"Mentoring For Free" Review
Written by Mark Worthen on Jan 17, 2008 4:44 pm
A review of the "Mentoring For Free" program, also known as "Success in 10 Steps"Mentoring For Free Review
Mentoring For Free is a training program that can also be used as a recruitment tool for MLM network marketing distributors.
The owner is Mr. Michael Dlouhy, a 26-year veteran of the network marketing industry. Mr. Dlouhy also gives a way an e-book, 10 Steps to Success and sells an audio CD, Colors to Success.
This review of the Mentoring For Free program suggests that it provides valuable training for network marketers provided a few caveats are kept in mind. The advantages and disadvantages of the program are as follows:
Advantages
- Mastermind Call - The Saturday night Mastermind call provides an opportunity to achieve personal growth with a group of network marketers who are, for the most part, caring and sincere.
- Personality Types- The description of the 4 personality types, while not unique, is a valuable heuristic, which I found improved my ability to quickly tailor my presentation to prospects. I'm a psychologist so I think it says a lot that Mr. Dlouhy's description of the personality types was so helpful.
- Compensation Plans - The overview of comp plans and the relationship between personality types and comp plans will help many people make a better decision when choosing an MLM or in working their own comp plan (although see below for the other side of the coin).
- How to Talk with Prospects - Mr. Dlouhy and others talk with live prospects, which can be educational although see my opinion about his practice below. The general discussions about talking with prospects are very helpful.
- Relationship Focus - Whether you like this aspect of the program might depend on your personality type. Thus, because I am a "Yellow/Green," I think the focus on building relationships is the only way to go!
Disadvantages
- Live Prospecting Calls - I realize this might be a minority opinion but I don't like the fact that with this program and other training programs, prospects are called while dozens of people are secretly listening to the conversation. I strikes me as voyeuristic and a violation of privacy. But if you don't mind this approach, you might see this as a big positive. Be aware that if you sign up for the free e-book, order the CD, or try the free version of the prospecting system that you could very well get a call from the person whose link you clicked on, then Mr. Dlouhy will come on the call ("I've got the author of the e-book on the line"), and dozens of people will be listening to everything you say.
To be fair, Mr. Dlouhy states that he will always refer a person back to the person who invited them to MentoringForFree (the system uses affiliate links to track visitors to the websites) and I have no reason to doubt him. At the same time, people have the freedom to join the company of their choice. Consequently, they can say, "no thanks" to the person who invited them to MentoringForFree and sign up with Mr. Dlouhy's company (VitaMark). This might be particularly true if the person who invited them on the call is with a company that has a "negative" P&P or comp plan in Mr. Dlouhy's opinion.
I went through three phases during my participation with MentoringForFree:
1) Excitement at a very good educational program, which also looked like an ideal way to find new distributors for my business and train them;
2) Disillusionment and jealousy when the above negatives became apparent;
3) Respect for an ingenious viral marketing strategy that I suspect others will emulate in the near future.
In summary, I'm glad I participated in MentoringForFree for a couple of months. I learned a lot and it gave me some great marketing and training ideas for my own business. I recommend it provided you keep the above caveats in mind.
Mark Worthen, Psy.D. is a clinical/forensic psychologist trained at Baylor and Harvard who now makes a living from home via Internet & Network Marketing. You can contact Mark via his web site: MarkWorthen.com
Reprint Rights - You may reprint this article on your web site or e-zine, provided you do not change anything about the article, including the author's information at the end of the article. A plain text version of the author's information box is acceptable. EXCEPTION: If you are a member of the Mentoring for Free program, you may hyperlink any refernce to Mentoring for Free or its products, using your referral URL.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License. 
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Comments: 14 
About the Author: Mark Worthen
Member Since: 10/02/2007
Company: Mark D Worthen PsyD
Industry: Education
Primary Web Site: http://www.MarkWorthen.com
Hi Mark, Thanks for that in depth review. Well done. Dana
M.F.F. Is a pretty good lead generation source like magnetic spo
I agree. At first, I was totally excited about Mentoring For Free. After a week, I was a little disillusioned. But I quickly realized, this is a [b][i]business[/i][/b] that gets leads and makes a little side income by helping people. So far, I think it's great. Thanks for letting everyone know about MFF, Mark.
Jean D Laurin
www.JeanDLaurin.com
Good Review
Dr. Mark,
Thanks for the review.
I was involved with MFF a couple of years ago.
Here's my quick $.02:
- it's really a funnel for Vitamark
- lots of "cold calling" - I hate that!
- Mr. Dlouhy has excellent phone skills - is this duplicatable?
- their "selling" point is really challenging the worth of a NM company based on their P & P and Comp plans - is this valid? is it duplicatable?
Is duplicatable a word?
Anyway, I share a lot of your sentiments Mark.
I enjoy your comments and posts aroung the web.
