested to learn what your experiences have been with Amway, Quixtar, or just leadership training in general.

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I’m a big fan of games. From live sports to board and card games, I just really like to play games. CORRECTION: I like to WIN games! There are some people who play games just for the enjoyment of playing them-that’s not me. I’m a hyper competitive person, that’s just the way it is, and it applies to just about everything. However, if you don’t know the rules of the game, it makes it next to impossible for you to have a fair chance at winning against someone who knows all the rules.

Network marketing is no different-ever since the first time I saw a marketing plan in our industry, I’ve wanted to be the guy at the “top of the pyramid,” so to speak. Not only wanted to, but believed with all my heart that I can be the guy at the top. I’ve been involved with a few different businesses throughout the years, but for some reason, I didn’t make it to the top of the mountain. I showed the plan, I spun the circles, I cast the dream, and still no 7 figure, walk away income. What’s wrong with me?

If you’ve ever felt this way, then you’ve come to the right place. this post will be the first in a series designed to make you aware that there are rules to the game that you just may not have been made aware of, that have impacted your ability to achieve the success you dreamed of in network marketing.

The first secret is about compensation plans. Did you know that in network marketing, there is more than one type of compensation plan? If you did know that, you are far ahead of where I was, but I can almost guarantee that you don’t know part II of my question. Did you know that those compensation plans are set up to attract people with certain skill sets and personality types, and aren’t just designed for any and everybody? Here’s the interesting part-most people select business opportunities based on the personality type of the person sponsoring them, rather than their own. Why didn’t your upline teach you this? Well, in most cases I think it is just a matter of them not knowing that there are other compensation plans available. Most network marketers seek education and training specific only to their company, and so they never come across the information I’m giving you today.

We’re going to operate under the assumption that you were taught to build a network marketing business the same way that I was: build a huge list of names of all your friends, family and associates, stalk people in the mall, and buy business opportunity leads(don’t worry, I’ll deal with this in Part II). There are four main types of compensation plans in network marketing:

Unilevel-The plan most people are familiar with, as many of the larger companies use this plan, or it’s other variation, the StairStep Breakaway plan. In the Unilevel plan, the distributor can sponsor as many personal distributors as they want (width). Commissions are generally paid out on a limited number of levels below your business (depth). Unilevel plans are typically easier to earn commissions in-the companies set the volume levels lower, on average, than other compensation plans. However, the commissions earned are usually lower than other compensation plans, due to the limited depth payouts. Additionally, each distributor you sponsor becomes instant competition for your other frontline distributors, which creates serious challenges for recruiting friends and family into your business. Add into this mix the fact that you are responsible for training and management of your personally sponsored distributors, and it is easy to see that a certain skill set and temperament is required for this type of business. Particularly, this compensation model is geared towards experienced network marketers, or those who are very confident in their ability to recruit a large number of frontline distributors(the average network marketer sponsors 2-3 distributors IN THEIR CAREER).

Stairstep Breakaway-The one main difference between the Unilevel plan and the Stairstep Breakaway is the fact that in this plan, once you achieve a certain measure of business success, your business team breaks away from your upline’s business. Whereas before, that person was considered the leader of your business, now you are. In most cases, your upline will still receive an override bonus from your group, but it will be significantly less than the bonus they received when you were at a lower level. on the positive side, your commission levels increase dramatically as a result. The same challenges that exist in the Unilevel plan exist in the Stairstep Breakaway plan (frontline competition, heavy recruiting emphasis), with the added breakaway/override phenomenon. Again, if you are skilled at recruiting and managing your frontline distributors, this is a plan where you can make a significant walkaway income.

Matrix-Also known as the Forced Matrix plan, this plan has limits placed on both width and depth sponsoring, which obviously places a limit on commissionable dollars as well. This plan, however, eliminates crossline competition, by the process of spillover. If your frontline is full when you sponsor your next distributor, that new person goes under the next distributor in your matrix. This creates an incentive for cooperation and teamwork between the distributors on your team, as well as limits the amount of time your upline has to spend in sponsoring personal distributors, allowing them to spend more time assisting you in building your team. One of the largest drawbacks to matrix plans is that their commission plans are often variable by level, meaning that there is a greater emphasis placed on assisting one level of your team build their business versus another. Because of this, these plans are often hard to explain. This type of plan can work well for experienced MLMers or newcomers, but it is very important to make sure that you have a strong understanding of the compensation plan, and where your time should be focused.

Binary-The new kid on the block, the binary plan was first introduced in the 1990s. This compensation plan is the only one which appeals to network marketers at all levels, from those who are new to the industry, to part-timers, average networkers, and experienced network marketers. As the name implies, each distributor will have a maximum frontline of 2 distributors. Any additional distributors sponsored will spillover into one of the two downline legs, eliminating almost all crossline competition, and creating a very supportive environment for all distributors to succeed in. Commissions are typically unlimited by the depth of the group, and are based primarily upon the volume going through the group versus other plans which may focus on the level achieved. The downside? Binary plans are typically limited by the amount of income they can generate, very similar to a salary cap. Otherwise, distributors would be able to earn unlimited commissions, and bankrupt the company. However, most binary plans will allow top distributors to open additional business centers once they reach a certain point, thus opening their opportunity to generate additional income. In most circles, this compensation plan is the one recommended for new and experienced network marketers the most.

Is this the only factor to consider in choosing a business opportunity? Of course not, but this is one of the rules of the game that many network marketers never learn. They beat themselves up, thinking that they just stink at playing the game, when in fact they may have been playing a game they weren’t set up to win.

