When you started your business, one of the intentions you had in mind may have been to help people. This is especially true if the product or service you’re selling has made such a strong impact on you and your life. Motivated by the desire to share your positive experiences with others, you’re driven by the need to help as many people as you can, and network marketing allows you to do so. 

Although traditional sales methods have given network marketing a bad name, network marketers who lean into their relationships are improving this reputation all the time. Instead of always looking to lock in a sale, this new breed of network marketer looks for ways to help the people in their networks. Help is in the form of offering useful information, lending an ear, connecting people together, and even just making someone’s day. 

Why helping is imperative to a thriving network marketing business

For years, network marketers alienated their networks by constantly pushing for the sale, regardless of if the person needed or wanted the products. As a result, many friendships were fractured or just got super awkward. That’s no way to build a business, especially if you want it to last longer than five minutes. 

Many network marketers saw the error in this type of selling. They wanted to nurture the relationships they had with the people in their networks and be of service to them. Sure, they wanted to share more about their business and products, but it was more important to listen for a way to help. In an ideal world, their product or service would fit the needs of everyone in their network. Life, however, doesn’t always work that way. 

They looked for other ways to help. Do they know someone in their networks who could help the person? Could they help by offering encouraging words and motivation? Could they help by just listening? 

Helpfulness is at the core of working with heart. When your heart is at the center of your business, you look for ways to help the people in your network. 

“You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others.” -Audrey Hepburn

The role of helping in building relationships

Relationships are built on trust. This trust comes from consistently connecting with your network. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to contact them all the time; however, they should be able to count on you to follow up with them when you say you will and connect with them on a regular basis, whether it’s to check-in or to make them smile. 

Think about your best relationships for a minute. At the center of them is the desire to help, right? If they needed something, you’d help them in a minute. The same is true on many levels for the people in your network. Although they shouldn’t rely on you to solve all of their challenges, they should know that you’re on their side and can empathize with them. And, if you can help them, either with your business or by connecting them with someone else, that’s just the icing on the cake. 

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” -Lao Tzu

How to help

There are many ways to help the people in your network. Here are just a few.

Offer encouragement

In life, we want to know that people are on our side, especially at this time when everything feels uncertain and many people are struggling. It’s tough to find hope when you’re in the middle of a challenging situation. When you offer encouragement, you’re giving someone the gift of hope when they need it the most. 

Encouraging words help the person see beyond their situation and remember that won’t last forever. It reminds them to look for the positive or the lesson, even if it’s hard to see it right now. It also shows that you care, and caring is at the center of building any relationship. 

Make their day 

This is the easiest thing to do even though it seems like such a small thing. A short message that says hello, asks how they are, and wishes them an awesome day is a small act that has a big impact. First, it shows the person that you’re thinking of them. Second, it shows that you’ve taken time out of your day to contact them. Even if they don’t respond right away, they’ll feel honored that you reached out to them, especially if it’s been a few weeks or months since you last spoke with them. Third, it shows that they’re more important to you than just a potential sale or distributor. You really care about them as well. 

Listen

Sometimes all someone needs is to have someone listen. They don’t want someone to solve their problem or offer solutions; they just want an open ear. Luckily, as humans, we’re given two. Use one of them to listen to what the other person is saying and listen for non-verbal cues. If they say they’re fine, but they’re a certain edge in their voice, let them know you’re listening. If they mention a challenge or that this is a challenging time, remind them you’re there. Then, listen to them – don’t think about what you’ll say next or jump in with advice or your own stories of how you overcame the issue yourself. Just listen. People will appreciate it and you’ll build trust and the overall relationship. 

Connect them with someone in your network

If they’re looking for a solution but you’re unable to help, connect them with someone in your network who can. Become the hub of your network – the person known for connecting people together. Even in the age of stay-at-home orders, you can still connect people virtually through social media, text, and email. 

When you connect people together, you serve to help both parties and improve your relationships with both of them. You become more than the person with the network marketing business; you also become the person with the huge network who helps others find solutions to their challenges. It gives people one more reason to think of you.

Suggest a product or service you offer, if appropriate

If your product or service can help the other person, by all means, suggest it. You’re the biggest advocate for your business, after all. The thing is, when you bring it up when it’s most appropriate, people don’t feel as if you’re talking to them just to make a sale. They understand that you’re legitimately trying to help them and appreciate that you’re offering a solution that may work. This carries no risk of alienating them and instead can improve your relationship with them.

Follow up 

This is especially important if they mentioned a challenge or issue earlier. Most people will hear the issue and then won’t take that next step of following up to see if there’s a resolution. When you follow up, you show that you care enough to remember that they needed help in the first place. Plus, you just plain show that you care about them. 

What if they didn’t mention a concern or issue? Well, just see how they are. Life changes by the minute and following up gives you the opportunity to see if you can help or just wish them well. You can also gauge their interest in any opportunity you may have offered previously.

Think of following up as an act of love. You want to show your network that you care so much that you remember (with the help of Teamzy) to follow up with them consistently. They appreciate the thought and are happy that you remembered. What a great and thoughtful way to build a relationship. 

Make them feel important

Everyone wants to feel valued and important, especially during a conversation. It’s so easy to get distracted by everything else in life. The most charismatic people have one thing in common: they make the other person feel as if they’re the most important thing in the world. You can do this by checking in with them consistently, listening or reading what they have to say, asking questions and then ask follow up questions to show interest, and just being there to offer help when they need it. 

Although all of these suggestions seem like common sense and seem small, they do wonders for your relationships with people within and outside of your network. When you run a network marketing business with heart, these things become second nature to you. 
Since life is hectic and running a business can be overwhelming, lean on Teamzy to help you connect with your network and improve your relationships with them. Teamzy lets you know who to contact and even offers scripts to help you connect with them. Click here for more information.