Mark
So great that you could do
So great that you could do such an objective review of Mentoring for Free. I never knew other people could be listening in on the calls without asking for expressed consent from the prospect.
What I did know right away was about the biased solutions to how to pick a good company. The phase I went through was
1) Skepticism - The titles of the Success in 10 Steps ebook were very 'colorful'
2) Disappointment - When the guys who list I joined called and tried to sell me on a conference call before I even read the book...which I deleted shortly after without reading.
3) Disgust.- In observing those who are students of the program I can't say I'd be proud to follow based on the quality of the output. (Can I get 1 good training article that's not about warm and fuzzy feelings, or slamming comp plans please?)
4)Indiffernce - I've since meet some wonderful people who are MFF students that really 'get it' and for those friends I am blessed and grateful! But they are the minority.
The guy who called me was so full of himself trying to impress me by guessing my personality color (boooooooooooooo).
The whole thing is a sales funnel for Michael/his MLM company. His minions (mentors) bring him their prospects like sheep to slaughter... if they (minions) are not already in his downline.
And no, Mark MacCullagh, duplicatable is not a word! lololol But I use it all the time too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Malika
Magnetic Sponsoring and Building-On-A-Budget for dummies? Learn Attraction Marketing click-by-click www.recessionproofincome.com InterNetwork Marketing = www.GetPaidToProspectOnline.com
I like the program, but
I have met some good people through MFF. I like what they sell but the general feel for the entire program is to bash what you are in until you gravitate to the mothership.
That is all fine and dandy but the listening on calls for training rubs me the wrong way.
Their open resource recently has been cut off as the link I was provided months ago doesn't pull up nearly as many links to archived calls. It was a very nice collections of information but now it's gone.
The "mentor" I was with strongly suggested social mediums and basically befriending everyone. Now that is a good way but a "slow" way. Sure the mentor did mention this but by not monetizing traffic what is the use? It wasn't the system for me but I do respect what they do even though it's not truely free. ($20 month for their lead generation)
Lawrence
Two thumbs up, Mark
Mark,
Just a quick and sincere note of appreciation for the exemplary job you've done on this article! You've hit the nail on the head.
I was an associate with MentoringForFree for quite a while until I had a major shift in my thinking. I'd guess you'd say my good judgment and better logic kicked in.
Your overview of MFF is the BEST I've seen!
MELANIE KISSELL
Lactation Conversation
Another 2 thumbs up !!
Excellent article. I may have used some stronger language in places though to make sure the point was made. One final and I feel very damaging training component in MFF is the whole "no agenda" and "we can help you be successful" propaganda that is disseminated throughout the social networking sites. 1.) There is an agenda, therefore that verbage is deceitful and 2.) the success is not financial and therefore very deceiving.
There are some good points to MFF however it takes a very strong person not to get sucked into the "cultish" mentality.
Excellent article.
To your success,
Joyce Penner
www.joycepenner.com
Enlightening!
Wow, I am impressed by your thorough review of this program. I have received SEVERAL opportunities to join this program and just chose not to go that route. I can see from this review that I made a wise choice. Although their is valuable stuff that they may offer, it sound way too much like the "system" that I ran for my life from just about 6 months ago!
I am in the same business that I started with but, just dissasociated from the cult leaders who behaved in a similar fashion.
Thank you for sharing. I am sending a copy to my team, so they have their eyes wide open when the "opportunity" reveals itself to them.
JoAnn
http://nobossesforlife.com
Thanks Mark, Awareness is Key!
Mark,
Thank you for an unbiased look into Mentoring for Free. We are former practitioners of the program.
Sharing our experience in Mentoring for Free here with you would do exactly what we promised ourselves we would no longer do and that is bash another company or program.
It is unfortunate that with as much talent available at MFF that the focus, rather than building their Vitamark business, is on tearing apart other companies and individual networkers.
It took a while but we finally realized that this was not moving our business forward.
One of the best practices learned at MFF is the thorough review of one's Policies and Procedures. It isn't about a good or bad set of P & P's (though they would tell you differently) it is knowing fully what you are agreeing to when you sign up.
Our suggestion is to take what you can from the education but understand the underlying agenda.
LYNN and RICK
Lynn Gorfine and Rick Lelchuk
Miami, FL, USA
MFF - Digging Deeper
Hello Partners::
I'll share some links below - NONE of them are mine, as I am no longer associated with MFF.
The thoughts expressed here are strictly my OWN - based on my OWN experience.
I used to be with MMF ( www.big.mentoringforfree.com/indexMFF.php?u=big ) - I actively promoted it for quite some time (you can likely still find my messages posted on Michael Dlouhy's STB ( www.SuccessTeamBuilders.com ) Forum, if it's still active.
Michael ( www.AskMichaelDlouhy.com/ ) used to serve with us on the Board Of Directors of the DRA (Distributor Rights Association - www.TheDRA.org - where I still represent my country of Canada).
