Don't Let it Get in Your Way

I had the pleasure this week of celebrating Nation Hijab Day at a panel discussion put on by Women of Toledo.

One panelist, Zobaida Falah, founder of Cure, was asked if she has experienced  discrimination in the business world because of her head covering.  She said that she has, but that instead of being a victim she uses that to motivate her to analyze her presentation or meeting to determine what she could have done better to get a better result.


I thought how that advice can certainly lend itself to the craft of networking.  Sometimes I reach out and are pushed back.  Either people are disinterested or downright rude.  But instead of getting all hot and bothered, I could just move on and ask myself, "Who else would be better for me to connect with?"

Perhaps it is not the people but the process I am using when networking. Am I too forward or not enough?  Am I not reading little signals that tell the world so much and do I need to get better at that?

How can you use Zobaida advice to your advantage?

Don't be Alike

Two great things about the direct sales world are standardization and the training most companies provide. 

I would also like to challenge that!  Of course, I would.

Standardization of the process is great, but standardization of the person is not so.  Think of any person who sells a multi-level product.  Are they just like the last person who talked with you about the very same product?  If so, they don't realize that they need to be unique.  They haven't given you any reason to buy from them over the other person.

When my friend, Jenn Wenzke, sold Mary Kay cosmetics, she set herself apart by helping others first and then by letting them know about her MK offers.  And she gave a lot of stuff away too.  She also started her own networking group.  It is designed to help everyone else, but you can bet that in the end it also helps Jenn. That's because she was willing to do the work that made her different from everyone else.

John Tarpy, is a representative for CruiseOne.  He loves the company.  The training is great.  But he also reached outside the company to further open his mind.  He took our course last year and now he is even more successful.  One thing he does when he goes to local networking events is that he wears a shirt that looks like a boat captain's shirt.  He stands out from the crowd.

For those in direct sales, what makes you different from all your sisters and brothers in your company.  When you go to your annual conference, do you stand out enough that others want to know about your success?

Tell us about it!

Give a Tithe to Yourself

A thousand years ago (OK, so maybe it was only 500 years) I went to a sales seminar put on by Tom Hopkins.  It was a full day event and while some of his stuff is a little old

-fashioned now, he had lots of good information.  But from the full day, there is one item he mentioned that has stayed with me forever.

Of course, Tom was selling product from the stage.  He had both video and audio cassettes available and was making the deal sound irresistible. He stopped his sales process, (although now that I look at it, it was probably a step in the process!) walked to the other side of the stage and said, "You know, if you're not spending 10% of your net income on becoming better at what you do, you're just fooling yourself."


I remember sitting there thinking about what I had earned the previous year and realizing what that number would be.  It made me easily decide to purchase his audio set, which I listened to over and over again in my car.  My W-2 the next year showed immense progress in my selling career.


Today, I still go by that rule.  While I may not spend 10%, I probably get close to it.  I like to learn so it is not a chore, but investing in myself also makes very good sense.

What are you doing this year to get better at what you do?