Photo by Sylvain Mauroux on Unsplash
This may come as a surprise, but many moons ago I was in direct sales, specifically for a skincare and cosmetics company. To make the business work, we were strongly encouraged to get the product on thirty faces a month. This would help you get better at sales and give people the opportunity to try the product and purchase things directly from you at the appointment.
It was probably two years into my direct sales business when I hit a wall. I saw thirty faces in a month and sold nothing. I mean NOTHING. Zero. Zilch. My director asked me, “no one bought a mascara or lipstick?” Nope. This is statistically improbable, and based on my director’s response I was the only person she’d ever coached that had this happen to them.
I laugh about it now (almost two decades later), but at the time I wanted to run over my showcase (the organization bag that holds all of the demo products, mirrors, wipes, etc.) with my car. I could barely wash my face with the products without bursting into tears because I was so angry. I seriously thought about quitting, but I didn’t.
Instead of running over the showcase with my car, I took a step back and really thought about why I was doing this side business. I thought about what it gave me, the friendships I’d made, and the opportunities to learn new skills and get better at interacting with people. I wasn’t in it for the money (money has never been a motivator for me), I was in it for the relationships and helping people feel better about themselves.
These benefits kept me going through one of the most difficult challenges I faced with that business. I wasn’t going to let myself quit because I didn’t sell anything. I was going to change my attitude and try again.
Questions to ponder:
What keeps me going when my work (or hobbies or whatever) gets challenging?
Why do I do what I do? What’s my motivation?
What have I learned about myself through challenges?
Stay curious friends!
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