Build a Better Relationship

I want to tell you a story. One day this woman called me out of the blue and said she was interested in individual coaching. I have to admit I was excited. It’s always nice when unexpected business comes.

We agreed to meet for coffee to discuss how I could help her in her business. When she arrived, she wasn’t alone. She was in network marketing and she brought her sponsor with her. At first, I thought great, her sponsor can see how I can help and I may get two for the price of one. Yea! Me!

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Some of you see where this is going. The next thing I knew I was being pressured to sign up for the latest greatest business opportunity. We never even discussed coaching.

Before you ask, I got out of there as quickly as I could and didn’t contact her again. I thought about it because she wasn’t going to get very far doing business that way, but I was afraid she would bring her whole group next time. Yikes! I decided to let her go.

Has this ever happened to you? Of course it has.

This was an extreme case, but it’s happened to all of us at one time or another and not just with MLM. Has anyone ever gone to a time share for the weekend? How about to a car lot? Why was the “do not call” list started?

People were getting blind-sided with high pressure marketing calls. Now everyone is worried about spam. There’s a reason for it. In sales, people are taught that if you just talk to enough people, you will sell something.

Don’t get me wrong. I love sales! I know when I am being sold and enjoy a good sales pitch. What’s that old saying, “Nothing happens until somebody sells something?” I love that. These people weren’t trying to sell me, they were working the numbers.

It’s the theory that if you throw enough mud up against a wall, some will stick. Yes, it will, but it’s still mud. Eventually it will dry up and fall off the wall and it certainly isn’t going to bring you any other business.

There’s a better way. All it takes is a change of attitude. Instead of just counting heads, focus on what you can do for those heads. What do they need? How can you help them? Maybe what they need isn’t what you’re offering, but you know someone who does offer it.

Get them together. Now you have two people who are forever grateful to YOU for getting them together. Don’t you think they’ll try to return the favor? Sure they will. Building a sale is about building a relationship. If you don’t care about the other person, they certainly won’t care about you.

You may be thinking, “but I do care about others and they really need what I have to offer.” That may be true, but they have to believe it before they will buy from you. The worst way to try to sell someone is to tell them they’re stupid or don’t know what they’re doing. They won’t buy from you on principle.

That’s why I never called that woman back. She didn’t think she needed any help. Until she was ready to change, she wasn’t going to get help. It didn’t matter what I said to her.

What she didn’t understand was sales are all about relationships. She didn’t take time to build the relationship. She ambushed me.

Don’t get me wrong, she had good intentions as most people do. Everyone believes in their product and think that everyone should have it. It’s human nature to be egocentric. They’re excited as they should be.

Besides the “sales experts” always say it’s just a numbers game so just keep talking and you’ll be successful. Use the three foot rule which is “tell everyone who comes within three feet of you.”

Don’t do it!!!!!! Let me say that again! DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!!

When you are talking to anyone, focus on them. Listen to what they say… and don’t say. Remember that you are there to serve them.

What can you do to help them? It could be they need your product. It could be something else. Whatever it is, share it with them. That’s how you build the relationship. If you do that, you will get customers coming back to you over and over again. You can’t miss.