Troy Dooly – MLM Helpdesk Interview

Troy Dooly MLM Helpdesk

Troy Dooly is an international independent servant leader in the Network Marketing and MLM Industry.  His video blog, www.mlmhelpdesk.com is followed by many top leaders in the MLM industry, setting a standard for integrity and knowledge. If Troy digs in his MLM reporting, he digs very deep…

He has many connections with founders and corporate executive's thus making his reporting very reliable. Troy is an independent source of information.

Troy  is a former USA Marine, and ex-Bounty Hunter, who grew up in and around the direct marketing profession since he was 5 years old. He is married to his high school sweetheart and best selling Romance Author Paige Winship Dooly, who has blessed him with six children ranging in age from 26 to 6. The Dooly's are living in Miramar Beach, Florida, USA.

Troy has devoted the last 25 years to studying the clues left by successful people who changed the course of history by leading with focus, passion and a servant’s heart. The clues he has found has been transformed in the strategic principles he is now passing on to this generation of catalyst leaders.

Ted Nuyten had to honour to interview Troy.

Troy, how did you get involved into MLM, who introduced you?

Ted, I grew up in MLM. My mom was a successful rep with Tupperware in the 1960s and Mary Key in the 1980s. I started helping her in the business when I was five and over the years fell in love with it. I started my own direct sales business at 12 selling Christmas cards door-to-door, then by age 16 started selling Mason Shoes (which is still in business today), and at 18 joined A.L. Williams while still in the Marines, and have never looked back.

At 21 while still working part-time at my A.L. Williams/Primerica business, I launched the first and only (to my knowledge) Bail Bond Company with a network marketing compensation plan, and ran that company until 1991. During the 1990’s I went full-time with Primerica and had a solid run, but never really hit my stride. In 1996, Hubert Humphrey former A.L. Williams leader, and founder of World Marketing Alliance decided to form a new frontline team. I was blessed to join with John Benham (former CEO of Text Cash), who was Hubert’s right arm at the time. That is where I broke out and excelled.

Troy and Paige Dooly Troy, Jackie Ulmer and Todd Falcone Troy Dooly and Richard Brooke
Troy and Paige With Jackie Ulmer and Todd Falcone With Mentor Richard Brooke

 

Because I know sales, I was able to grow a small team, and together with their help, grew my income to a solid five figures per month, and saw my team, grow their incomes to solid full-time incomes. In 2000, when Hubert sold WMA, my family and I moved to the beach, and I went into the corporate side of things, with the world’s largest lead generation, support and training company to the network marketing community – ProSTEP. The brainchild of Kevin Lehmann.

I left ProSTEP in 2004 to move back into the field, working my way to a 20K in XanGo, before Joining INVISUS Direct, and facilitating the grow of the largest organization in their ten year history. In 2009 when INVISUS decided to move out of the network marketing community, I decided it was time to become a fulltime ambassador/advocate for the who direct selling profession, which brings us to the present.

What has been the size of the team you build up as an active distributor?

Ted, I have never been a huge team builder. However, my teams always seemed to produce higher numbers, than some large teams, because I always focused on the needs of others, and teach personal production, not just network building. I think this goes back to something I learned from Art Williams years ago “Focus on building your personals, and the rest will take care of itself.”

With that in mind, I have always looked for ways to serve a few directs well, and in doing so have built very stable and volume producing teams, which over the years have attracted some of the most successful leaders we see today in other companies.
INVISUS Direct was my most active team. I think at the height it had close to 3,000 distributors and another 3,000 -4,000 of just customers.

Why did you decide to step down as an active distributor?

This is a question I receive daily from leader in the field and company executives. My passion in life is to serve others by providing wisdom and insight to help them reach their dreams and goals. Which is why although I made more money in the field, I loved my role at ProSTEP. At ProSTEP I was able to support distributors, field leaders and company executives without having to focus on telling them “I have the best opportunity in history.” I could focus on what was “BEST” for the distributor, not protecting my paycheck.

A Troy Dooly Video Production

So, January 1st 2010, I made the decision to move forward in becoming a very vocal advocate/ambassador for the direct selling/network marketing/MLM community. Now we work with companies, venders, distributors, critics, equity firms, researchers, and outsiders who are looking for solid information or statistics in making some decision on the company that would fit their needs the best.

