I was looking through some photos on a friends Facebook page and she was showing pictures of her trip in Arizona (which happens to be the state I now live in). If you use Facebook, you will know that people can add comments to peoples status updates and their photos and photo albums. Some of these strings of conversation get pretty long.
The snippets of conversation turned into how dry Arizona is and how dry her skin is getting. All of a sudden there are women throwing out the names of these products they love and what has worked for them, myself included! Some were even posting links to the product for her to see.
Here are all these women... selling someone elses product for them and getting no commission. HUH?
Yeah, they love whatever product it is so much that they tell other people about it.. for free, with no commission. They tell their friend that this face cream or that lotion is the BEST! I believe most everyone does that or has done that at some point... haven't you done that?
So why is it that you can't sell your own products to people in your life?
You may have thought,"well telling them about someone elses stuff is easy because my friends know I"m not making a profit from it." ..you might have a fear about talking about your own stuff with them but you will gladly direct them to your favorite chiropractor or your favorite restaurant but when it comes to your own product, you shy away from that conversation. Maybe you don't want to sound all sales-ey or maybe you don't want to turn off your friends fearing that if you tell them about your products, they won't want to hang out anymore.
Why is it so easy to sell other peoples products or services and not your own? It could be that you are afraid of being attached.
When you refer people to your awesome chiropractor or tell them about your favorite lotion... you don't care. You don't care if they go there or use it or buy that or whatever. You tell them about the thing then don't have any further expectation. THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.
When you have a product that you sell, which you love yourself because you are selling it, INTRODUCE it to your friends and family. You can't be attached to the outcome. I have even said to friends, when I introduce a product, "Hey, I'll show you this but whether or not you decide to buy it... we are still friends, the decision is yours."
Your friends don't buy everything you recommend to them and they may or may not purchase your service or product and that's ok. You will not be considered a nag if you are telling people about products you love and then let them make the decision. If they say something like.. "oh, I'm happy with my brand" or "I'm not interested in this" then let it go. No matter how great what you have is, not everyone is interested. If they say "that looks interesting, I'd like to know more about it" that's a great lead in. Follow up with them, don't expect them to come to you. If they say they are intersted and say they don't have time right now then just ask them, "When is a good time? When should I contact you about this.. I want to do this on your schedule". That way it takes all the guessing out of it. There's no perfect time to "catch" someone so ask them when you should contact them about it again.
Making your friends and family more important than your product is critical. When you follow that rule, you will not run off friends and family and you will introduce some of them to some wonderful products that you have to offer.
Charlotte Salafia & Jody Maley
www.designedfordivinedestinations.com
"Where is not just about the destination, but the journey to get there."
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Jody is a WAHM and has been leading other ladies in their chosen field of business for the past 15 yrs! She is a mom of six, an Accomplished ToastMaster, and has a passion for helping other women find their 'aha' moments!
Jody & Charlotte are owners of the new website www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com where they blog about day to day issues with other moms in raising children, having your own business and how to "Blend" it all!