I Don’t Kiss On The First Date!

So today I’m on Facebook posting a blog post to some of my favorite niche groups.   As is usually the case within a few minutes I get a new friend request.   I love friend requests, it is a chance to form new relationships (even if they don’t become business relationships).  I send over my “thank you for connecting with me” message and go on about my business.

About 10 minutes later my Facebook chat notification goes off and it is my new friend on the other end.

“Hey”

“How are u doing?”

“How is life treating you”

The conversation starts off cordial enough.

So I answer that I’m doing great and I ask “how about yourself?”

“Good”

“What do you do for a living?” is the response.   Cue the music…the prospecting has begun.

So I talk about my ministry and my marketing work and I end my disclosure with the same question back to my new “friend.”

“I help people to create and living their dream lifestyle” is the response.

I begin to wonder which script book we’re reading from and whether I have been through that training yet.   I guess I’ll have some fun with this, so I answer “fantastic.”

My new friend had me in his sights for sure now….the next question was the “there’s no way out of this one” question.  In this case it looked something like this:  “I have a question for you Carl.  Who do you know that is ready to create their dream lifestyle?”

Alright, I was ready to get off this train….I’m not that easy.   My reply was simply this:  “Great prospecting question.   Let’s get to know each other before we start prospecting.”

Now before I go off on my tangent let me begin by saying my new friend is a great salesman and they will probably “seal the deal” more often than most people; however, they forgot something important.   When people simply become targets for the next score, there is path of bodies that get left in the wake.   This type of approach shows a lack of respect for the individual, instead they become just another conquest.

Network marketing is a relationship business.  When we take the time to lay the foundation, earning the respect of those we are courting they won’t just give us the kiss of a quick sale, but they will truly become partners in our lives.   A partner shares our joys, our pains and our victories.  In a true partnership we give fully of ourselves to those we partner to, not holding back and not looking for ways to use them for our own gain.

What my new “friend” didn’t realize is that I don’t do business with people that I don’t know like or trust.   I make those decisions by watching the way a person conducts their business.   In my book substance will win out over style every time.  At the same time, I prefer building a team with people who take the time to see what I’m all about.  People who chase shiny balls and swoon with a well rehearsed script are often here today and gone tomorrow.  I’m looking for a lasting relationship.

If you would rather not work that way, you  need to watch this video