Many people love the idea of starting a network marketing business. For many, they want to share the great experiences they’ve had with a product. Others wish to break out of the traditional confines of a nine-to-five that they can spend more time doing what they love. However, although the idea of starting a social selling business appeals to many, there’s one thing that they often dread: talking about their businesses. Talking about your business can be an awkward experience for many people. It’s not polite to talk about yourself in conversation. It’s polite to focus the attention on the other person and ask them questions about what’s going on in their life.

Although the conversation inevitably swings back to us, we often keep it short. We say, “oh, I’m doing fine, you know. not much going on.” You feel awkward focusing the attention on what we’re really working on: growing our network marketing businesses. So, how do you get over your fear of talking about your business?

Why is it essential to social selling?

Before we get into providing tips to help you talk about your business, let’s talk about why it’s important to talk about your business. When you’re trying to build a successful network marketing business, it’s all about getting social with everyone that you know. Network marketing is a social selling business. Your business is built on relationships and serving those relationships so that they become strong advocates. At the core of this is heart and service. Those who build their business on heart and valuing the relationships are more likely to have stronger businesses. 

However, it’s impossible to grow your business and build strong advocates for that business if no one knows what you’re doing. In order to build your business you have to talk about your business. This isn’t Fight Club. You got to talk about your business to everyone that you know: your friends, your family, the parents at your kids’ schools or at their sporting events, and the people you see every day. Every single one of them has the potential to become a strong advocate for your business. But, they can’t become that strong advocate if they don’t know what you do. Many network marketers assume that the people they know and love know exactly what they’re doing to build their business. And they may. But they may not know that you want them to become strong advocates for your business. 

Asumptions are everwhere. They assume that you’ll get customers and the customers will buy things, etc. You assume that if they want to buy something from you or join your team that they’ll get in touch with you. Both of these assumptions may be false. Although customers will buy from your business, in social selling it’s often the people we know who become our biggest customers. And, although our friends, loved ones, and other people in our networks are aware that we’re trying to build a business, they may not think to buy from us unless we remind them of what we do. 

Think about a loved one. What do they do for work? What does their day look like? While you may have an idea of their occupation, you may not know the ins and outs of their jobs and what they do each day. The same is true for you. The people you know may be aware that you’re building a network marketing business, but they may not know how you’re going about it, they may not know exactly what you sell, and they may not know that they can become strong advocates for you. This is why it’s so important to talk about your business. You give people the scoop on what you’re doing and how they can help you achieve success.

How to talk about your business

Social selling tip: Let go of your fears

Many people don’t talk about their business because they are afraid to. First, they fear rejection. No one likes a feeling of rejection, especially when they’re going out on a limb and trying to build a business that they believe in and care about. At the core of that is they don’t want to hear the two most dreaded words in sales: no thanks. Although it’s possible to turn a no into a yes, many network marketers may not feel comfortable doing so. They don’t want to appear pushy or too salesy. Additionally, they don’t want to hurt the relationship.

But the truth is if you want to grow your business you have to talk about your business. And the easiest people to talk to about your business are people that you already know. You have a relationship with them and they want to see you succeed. Although they may not become customers of your business, it’s likely that they know people who can benefit from the products and services that you provide. They can introduce you to people who would benefit from your business. And this is how an advocate is born. Also, it often takes between 7 and 10 follow-ups before a no turns into a yes. The more you talk about your business, the sooner you can get to yes.

Let go of perfection

When is the perfect time to bring up your business in conversation? Conversations tend to have a typical flow. You say hello to each other, you share what’s going on in your lives, and then you say goodbye. Most conversations go this way. However, what if it doesn’t? Many network marketers, especially when they’re first starting out, often build up these conversations in their heads. They practice them in their heads before they start a conversation with someone else. Preparation is important, especially in social selling. It’s important to practice the scripts so that you don’t get flustered.

Scripts allow you to focus on the conversation itself instead of what you’ll say next. However, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in how you think the conversation will go that you don’t stay present at the moment. There’s no such thing as the perfect conversation. Don’t wait until you have the perfect thing to say to someone before you talk to them about your business. That’s why we have scripts to help you get the conversation started. They take the guesswork out of talking about your business in conversation. Read and practice the scripts to the point where you’re comfortable with them. The more comfortable you are with them, the easier it will be to work them into the conversation.

Although circumstances may arise where you’re unable to talk about your business, such as if your conversation is interrupted, you will often have the opportunity to talk about your business in conversation. Take it when you have it. Talk about what you do, why you love it, and what you’re working on now, and remind them that you’re there to serve. This will give them an idea of what you do, and show them how much you love it. We all like to work with people who we like and who are enthusiastic about their businesses. Your network is no exception.

Don’t overthink it

Many of us get trapped in the cycle of overthinking or interactions with people. Anytime we have a conversation with somebody we’re thinking about their tone, the words they’re using, whether in text message or in conversation, and even their body language. We spent so much time analyzing their moods, intentions, and their reactions to us that we may miss what they’re actually saying. 

Unfortunately, this over-analysis prevents us from talking about our businesses. We may get wrapped up and think about our past interactions with them. For example, the last time we interacted with them, they had a tone we didn’t care for. We take it personally when in reality, maybe they’re stressed out. Maybe they just got some bad news or they’ve just had a really terrible day. Instead of understanding that maybe they just weren’t in the mood the last time we spoke to them, we take it as a personal slight. Remember, we said earlier that it takes between 7 and 10 connections before a sale is made. 

Don’t give up trying to talk about your business because of mediocre interaction. Continue to talk about your business with them and share what you’re doing. Try not to overanalyze your conversations with people. We all have our own struggles in our lives that we’re facing. Don’t look for roadblocks when there are none. When you overanalyze things, you may prevent a true connection from occurring with the people in your network.

Teamzy has the tools for social selling

With Teamzy, it’s never been easier to talk about your business. Whether you want to sort and categorize your relationships or you want the scripts to help you start that conversation or you just want to improve your conversational skills, we have you covered. We’ve developed tools for network marketers who want to provide the highest level of service to their networks. Social selling is all about heart and we can help you build the foundation for a strong business. Click here to learn more.