|
2007-03-29
Vol. 1, Issue 2
Published every Thursday. You are on our list because you signed up for one of our programs. To change your subscription, see link at end of email.
Help some friends in the business. Forward this issue so they can subscribe too!
Sign up
for this e-zine!
|
|
Hi, Archive Visitor
Welcome to The Sales Refinery Insights
- Feature Article:
Selling in the Rain!
- Tammy Recommends:
Giving an "A"
Please add "tammy@tammystanley.com" to your whitelist or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!
|
Selling in the Rain!
By Tammy Stanley
The other morning as I was out running with my dog, it started to rain. No big deal, I thought; I trained for a marathon up in Portland, Oregon (translation: IÕve run mile after mile in the rain). Now that IÕm living in Phoenix, I was sure that having a jog in the rain would be a nice change of pace. WRONG. Within a few minutes it went from raining to POURing, and I still had 2 miles to go before IÕd be home. I had no choice but to keep running. Not fun.
Then, after a mile or so, just as quickly as it began pouring it suddenly stopped. In that moment most of my misery dissipated and I couldnÕt help but think, ÒIsnÕt this just like a business in Direct Sales?Ó No kidding, I really did think that.
Persistence is a major player in the sales world of success. Most days, rain or shine, you have to put yourself on the playing field.
ItÕs not always easy, is it? Sometimes you work and work and work, but it doesnÕt appear as though youÕre making headway because the results seem minor. Sometimes things are going fine when something unexpected sucks up your enthusiasm and momentum. During times like that, one might think, ÒIÕm not cut out for this kind of business.Ó
My response to that is, ÒWho is?Ó No one is Òcut out forÓ or ÒmadeÓ for this business. Only through persistence does one develop the attributes to become Òcut out forÓ Direct Sales. And one of the most powerful attributes you can develop is mental toughness.
However, when I speak of mental toughness, IÕm not talking about becoming invincible to the word, ÒNo.Ó IÕm talking about persisting even when youÕve yet to see the results of your work, even when you donÕt feel enthusiastic, and even when a little voice tells you that youÕre just not cut out for this.
I believe that to achieve the extraordinary you have to do the unreasonable. You must believe before you see, and you must persist when the goal ahead appears impossible.
A good number of years ago on a Sunday morning after church, I drove 45 minutes across town to a hostess' home. When she opened the front door, instead of looking happy to see me she looked horrified. ÒDidnÕt you get my message?Ó she asked. I couldnÕt believe that after years of running a successful home party business, something like that could still happen to me. It was so humiliating. Did I feel like throwing in the towel? You bet! Did I? Not a chance. On that long drive home I not only decided to keep persisting, I reviewed every step in my hostess coaching process to pinpoint where the communication with my hostess had gone awry.
The conclusion I reached was that I was at cause for the result I ended up with that day. Then I vowed not to put another womanÕs name into my calendar as a hostess, if I wasnÕt willing to thoroughly coach her to having a truly successful show. I went home that day and established a hostess coaching system in my business, a system that I could easily follow, teach others to follow, and most importantly, a system that could insure the success of each hostess.
By persisting even when I felt humiliated and discouraged, I revolutionized my business. The hostess coaching system I put into place made postponements a thing of the past, boosted guest attendance and sales, and increased my profits. You see, in the kingdom of direct sales, persistence is king, and right when things look at their worst is when they can turn around for the best. Indeed, those who keep going, even when things donÕt look bright, end up on the sunny side.
Last Saturday, my daughter, Tess, asked me how my morning run went. I told her, ÒNot so well. I had a bad cramp most of the way.Ó She laughed and said, ÒBut you probably kept on going for 4 miles, didnÕt you, Mom?Ó With a lousy French accent I replied, ÒBut of course.Ó The reason I didnÕt turn around after the first half-mile is the same reason I kept running in the downpour a few days earlier Ñ I know that persistence is king.
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Author, Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker Tammy Stanley publishes the propelling 'Sales Refinery Insights' weekly ezine for direct sales professionals. If you're ready to jump-start your direct sales business, make more money, and create more value, get your FREE tips now at www.tammystanley.com/ezine/ezine_offer_ds.htm
|
 
Giving an "A"I absolutely loved reading "The Art of Possibility" by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. Being a possiblity thinker is surely part of building a big business in Direct Sales. Instead of being stopped by obstacles, possibility thinking encourages you to persist. One way to open up the floodgates of possibility is to practice giving everyone an "A," according to Ross and Ben Zander. This means that we choose to acknowledge and validate each person's ability to make a difference. Back when our son, Marcus, entered Kindergarten, I was told by several parents that his teacher was tough on boys and always showed strong favoritism towards girls. Situation after situation seemed to prove the validity of what I had been told. But I never let the description I had heard or even the situations I witnessed stop me from giving this woman an "A" in my mind. When I met with her at the parent/teacher conferences, she seemed to emit a disliking for our darling little boy. Still I refused to let her sway me into giving her anything but an "A." At the final conference of the year, this teacher shared with me how she had asked the students to share what they had learned during Kindergarten that year. She recounted how several had said they had learned to count, others had learned their A,B,Cs, and so on. However, when it was Marcus' turn to share, he said, "I learned that children can make a difference." Bursting into tears, this teacher shared with me that if there was only one thing she had wanted her Kindergarten students to learn, it was that they could make a difference. It took most of the school year, but after continually giving this woman an "A," she embraced it. After we moved away from Colorado, she stayed in touch with us for several years and sent Marcus some beautiful cards and gifts.
Possibility truly is an art. Why not learn more how to instill this incredible art into your Direct Sales business and life? Click on this link to order The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
|
 Sales Trainer, Author, and Professional Speaker Tammy Stanley, is the founder of The Sales Refinery, a sales training company that assists direct sales consultants to generate more business and build long-lasting sales teams through powerful marketing, selling and leadership strategies.
Tammy has been coaching and training since 1994 and has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the independent sales consultant. While raising four children, Tammy built a multi-million dollar direct sales organization, reaching her company's Circle of Excellence 7 consecutive years in a row. She earned numerous sales and leadership awards, world travel, and promoted 11 offspring managers.
If you liked today's article and want to learn more about Tammy's hostess coaching system, Stop Postponements in the Home Party Business click here now www.tammystanley.com/direct_sales_products.html.
The Tammy Stanley Sales Refinery
Tempe, AZ 85283
Call Today: 480-775-4866
tammy@TammyStanley.com |
READING THIS Ezine? WHY NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY To
ADVERTISE With US!
Reach more people. Get the scoop and reserve your
spot today at
www.tammystanley.com/ezine/ad_offer.html
Copyright 2006-2007 Tammy S. Stanley. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
