Ever feel like a Commodity with Most Marketers on Facebook?

Ever felt like a commodity? Commodities are things with a price tag. Commerce cannot exist without commodities. We exchange our things that have a dollar amount for other things that have an equal or greater dollar amount. The value with most things diminishes with age and wear and tear.

People are not commodities. They don’t have a price tag. They are priceless because they are people. A few scratches along the way instead of diminishing their value makes them more sought after. You can’t beat the school of hard knocks.

Network Marketers, Direct Sellers and Affiliate Marketers have turned people into commodities.

— You know we are a commodity when a Network Marketer tells us that their products are better than our products.

— You know we are a commodity when an Affiliate Marketer begs us to join.

— You know we are a commodity when a Direct Seller argues us into a sale.

Do you know when we stop being a commodity?

— Instead of seeing us as a consumer, the Network Marketer sees us as a friend.

— Instead of seeing us as a person to wear down with arguments to join, Affiliate Marketers see us as a friend.

— Instead of seeing us as a mark to sell, Direct Sellers see us as a friend.

Get the hint?

Network Marketing, Direct Sales and Affiliate Marketing are a relationship business. They are a “friend” business. Friends help friends with a shoulder to cry on, a story or two, a sounding board for solving problems and a good laugh when we laugh. Friends do not look at friends as commodities.

Friendship

How many relationships on Facebook do we need?  Only 10 strong.  We need 10 strong relationships that share a common vision.

We do not need hundreds or even thousands of friends on Facebook. For the socially stunted, that may be a shocker. In real life, most people have many acquaintances and very few friends. Real friends by most people can be counted on eight fingers and two thumbs.

So, treating prospects as commodities could end badly.

— Treating prospects as leads could end badly.

— Buying leads and putting them into a prospecting funnel diminishes them to a thing.

— Sending endless autoresponder messages is so impersonal.

— Posting links to products and company brands turns people into price tag.

— Directing leads to online webpages and videos and entering them into a CRM system for automatic follow-up doesn’t sound very personal.

And yes, this might work for selling commodity products or services on Facebook. Many big, impersonal companies use this method.

But is that our vision for our business?

Words Make the Difference

There is a difference between selling to people and creating relationships. And it all starts with our first few words.

If we are at a loss for words that will help us create a reason for a relationship, this could be a very challenging business.

How do we build friends on Facebook?

— Words that build trust and rapport.

— Words that say thanks.

— Words that compliment.

— Words that tell a story.

— Words that speak of a common vision.

— Words that help identify a problem.

— Words that solve a problem.

— Words that create curiosity and interest.

— Words that show we like similar things.

All our future relationships will start with a few words. We must get these words right. We just need to put our words in the proper sequence. For example, too often we push our solution, product, and presentation … way before our prospect identifies a key problem.

Yes, there does come a time with friends when words can be spoken that give a presentation… just not before we establish a relationship. Then as a friend our presentation should always be to help pinpoint a problem and offer a solution. That is more powerful and personal than giving them a link, putting them in a funnel or directing them to a video.

Friends don’t treat friends like commodities. Friends treat friends like friends.