It’s summertime. That means many direct sales companies just held or will soon be holding their annual convention. Most who attend such gatherings will tell how your inspiring, exciting, motivating and energizing the experience is. Most will come home on fire – ready to take their direct selling business to a new level.
However just like any post-vacation or other post-positive-experience event, once you get back to the real world, surrounded by real life and an abundance of personalities, it’s not long before you lose that honeymoon feeling.
Is the Honeymoon over?
Just like any relationship or marriage, the honeymoon phase doesn’t last. Though there are some steps you can take to keep your positive momentum going, long after you’ve finished laundry, uploaded your trip pics and put the suitcase away.
Consider why your convention was so inspiring. I’m sure you can come up with a number of reasons and the number one contributor was because you were inundated with positive, energetic people who share the same goal. Attitudes are contagious. If you’re in a convention center with thousands of pumped up consultants, how can you not catch the fire?
Too bad it’s not real, right?
Whoa, slow down there lil pard’ner, that excitement and inspiration you experienced was definitely real. It just doesn’t last once you leave – that is unless you take steps to ensure you can maintain some of that pumped up feeling.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
Like attracts like
You have to guard your heart and be very protective what types of attitudes and people you let into your circle. Negative, toxic, cynical, sarcastic, crabby, entitled, depressed, bratty people will let the wind out of your sails almost instantly and serves no useful purpose. Don’t give them the opportunity to crap in your corn flakes.
“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you.” – Colin Powell
Actionable Items to Stay Motivated After Convention
Right, Laurie, got it – stay away from the naysayers. Sometimes that’s difficult to do if it happens to be coworkers, team members or even a non-supportive spouse. Give me some tips how to stay inspired.
1. Sharpen the saw
You have to be proactive to continually develop yourself. This could mean picking up an audio or book of some of the speakers from your convention or look for them on YouTube; it could mean rereading your new consultant information that was included in your starter kit; it could mean finding inspiring blogs (This Direct Sales Blog is a good one!); it could mean following some upbeat people on Facebook (here’s another one I’d recommend); or it could mean going back to your company sponsored training center to go through the modules (either for the first time or for a repeat).
2. New Convention Buddies
Did you sit next to someone new on the plane or during some sessions? Perhaps you were stuck in a long line but made some great new friends. I hope you exchanged contact info. Stay in touch! They need you as much as you need them.
3. Commit to attend all upcoming training
Make plans now to attend convention next year. Do you have regional training events? Go! Does your corporate office or upline have regular training calls? Listen! If you can’t listen live, listen to the recording. The key is to inundate yourself with training on a regular, consistent basis.
4. Stay in touch with your team daily
You could have a team of one or a team of 5,000 – it doesn’t matter how many. It’s important to communicate somehow (team page, Facebook, text, call, email, Facetime, whatever) daily. Daily?! Yes daily – even if it’s just a quote or a daily challenge, something, anything.
5. Touch base with your upline daily
Yes, another daily task. It doesn’t need to be 15 minute phone call. It could be one text that says “I sold a six-pack today, woot!” Celebrate all successes, no matter how small. It could be that you’re a member of your team training page. You have to stay connected. It’s your business, your goals, reach up and out. Don’t sit around waiting for a call.
6. Gag yourself
Give yourself a gag order if you’re prone to negative self talk. Don’t listen to the negative voices in your head and for heaven’s sake, do not verbally utter smack such as “No one wants to do buy, host, join.” Likewise, if your corporate office announces a change – that initially doesn’t seem fabulous to you – don’t entertain the negative nelly who initially thinks it’s a bad change. If you’re not able to instantly think, “They must have our best interest at heart, hmm, should be a good change.” Then at a minimum decided you will hold off judgment and keep your mouth shut until you see for yourself.
You said yes, they’ll say yes
Let me remind you that YOU bought, hosted and/or joined. You said yes. All those thousands of people who were just crammed into the conference center with also said yes. Others will too.
There will always be far more people who need a consultant to purchase from or to facilitate a party for them or a sponsor to join with, then there are quality consultants to serve them all. Always!
Some will; some won’t; so what; someone’s waiting! (And they’re waiting for someone who is positive and inspiring – that means YOU!)
See you at the top!
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/ or for updates on Facebook friend me www.facebook.com/LaurieAyersWax and twitter @directsalesblog
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