Want to expand your team? Then, the first step is to attract people to want to talk with you.

And it is so easy to find people who may want to talk with you. Each social media site is an amazing unlimited resource for meeting people around the world – without ever leaving your home. One of the easiest ways to find people who want to talk with you is to hang out in Facebook or LinkedIn groups with people who have similar interests as you do. Or find people who share your interests by searching #hashtags.

Here's a few ideas of special interests:

• T.V. shows you like
• Work-at-home moms
• Fishing
• Skiing
• Travel
• Kitting
• Decorating
• Cooking and/or Baking Recipes
• Cancer survivors
• Forex trading
• Meditation and/or Yoga

You get the idea.  There are groups and hashtags for every possible interest you can imagine. Check out a few. Add your comments to other people’s posts.

BUT…DO NOT promote your product or service on their posts!!! You are only there to make friends at this point…not pitch your products.

Instead offer tips and suggestions – only if they are asking for them. Invite these folks to send you a private message if they would like more information. People do business with people they know, like and trust.  Let them get to know you as a person first…rather than a ‘spammy salesperson.’ When you see someone make a comment on a post in a group, you can ‘like’ or ‘react’ to the post and make a comment to let them know you enjoyed it or have a tip to share with them, etc.

WHAT DO NEXT….

Then, check out their personal profile page to see if you have anything in common with them or if there is something interesting you can ask them about. Add a comment to one or more of their posts on their personal profile page to show interest. Next, send a friend request along with a private message that says: ---- Hi (Name), saw your comment in (x) group. Hope you don’t mind the friend request. I would like to see more of your posts in my Newsfeed. (Then, ask a simple question about something you saw on their profile or refer to the comment they made). ---- Be honest, real and authentic. You are here to help them with your product, service or opportunity…but don’t try to make a sale with the first contact.

WAIT for their reply and then reply (you can also now leave a voice message to make it more personal) … ---- Looks like we some things in common.  I would like to start a real friendship.  Would you like to plan a time for a quick chat to get it started? ….

WHEN THEY SAY, ‘YES’ … Treat them like you would any new friend you meet at an in-person party or networking event. Be present with them. Ask them questions about their life, their goals, their challenges, etc. Find out what’s important to them in their life – ask about their family and how they enjoy spending their time. Be listening for how you can help them because of your own past experiences.

Then, ask them if they would like you to share your tips and resources.  Get their permission first!

The goal is to leave them moved and inspired by the possibility that their problem(s) have a solution – and you are the source of the solution. Arrange to chat again to see how they are doing after they practice the tips and ideas … or had time to do their research … that you gave them.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN SOMEONE SENDS YOU A FRIEND REQUEST...

First, always check out their personal profile before accepting their request. Then, if they seem like someone who you would want to know, send them a private message that says: ------ Hi (Name), I appreciate your request to be friends (or to be connected). Curious….how did you hear about me? (Your name) ----- Then wait for their reply. If they do not reply, delete the friend request.

When they do reply – and if you want to get to know them better - reply to them.. …… Looks like we some things in common. I would like to start a real friendship. Would you like to plan a time for a quick chat to get it started? -----

You might be saying to yourself…there has to be more to it than this. The answer is NO and YES.

Here’s why NO:  If you have truly set out to be a friend to these people, a friendship will grow and in time they will be asking you for more ideas and tips and what to purchase from your company.  They will also eventually refer you to their friends and family, who will them refer you, and so on and so on.

The YES is this:  Using this process does take practice and you must be willing to invest your time and energy to meet lots of people through these groups. It means hanging out in these groups daily and becoming known for being someone who always offers good advice instead of being a ‘spammy salesperson’. I look forward to hearing that you are enrolling many more team members!