Dear Archive Visitor, This week I have had a special smile on my face, as our little ballerina, Audrey, is home for spring break. We don't get to see her very much because she attends a ballet school out in Connecticut, while we live in Arizona. A little more than a year ago, Audrey expressed her deep concern that her dream of becoming a professional ballerina was slipping away as the only teachers truly qualified to teach her here in Arizona were looking at closing their doors. Although we knew of the school she now attends in Connecticut, we were not in the position to even consider affording it at the time. The future looked bleak for her. When she asked me what we were going to do, I explained that we were going to take one step at a time and not worry about the future or what it looked like. Within just a couple months of me telling her that, everything changed. She received a phone call from The Nutmeg Conservatory accepting her into their program and my husband landed a consulting job that made the expense of the school almost possible. At that point we decided to send our 16 year-old daughter a couple thousand miles away, so she could pursue a goal she had worked diligently to attain for seven years. In today's article I show one way of moving forward in your business even when the rewards you are hoping for fail to materialize right away.

Building an Empire in Your Direct Sales Business (Listen right now) is one of the most rewarding things you may ever do Ñ you can earn an outstanding income, you get to decide your work schedule, you can earn world travel, and you meet the best friends of your life... all while running a business out of your own home. However, building a successful direct sales business requires intriguing prospects quickly, leaving them hungry to know more, and knowing how to use the telephone effectively. This jam-packed-information AUDIO covers 3 simple ways to accomplish all of that. Listen right now at your convenience via live streaming or download.

What If You Do Not See Immediate Results By Tammy Stanley One of the challenges in the direct sales business and in life is to keep working when the positive reinforcement you desire seems to be on vacation. It is not unusual to deal with that when you first get started in direct sales, but that challenge is hardly reserved for new sales consultants alone. Even top leaders know what it is like to invest hours upon hours with the consultants in their unit, only to experience little or no change after a couple of months. During times like those it is so tempting to say, "This is not working - I give up!" I want to encourage you today to do something that requires true moral courage - focus on the activity instead of the results. I know too well how difficult this is to do. Recently I was reminded that it is EASY to believe what we see, which is why so many people look at the results or lack thereof and give up. The mental work required to believe in something other than the visible situation is definitely labor. One of the greatest mentors in my life was a woman who truly understood how to see past the visible plane. Years ago when my husband and I were experiencing numerous challenges, I received a call from this mentor, Miss Freda Dixon. After we talked for a few minutes she said, "Do not be too hard on Jim." That only lit my fuse, and I proceeded to tell MY side of the story. Suddenly I was interrupted with her question, "Oh, do you know what I love about the prophets?" (I did not know where she was going with that question, but I had a sneaky suspicion that my star ship had just been taken over by a new captain!) She went on in detail about the incredible grace and sacrifice the prophets expressed. And then she said, "Oh but I have this friend in Oregon (that is where I was living at the time) who is so talented and so intelligent and so blessed, but it is all JUST A BURDEN!" OUCH! Yep it hurt, especially coming from a mentor, but I loved her even more for having the guts to wake me up from a dark slumber. Instead of seeing all that you do to move a direct sales business ahead as a burden, you can perform each activity with your attention on the activity alone. When you let the reward be the joy you get from doing the activity, you put yourself in an amazingly beneficial state. I'll share a personal example. As many of you know, a year ago I made the decision to publish a weekly ezine for direct sales consultants. For the first few weeks it was really exciting. However, I found it incredibly challenging to do, after a month or two. I even began entertaining the idea of a monthly newsletter as opposed to a weekly one. The real problem was not the weekly commitment. It was my perception that this weekly task might become a burden. Fortunately all my experience in direct sales conditioned me keep taking action with or without immediate visible results. Before I consciously realized it, producing a weekly ezine became a habit that I truly looked forward to doing. Then several of the articles I wrote received recognition online, and not long after that I was asked to become a member in a group of top sales experts. Even though all of that seemed to happen rather quickly, the truth is that it would NOT have happened quickly enough if my focus had been on the results instead of the activity. If I had allowed that activity to become a burden instead of a opportunity to express grace, I would have given up after a few months because at that time, I assure you, it certainly did not look like it was worth all the effort! I know it is not easy to make prospecting calls, especially when you don't always see immediate results from those calls. My mentor, Freda, would tell you that the key is to focus on expressing grace - moral strength - instead of expressing burden - unwanted drudgery. If you can make that switch, it will amaze you how quickly you can turn a burden into a joy and an activity into a habit. 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

Tammy Stanley, founded and directs The Sales Refinery, a sales training company that assists sales professionals 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.

The Tammy Stanley Sales Refinery
Tempe, AZ 85283
Call Today: 480-775-4866
tammy@TammyStanley.com

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