The BOTTOM Five Percent (it's not who you think!)

We hear a lot in the network marketing industry about "The Top Five Percent". These are the people who are making it happen.

They're earning large incomes. They're being an example of what's possible. They're leading the charge. They're making things happen. And they're getting all the rewards they deserve.

One group that we do NOT talk about much in this industry is the "The BOTTOM Five Percent".

These people are basically those who exist for the sole purpose of tearing down whatever a productive person is doing. The most appealing emotional payoff that exists for these people is when they feel that they are successfully impeding someone from achieving their desired end.

They don't do anything. They don't produce anything. They don't achieve anything. They don't get anything done. They're not making things happen. And they make NO significant money in the industry.

In fact, most of them have never earned more than $500 in any home-business despite the fact that many of them have been involved in the industry for years. In most cases, whatever success they've was long ago. And their lack of results since have caused them to become focused on DESTRUCTion rather than PROduction.

And -- to me -- the saddest part is that many of The Bottom Dwellers actually get most of their traction by positioning themselves as an "experienced" person.

They know the lingo. They keep track of the gossip. They know all the different pay plans. They've read the books. They've been to some seminars.

So, at first glance, they can actually come across as someone who's actually knowledgeable about the industry and whose opinion would be worth hearing. But, most of us who ARE productive and successful have learned some simple ways to spot the Bottom Dweller by observing their language. Language is a great clue for where someone's mindset is.

The Bottom Dwellers usually say things like:

-- "The reason so-and-so is successful is because they probably brought over a big group from another company." Or "Well, you know that person is friends with so-and-so...that's how they made all their money". (The Bottom Dweller cannot imagine that it's possible for someone to actually start from scratch and be successful. Or that someone else became successful in the same business that the Bottom Dweller failed in.)

-- "That company is a scam". (The truth is that there really aren't as many scams out there as you'd think. A 'scam' is when you were defrauded out of money because something was misrepresented. If the Bottom Dweller joined a company, worked the business and didn't succeed.....that doesn't mean the company is a 'scam'.)

-- "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." (This statement always amazes me. Are they really saying they only want get involved in things that sound bad enough to be realistic? It seems to me that if one never gets started in something that sounds unusually good.....they'll always only get started in things that are average or mediocre.)

-- "That company's products are too expensive!". (Never mind that thousands of people are buying them and that those marketing them are seeing sales growth from month to month. What the Bottom Dweller should probably have said is that they can't AFFORD it.)

-- "That company marks up their prices just so the reps can make a large income." (Well....duh. Isn't that what every company in the world is doing? How much do you think Nike has to mark up their shoes in order to pay Michael Jordan for his marketing efforts?)

-- "That stuff doesn't work. You can get the same thing at _______ (insert name of healthfood store, bookstore, or cheap competitor's name here). (That may be true. Of course, it's also true that there are millions of businesses who make a fortune selling products similar to someone elses. So?)

-- "I found three typos on that guy's website. How can he expect people to take him seriously if he misspells words?" (Nevermind that that website has produced millions of dollars in sales.)

-- "That pay plan isn't as good as the _____ pay plan." (Yes, I'm sure you're right. Even though you're living in your Mom's basement and sitting on rented furniture, I'm sure we should all bow to your wisdom when it comes to understanding the cash flow of various pay plans.)

-- "You're in a scam -- oh, just relax, can't you take a joke?". (Classic passive-aggressive behavior. Attack someone and then, when they respond appropriately, tell them that you were just kidding. It helps if you put a lot of winks and smiley-faces in there, too.)

We can go on and on. (By the way, if you're still reading this, you're probably not a Bottom-Dweller. The only reason a Bottom-Dweller would still be reading this is because they're arming themselves to make a defensive attack on me on some internet forum and to make sure they misquote me properly or take my comments out of context).

The basic point is this: just KNOWING that this group of people exists goes a long way to understanding how to deal with them. Simply put, some people get an emotional payoff by trying to take the wind out of someone else's sails. And they're hell-bent on doing it to as many people as they can.

The "Kryptonite" for these people is simply to ask them to talk about their own results.

What have they created? What have they produced? What income are they earning? What leadership positions have they achieved?

You'll find that Bottom Dwellers are allergic to these questions. After all...they're about PROduction...not DEstruction.

The solution? Look with your own two eyes and think for yourself. Don't let a very loud minority keep you from moving forward in your life!