Relationships are the backbone of any business. Lose a sale, but don’t lose a relationship.
Everybody knows this, yet very few actually practice it.
Don’t believe me?
🔹 Visit any government office or bank in small towns and see how customers are treated.
🔹 Visit businesses in second and third-tier cities and notice the disconnect between sellers and buyers.
Customer relations in India are broken.
Unfortunately, Direct Selling is no different.
We are taught how to sell, recruit, and close, but we are never truly trained on how to build relationships.
And the cost of that ignorance is massive—because unlike other industries, where customers come and go, in Direct Selling, one customer can become your biggest business asset.
Relationship building is critical but unfortunately not taught as much as it should be.
💰 The Unpredictable Value of a Customer
In business, we measure customer lifetime value (CLV) to determine how much a customer is worth over time.
In Direct Selling, however, this number is unpredictable.
A casual product buyer today might become a leader generating crores in turnover tomorrow.
A motivated prospect today might quit within six months.
We have zero tangible ways to predict who will stay and who will leave.
But there is one thing we can control—relationship building.
It may not be quantifiable or measurable, but in Direct Selling, it is the single most powerful tool for business growth.
The 3-Stage Relationship Funnel
To build powerful relationships, you need to master three phases:
1️⃣ Perspective for Communication (First 10 minutes)
2️⃣ Communication for Connection (Rest of the meeting)
3️⃣ Connection for Engagement (1 month – 1 year, depending on the person)
1️⃣ Perspective for Communication (First 10 Minutes)
Perspectives matter, but they are costly to attain. At most times, the cost is not monetary – it’s experience.
🔹 How do you talk to people from all walks of life?
🔹 How do you quickly gain their attention and trust?
The answer lies in perspective.
Perspective is expensive. You don’t get it overnight. It takes years of experience, failure, and observation.
But if you want to connect with diverse people and expand your business, you need to train yourself to build multiple perspectives.
Imagine this:
📌 You’re selling an anti-aging cream to a 50-year-old homemaker.
📌 You’re pitching a weight management program to a 28-year-old gym-goer.
📌 You’re introducing the business to a farmer in a rural village.
Each conversation needs a different approach, language, and emotional trigger.
💡 You may be privileged, but to build business, you must step into their world.
This is where training and mentorship come in.
Good training gives you knowledge.
Great training gives you perspective.
2️⃣ Communication for Connection (Rest of the Meeting)
Once you have their attention, the next step is building a connection.
People don’t buy products or businesses—they buy emotions.
To connect, you need to:
✅ Identify common pain points (problems that bother both of you)
✅ Find relatable viewpoints (shared experiences, struggles, or aspirations)
✅ Use preliminary research (knowing a little about them before meeting)
⚠️ Mistake Most People Make:
People sense it immediately when you are faking a connection just to make a sale.
The trust is broken the moment they feel manipulated.
💡 Solution:
✔ Be transparent about your business intent.
✔ Be confident in what you are offering.
✔ Make the relationship more valuable than the transaction.
3️⃣ Connection for Engagement (1 Month – 1 Year)
The biggest misconception in Direct Selling is that relationships are built in one meeting.
Wrong.
🛑 One meeting = Introduction.
🛑 Follow-up = Relationship building.
Engagement is the middle of the funnel—where most people get lost.
In simple words, this is the “dating phase” of Direct Selling.
How Do You Engage?
1️⃣ Understand their personality – Are they skeptical? Are they open-minded?
2️⃣ Customize the follow-up – Some need weekly calls, some need just one message.
3️⃣ Don’t expect them to tell the truth immediately – People reveal their true needs over time.
📌 Example: A person might say “I don’t need extra income.”
But six months later, when a financial crisis hits, they might suddenly be interested.
The game is patience + consistency.
Let’s face it, we should not expect people to tell the truth over a one/two-hour meeting. Not even with their business needs.
🔑 Final Thought: The Direct Selling Secret
There is one universal truth in this business:
You will only get what you are willing to give.
Want trust? Give trust.
Want loyalty? Give loyalty.
Want long-term customers? Be a long-term leader.
Your network is your net worth, and your relationships decide your income.
🔥 Give more than you take, and you will always win.
🚀 What’s Next?
Now that you know how to build powerful relationships, here’s what you need to do:
📌 Evaluate: Are you more focused on closing sales or creating relationships?
📌 Practice: Test out different communication styles and see what works best.
📌 Adapt: Every person is different—tailor your approach for maximum impact.
👉 Drop a comment below—what’s your biggest challenge in relationship building?
