When I was in college, I used to get really anxious before a test. Sometimes just as the professor was handing out the exams, this terrible thought would pop into my head — “What if I studied the wrong material?”

Fortunately, that never happened. And despite my anxiety, I usually did pretty well on tests.

Unfortunately, many people in network marketing make the mistake I feared — they study the wrong thing. They get into network marketing with the plan of learning everything they possibly can about their company’s products or service. They dedicate themselves to becoming an expert. Problem is, it’s is a total waste of time.

If you were going to sell a product, that would make sense. But this profession is about building relationships rather than selling a product or service.

You are not a salesperson. If you have to convince people to buy your product, then you are dead before you begin. And even if you can pull it off, you won’t be able to train anyone else to sell.

Selling just is not duplicatable.

Instead, you need to become an expert on people. In network marketing, people are your REAL product.

Your goal is to help people achieve their dreams in life. That means you must understand them, and you must build trust with them. Build the relationship. That is job number one.

Spend your time getting good at relationship-building skills. Train yourself to be a great listener.

When you understand exactly what the people you talk to want, focus on helping them get it. Then, in order to reach their dreams, they’ll buy your products, but only if you have built that relationship with them.

Steve DeVane