Though it may take a little longer to complete the sales cycle using these tactics, your clients and your team members will stay with you much longer  Summertime is a busy, busy time for most of us. I often hear that busy summer schedules get in the way of concentrating on a direct selling business. Hmmmmm....... That's one way of looking at it. But because those busy activities put you in the company of some potentially great contacts, how about looking for opportunities to begin some strong business relationships?! Notice I said "begin" - not "begin, pitch and close".

You are in the business of relationships - and relationships take time to develop. Light, summer conversations are a perfect way to begin your Relationship Marketing strategies.

Here are some ideas and mindsets to get you started:

Commit to being of service

Serve your clients, your downline and your prospects. How can you be of help to them – even if it doesn’t involve selling your product to them? Remember – it is all about them!

Be focused on learning about their specific problems and challenges 

If you can tease these out and then formulate solutions (neatly packaged around your products of course!), people will beat a path to your door.

Listen, listen, listen

As tempting as it is to tell everyone you meet how fantastic your product and/or service is, your words will fall on deaf ears if you haven’t first asked meaningful questions and truly listened to the responses. You honestly have no idea if your offering will be useful to them and if you “assume” that they need it without asking questions first, you’ve made the conversation all about you. See #1 about that.

If you feel people backing away from you literally or figuratively, give them the space to do that

If you chase them, you smack of desperation. If, however, you back away too, you are giving them room to step toward you again – and that is what you want. Giving people space is also respectful of other people’s wants and wishes. People will think very highly of you if you demonstrate this kind of respect. These are just the tip of the iceberg – and great places to start – for incorporating Relationship Marketing into your business strategy. Though it may take a little longer to complete the sales cycle using these tactics, your clients and your team members will stay with you much longer. And isn’t that what we all want! Just makes me want to sing "Summertime, and my business is easy....":)