Trust is becoming a rare, but very valuable commodity in the world today. Thanks to widely publicized incidents of identity theft, scams and so many other stories of unethical or illegal behavior, many people understandably have their guard up, especially when it comes to interacting with strangers. Especially strangers who are pitching "business opportunities." Like, umm... network marketers.

If you've ever worked a cold lead list, you probably spoke with more than one person who already had been flooded with calls from dozens of kooky-sounding, suspicious, get-rich-quick-scheme promoters. Needless to say, by the time you got them on the line, they were pretty skeptical.

These are the extreme cases. Then there are the everyday, run-of-the-mill interactions with family and friends who have written you off as "one of those MLMers" - someone who's always pitching their product or opportunity. (And in all honesty, in this respect, a lot of network marketers are guilty as charged. I know I certainly alienated my share of warm market leads in the past.)

Distrust and skepticism create the biggest hurdle facing network marketers today. How do you get over this roadblock?

Even better, how do you avoid getting in this situation in the first place?

Here is a short, true story that sheds light on this question.

Many years ago, our 10-year-old heat pump died. Our contractor had installed it when the house was built, and it had come to the end of its useful life. So I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, got out the Yellow Pages, and started calling around, looking for the best deal on a replacement.

Most of the sales people I spoke with just asked me how big the house was and then gave me a price on the same BRAND A our contractor had used. BRAND A was a popular brand - highly advertised - no doubt you've heard of it.

Then I called an outfit called Dave's Heating and AC. Dave himself happened to answer the phone, and when I explained my problem and asked him for a comparison quote on a new Brand A heat pump, he proceeded to explain to me why he didn't recommend that brand.

He spent the next fifteen minutes patiently educating me on the intricacies of heat pump mechanics, comparing the features and reliability of BRAND A with the BRAND B he preferred, answering all my questions, and generally impressing me with his expertise and honesty.

Here was a guy who knew what he was doing!

At that point, a weight lifted off my shoulders, and I didn't care anymore about the price. I had found someone I wanted to do business with, and that was all that mattered.

I bought the heat pump, immediately signed an annual service contract with Dave's Heating and AC, and I've been a loyal customer ever since.

What was going on here? What did Dave accomplish in that first phone call that the other companies did not?

First, he gave me a pile of very useful, free, no-strings-attached information that helped me solve a problem.

Second, by doing this, he also established himself as an expert in his field.

Third, he won my trust.

Basically, Dave invested his time in me before I even became his customer. He runs a busy operation, and I'm sure he had plenty of other things he could have done with the fifteen minutes he spent talking to me, but for some reason he chose to teach me about heat pumps instead. Maybe it was a calculated business decision on his part, or maybe he's just a nice guy. It doesn't really matter.

By the way, if you happen to live in Northern Virginia and need help with your heating and AC system, Dave's phone number is (703) 450-9600. (And I'm not making any money by telling you this.)

So what does the story about Dave have to do with network marketing?

If you want to win your prospects' trust, do what Dave does. Invest in them before you even know them. Freely give something of value that helps solve their problems - useful information.

How do you accomplish this?

The Internet makes it easy. If you don't have a website, start one. You'll need to pick a niche, and this could be any one of a number of topics. For example, you might provide information about a problem that your products or services help address, or even network marketing itself. Position yourself as a solutions provider. Make people want to linger at your site and read what you've written simply because it's so useful. Give them good reasons to trust you.

After a while, they might start contacting you first.

If you already have a website, take a good hard look at it from the point of view of a new visitor. Is it mostly just a pitch for your products and opportunity, or does it give real, valuable information to your visitors? Be honest - if you were a visitor, would you be attracted to stay and explore the site further, or would you take one look at it, say, "Uh oh! They're selling something!" and hit the back button.

Don't get me wrong. There is definitely a place for a product and opportunity site in your overall marketing system - AFTER you've built the trust and AFTER your visitor expresses a desire to know more. But it makes a lousy first introduction.

Say goodbye to skepticism and distrust forever. Start investing in your prospects by giving them what they crave - solutions to their problems in the form of free, useful information.