Gaining Trust and Authority

When I first discovered Facebook, in 2009, I was amazed by the reach I had. Quickly, the group of people I had amassed on my Friend List was controversial in some circles. Everyone knew me, and I didn’t feel the need to compare because I was one of the most fortunate in my circles.

Growing up in a town with less than 5000 residents, I never considered the number of people I had met in my life, or the impacts I made on others. By the middle of 2013, my list had over 2K friends on it from being on the platform 80% of the time. I could honestly say I knew each person on my list.

After that, more people joined because of my affiliation with a unique jewelry company and the content I shared on my business page I’d set up for it. Being online since late 1999 meant that I was already familiar and somewhat experienced with javascript, html, element web sites, affiliate marketing, and social media marketing. I even learned about earning online in a few different ways.

I learned some great sales and set up tips, for my social selling parties, and the biggest lesson I learned was to be honest and authentic. The story I told explaining my reason for joining was true and resonated with every single person I spoke to and it instantly awarded me with trust and authority.

When I quietly told one group some less welcomed information about the products I sold and how they could prevent it and even fix it, that sealed the deal. People that were automatically skeptical were placing large orders and referring more people to my business. It was a wonderful feeling.

Another lesson I learned, wasn’t so great. I learned the hard way that my top priority was happy customers and greed played no part in success. I would have been better off not making any profits and donating my profits to charity.

I hosted one party that promised 100% of the profits to the customer’s favorite charity. When all was said and done, the profit from her event was only $25 (roughly.) I felt terrible and tried to get outside sales to add and I kept it to myself, hoping to fix it. I delayed giving my donation to the promised recipient. When I had earned more money from other sales, I added $75 to make it an even $100. I received no profits for 2 months, while I attempted to nurse my ego and struggled with how to handle it.

That recipient hasn’t spoke to me since. Not only did I not perform as I had promised, but I took the easy way out in sending the donation with my daughter, who was going to see her anyway. (I should have been up front and honest and explained why I failed and I should have given an opportunity to try again with better effort on my part.)

So I learned to under promise and over deliver. When I deliver more than the customer expects and require less money than they were quoted, I come out ahead. People are naturally understanding and forgiving when you admit your errors and accept responsibility. But outperforming expectations will win favor every time.

It’s much easier to make it right if the mistake is admitted immediately. Even with good intentions, hiding the truth can ruin everything you’d previously earned. Even if the customer forgives you, others may not.

Unable to get over my own guilt and embarrassment, I never tried to make up for it and actually stopped selling. I was so disappointed and ashamed, and I let my ego become my priority.

Now, I’ve learned to share my experiences and stop selling a product. Solve problems and supply happiness….that’s all I need to do. As long as I know the product and have good experience with it, I can share that, but not as a way of promoting it. Speaking of and showing how the product performed for my use and just being honest and genuine is better than selling. I’m only recommending it as something that worked/s for me.

This helps me more than any other tips. Knowing that I can just express my approval of products I like makes me less of a sales person and more of a friend and confidant. The more value I can provide, the more people I’m helping. That’s all that matters. Being a giver and not a taker is the quickest way to universal rewards.

I’m not sure if I’m providing value, but I’m doing my best and have faith that my efforts will be worthwhile. I believe only in my ability to rock my business and in the changes that are going to affect my entire world very soon.

Do you have a story of a lesson or lessons you’ve learned that you’d like to share, regarding your job or your social circles? How did it affect your future experiences?

Thank you for reading my experiences and lessons learned. I pray you find value and success in reading my blogs! If I can help in another way, please let me know!