In the last two years, we have grown from our flagship blog MLMHelpDesk.com to a full blog network reaching across the globe, a daily radio show now getting 10K downloads per month from iTunes, and this month became the News Director for the new HomeBusinessRadioNetwork.com and launched a new daily show called The Beachside CEO.

How did you meet your mentor Richard Brooke, do you think every body needs a mentor?

Jim Gillhouse and I asked Richard to be on our weekly radio show Aces Radio Live, early in 2010, as he was planning the launch of 21Ten. I had read Richard’s stuff and listened to his trainings for years, so I was excited for the opportunity to interview him.
After the show, I reached out to thank him for everything, and we just seemed to click. Very quickly, we realized we both had the same passion and goals for the network marketing community, and best of all we do not always agree.

The ability to have a mentor, who you do not always agree with, but doesn’t become offended when you ask questions, creates a fantastic friendship which goes beyond just mentor and prodigy. So, over the last couple of years, he truly has become my closest confidant in the network marketing community, and in a few cases my personal life as well.

And yes, everyone needs a mentor. If they can’t find a mentor to help them in all areas of their life, then they should look for several. Tom Haupt is another personal mentor, who I meet with on a regular basis to mentor me in areas where I do not want to bother Richard with. Although, many times I do find Richard and Tom will end up both saying the same thing to me, even though they are coming at it from two different directions.

Mentors, bring a new light. If a personal can’t find a live mentor, then they should find some authors, and grab them as mentors. John Maxwell, has been a distant mentor of mine since I read “Developing The Leader Within You” back in my 20s. Since then I have bought and read everything he has ever written. I have several distent mentors, some are still alive and some were dead before I was born.

Jim Gilhouse Garreth McGrath Troy and Sandi Cohen - Xango Troy Dooly and Rod Cook MLM Watchdog
Jim Gilhouse & Garrett McGrath – Evolv Troy & Sandi Cohen – Xango Troy & Rod Cook MLM Watchdog

 

What are the good and bad things about the MLM industry?

Great question! The best thing about the MLM industry (community) is the fact everyone has the opportunity to grow beyond where they are today. No matter what country, if a person is not happy with their life, MLM gives them the opportunity to grow personally, and to research and try, yes I said “try” different companies, compensation plans, and even uplines, until they find the right combination for themselves.

Another great thing about MLM is the fact, you get to make mistakes and not get FIRED! Anytime we as humans try something new, we are going to make mistakes. In the corporate world, other people must protect their jobs, so when we make mistakes we can end up fired, instead of mentors and coached to get better. In MLM everyone has or will make mistakes, these are the times when great leaders are developed.

MLM also provides a place where success isn’t measured (should NOT be measured) on incomes alone. Success is based on so many variables that for each person it is different. I have seen folks come into MLM, never make enough income to offset their product purchase, yet because of the personal development they received, advanced higher in the corporate world, than they ever imagined. Changing gears to answer the second part of the question is easier for me than most. Having grown up in this great community, I have seen how when people “rank” advance, but have not grown personally, their EGO can overtake them, causing them to think they are far better leaders than they really are.

A Troy Dooly Video Production

When that happens, they will sometimes look for a new home where they can be the top dog. Sadly, when they get there, the leaders in their organization, did not go with them, and they do not live up to the their own expectations. Sadly, they do not look inside to see the issue, they always point to others.Another issue, is the fact because it is so easy to get into an MLM business, many people at the corporate level and the field, do not really look at it as a long term venture. In other words they really are looking to “get rich quick” and don’t take the time needed to research a company or leader. When you get someone in the field looking to “get rich quick” and you have a company formed by people wanting to “get rich quick” you have an explosion in the making. And when the explosion happens, no one wins. The outside critics say “there is another MLM pyramid”.

Distributors point to the company leaders, and the leaders disappear. Well some do, then when the fire burns down, they come back to do it again.

A third issue, that we tend to talk negative (different than critical) of other leaders or companies, just to make ours look good. We are all on the same team, going for the same endgame… success of some form! So we should be working together in authentic collaboration to praise the good of all, discuss the bad, run out the scammers, and raise the overall standard of excellence. If we can teach folks, this is not a “get rich quick deal” but is a Four Year Career Plan” as my mentor Richard Brooke states (he just released his new book with the same title.) then we will all start treating MLM as a part-time or full-time business, and not just a spear-time hobby.