In part II I’m going to talk about lead generation, and how what your upline taught you about about that probably isn’t accurate either I would love to know your thoughts about this topic, so please post your comments below!

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As some of you may know, I was a major college athlete many years ago. In my best shape, I was about 260 pounds, with a body fat percentage less than 15%. Prior to my senior season, I suffered a catastrophic injury to my right knee, which effectively ended my football career. I did assist the team with coaching the position I played during the season, but the reason I’m telling this story is to tell you that once I got hurt, I never adjusted my eating habits. I continued to eat as if I was working out 6-8 times per week, even though I was now working out less than half of that. Needless to say, I put on some serious weight over the past 10 years, and just recently decided it was time to get back into game shape, or better. My goal is 225 pounds and 12% body fat, and I’m happy to report that as of this post, I’m down 25 pounds. Still a long way to go, but Thank God I’m not where I started from!

Anyway, in the course of deciding what type of workout plan I wanted to get into, I heard an enormous amount of buzz about P90X. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are doing it. Matt Diaz from the Atlanta Braves is doing it, with. David Akers from the Philadelphia Eagles is doing it.

The list of celebrities reporting that P90X has produced excellent results for them goes on and on, but something really struck me once I did some research. This company doesn’t pay ANY of the celebrities who endorse P90X. The average celebrity doesn’t endorse many products for free, so I decided to do some research, which I’m presenting to you now.

P90X is a home exercise system, designed by fitness expert Tony Horton, in partnership with BeachBody. This program is designed for people with a solid base of conditioning, who are looking to take their EXISTING training to another level. That ruled me out (FOR NOW), but I kept on researching, because I knew people would continue to have questions about it. The program is designed around a three pronged approach of strength training, stretching, and cardiovascular work. P90X uses the principle of muscle confusion (more commonly known as cross training) to help its users achieve total body fitness. By switching the order of exercises, and bringing new exercises into the program throughout, the body is unable to adapt to the workouts, which prevents participants from “hitting the wall” in their workouts.

The system consists of twelve workouts, seven that are strength training focused, and five that are cardio centered. The workouts include push ups and pull ups, as well as plyometrics, ken po and yoga. As is implied by the name, the workout plan is meant to run for 90 days, after which time you will have graduated from the course.

One of the most appealing aspects of this workout program is the flexibility built into it. The workout can be modified into the “lean” version, which substitutes most of the strength training with cardio and stretching. The program can also be modified into an even more strenuous “doubles” version, aimed at athletes looking to get back into competitive shape by combining the classic P90X workout plan with a Cardio X session starting in phase two during each strength training day. Whether you are looking to gain weight, lose weight or maintain weight, P90X can be customized to achieve that result.

The P90X program also comes with a nutritional plan, which is divided into three sections, each tailored to the three sections of the workout plan. The first thirty days emphasizes higher protein and lower carbohydrates, with a limited calorie count. The second phase increases the calorie count, with a more balanced plan of proteins and carbohydrates. Phase three uses higher amounts of calories, with more carbohydrates than proteins. This is designed to give the body enough quick energy to keep up with the pace of the phase three workouts.

Additionally, BeachBody recommends a recovery formula after each workout, to help the body more efficiently recover and build muscle. The P90X recovery formula contains 4 parts carbohydrates to 1 part whey protein, which is easily digestible and can reach the muscles immediately after the end of the workout. The recovery drink also includes L-Glutamine, L-Arginine and Creatine supplements. From my experiences as an athlete, what you do to your body externally is only trumped in importance by what you put into it. If I were doing this workout plan, using the recovery drink makes sense to me.

In order to complete the workout, you will need the following equipment, if you don’t already have it:
-Dumbbells-either 15, 20 and 25 pound weights, or resistance bands can be substituted.
-Pull-up bar for strength training exercises
-Yoga mat for the abdominal and yoga portions, unless you don’t mind a cold floor or laying on the carpet.
Also recommended are push-up handles (which increase the range of push-ups and put less stress on the wrists), a heart rate monitor for the cardio workouts, and a sturdy chair which is incorporated into a number of exercises.

Based on my research, I think that P90X is an excellent workout plan, for the right population. I would recommend it for people who are:
- Athletes looking for a greater level of fitness.
- Currently working out regularly, and are looking for something different.
- Knowledgeable enough to modify the workout plan to their level of fitness.
- Consulting with a physician regularly, and have received an approval from that physician to move forward.

If the most strenuous workout you’ve done in the past 6 months is getting off the couch to go to Cinnabon, this is not the workout plan for you, period end of story. However, BeachBody does offer numerous workout plans for varying degrees of fitness, so you don’t have to feel left out. I’m still in the process of selecting one myself-I’ve tried several of them, and can offer my recommendations for you if you would like.

But, if you think P90X is exactly what you need, here’s what I would recommend. BeachBody offers a 30 day, 100% satisfaction guarantee on their products. Commit to doing the plan for 30 days, doing as much as you can of everything. After completing phase one, you should have a pretty good idea of whether phases two and three are going to be worth your time or not. If they are, you know what to do. If not, box it all up and send it back. Don’t spend another second doing a workout you’re not motivated to continue, it will just make you miserable.

The most important thing is this: get up and do SOMETHING!

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- If you’re ready to accomplish the goals and dreams you started out in network marketing with
- If you’re tired of seeing people who joined your company AFTER you did blow right by you to the stage
- If you don’t want to be sitting in the same position in your business at the end of 2010, rationalizing why this just wasn’t your year
- If you’re ready to be coached to squeeze your absolute best from you, then you need to sign up for the newsletter to the right.

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