Relationships are essential to network marketing businesses. After all, your network consists of people you have relationships with, whether they’re acquaintances or life-long friends. All relationships begin with an initial connection.

That initial spark comes from conversation. However, while starting a conversation sounds easy in theory, in practice it makes many people, especially network marketers, nervous. Like the advertisement says, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Network marketing has gotten a bad reputation in the past. The stereotypical network marketer hassles and pushes everyone they know into buying from their business. As a result, they alienate their friends and family and cause these folks to avoid them long after they’ve moved on from their business. 

But, that’s not you, is it? You’re a different kind of network marketer, one who values each and every relationship and seeks to help and serve the people in your network (not to mention everyone they know as well). The first step in any conversation is to relate to the other person; however, it’s difficult to relate to others when you’re carrying baggage that isn’t your own. If you get anxious about mentioning your business to others, especially strangers, because you think you’re coming on too strong, you’re carrying the baggage of the aggressive network marketers who came before you. 

Never fear, we’re going to break down how to have a conversation and connect with anyone without sounding like one of those aggressive, sales-or-bust network marketers. 

Why conversations matter

When you own a business, a conversation is more than a way to connect with people; it’s how you grow your business. 

From the initial hello to finding common ground to listening for ways to serve, conversations are at the heart of any network marketing business. That’s why it’s so essential to sharpen your conversation skills – you’ll be using them everyday!

How to connect with your network

You’ve said hello and exchanged the basic pleasantries, such as “How are you?” or “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”, now what?

This is where folks can begin to feel a bit awkward trying to figure out what to say. Spend too much time wondering what to bring up next and the other person may cut it short and say, “Well, good seeing/talking to you then.”

Good thing there are four foolproof areas of conversation that are safe to chat about with pretty much everyone. We call it the F.O.R.M. method: Family, Occupation, Recreation, Motivation.

Family

The first letter stands for Family. Most people love talking about their families, especially their kids’ accomplishments. That’s why this is such an easy area for connection. Parents love to talk about their kids, whether they’ve just learned to write their names or they’ve just finished law school. 

If you know they have kids, ask how they’re doing. Ask if they’re excited for an upcoming holiday, such as Christmas, or if they’re involved in any hobbies, sports or other activities. What is their favorite subject in school or do they have a favorite teacher?

If the children are college-age, ask if they’re in school and what their major is. If they’re working or taking a year off, ask what they’re doing and if they like their job.

All of these questions will get the other person talking more about their families. From this you can learn so much information and listen for a need that you can fill. Be sure to update their information in Teamzy so you have it available to ask about in the future. After all, once you know some information about them, it’s easier to ask the next question.

Occupation

The second letter stands for Occupation, or what do they do for a living? People always have something to say about their jobs, whether it’s to sing their company’s praises or to complain about their job or their bosses. While some may complain they have too much to do, others may lament that they don’t have enough (or they’ve just lost their jobs). The good news is, it always gives you something to talk about. 

Some conversations starters include:

• Remind me, what do you do?
• What do you love most about your job?
• What made you decide to become a [insert occupation here]?
• How long have you been a [occupation]? How long have you been with your company?

How to connect if they’re out of work or are a stay-at-home parent?

Ask them to tell you more about it. Many people lost their jobs during the pandemic or have chosen to stay home with their children or to take care of a family member. Too often caregivers feel overlooked in conversations about jobs and careers. By asking more about them, you’re making them feel seen, which also makes them feel special. People are longing to connect, especially at this time!

Recreation

The third letter stands for Recreation, in other words, their hobbies. What do they do for fun? People are excited to talk about their hobbies, whether they’ve been doing them for years or they’ve just learned during the pandemic. 

Some conversation starters include:

• How was your weekend? What did you do?
• How often do you [hobby]?
• How long have you been playing/interested in [hobby]?
• What do you like most about it?
• Have you read any good books lately?
• Is this an activity you share with your spouse or children?

Motivation

The last letter stands for Motivation. Put another way, what motivates them? Are they interested in your mission? Would they like to join you and become a customer, recommend a friend or become an advocate for your business?

First, you’ll want to share with them what you do and why you do it. Why are you passionate about what you do? What about it excites you? During conversation, these questions may naturally arise, even if they’re not asked specifically. If the other person asks about you – how you’re doing and how business is going – these are opportunities to talk about your business. 

Once you’ve shared more about your business and why it fires you up, ask them if they’d like more information about your business, your mission or your products. 

If they seem interested, ask follow up questions so you can give them the information they need. Or, if they aren’t interested or are on the fence, you’ve planted the seed. Ask them to introduce you to someone who might be interested in the opportunity you’re offering. Who knows, they may know someone who could truly appreciate the opportunity you’re offering. 

Keep the connections going

No matter what questions you ask, always remember to ask the next question. The next question is the series of questions that allows you to learn more about the subject. In addition to keeping the conversation going, it also helps you learn more about the other person so you can listen for ways to serve them. What are their pain points? Are they struggling with something right now that you can help with or can connect them with someone who can? 

Although most people may not get that deep, with other people, you may. This gives you a great opportunity to use your skills and expertise to help them. 

Teamzy can help you connect with your network

Whether you’re starting the conversation in person or online, Teamzy has you covered! Teamzy has a ton of scripts to help you start the conversation with everyone in your database, from old friends to acquaintances you haven’t spoken to in a while. 

Although you can use these scripts in person, you can also use them online when you do your Power Hour and contact people in your network. While some Teamzy members use the scripts verbatim, changing only name, others use them as a springboard to craft their own unique messages. Either way, they allow you to easily connect with your network and get to know them better (all while looking for ways to help!).

If you’re not using Teamzy, what are you waiting for? Click here to learn more.