Today's Thought

Quote for the month: "Do or do not, there is NO TRY"

Yoda from Empire Strikes Back

How to Use the "Power of the Force" in Direct Selling

By: Karen Phelps

You have the "power of the force within you, use it wisely", Yoda the Jedi master says to young Luke Skywalker in the movie Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back". Yoda is trying to teach Luke the power of the force as he lifts and moves Luke's spaceship out of the water. Luke said, "I don't believe it!" Yoda replies, "that is why you fail"! Yoda has mastered the "Power of the Force"! He understands that his thoughts determine his actions. Yoda continues his teachings, "Don't underestimate the power of the force Luke"!

Imagine you are young Skywalker and you are about to venture into a new journey as you analyze and re-evaluate your direct selling business. When is the last time you used the "power of the force" in your Direct Selling career? How long has it been since you even realized the "powerful force" you have within you as a member of a direct selling organization? You have the power to become anything you want to be! You can possess anything you desire . You have the power to realize your dreams! Are you underestimating the power? Are you "settling for mediocrity" instead of using the force within you to excel? Are you "watching things happen" or "making things happen"?

Now, fast forward to “Star Wars, Return of the Jedi”. Luke returns to continue his training with Yoda and finds Yoda ill and dying. Luke is upset as he feels that he still has much to learn from Yoda and cries out, “You can’t die, I have so much to learn.” Yoda replies, “You have learned all you need to learn. Now Master what you have learned"

! Many consultants learn things but never master them. When is the last time you really thought about the things you have “mastered” in your career? Do your feel there are things you know but have not really mastered? How can you “master everything you have learned? By implementing and doing the things you have learned. Many consultants learn but do not implement and therefore never really master what they have learned. What can you do to become a “direct selling master”?

Implement new ideas as soon as you can. Within 48 hours of learning a new skill you will forget about 85% of what you have learned if you do not review it and implement it. Each time you attend a meeting, training, convention or workshop make sure you review your notes and write down the one or two things you learned that you feel could make the most impact on your business. Study the actions you need too take, then practice doing what you have learned so that when you implement the new idea into your presentation you will feel comfortable.

Most often when the new idea or strategy fails it is because we didn’t prepare enough before implementing or we waited too long after learning the new strategy before we began to implement it into our presentation. We feel uncomfortable with the new technique and when it doesn’t work well for us we flippantly discard the idea and say to ourselves, “that didn’t work for me” rather than reviewing, practicing and implementing again until we master it!

Control your thoughts. One of the most important things Luke learned is that his thoughts controlled his actions. When he learned to control his thoughts he became stronger and more powerful as a Jedi. The same is true for you.

There is a saying, "whether you think you can or can't, you're right"! What do you do when a negative thought or doubt pops into your mind? Do you give into the negativity or do you immediately catch yourself and change your thoughts into positive thoughts that will produce positive actions? Self-sabotage is one of the quickest ways to fail in direct selling. If a booking cancels or a recruit quits, oh well, "get over it" and move forward. Quit focusing on what didn't work and continue to seek ways that will work.

Continue your training. No one knows everything there is to know about everything! It is only when we continue seek to learn from those who know more than us that we will see our business improve. Most companies have a training program for new consultants but remember that most of that training is just "basic training" and you will continually need to train, implement and improve all of your direct selling skills. Often those who discard their need for continuing education find themselves on a downward spiral that may have been avoided.

My advice to you is not matter what, you should be at every meeting and training that is offered by your upline and company. ONE NEW IDEA could potentially help you earn thousands and thousands of dollars!

Master what you have learned. The only way to "master what you have learned" is to practice what you have learned over and over and over again. If you learn booking techniques then hold only one or two parties per month you never will perfect what you have learned. I became a "master" at what I did because I continually held 3 to 4 parties per week for 48 weeks of the year for over 22 years! It was only by actually doing the parties, the interviews, the training sessions, etc. that I became a "master" at them. You need to develop a "consistent" schedule of parties, interviews, trainings, etc and keep on doing the same things over and over and over again until you have mastered them. You probably already know most of what you need to know. Now, "master what you have learned."

There is a big difference between those who are mediocre in Direct Selling and those who are "great" in direct selling. The big difference is that they continually seek ways to improve in the business. They have learned that their direct selling education never comes to an end and they are continually seeking, new, different, better and faster ways to build their direct selling businesses.

PARTY ON!!!
Shoot for the Moon; even if you miss you'll land among the stars!
email: karen@karenphelps.com
phone: 248-673-3465
web: http://www.karenphelps.com