Unfortunately, this seems to be an unavoidable issue that accompanies sales.  If you want to sell more, you must always be selling.  If you are visiting a customer, you are always trying to find a new product they can use OR have them start buying a product of yours that is “better” than the one they are presently using.  If you are selling an intangible like insurance, you will try and get them to convert their policy to one of your insurance products.  Once you try and sell to family and friends (if the product is applicable to them) and give them the, “Please buy from me and help me get started.” or whatever other plea that is offered, they either quit or move on to “cold calling”.

There are certainly similarities to network marketing…

1. You have seen this great marketing plan and are convinced your family and friends need to see it to.  (Their response may vary depending on how many GREAT marketing plans you have already seen.)  Some may have joined or may have dutifully purchased some of the products you offered.  You were grateful for the customers and possibly even sold the product below retail just to get the product points.  Unless you have a really tight group of friends, this pathway may not have got you too far.
2. After “family & friends”, you move to acquaintances.  This may be the person you always shake the hand of during church, or the guy who rings you up at the convenience store when you buy your morning coffee, or one of the parents of one of the boys on your sons soccer team.  All of these people are very valid people to contact about your business.  But, as I will get to, you need to do it in the right way.
3. The brand-new contacts are the ones where you have nothing to lose.  Without your network marketing business, you would have no specific reason to contact them.  And, if they are not interested in your business, you can simply replace them with the next person who  has a possible interest in your business.

There may be other groups a network marketer may work with.  I threw them into three distinct buckets.  If smaller buckets are used, it doesn’t really matter.  The point of all of this is these buckets of people will help you or become obstacles to any success you may have in network marketing.  And, when every conversation with a new person or  an acquaintance or a family/friend is being controlled/monitored by you with the hopes of turning it to talking about your network marketing business (or insert your sales-related passion here), then you are looking at another human being through your “green-colored” glasses.

I recognize the dire financial straits many people are in and their strong desire to rise above that by any legal means necessary.  And, I respect their efforts.  However, if they are deaf to “nos” and blind to the body language of “no”, then the green glasses need turned way back.

As someone working a network marketing plan, I don’t EVER want to see the world with a green tint.  I want to see individuals for who they are.  And, if they are someone who wants to seek success in network marketing–GREAT!!  If they don’t want to, I am fine with their decision.

Lesson Learned:  Our interactions need to be ones of mutual respect.  Unfortunately, when people don’t respect themselves, it makes it more difficult for them to be respectful to others.