He has provided many in the Network Marketing industry with a resource - MFF // Mentoring For Free - one that they will defend to their last breath.
Not me (as much as I appreciate Michael) - because there absolutely IS a 'hidden agenda' there (again, my opinion) - and that is => to bring people to VITAMARK (a very good company). Period.
What I discovered (as many of my other MFF friends did - and have since left) was - it did this by making almost every other MLM company appear "lfar ess attractive" than Vitamark - in subtle (and some not so subtle) ways. I refer to it simply as a form of mind-bending.
For example - the MFF "tools" have pretty much been designed to point people to Vitamark (Success in 10 Steps eBook - the 5-Pillars evaluation - the Policies & Procedures - the Color To Success CD - the Comp Plan comparisons - the daily Prospecting Calls (which I found very uncomfortable, personally) - the 30-Day Mental Cleanse, etc.
In fact, my own Testimony still appears on at least one of those Lead Capture pages ( http://big.5PillarsToSuccess.com/indexPTS.php?u=big#fillup )
As I look through the responses above - and in other threads here - I applaud Joyce Penner for her grasp of MFF and her directness in pointing out the realities of MFF - she is "dead on" in my view.
As well, Dr. Mark Worthen's REVIEW of MFF also tells it like it really is as far as I'm concerned.
One of (many) things that really began irritating me was - every prospect sooner or later got "boxed into" a primary COLOR (personality trait). They were "analysed" based on that trait - and they were "judged" according to that primary Color -- instead of simply being 'accepted for who they were, as worthy human beings'.
But I guess the final 'straw that broke the camel's back' - at least for me, was - don't ever "disagree" with Michael - especially on an open Conference Call, like I did ((over an issue that he raised, and with which I strongly disagreed! :-)) Instead of taking a position of Leadership ('being open to others points of view') - he took a very "controlling" posture - after which our relationship soon evaporated.
I could say much more about my own 'MFF experience' - but I'll leave it at that - my own 02-cents worth (Canadian :-)
Sincerely / Peter A.
www.PeterArnoldOnline.com
Peter Arnold, CLU, CFC / Founder
Business Achievers Academy / Canada
Yeah... BUT!
I've been with MFF for about a month, and I am just sorting out what they have to offer. Since I'm a former math teacher and a Green and really sequential and left-brained... I made a list!
1. There's more information available on all aspects of running your own MLM business than I have ever seen, cumulatively, in 35 years in this industry (off and on, I might add... see my BN profile)
2. The personality of the prime mover is not an issue for me... I want his insights, knowledge, advice and mentoring... I get it through the archived material.
3. And "yes" the underlying unstated theme is "Join VitaMark since it best meets the evaluation criteria we feel are important."
4. My personal mentors in MFF are personable, informative, fun and accessible... I consider myself quite lucky in this regard.
5. AND I am sticking with the company I started with, since I like the product/services and their business plan. Although the comp plan ain't great.
6. I did join VitaMark... but I had to twist my mentor's arm before she'd "'fess up" and tell me who she was with.
Feel free to evaluate all my comments within the framework of my biases.
AND I'm giving this a thumbs up, since I truly believe that thoughtful dialogue is the optimum path to profound truth.
Which President was it that said;
"Even bad press is good". ? I'm not sure but it was Eisenhower that said "I don't care what you write about me just as long as you spell my name right!"
Sounds good Tim
However when you are working online your reputation is key and when you have so many people that see the flaws or are struggling to shake off that training then it gets serious and very damaging.
That was a good quote but not a viable rationale of what people have experienced in the MFF program.
Joyce Penner
www.joycepenner.com
I Agree with Garry
When I first started looking on the web for a business I very much apprecitated the content of the training from MFF and found the Colours CD extremely healpful and easier to apply than Florence Littauer's book about the 4 natures of people - I forget the name. As my Dad used to say "if something applies use it if it doesn't fit put it away- dont throw it out!" Boy it took me time to understand what he was saying, but once I got the hang of it I was away and a much better person for it. We can't just reject people's idea's and methods just because they have a differring perspective from ours. The world would be a boring place if we all thought the same and did the same things. There is always a different perspective ... so we need to be open. Open to accepting that some programmes have dominant characters who do and say and allow things to be other than what we would like them to be. Just grab the nuggets of gold you find in the different opportunities on line and make them work for you. I have now finally lost my "Colours" CD by lending it out just once too often; it never came home. I wonder why? Too good to give back? I joined Vitamark and never worked it at all. But became a wiser and gained morre insite into the practices and workings of the Internet Based business world as a result. It has enabled me to reach higher goals in the past and will now help me build my new business. Lessons learnt are far more valuable than getting things right first time. To each his own, we can only support people in what they personally want to do and recognise that we do not have the right to judge them for their choices. The locus of control remains within each individual. I really appreciate all the comments posted here as this simple diversity show that we are still free to choose.
Best of everything in your various endeavours,