I’m sure we’ll all agree that direct sales is a people business. In fact, I’ll take it a step further and say that direct sales is a relationship business. Yet I’m constantly amazed at how often people don’t know or don’t understand what a relationship is.

I found two definitions for the word relationship at dictionary.com:

a connection, association, or involvement.
an emotional or other connection between people: the relationship between teachers and students.

I talk to strangers. I always have. I generally like people, like meeting people and enjoy hearing what people have to say.

I really can not stress enough that meeting someone and saying, “hi, join my company” is not relationship building. I’ve known people for years before they’ve made a purchase or offered a referral.

When I get an email, I always answer it. I always leave the door open for a return email from the sender. There are times this leads to a sale and times that it does not. My goal is to leave those I come into contact with satisfied with their interaction with me. It is that satisfaction that leads to sales and referrals.

Each person we meet has the potential to be a customer or offer a referral. Sometimes that will happen overnight and as I mentioned above, sometimes it’s years until this happens.

Remember, the definition of a relationship is a connection or involvement. These connections and involvements can not and do not happen when your whole goal is to make a sale.

I’ve had people say to me, “I don’t have time to say hello and be nice to 100 different people”. My response to them is “I understand, give each of them my name and email address, I have plenty of time.” Direct sales is about relationships and relationships take time.

Take the time to enjoy getting to know others. You’ll see your business grow from this simple gesture.

Audrey Okaneko has been in direct sales since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or you can Become a Tupperware Consultant


Kele & Co

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