I recently sent out a batch of direct message invites to see if any of my friends were open to checking out a business I’ve been building.
Some people said no. Some said yes. Some ignored me.
That’s all normal.
But one person seemed genuinely put off by my invite — even though I’ve refined this thing over 20 years and, in my view, there’s nothing off-putting about it.
His response?
“Maybe I’m just projecting based off my past experience with people in network marketing.”
I think he hit the nail on the head. And I think it’s worth talking about why.
Because if you’re building a network marketing business right now, you’re fighting an uphill battle against years of other people’s bad behavior.
People aren’t reacting to you. They’re reacting to every cringe pitch they’ve ever received.
So let’s talk about how to stop being part of that problem.
The Cringe Way
One of my good friends — a successful entrepreneur — told me a story that made me cringe.
A buddy of his called and asked if he’d be willing to give advice on a new business he was starting.
My friend is busy. But he loves helping people. So he said yes and set up a time.
The guy showed up to his house with his upline and a flip chart, ready to pitch him on an MLM.
My friend was pissed.
Why? He’d been lied to.
And here’s the thing — lying is an actual strategy some network marketing trainers teach:
“Tell them you need their advice and want their feedback.”
“Ask if they’d do you a favor and look at a business to see if they know anyone who might be interested.”
These statements can be true. But most of the time? They’re lies.
What you really want is to show them your business or products and see if they’re interested in buying or joining.
There’s no shame in that. None. And you can do it in a way that’s truthful — a way that works better than slick tricks.
So lemme say it again for the people in the back, don’t lie.
The Pushy Way Is Just As Bad
My friend Bill told me something the other day. He runs into people who are so pushy and persistently annoying that he has to be so aggressive with his “no,” he sometimes feels like he’s the one being rude.
This comes straight from the cringe playbook:
“This is so good, everyone will want it.”
“Everyone is your prospect.”
“No doesn’t really mean no.”
B.S.
Hype and aggression are totally unnecessary when you actually know how to invite people.
I do the opposite. And I was the number one recruiter in my nutritional network marketing company back in the day.
Instead of adding pressure, I remove it on purpose.
Here’s why that matters.
The Formula That Actually Works
I’ve used this framework for over a decade. It’s simple. And it works because it treats people like human beings instead of targets.
1. Express goodwill
2. Remove pressure
3. Arouse curiosity
4. Deliver the invite
5. (Optional) Remove pressure again and nourish the relationship
Here’s what it sounds like:
Hey Paul, hope you’re having a great day. This might not be for you, but I ran across something that looks like it could be pretty lucrative. Just wanted to see if you’d be open to taking a look. If so, let me know and I can send you a short video with all the details. No worries if not. Would still love to hear how you’re doing and what you’ve been up to.
There are a million ways to word this. What matters is you apply the principles behind it.
Removing pressure and nourishing the relationship lets the person know you care about them more than whether they look or not. This is how you grow a business without burning every friendship you have.
Arousing curiosity gives them a reason to say yes — and permission to say no.
No is fine. Yes is fine. You’re not attached to the outcome. You’re committed to the process.
When you do this right, you’re not “selling.” You’re sorting. You’re sifting. You’re building relationships.
If it feels like you’re pushing, forcing, or trying too hard to “get them to see the value” — you’re doing it wrong.
Now Imagine You Didn’t Have to Do This Manually
You can send these invites one by one. It works great. But it takes time. A lot of it.
What if you could load up your friends list one time, click start, and have invitations like this go out on your behalf — ten a day on Facebook — without you having to write, send, or remember a thing?
That’s exactly what we built.
No learning the invite. No obsessing over each contact. No forgetting to do it on the days you’re tired or not motivated.
You load your list. You click start. Then you just check your messages and respond to the yeses and nos.
I just finished my first full run using this tool combined with our Auto Presenter System.
The result?
5 new customers enrolled directly from the process.
This tool works for any business. And it’s included free at every membership level in our company.
You Don’t Need the Tool. You Need the Principles.
The tool speeds things up. But the real shift happens when you stop being cringe and start being real with people.
Follow the formula in this post. Lead with goodwill. Remove pressure. Let curiosity do the work.
Do that, and you’ll be golden.
Thanks for reading. And whatever you do — always go for your dreams.
Paul
PS: How you build is one problem, what you build is another and most people get this wrong. Read The Residual Income Shortcut to learn why most home businesses are setup for most people to fail.