MLM Expert Advice

So now that we know how to communicate with the Lions, Koalas and the Owls…

Here we come,
walkin’ down the street.
We get the funniest looks
from ev’ry one we meet.
Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees
And people say we monkey around.
But we’re too busy singing
To put anybody down.

Well I probably just showed my age with a reference to the Monkees but their theme was apropos to the animal group I’m discussing today… the Monkeys.

While the Monkeys, like the Lions only make up 15% of the population, we all know one… and in fact several.  We count them as friends if only for the spontaneity and gregariousness.  They are the party planners, hosts and hostesses, the musicians and salespeople.  Monkeys as one might expect are playful, charming, people lovers.  If there is a party, they either started it, suggested it, or are the life of it.

Monkeys tend to always talk way too much most often before they even start thinking.  Of course anyone who has been to the monkey cage at the zoo already knows this.  Monkeys as a rule live paycheck to paycheck saving nothing.  But we love the monkeys because they are the big thinkers and the dreamers.  Unfortunately though most often they fail to follow through with their ideas because they’re on to the next dream.

If you are trying to prospect a Monkey you have to be able to go with whatever flow might happen to come along.  You need to be dramatic but to the point without a lot of details.  If you can show them how your business is fun they are in and they love to network.  Keep things fun and monkeys will pay attention because they are all about the fun.  A one-liner for the monkeys would be “Where’s the party?” or “Have you heard the joke about… or the one about… or the… and then there was… “.

But why is important to understand these personality types?

Each one has their strengths and weaknesses and each in their own way can benefit your business.  You have to know how to present information to them so they want to join your business and how to help motivate them once they are in.

Knowing the dominant animal factor in an individual prospect (and do keep in mind everyone is a mix of all the animals) will allow you to:

• Reduce personality clashes
• Have instant rapport with your prospects and business partners.
• Win friends (and influence people)
• Gain an unfair advantage over your competition
• Have fun prospecting

You’ll notice the points above lend themselves to one or more of the animals I’ve discussed.  When presenting to a mixed audience that’s another skill you’ll need to master.

The first step is to identify your own dominant animal factor.  Personally I’m primarily an Owl (which would explain why it took me a month or more to get this blog going but now I’m sticking to it daily) with a sensitive Koala side who loves to party with the Monkeys when he gets the chance.  And somewhere in that mix, given the right set or circumstances, you may hear the Lion in me roar.

Once you know your animal, then its time to really listen to others so that you can identify theirs and use your unfair advantage to have fun building your business.

If you really want to take the time and master the animals then you should get a hold of the following materials:

• The Animal Factor – Personalities for Success! (audio), by Jeffery Combs
• The Magic of Colors (audio), by Jerry Clark
• How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
• Prospecting with Purpose (audio), by Jeffery Combs
• How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication, by Larry King

Listen to the animals and have fun prospecting!

If we could talk to the animals,
learn their languages
Think of all the things we could discuss
If we could walk with the animals,
talk with the animals,
Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,
And they could squeak and squawk
and speak and talk to us.