Building Relationships for Your Networking Business

A common practice someone may have told you to do is to "make a list of everyone you know," and "it does not matter who they are, just write them down, because you will contact them eventually."

Then, you were probably instructed to call all of these people with a tremendous amount of excitement telling them that you just found out about this exciting new business, and they just HAVE to hear about it.

After that, they will so curious about what all the excitement is about and want to know what you are doing, and then you "edify your upline" (BTW: edify is not a real word ;) who will then recruit them for you and everyone is happy... Right?

WRONG!

This strategy rarely works, and it is trained over and over again. This is mostly why the general public hates MLM (or at least thinks they do).

The very thought of having this type of conversation may have induced a deep feeling of anxiety in your gut. Most likely, you don't want to be that guy or girl who's always trying to sell your friends on the new vitamin product, new telephone plan, or fantastic new gizmo.

You are not alone.

Many others experience the same amount of anxiety over the very thought of approaching their friends, family and business associates in this manner. It's uncomfortable, it's not natural, and more importantly, it doesn't work for most people.

People do not care about your business, your product or the CEO of your company. They care about you. So put your best foot forward.

The truth is that the average life-span of a new person's MLM career is VERY SHORT. This is mainly because the most common ways of teaching and promoting MLM is to start selling immediately without gaining the foundation to build a successful business. This often causes immediate rejection, which makes most people quit right away.

These methods are simply outdated strategies that do not work in today's world.

They produce a 95%+ failure rate and it is time for change.

It's time to build relationships on a foundation of trust and respect.

Building a list of people you know is not a bad practice. It's what you DO with this list that counts.

Begin to build your list of people you know. Make it a goal to list at least 150 people. Never forget that your list is your goldmine. You need people to grow your business.

As you know, your list is composed of a lot of people from all different walks of life. Some you have known since childhood, since high school, previous jobs, people who attended your wedding, people you work with, you get the point.

Your list consists of POTENTIAL customers or business partners. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must be able to RELATE to all these people, if you want them to work with you or be your customer now or in the future.

There are two reasons for making this list: The first is obviously to establish just how many contacts you have, and the second, most important reason, is to get you in the habit of keeping a list. People are creatures of habit. Keeping a list of your current and future prospects is not only a good habit, it is fundamental to your success.

Simply contacting people on your list with great enthusiasm will not create the success you are hoping for. Enthusiasm is good, but it's certainly not the only ingredient in the recipe for success.

We urge you NOT to begin by sharing your opportunity with friends and family, until you are comfortable with your Why, your company's products, and how these products benefit you and others using them. Don't spoil what could possibly be a very good opportunity for others with a weak and uneducated approach.

Remember, your list is your goldmine, so give these people some respect! DO NOT, absolutely do not, call the people on your list yelling with excitement. Doing this will kill all credibility you may have with them.

We know, because we have all done it, and seen others do it too... and fail. By now you must be wondering, "Well, what DO I do with this list then?"

Here's what you do...

Go through your new list and contact the people you have not talked to for quite a while, and get caught up with them. Ask them questions about their life, ask them how they are doing, ask them how their kids or their wife or their family is doing. Ask them what they have been up to, outside of work, etc. You get the point.

This may seem like the most obvious thing to do, but most people overlook this step in the initial process and then wonder why they are not getting results!

Understand, this may not get them to join your business. You are networking.

Remember, this is network marketing. Your job is to contact people and ask them questions about how their life is going to see if your product and/or opportunity will fit into their life.

Your first or second contact will usually never include any recruiting. Be interested versus trying to sound interesting. Make a note of the ones that may be a good fit, and make a note of those that are definitely not a good fit. If it does not seem like a fit for them - move on. Do not waste your time trying to convince people.

The key to successfully doing business with people is building strong and long lasting relationships with them. This is especially true in Network Marketing. If you call someone you have not spoken with in two years and spend a little time catching up with them, finding out how they have been and what has happened in their lives since you last spoke (and you are genuinely interested), chances are they are going to feel good about your conversation.

However, if you call them up, give a little small talk, and then try and sell them on your business, the result will be much different. It's pretty simple logic.

You need to get to know what makes people tick. You will be looking and listening for how and where their lifestyle could benefit from an opportunity like the one you hope to offer them. You are also pre-qualifying them to see if you actually want to offer them this opportunity. Some people will not have the values you are looking for - so don't waste your time.

If you practice the goal of simply reconnecting with people, you can expect them to be naturally interested in your life too.

This is the same practice for new people you meet. Some people complain about not having enough people to talk to. This is a ridiculous excuse. There are plenty of people around for anyone to talk to. The question is... what are your intentions?

By simply having the intention to make friends, and show genuine curiosity towards others, anyone can have an endless pool of prospects. Just ask people questions about themselves.

How is your job going?

Tell me more about that.

What would you rather be doing if time and money were not an issue?

People like to talk about themselves. As people talk, you can scan for values...

Do they have a genuinely positive outlook, or a negative outlook?

Do they seem out going, or are they an introvert?

Do they seem to take personal responsibility, or do they blame others for problems in their life?

You are looking for other entrepreneurs. Most people you come across will not consider themselves to be entrepreneurs. This does not mean that they are not at heart. They may not know they are.

Scanning for values is important because you a re looking for people who share some of the same values you do. It is much easier to attract like minded people into your business.

Once you have built the relationship, and there is some level of trust and respect then these types of people are likely to join you, or at least be supportive of your endeavors, because you showed interest in who they are to begin with.

People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Build the relationship first, and offer your business secondly. If you focus on building quality relationships, it will be easy to find quality prospects and grow your business.