Shark, Dolphin, or Whale??

I recently attended a Network Marketing Event for a Health & Wellness Company I'm involved with and we learned about the different personality types. We are all asked to take a test to determine what type we were and how we could recognize other types to market or sell to. It's no surprise to me that I learned that I was a shark. I was kind of surprised as I though I would be more of a Whale, but the proof is in the pudding.

Here are the different types of personalities divided into 3 categories based on their type.

A Shark is someone who is highly motivated by money, freedom, and recognition. He or she can take a lot, has a "thick skin," is ambitious and aggressive. The shark is not interested in the details, usually impatient and may come off as abrasive. They dress sharp and drive expensive cars. They wear high-end designer clothes and jewelry.

The Whale is more motivated by helping and serving others. He or she would love to change the world if given the opportunity. They are very compassionate, patient, kind and thoughtful. They are less interested in how fast something gets done (lacking urgency) but rather how well it is done and how it serves the greater good. These people are often shy or timid and can be emotional; wearing their emotions on their sleeves so-to-speak. They dress to blend in, very conservative and earth tones.

Next, there is the Dolphin. My friend Sandy is definitely one of these. She is motivated by anything social, fun and exciting. The dolphin-type is popular and has a lot of friends and acquaintances. He or she is very outgoing and charismatic. On the downside, they are late for everything, very disorganized and don't have the attention span for too many details. They wear trendy clothes, often bright colors and can be very conspicuous in a crowd.

Which are you a shark, whale, or dolphin?

I looked online to find the test, but could not find. I took my test offline. If you find it, let me know and post it on my blog.

Time Management Tips

Training an 8 year old on Internet Marketing

What I Really Don't Like About Network Marketing

My goal this year is to open up the Iron Curtain of MLM from time to time. So here it goes. Are you making money in your current network marketing venture? If not, it may not be you. Did you know I have made thousands in some comp plans and not made a dime in others, or very little money. Yes, your comp plan may be terrible. Your products may not be very good or way overpriced compared to what's in the marketplace - NO DEMAND. You see in MARKETING perception is everything. If you have to apologize for the price of your products every time you share them, you may be marketing a loser. Yes Network Marketing can work with lousy products. It's called the Placebo effect. I can put together a product and tell people how wonderful it is with good packaging and a Celebrity Endorsement and I'm off to the races.

So here is what I have learned in the past few years as I have worked directly with the top income earners in our industry and gone way underground to examine the industry for what it really is.

People can no longer wait 3 to 5 years to build a residual income to be able to maybe one day walk away from their jobs. The real unemployment here in The US is closer to 25% and those that aren't unemployed are praying they don't get downsized or kicked to the curb by their employer. So what I am getting at is unless you have lots of disposable income on hand to build a business, you need a business that can pay you at a very minimum part-time wages in your first 30 to 60 days - preferably full-time.

You see, your upline doesn't want to tell you the truth, but truthfully most comp plans won't pay you enough to make it worth your time for at least a year or more (the spreads are just way too big). So here is my challenge to you for 2011. Examine your income versus your time. If you are working your tail off and not even making minimum wage for your efforts, you probably have a terrible compensation plan. Again, if you're unable to recruit, that is only because you don't understand 1 thing. I know the secret to that as well.

Continue to work on yourself, but at the same time treat your business like an entrepreneur. I personally don't build just 1 Company, that to me is no different than just having a job. What happens if the company gets bought out, or goes bust. I've watched my income go down by 90% overnight due to a major change to a compensation plan. Become an entrepreneur first and examine your results. Time is all you have, don't waste it.

The Power of Your Goals for 2011

Ways to leverage and eliminate wasted time on Social Media

It's been said that some men now actually prefer Facebook over sex. I can tell you from being on Social Media Sites for more than a few years that it can become a distraction in your life. The average social media user checks their social media sites on average of 5 times per day. I've actually watched my last marriage decline due to my social media activity and have had some difficulty in past relationships due to becoming too public with my relationships on Facebook. With all of my distractions from Social Media, I will say I still am a much sought after expert on the topic of social media. Here are a few tips to make 2011 a great year on Social Media:

Only be on a few Social Media Sites. (Pick your 2 favorites and run with it). I personally, like Twitter and Facebook the best.

Only Check your Social Media Pages, Emails, etc... a few times per day. (morning, afternoon, night).

Don't spend more than 30 minutes each time you get on your Social Media Site (unless you're having a meaningful chat with a friend or family member)

If you find you're spending way too much time on Social Media Sites, and it's interfering with your life in a negative way, use a timer.

Use your Iphone or Smartphone for updates

If you're using Social Media for Business, use the 80/20 rule (80% of your tweets and updates should either give value or personal taste, if you must advertise your biz, no more than 20% of the time)

If you want to promote your biz, set up a fan page or twitter page - specifically for that

Social Media can be fun, but can also become an addiction and relationship destroyer if you're not careful.

Make Activity Goals for 2011 for your sales or network marketing biz

Make activity goals for 2011. For example my goal is to have 50 opt-ins to my landing page per day 5 days per week (250 new leads per week minimum). I don't focus so much on sign-ups anymore, as I know it's just a numbers game. Some will, some won't, so what, who's next. How many people are you going to talk to per day? Maybe you need to talk to a minimum of 10 people per day, or 20. All I can say is that if you don't prospect in 2011, nothing is going to happen for you and your business. I've been in network marketing for over 3 years now, and I can tell you that the only difference between those who make money and those who don't is 3 things:

1) Daily Activity (cannot work business sometimes)
2) Mindset
3) System that does most of the selling for you or live events (only 3% like to sell)

To a successful 2011,

John Lowery