Those Closest To You Are Your Biggest Sales People.

Make a list of the ten closest people to you. Those who believe in you, who support you and who want to see you succeed.  Whether that list is your family members, your friends, or anyone else in your support system – they are all people who care about you.  These people are all about seeing you succeed, they are going to shout your business from the rooftops if it’s going to help you succeed.

I once worked with a girl who was a massage therapist, and her mom came in for a massage – and she charged her – FULL price. When I asked her about it, she replied “I don’t care who you are, I don’t work for free.”  I was in shock because I am the total opposite. I am always giving discounts to those closest to me – especially immediate family and especially in a service based business. Why? Because those are my biggest fans.

I once taught my dad how to get rid of hiccups through an acupressure point, and you know what? He told everyone he knew the trick, and that he learned it from his daughter, who was a massage therapist, etc, etc. etc. Or one evening a friend of ours was having headaches and I spent 20 minutes on her neck – just to be nice, of course – relieved her headache and the next time a friend of theirs was complaining of pain – instant referral. And that client still pays me today, all thanks to my friend that I gave my time to.

On top of this, I use Shop items for gifts all of the time!  I made my mom a birds nest necklace for Christmas, and every time she gets a compliment on it and is asked where she got her, she tells them her daughter made it. She also tells them that her daughter has a shop online which becomes an instant referral.  I am constantly looking for referrals, and those closest are the best evangelists. Similar to this, my husband has one of our Smelly Jelly Air Fresheners on his desk at work. Every so often we replaces it with a new fragrance and I can’t tell you the amount of countless sales I have gotten from that simple thing.

Keep your ears open for people who preach products. Take a moment and think of someone you know that tells everyone he or she knows about a product or a service that they enjoyed, liked or now live by. If you can’t think of any, keep looking.  Ask around in your network of people if they know anyone who is that type of person.  And when you find that person – ask for a referral to that person (“Hey, if it comes up, I would love it if you could refer you friend _________ to me, I would love to work with her/him”) You can even offer a discount, or even give them a product (“Hey {mom} I would love it if you gave your friend {________} this product to try next time you see her!”

Now, lets go over a couple of things to keep you out of trouble:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are a working on a new MLM company and you need to practice sharing it with other people (and not just giving your presentation in front of the mirror or the spouse), try this: “Would you mind taking 30 minutes and listening to my business presentation?  I am not asking you to sign up or be interested in my business, I could really just use some practice.“  This gives you practice AND lets them hear all about what you are doing in detail (this will help them refer people to you!), as well as, it doesn’t make anyone feel pressured.
• Don’t give away everything.  Yes, I said give discounts to those closest to you, or as even as gifts, but only give what you can afford to give.  Draw boundaries with this as well – when giving a freebie, just say “I would love for you to try this out and give me your feedback,” but don’t make it a regular thing. Or you will start feeling used, and devalued.
• Don’t be a beggar. Although asking for help is good, don’t become needy and expecting others to bring you business. Yes, referrals come your way, and word of mouth is a great key to business, but don’t become a someone that is constantly checking to see if anyone has a new referral all the time.  Remember: this is your business, and being grateful for any support is most important – never expect anything.

In two weeks…The Importance of Networking.