I hope you have had a great weekend, mine was awesome.

As I sit here this morning, I started thinking about all the
negative junk I read over the weekend about Mike Potillo and
his involvement in a company called 360.

Let me start with a little background. I first met Mike in
the mid nineties at a convention right after he had joined
the company I was involved with. “Ignorance on Fire”
would be a good description of him at the time.

He was a very likeable young man with big dreams.

When I started my own company in 2000 Mike called our
office one day and said “I want to come to work for you”.
At the time I did everything I could to discourage him, but
about 8 hours later at $8.00 an hour he showed up at
my office with his car loaded down. He wasn’t going to
take no as an answer.

Over the next few years Mike worked in our office daily.
He loved the excitement. Many times I have wished he
could have been with me a few years earlier when I
could have had more time to provide direct business
building support.

Eventually, I decided that I did not want the responsibility
of a downline or owning a company and decided to semi-
retire and just focus on generic training, consulting and
seminars. That is what I have been doing for the last 8 years
or so.

Basically Mike, and my VP of sales at the time took the
company over and eventually merged it with Vita Mark
where Mike became the top money earner. I know that
Mike put his heart and soul into building his Vita Mark team.

From there he went to Ardyss in a corporate position and made
Body Magic a household name within the MLM community. Now
Mike is working in some corporate capacity with 360.

Let me say, that I basically have no opinion about the 360 comp
plan or product line. I have never had a reason to investigate it.
I know the internet is full of people that have tried to pick apart
the products and comp plan, but I have no firsthand knowledge
of either so I know better than to comment.

What I don’t get is how many network marketers don’t give other
network marketers the benefit of the doubt. I know, I know, I am
as out spoken as anyone about all the junk that “self proclaimed”
gurus propagate in the market place.

I have always said, “Do it, and then talk about it”. Mike
has done it. The only people that don’t have others trying to
pick them apart are the one’s that have never done anything!

I have said all of that to say this.

The highest compliment I can give any leader or corporate
officer is “They have a heart for the distributor”. This industry
is full of corporate people who feel the distributors are a necessary
evil and distributors with leadership titles whose only concern is
building a following, instead of other leaders.

I have known Mike for many years. I have known his wife Tiffany
and her parents Bill & Teresa since she was in grade school. I have
had dinner on multiple occasions with Mike’s parents.
THEY ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE.

Has Mike said or done things in the past that maybe I have
disagreed with? Probably, and I am sure he would say the same
thing about me. I have also tried to live by the philosophy,

“Never try to explain yourself, your friends don’t need an
explanation and your enemies aren’t going to believe
you anyway”.

Give the guy a break! He is an only child, very excitable
person that grew up watching and loving Don Lapre infomercials.
He is not perfect, and MAYBE the 360 products and comp plan
aren’t either, so what?

Neither are you!

If you want to join, join, if you don’t…… don’t, but why waste
your time trying to make a villain out of someone whom you
don’t know that truly does have the best interest of his team
and the network marketing industry at heart?

It makes no sense.

Listen, I am all for throwing those people under the bus
that KNOWINGLY mislead and misguide people! I can say without
reservation that Mike Potillo is NOT one of those people.

First if you haven’t seen this mlm training video you should
take a look:

http://www.dalecalvert.com/LostDomain

As far as your downline being stagnate, the real
question is who sponsored them? Or should I
say “closed” them into the business?

As we talked about earlier this month, Sales people
close, network marketers develop leadership.

I guess I am going to be on this topic for a little
while, I can’t quite seem to get it out of my
system.

Yesterday I was reading a promotion for a network
marketing training seminar. The speaker promised
to share 8 different ways to close your prospects!

This is a MLM Training that may sound great on
the surface, but in all reality will hurt your business.

The truth is, you will learn 8 different ways to get
people into your organization,,,,,once they are
there you will have to waste a ton of time and
energy trying to get them to do anything at all!

The reason, your organization is stagnate is because
60% of the people are only in it, because THEY
COULDN’T TELL YOU NO!

There are highly motivated, determined, focused
people out there looking for a real opportunity,
however most network marketers will never find
them because they waste too much time trying to
motivate their existing team! Geeeezzzz this is
not rocket science guys.

I know, companies don’t help because they don’t
get it either. Running free sign up months, or join
for a dollar programs and then rewarding the lady
who sponsors 92 people like she is a superstar an
an example to follow.

The problem is 3 months later 91 of the people are
out of the business, because they didn’t want to
be there in the first place. Nobody really accomplishes
anything with this type of activity.

It is not just about sponsoring people. It is about
developing people. You are in the leadership
development business.

Take a good hard look at your team. The ones that
are producing are going to do the business with or
without you. The ones that are there because of you
or because they couldn’t tell you no, will ultimately
cost you in the long run.

