A Review of Mentoring For Free

Michael Dlouhy is the owner of Mentoring For Free. A free training system that can also be used as a way to recruit your network marketing company, if you upgrade to the Pro version.

There is no affiliate program like Magnetic Sponsoring; therefore it is not really a funded proposal.

If you are part of the Pro-version you will pay $19.95/mo for their system. This consists of several capture pages, some promoting the free ebook Success in 10 Steps and another ebook for $29.95 as well as a CD called Color to Success for $19.95. Also you will have a back office to track your leads and contact them.

There is some good information that you can learn form the Mentoring For Free training system, however there are some things that you should know before proceeding. It is suppose to be a generic system that any one in any company can use.

The Advantages of Mentoring For Free:

*Live Training Calls:

Learn the basics of how to market your business and generate leads using free and cheap methods. This is done through live training calls throughout the week. They record each call and you can find a wealth of information in their archives.

*Learn the 4 Personality Types:

You can learn this either by listening to a call held 1 Saturday a month, listen to a recording or buy their CD called Color to Success. What you will learn is how to recognize the 4 different personality types and how to talk to each one. This is one of the most valuable things you will learn. However, note that you can learn this same thing elsewhere it is just Michael Dlouhy's take which is effective.

*Saturday Night Mastermind Call:

This call provides an opportunity to achieve personal growth with a group of network marketers. A book is selected to read, you submit your thoughts on each chapter. Each person reads there thoughts from that weeks chapter, depending on the amount of participants sometimes one chapter is spread over several Saturday night calls. It is not uncommon for there to be some breakthroughs, tears and laughter. Michael Dlouhy calls it a safe place to share. This is the only call they do not record. However great this call sounds, make sure to read the disadvantages.

*Learn About Compensation Plans:

One Saturday a month there is an overview of compensation plans. It is rather accurate. You will even learn which personality type works best with what comp plan. So many people get lost in the maze of compensation plans; Mentoring For Free really simplifies it. This is great; however there are some disadvantages to this as well.

*Learn How do Your Due Diligence:

You will learn how you should read a company's policy and procedures and what to look out for. As well as doing research on the company founders to make sure they operate with integrity.

*Learn How to Talk with Prospects:

Wednesday nights you can hear Michael Dlouhy and some of the other top people in Mentoring For Free calling your leads live and interactive. You will listen live and see just how to utilize the Color to Success training and how to use the Mentoring For Free Pro to prospect. Overall this is helpful but there are some drawbacks.

*Learn to Focus on Building Relationships

This is essential in any business and even more so when you are working via the internet.

The Disadvantages of Mentoring For Free:

*MFF is Not Completely Generic:

While you will hear over and over again that Mentoring For Free is truly a generic system that can be utilized by any one in any company it is really a bunch of b.s. Try using the Pro version and following the steps of getting the prospects to listen to the recorded call, to read Success in 10 Steps, get on the live calls and schedule their 3-way call with Michael Dlouhy and you.

Once the people learn about comp plans, reading policies and procedures and marking a company up by the 5 Pillars Michael teaches they are going to doubt their current company. This is what the system is setup to do. After the 3-way they are going to have even more doubt and at least 1 out of 3 are going to want to find a new company. This sounds great right? It's great if you are in the only company I have seen to date to meet all 5 of Mr. Dlouhy's 5 Pillars which is the company he is in Vitamark. So if you are not with him, and the prospect wants to see what you are in and it does not live up to their due diligence, guess who is going to get a new team member? If you said you, you guessed wrong. It will be Mr. Michael Dlouhy.

So can you use MFF for free to promote any business? Not really, you can try but you will end up flustered when your prospects tell you sorry no thanks you are not in a 5 pillars company.

*Saturday Night Mastermind Call:

These calls are great, if Michael Dlouhy likes you. If he doesn't you will receive the cold shoulder and noticeably. Another drawback is the generic call becomes really not so generic around 1am or so, yes this call goes on for hours and is good till the time the lessons wind down and Michael's Vitamark team start speaking in code about their company and all the things going on. It is pretty insulting whether they are doing it intentionally or think the listeners are that stupid.

*Live Prospecting Calls

Depending on the prospect and you some are going to feel these live prospecting calls are a serious invasion of privacy. Some even feel that Michael and his clan are making fun of the prospect's personality when they discuss what color personality the prospect is. Michael says they are not laughing at the person but about the personality color traits. He has been heard to argue if he is making fun of a Blue then he is making fun of himself. Some prospects think it's great when they realize they ended up on one of the calls, while others not-so-much. This is another call that is not recorded, which is one plus for the prospect's privacy.

*The Comp Plan Bias:

Michael Dlouhy gives prime examples of companies of which he does not name directly unless they are out of business and the flaws in their comp plans. While this is good info he is still biased about which comp plan is best. Sometimes you can tell what companies he is speaking about to have bad comp plans when reviewed on the calls. Company names aren't mentioned but callers sometimes have an idea of the companies that are being talked about and it's also clear that Michael and at least half of the people on the call are with a company that has a good comp plan.

*The Policy & Procedure Bias:

Like the comp plan Mr. Dlouhy a bias about a company's P&P. There is only one company that fits in Michael's idea of a good P&P and that is his own. He won't tell you that directly but you will figure it out sooner or later. The landmines he speaks of in other companies' P&P at least one, sometime two or all of these landmines lurk in other companies' policy and procedures. His whole 5 Pillars and general training points to being one perfect company and he happens to be in it. While it is important to read a companies P&P and there are some things you should watch out for, I find it hard to believe that there is only one great company in this industry to make money in.

*Branding You?

You will here Michael Dlouhy talk about the importance of branding you pretty often. However in the end the person really being branded here is Michael Dlouhy he is plastered every where from ebook to capture pages to training calls. Last year he was even nice enough to create several videos for anyone using Mentoring for Free to add their URL and contact info and distribute on YouTube. What happened is in a matter of days Michael Dlouhy was plastered all over the internet video services, more free branding for Michael.

*You Are Accepted Here:

That is until you disagree or have some question about Michael's biases, or decide to actually brand yourself. Even if you are on his team in Vitamark you will be shut-out.

So, while I have to give Michael props for an ingenious marketing/branding strategy, it is indeed deceptive. If you enjoy your company and need some free training just hop on the calls and get what you can out of them and move on. Though I can personally think of better truly generic systems that are free or cheap... i.e. Magnetic Sponsoring which has no monthly fees, and you get paid for marketing their products/system where only Michael makes money from you promoting his.

If you are in Michael's company Vitamark, MFF may be a great option for you, if you can handle being deceptive.

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Comments

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 at 8:07 PM, by Lisa
I really agree on what is said about how Micheal acts if you disagree with him. He becomes sarcastic. I was on a conference call with him were he told me I was a blue, but as soon as I wanted to find out more info before making a desicion to pay him money he called me a green in a sarcastic tone and became very cold lol. He focuses too much on bad mouthing lots of MLM companies. He does this while studying think and grow rich and using the 30 day mental cleanse wich is all about avoiding negativity, but he puts off a lot of negativity.

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