You are involved into the networkmarketingadvocates.com, what is it?

I launched TheNetworkMarketingAdvocates.com last year as a place where distributors, leaders, outsiders and even critics can come to get some solid statistics, coaching and training about network marketing worldwide. We are a small group right now of committed advocates and ambassadors who have joined forces to provide authentic collaboration and real facts to folks. Most of what we provide is available to the public, we do have premium content, which is only available when a person upgrades to a $10 monthly subscriber.

The ANMP Convention – Association Of Network Marketing Professional, what can you tell?

The ANMP (association of Network Marketing Professionals is an international organization formed by the likes of Rod & Marcie Cook, Sandi Cohen, Dr. Keith Laggos, Wayne Hillman, Steve Wallach and many others several years ago. The association is a place where together distributors and owners work to communicate better between each other, and to focus on raising the standard of excellence worldwide so we can eliminate the negative impression some folks have of network marketing because of the Ponzi and pyramids who call themselves network marketing or MLM companies.

Our official purpose: “To positively impact, serve, educate, standardize, preserve, and unite the network marketing associates, and those who develop and create businesses with the network marketing community.” People who are interested can join at TheANMP.org

Which MLM initiatives/movements are important nowadays?

This is a great question. There are several initiatives/movements I feel have the potential to create lasting transformation within our profession worldwide, some older and some new.

Real Savvy Success – This is a movement’s initiative is on empowering female entrepreneurs inside the network marketing community. Direct Selling Women’s Alliance – One of their initiatives is to respond to every report or article written about the direct selling profession with positive insights and testimonials.

Direct Selling Educational Foundation – Their Women Entrepreneur Initiative  is focused on helping women become successful entrepreneurs with their own direct selling business.

Assocation of Network Marketing Professionals – The #1 initiative is to eliminate the concept of companies’ .vs distributors or distributors’ .vs companies.  We are a community who need each other, not be working against each other.

And Ted, the most powerful movement may be that of the independent bloggers like us, who love the profession and work together to provide information, facts and opinions to help distributors and companies work closer together.

What advice can you give a newbiein our great industry?

The best advice is to slow down and research the company and leader they are looking to collaborate. To many times people from around the globe join a company or team before investigating all the information available. Then when something goes wrong, they blame the company, leader or whole network marketing community, when just a little investigation would might have opened their eyes to the risk.

The second piece of advice is, once a newbie has decided on a company and team to join, STOP looking for anything else, and build their network marketing business. There is no reason to keep jumping on the next best-looking deal.

What other questions would you like to answer?

Ted, you have done a great job in asking these questions. Instead of me thinking of new questions, I will gladly answer any questions from your community members who leave a question in the comments below.

Become a Recommended Distributor

Direct Selling Distributors, they are active professionals, who love to team up with you!

Comments (5)

  1. Ted,

    Thank you for seeing value in my mission and asking me for an interview. You run a rock solid community and a service that helps support the mission of Authentic Collaboration.

    Living An Epic Adventure,

    Troy

  2. Ted, Top notch article! I consider Troy Dooly a friend and someone that is a staunch advocate for the home based business industry. I was first introduced to Troy the first time I was on Ace's Radio with Jim Gillhouse. It's funny looking back now, but back then I was wondering who is this guy hammering me with tough questions on the radio? Little did I know then that I would soon come to admire Mr. Troy Dooly and respect his no BS demeanor. Your article truly captures Troy's essence, passion and the unyielding commitment Troy has for the direct selling industry. We are a better industry with Troy as part of it. DREAM BIG!!! Michael Hamburger

  3. I have the privilege of being on the Board of Directors of the ANMP with Troy. Thought that you did a great article about him. The key is that in our profession, Together We Win!!! There has never been more of a need for a profession that allows people to create financial freedom. We are all in that profession and we all are in it to win by helping others win!

  4. Great interview. I have been following Troy for a few years now and I consider him a distant mentor. I would love to get to know him better in the future!

Write a comment

Connect with