Your time is the most valuable asset you have. Once
it is gone, it is gone. The time you spend trying to
motivate Suzie, yet again, is time you could be spending
prospecting for someone that can make an immediate
positive impact on your business.

You are not in the babysitting business, and if you feel
like you are you should probably re-evaluate your
recruiting process and who you are willing to have join
your organization.

Finding potential leaders and developing them is not
that difficult is you have the clear goal in your mind.
Most network marketers don’t, they are willing to sponsor
anybody they can “talk into” business.

If we have the chance to meet personally, don’t brag
to me what a “good closer” you are. Good closer in
network marketing translates in my mind as someone
who still hasn’t figured the business out.

As you go into 2010 you can change your approach, you
can get better. A shift in thinking can transform your
business.

If you continue to do what you have always done, you
will continue to get what you have always gotten.

I just returned from speaking in Budapest
Hungary at the MLM Mastermind Day event.

You can check out my pictures from the
event if you would like at:

http://www.Facebook.com/dalecalvert

Thee were about 500 people in attendance
from all over Europe. I had a wonderful
time and Szilárd Mátrai the promoter of the
event did a great job.

When 2009 is over I will have spoken at 23
events. 21 within the United States and 2
Internationally.

I try to always learn more than I teach when
I travel and speak. Sometimes it is just a
reminder of what NOT to do.

There are 3 things I learned in Hungary that
all networkers, especially those in the United
States should take to heart.

(1) Education is required to become Successful

I was shocked at the percent of the audience who
arrived at the event with paper and pen in hand,
ready to learn. I would estimate it was 85%. In
the US it is usually around 30%. People were there
to learn. It was NOT a social gathering.

I guess one of the problems in the US is there are
thousands of “self proclaimed” gurus trying to teach
you fluff training, and quite frankly taking notes
is not worth the effort. However it is your
responsibility if you want to grow, learn, and get
better to learn from those that really have something
valuable to teach.

“Personal education makes you a living, if you become
SELF EDUCATED you create a fortune”
Jim Rohn
3 Basic Laws

http://www.3BasicLaws.com

(2) The Top Income Earners don’t jump from company to
company

I could talk for a few hours on why this happens so
frequently in the US. Some are valid reasons, but
most simply come down to greed and ego.

There were several Top Income Earners from all over Europe
at this event (With Pen & Paper in Hand) The majority of
them had been with their current company at least 5 years.

I have talked about this in various articles, Blog Post &
MLM Minute Trainings so I am not going to try to expand
here. True leaders develop leaders. Others, who have
leadership “titles” are only interested in developing a
following. There is a huge difference.

Who are you following? Where are they taking you? Is a
question you should constantly be asking yourself.

(3) Live Open Opportunity Meetings are Alive and Well

At one point I asked how many of you have a weekly, live
opportunity meeting you can take a prospect to? Ladies
and gentleman it was 85% of the room!

I found that very encouraging in a time when everyone
in the US has been spouting opportunity meetings don’t
work for the last 15 years.

Anyone remember the cassette tape
“I love MLM, but I hate Meetings?”

It was hogwash 15 years ago when the cassette came out,
and it is hogwash now! Yet another example of “self
proclaimed gurus” telling people what they WANT TO HEAR!

Don’t tell the leadership team at Mona V LIVE OPPORTUNITY
MEETINGS don’t work! We have all witnessed what they
have done with a culture, centered around a live weekly
opportunity meeting. ( I promise you it is NOT the Juice)

Do you get that company owners? I find it fascinating that
those in charge think. It must be the juice. How many
companies have introduced a Juice product since the success
of Xango, Noni and Mona V?

Products don’t make you successful!

Long term success is always centered around the right support
structure, sytems and culture for YOUR PEOPLE. Haven’t
we learned anything from Amway?

I am absolutely amazed at how shallow visions most
companies have. People make companies successful.
It is the culture and systems you provide for the people
that ultimately determine a companies success.

Sorry, I have gotten side tracked a little, but one
more thought.

At company conventions they don’t want to see corporate
on stage talking about numbers. They want to see their
peers, people like them who have experienced the ups and
downs of building a network marketing team, but in the
end…..THEY DID IT

There is a SPECIFIC FORMULA for making events one
people will never forget. I have been wanting to
write a book on it, but unfortunately there would be
no market for it. You can’t help those, who already
have all the answers :}

Again, I could talk about this subject for hours. But
the bottom line is simply this. If live weekly meetings
are not working for you it is simply because you have a
lousy meeting,or the wrong people.

Hungarians are friendly, warm hearted people. The MLM
Industry is alive and well there and throughout Europe.

so why far too many Americans are “following” their “Leader”
to the next hot deal. Hungarians are diligently learning the
skills and attitudes necessary to become a network marketing
professional and staying true to their companies and long
term goals.