Most people don’t lose friends because they joined a network marketing company. They lose friends because of how they talked about it.
There’s a difference between sharing and pitching, and your friends can feel it in the first sentence.
Pitching sounds like this
“Hey!! So random, but I just started something amazing and I immediately thought of you. Are you open to making some extra income?”
They know you didn’t “immediately think” of them. They know it’s a copy-and-paste. And now every message from you feels like it might be another one.
Sharing sounds like this
Sharing is talking about your life, including the business, the same way you’d talk about a new job or a new gym. You don’t ask anyone for anything.
- “Started something new this year. Learning a ton.”
- A post about why you started, and what you’re hoping it changes for your family.
- Honest updates, including the hard weeks.
The people who are curious will ask. When they do, it’s a conversation, not a pitch.
When a friend asks, ask first
“What made you ask? Is it more the product or the business side you’re curious about?”
Then listen. If it’s the product, talk about the product. If it’s the business, talk about the business. If it’s neither and they were just being nice, thank them and change the subject. That friendship is worth more than one sale.
Three rules that keep friendships intact
- Never disguise a pitch as catching up. People remember.
- One no is a no. Don’t “check back in” every month.
- Keep showing up as their friend in ways that have nothing to do with your business.
The bigger fix
The pressure to pitch friends comes from having nobody else to talk to. When strangers with the same why as you are finding you every week, you stop needing your friends to say yes.