Part of being a network marketer is growing your business. The larger your network, the more sales you’ll make and the more people who will want to join your team, ideally. However, one of the biggest mistakes network marketers make is they try to appeal to everyone in hopes that they’ll want to join their network instead of being selective. After all, do you want to build a network of people who are excited about your business or are you satisfied building a network of people who are just kind of “meh” about it? This is especially true of new network marketers who may focus more on numbers instead of building a solid foundation of strong advocates of their business. New and experienced network marketers may also feel they’re limited by the number of people they know and think they’ve tapped out their market. However, there are always people to add to your network, especially those who are drawn to the type of relationship marketing you offer. If you want to grow a strong network, you have to attract the right kind of people to it. Here’s how:

Strong network tip #1: Identify the type of business you want to lead

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, what matters is how you’re selling it. For decades, network marketers got a bad reputation for being pushy salespeople who were only focused on making the sale. As a result, there were a lot of burned bridges and people were simply turned off by the whole prospect of network marketing. However, many network marketers realized that if they wanted to continue to build businesses, they had to work differently and value their relationships with their customers, prospects, and distributors. It’s the relationships that help build a strong network and drive network marketing businesses.

Relationship marketing comes as a relief for those network marketers who never really felt right acting like pushy salespeople. They weren’t naturals at it. Since they tended to want to nurture their relationships with their network, they never felt right always pushing for the sale. They didn’t want to burn bridges. Even new network marketers appreciate focusing on the relationships more than the sales. Sure, sales are important; however, the stronger you build your relationships with the people in your network, the more they’ll want to buy from you. What’s more is they’ll recommend and introduce you to other people who will appreciate the value and service you’re providing. 

Don’t change yourself so that other people will like you. Be yourself so that the right people will love you.

Who are you?

At its core, network marketing is all about relationships. But, it’s up to you to build a business that appeals to how you work. For example, if you’re extroverted, you may feel comfortable asking your advocates for introductions to people they know who would appreciate the service you offer. You wouldn’t bat an eyelid at being direct and talking about your business to everyone who will listen and tailoring that appeal to their needs and expectations. However, if you’re more introverted, you may be more comfortable building a business one relationship at a time. Since you’re better one-on-one, you value your time connecting with everyone in your network at a more personal level. Once you’ve connected with them at a certain level, that’s when you feel more comfortable asking for introductions. 

There’s nothing wrong with either approach. The important part is building a strong network of individuals who appreciate your approach and the level of service that you offer. They appreciate that you value their relationships so much that they don’t feel pressured to buy from you or join your team. They also appreciate that you do what you say you will, which includes contacting them when you say you will and following up when necessary. This shows them that they’re more than a sale, you value them. And what better way to build a strong network?

Strong network tip #2: Identify your top advocates

As you build your strong network, take the time to identify the top advocates of your business. These are the folks who shout your praises from the rooftops. They may even already introduce you to people who will appreciate the service you and your business offer. Even the newest network marketer has an advocate who supports the business. To be clear, an advocate need not even be your top customer or distributor – it could be someone who is the walking billboard for your business, telling everyone they know about the stellar service you provide. 

If you want to lead a business you love, it’s important to replicate these advocates. Now we don’t mean literally cloning them, although that would make building a network much easier. We mean identify the characteristics of your advocates that you’d like your network to have. It could be that they’re eager to sing your praises and introduce you or it could be that they just have an energy that you love. Or perhaps they just have a kind heart and you want to surround yourself with kind and positive people. Whatever it is, pinpoint it and write it down. These are the characteristics you’ll target as you grow and build a strong network.

Before we speak, let our words pass through three gates: “Is it true?” Is it necessary?” “Is it kind?”

Strong network tip #3: Ask for introductions from your biggest advocates

In a perfect world, our biggest advocates would introduce us to new people without being prompted to do so. And, that may happen with some advocates. However, more often than not, your advocates want to introduce you, they just need a reminder. Sure, they’re the biggest cheerleaders of your business; however, even they need to be reminded to introduce you to the people they tell all about your business. 

If you’re not sure who your biggest advocates are, look at your current customers. The people who buy from you already love your products. Chances are they’re telling other people about them all the time anyway. 

Your advocates can also be the people who haven’t bought from you but believe in your business. Perhaps they’re not your product’s target market; however, they love what you’re doing and know others who can benefit from your products and services. 

Get your advocates to introduce you

Although your advocates may love you and your business, they may not remember to introduce you. That’s why you need to ask. For many network marketers, this is difficult. They may feel awkward asking people to introduce them. However, in order to grow your business and build a strong network, it’s essential. That’s why it helps to have a script, like this:

“Could you do me a favor? If you come across anyone you care about that might need help with [whatever it is you help with], would you connect them with me so I can send them some information?”

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, these two simple sentences will do two things: 1. Ask them to introduce you to someone who can benefit from your services and 2. Puts the bug in their ear – so to speak – to pay attention to anyone in their lives who they can introduce you to. Your advocates want to help you succeed in your business ventures – they just may not know how. This script plants the seed in their minds to introduce you to people in their networks. Although they may not think of someone right away, they’ll continue to think about it. And, when you follow up with them, they may have a few names to give you.

Aren’t recommendations enough?

Although recommendations have their place, it’s not the same as an introduction. Your advocates can recommend your business to everyone they know, but it doesn’t prompt anyone to act. Your advocate can recommend you to five people in a row, but it doesn’t mean that any of them are going to call you and buy from you. Even if your advocate gives them your contact information, they may not get in touch. After all, they may feel awkward talking to a stranger, even if that stranger can help them.

An introduction is more proactive. Your advocate goes that extra step to connect you with their friend. There’s less awkwardness because you both know the person who’s introducing you. The other person also comes into the conversation with a higher level of trust than they would if they had contacted you themselves. 

Strong network tip #4: Follow up

Whether you’ve asked an advocate for an introduction or they’ve introduced you to someone who can benefit from your business, it’s important to follow up. After all, following up is where the relationship begins to build and flourish. Not only do you get to see how you can help and serve, it also provides the opportunity to build trust. The more they trust you, the bigger the advocate they’ll become and the more likely they are to introduce you.

Teamzy can help you build a strong network by giving you the tools you need to connect with your top advocates. Log into your Dashboard each day to see who you need to connect with and follow up with. Click here to learn more.