Imagine if there were a secret that could transform you into a direct selling superstar. Once you knew that secret, you’d suddenly enter the ranks of the great industry leaders, booking and recruiting easily and fluidly, opening new conversations with prospects, and having so much fun along the way!
There is such a secret, and this is it. Love the path as much as the destination. That’s it. Everybody who has created a fortune in this business has discovered that secret. It’s no use creating a vision or a goal or a compelling why if you haven’t also created a joyful how.
Now follow me on this, because it may get a little confusing for a moment. For a long time, I’ve been preaching the importance of knowing WHY we choose the path we’ve chosen. I’m certainly not alone in that. Besides my writings on the topic of PURPOSE, you can find similar messages in the writings of Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, and almost every direct selling leader and author.
I’ve also introduced the idea that if you have a compelling why, you don’t have to know how. This may seem like a contradiction, and this is where it gets confusing. From a purely metaphysical standpoint (think the Law of Attraction, the Power of Intention, and The Secret) that’s true. You don’t have to know how you’ll accomplish a goal when you set it. If your vision is strong enough, you’ll get those answers along the way as a byproduct of intention.
If you draw a line between where you are and where you want to be, that line will contain a large number of unknowns. Ultimately, you’ll never know exactly how the spiritual dimensions of success contributed to your outcome. Maybe an unforeseen meeting occurred. Perhaps you stumbled on a resource you never could have imagined even existed. Likely, a host of “coincidences” took place that drew your outcome to you effortlessly. So, in that sense you didn’t really determine how the goal was met.
But (and this is a GIANT BUT) you did have to do something. You did have to set up a series of action steps and follow them. You did have to have a strategy. Not that your strategy was the only thing that got you there, but if you didn’t have one, you wouldn’t have taken action, and the universe wouldn’t have kicked in all that extra help.
This article is about the stuff you need to do. It’s not about how you GET there (that’s the mystery) but about how you OCCUPY YOUR TIME on the way there. And there’s one thing I’ve been learning about that part, and that is this. If you don’t LOVE doing the stuff along the way, you’ll give up. Even if you have all the best of intentions and the clearest of visions and the most compelling of purposes…you’ll give up.
You MUST love the journey as much as the destination. So, for now, instead of focusing on your why, let’s talk about the four most important attributes you can cultivate for a JOYFUL HOW:
HUMOR
Do you want to be a great salesman or presenter? Do you want to rock the house every time you do a party? Do you want to have every business call turn into a sale? And, do you want to get it right the first time, knocking it out of the park from the moment you begin your direct selling career?
Tough! It’s not going to happen. There’s no avoiding the painful screw ups you’ll have on the way to greatness. Would that you could! But it’s not reality. So, here’s what you do. Choose to develop the attitude that you either get it right, or it’s funny.
You may not be able to choose how well you do, but you can definitely choose how you react to how well you do. Set the intention to approach your next presentation with a light heart and a sense of humor.
When things go well, celebrate them. But when things go poorly, laugh at them. If you make a blunder, lose your place, trip over your words or split your pants, make sure it’s no big deal. It’s just stuff. It’s just funny. Nobody’s dying from it. Nobody’s hating you for it. Put a positive spin on your goofs, and everyone else will do the same. So, if you find yourself thinking, “Someday I’ll look back at this and laugh,” immediately respond to yourself, “Why Wait!!!”
EQUANIMITY
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never even heard this word, yet it’s one of the most important components of your success that there is. In a nutshell, equanimity means acceptance. Whatever happens is OK. You’re not attached to your outcomes. You connect with people about your product offer, but if they’re not interested you’re completely OK with it. You don’t fret about it.
When you develop equanimity (which is something we coach people to do through a series of exercises) you are equally happy when people buy and when they don’t. That may seem counterproductive. Don’t we want people to buy? Yes, but a lot won’t. And if you’re OK with that, you’ll continue to have the courage and fortitude to press on.
Besides, the more unattached you are, the more likely you are to win the sale. People are simply more comfortable with people who have equanimity, so they stick around and buy. And even if they don’t, you may find a new friend, business partner or referral source in them.
Equanimity is the perfect antidote to the “pushy salesman” disease. Once you’re accepting of all outcomes, you stop pushing and start attracting.
LOVE
When you come from love, a lot of problems vanish. You stop fearing your presentations. You stop feeling selfish. You stop experiencing nervousness in front of a room full of people. You enjoy your interactions and find more and more ways to serve others.
Have you ever heard anyone tell nervous presenters to see the audience in their underwear? When I go onstage to speak or entertain, I’ve never found that to be helpful. The idea of doing that is to take away their power to intimidate you, but if you’re in love with them, intimidation is off the table anyway.
I look at my audiences as if they were my kids. I see loved ones all around me. They’re open and eager and so deserving of the wisdom I’m about to share. I can’t wait to give them what they so desperately need.
Once you approach your business from love, you’ll stop seeing it as a contest. It’s not them against you, but all of you together; you providing solutions to their problems and inspiring them to live better lives. In short, it’s all about LOVE!
PERSISTENCE
There’s an irony about the mind of the typical direct seller. We’re eager to succeed, and often eager to contribute, but we’re also hyperaware of others’ reactions to us. We’re scared to death of offending someone or making them uncomfortable.
So much so, in fact, that we’ll often invent resistance when it’s not even there. So, we get up in front of a group and present our offers, and we watch the crowd for signs of rejection. If we see it, we get less courageous, less expressive, and more negative. We start apologizing for our very existence.
In entertainment, it’s not uncommon for a new performer to come out of the starting gate upbeat and funny. And then, if his or first few jokes or effects don’t get the reaction he wants, his pace slows, his smile fades, his affect shrinks, and he begins to look like a spanked puppy.
Eventually, that shift in his energy begins to affect the audience’s response, and before you know it, a possibly mediocre situation turns outright ugly.
The truth is that if the performer had remained positive and stayed true to his intention to entertain the audience, he probably would have won them over. In fact, he may never have lost them, even though he thought he did. Some audiences just react less than others.
SO, for you as a direct seller, when you feel like you’ve “lost the crowd” keep going. Keep smiling. Keep your optimism and humor upfront, and expect great things. Remember, ultimately we are always teaching others how to treat us. So, persist until you’ve done everything you can to get them to LOVE you….as much as you LOVE them!
By employing these four attributes, Humor, Equanimity, Love, and Persistence, you’ll be giving your career all the HELP it needs to get you to superstar status! If for any reason HELP isn’t helping, it probably means you need some coaching or guidance…and I’m here for you to help you figure out what would get you back in the game. Contact me with any questions or challenges that are interrupting your success.
About the Author: Dr. Steve Taubman, is considered one of America’s top keynote speakers for the direct selling industry. As a hypnotist and bestselling author, he is highly regarded for his unique ability to combine laughter empowering stories to effect change in audiences lives. Dr. Steve teaches you to clear mental roadblocks so that you can take action to propel you and your sales team toward your goals. Direct Email: steve@stevetaubman.com or visit him on the web at SteveTaubman.com.
Build belief. Become a Leader and treat your Network Marketing/Direct Selling business like a ‘real’ business.
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
DSLive
LinkedIn
YouTube