Valentine’s Day is all about love, and in the world today, it’s something we need more of. In the last blog, we went into how to share the love; that is, how to serve your network, team, and everyone you know and boost leads at the same time. This week we’ll tie it in with relationship marketing, which is building a business based on love and service. 

What is relationship marketing?

One of the biggest critiques of network marketing is that people don’t want to sound salesy or pushy and alienate their family, friends, and acquaintances. Traditional network marketing sales techniques seem to be all about pushing people to buy, buy, buy, regardless of whether they want to or not. The result is burned relationships. Many of us have either experienced this first-hand or know someone who has. No one wants to feel bullied into supporting a business.

Relationship marketing is the opposite of this. It’s all about building and nurturing relationships with the people in your network, regardless of whether they buy from you right now or want to join your team. It’s continuing to nurture the relationship and finding ways to serve and help them. And, it’s leading your business with heart, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been network marketing for years and want to build a positive, thriving business. 

Why relationship marketing is essential to building a healthy network marketing business

Relationship marketing allows you to grow your network based on the introductions of the people who trust you – your network. Pushy sales techniques alienate people so that you’re always trying to build your network from square one. With relationship marketing, instead of starting at square one all the time, you build on your existing relationships and serve them. The stronger your relationships, the more comfortable you’ll be asking them to introduce you to other great people like them. Your network grows as you continue to build upon and strengthen your existing relationships. 

Becoming a master of relationship marketing takes skill, though. Although we’re eager to connect with our customers, prospects, and distributors, we may still feel like we’re being salesy whenever we talk about our businesses, especially if we’re just starting out. It’s hard to get over feeling nervous that we’re being too pushy when we even just mention our business. Let’s be clear – it’s not pushy to talk about your business. The good news is, there are things you can do to help build your skills and become a master of relationship marketing.

How to build your relationship marketing skills

Want to build your relationship marketing skills? Start doing these things today.

Commit to professional development

The best way to gain new skills and sharpen existing ones is through professional development. There are many ways to develop professionally, including reading, watching videos, or taking training, such as Elite Business Bootcamp. 

What are you reading? Read books about business systems you’d like to use, or by business leaders you’d like to emulate. Also, be sure to read all you can about the industry in which you work, so when anyone in your network has a question, whether they are a customer or a team member, you know the answer (or at least where to find it). 

What are you watching and listening to? Watch videos and listen to podcasts from leaders in your industry and other business professionals you admire. Whether you listen in your car while you run errands, or watch during your workout or during your Power Hour, dedicate some time to filling your mind with positive, educational information.

Also, be sure to dedicate time to training as well. Participating in training, such as Elite Business Bootcamp, will not only give you the skills and expertise you need to grow and lead your business, it’ll also connect you with other ambitious professionals in network marketing. 

Get a coach or mentor

Think having a coach or a mentor is only for people who are at the top of their game, like athletes? Not so fast, a coach can help you strive for and achieve the ambitious goals you’ve set for yourself and map out your plan to build and grow a successful business. A mentor is someone who you can talk to about your business, who perhaps has been where you are before, and can offer their unique insight and expertise about your business. 

Although both will surely provide encouragement, especially when you need it the most, they each have their own roles to play in your business. Your coach is your planning expert and the person who will hold you accountable to your business and goals. They’ll give it to you straight because they have no stake in your business. They’ll offer their unbiased opinions on your business and offer advice about what you should do next. And, they can offer advice and guidance to help you connect better with your network so you can ask for more introductions. 

A mentor will provide valuable insight into business. Think of someone who’s successful or wise, who can offer their advice and share their experiences with you. Perhaps they’ve also been a network marketer and achieved success. Or, perhaps, they’re a pillar of your local community. You can also consider someone who is a business leader who you haven’t met before, but whose experiences, especially in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, are an inspiration to you. The idea is to find someone whose advice or experiences can inspire you to achieve great things in business and life. 

Connect with your peers

They say sharing is caring. The same is true with your team. Share your commitment to relationship marketing with them and also share your experiences with it. Be transparent, especially about any challenges you’re facing – chances are, they’re also experiencing the same thing and you can brainstorm ways to face it together. For example, if you’re feeling frustrated because someone in your network isn’t responding to your messages, share that struggle with your team. Sure, they may have ideas to help you encourage a response, but more importantly, they can provide the encouragement you may need in order to keep doing what you’re doing each day (i.e., your Power Hour). Or, someone else may be experiencing the same thing and knowing that they’re not alone in the struggle gives them more confidence and encouragement to keep going. 

Don’t forget to share triumphs as well. Share your triumphs and encourage others on your team to share theirs as well, especially if it comes after a challenge. For example, using the example above, if you or someone on your team finally hears from a hard-to-reach person, celebrate it. It’s often easier to stay motivated when you or someone on your team has worked through a challenge and achieve success. It’s those small victories that keep us going. 

More tips for mastering the relationship marketing system

Be patient. Mastering the relationship marketing system takes time and daily Power Hours. Resist the urge to get discouraged. Relationship building is a gradual process, built upon each consistent connection you make with your network. 

Do the work. Similarly, if you want to reap the rewards, you have to put in the work. It’s not glamorous; however, the more time you put into your relationships, the bigger results you’re likely to have. 

Be consistent. Successful businesses are built on consistency. Consistently do the work and your daily Power Hours. When your network knows they can count on you to connect with and follow up with them, they’re more likely to trust you. And trust is central to every relationship. 

Have fun. The more fun you have while building your business, the more enjoyable working on your business will be. It also makes you more approachable and more enjoyable to work with. 

Teamzy can help you practice and master relationship marketing

Teamzy was created to help network marketers build thriving businesses doing what they do best – helping and serving people. No more relying on index cards and notebooks to keep track of your network, Teamzy keeps all of your information in one place so you can connect with people more easily. It also makes it easy to track your activities, keep track of your progress toward your goals, and keep your network’s information up-to-date. Of course, the additional bonus is access to scripts to help you connect better with your customers, prospects, and distributors, as well as videos and training to help you hone your skills and become a better network marketer. Want to learn more? Click here.