The gift of relationships is precious. It's the foundation of network marketing and without it, your home-based business wouldn't exist. You would have to settle for being just a customer of the product you currently represent, and you would have to work for someone else on the other side of town. So if we need relationships in order to do our businesses, doesn't it make sense to put an emphasis on making sure they are the best relationships we could possibly have?



You simply cannot succeed by yourself. It is hard to find a rich hermit. There are a lot of things you could accomplish by yourself, like writing a book or recording a song, but growing a network marketing is not one of them. Even the writer and recording artist probably got their inspiration from the experiences they shared with others at some point in their lives. And they probably rely on building relationships with others to get their works out into the marketplace.

The relationships you attempt to build in network marketing must be cultivated like a garden. Constant effort and attention must be sprinkled upon them for growth. A garden left to itself will only grow weeds, but when you tend to it, you get flowers. You can even determine what kind of flowers and how high you want them to grow. As long as you have a clear understanding of the importance of helping those flowers grow for themselves.

The first thing you can do to strengthen your relationships with people in your organization is make time in your busy schedule for those who deserve the attention. Don't allocate all of your time to everyone evenly. You should know who your key people are based on the effort they put into their own business. This doesn't necessarily mean the people making the most money because obviously they are doing something right already.

Who are the people attending all of the training calls? Who are the people following your lead and asking questions along the way? Set these people apart from those who do their business casually and devise a plan to build relationships with them. What can you do to reward them for their constant level of activity? What can you do to push them just a little bit more so they can achieve just a little bit more? Chances are good that they will welcome the attention with open arms and stretch beyond their comfort zone.

Make an effort to deal with their problems by putting yourself in their shoes. Go the extra mile and lead them around their obstacles, not by holding their hands but by showing them where to walk. Think back on a time when you may have had a similar problem or when you needed someone else's help. How did they help you? How did you feel when that person opened their arms and helped you? You want your people to feel this same way about you.

When you attend a training or a live event with these people, spend time with them. Don't stay in a different hotel or dine with other people. In most network marketing companies, your downline is responsible for providing you with a royalty check. The more attention you pay to them, the bigger your check will be. And money aside, those people made an effort to be there to improve their business and relationship with you. They should be your main focus.

Start asking people what they would like or need to improve their business. Maybe it's a promotion of some kind, or more one-on-one training time with them over the telephone. When you focus on their needs, wants and desires, your business begins to grow automatically. Everyone likes to be rewarded and acknowledged for a job well done. When you depend on other people for the success of your own business, you have to be their cheering section.

Think of ways to spend quality time with the people you just want to have good relationships with as well. Not everything has to be about business, even though the majority of things you do outside of the office is reflected back into it. Who do you like that you really would like to know better? See with your imagination what the relationship would be. Don't think of what that person can offer you if you get to know them. What can you offer them without doing something just to impress them?

No matter what kind of motive you have for wanting to build a relationship with someone, always remember to be yourself. You don't want to impress people by being someone you aren't, and honesty is the most solid relationship building quality. Your business will grow faster and better if you treat everyone the same way you like to be treated. People will appreciate your helpfullness and sincerity more than they will remember people who just give them a bunch of hype.

Unfortunately my sponsor did not do the things I just shared with you. In fact, everytime I asked him what to do, all he said was, "you know what to do." Having someone who became a mentor showed me the true value of helping others, and now I can turn around and help other people succeed in the same way. Success in network marketing is all about helping other people achieve their goals, and the best way to do that is to build solid relationships with them.

Once a flower blooms, remember that it still needs water and sun to keep it from wilting.