Debbie Parkin is one of the top Elite leaders in Paparazzi! She is a beautiful person inside and out! She is a dedicated leader who loves her team, Paparazzi, and her family. Let’s jump into today’s training so you can see why Debbie has reached the highest levels of success in Paparazzi.
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Debbie Parkin is an amazing person! She is a mom to 4 boys. She joined Paparazzi in October 2012 and works with her husband and business partner, Ty. She has reached the rank of Fashionista and is Crown Club 100, which Paparazzi actually created after Debbie hit it 3 months in a row!
Debbie is the team leader of Dazzling Divas and she has won the grand prize for the Paparazzi Accessories Passport Vacation 3 years in a row!
What is your Paparazzi Why?
Debbie: My why has changed a lot from when I first started. When I first started my why was because we wanted extra money to go travel and do stuff and we thought Paparazzi would be able to do that for us. As my business has progressed and grown, my WHY has shifted to my team. I work Paparazzi because I want to see my team succeed. And their success is just so awesome. I love those moments when they share their awesome moments with me. And that’s why I do Paparazzi now. It’s more for my team than for myself.
Awnya: I think that’s a great point that your why doesn’t always have to be the same, it can grow and evolve as you grow in your business and in your life.
What is your worst Paparazzi moment?
Deb: This is probably my favorite question because it keeps it real for everyone. Everyone goes through a snag here and there. If you just preserver through it and push it off to the side, your Paparazzi business will continue to grow.
My worst Paparazzi business was about a month into my Paparazzi journey, I was invited to participate in a Christmas boutique, like a holiday boutique at someone’s house. So there was me and several other Direct Sales people. We went to this house and seriously, I’m not even kidding, no one showed up. Not one person for like 4 hours. Me and Ty were just like “what the heck is going on”.
It turns out that this lady didn’t advertise it as well as she should have. She only handed out like 100 flyers to her neighbors. And for a big boutique like that, there should have been more advertisement.
So no one showed up. I was the only one who sold anything that day because the other Direct Sales people ended up buying jewelry from me! Me and Ty walked away and got in the car and were like “What the heck was that?! That was like a waste of time.”
We could have just thrown in the towel then. But we decided to chalk it up to experience and move forward. I look back to that day and think “What if we did stop. What if we got so discouraged to the point of not doing Paparazzi anymore?” And look at what we would have been missing.
I think the lesson in all of this is yeah, you might have a party or an event that isn’t stellar. But hey, you did it! Learn from that and just move forward. It’s in your past. Today’s a new day and a new day for new experiences. That’s the worst moment I’ve had.
Awnya: When you have a bad boutique or event or home party, you think, “Those Elite leaders they never have that problem. They always have great parties! It’s a trick our minds play on us. The truth is, you guys have had them too. It’s a numbers game. You’re gonna have a bad event. You’re gonna have a bad party. You just have to push through.
Debbie: Oh yea, absolutely! I still have bad parties or bad Facebook parties, but at least I try and it’s a good example for my team. Just because it’s bad for you, it might help someone else try a FB party or try another home party. They see you working and they want to see if they can do it as well.
Awnya: Somebody said to me once “You never know how close you are to success. You never know when the next party you do will be your $1000 party or where you’re gonna sign up 6 consultant. So if you quit today, what’s to say that the next thing you did or the next day, you wouldn’t have had AMAZING success.” You just gotta push though, you gotta keep going cuz you just never know!
What is a habit you have that contributes to your success?
Debbie: I have lots of habits because after a while, Paparazzi just becomes your life and everything you do, think and say is about the business! One of the habits I think helps the most is Follow up! You need to follow up with those that are interested in the opportunity or in having a party.
If someone comes up to you and says “Hey, I wanna join.” and you say “Great here’s my business card,” and that’s it, then what are they going to do? They are either gonna loose interested and not join or they are going to find someone who is going to help them join! So I think following up is key in growing your team and also in having parties.
Follow up! Very important.
Awnya: There was a girl when I first joined paparazzi, 3 years ago, who said she was interested and wanted more info. So I did and I followed up with her and followed up with her and followed up with her and she was still interested but it wasn’t the right time. After about a year, she said she would let me know when she was ready. I kept contact up with her but didn’t actively try to recruit her anymore.
Not even kidding you, after 2 ½ years, she called one day and said “I’m sick of waiting, sign me up to Paparazzi!” I thought she was never going to join. The message is – you just never know! Follow up with those people. Keep in contact! It might happen 2 ½ years down the road and that person might be your next rock star!
What advice would you give to a brand new consultant just starting out?
Debbie: You are gonna feel so many emotions. You’re gonna feel excited like you just can’t wait, but your also gonna feel like “What am I doing? Can I do this?”
What you should do is focus on those first feelings. Be excited. Your excitement is going to rub off on other people and they are going to be excited. If you make a big deal about the jewelry by wearing it and being a product of the product then they are going to love it and they are going to feed off your excitement and energy.
Now you might say “Oh, I’m so shy, I don’t know what to do.” I’ve been there! I’m still there. I’m still shy! I did a video called Fake It ‘til You Make It and I think I go over stuff on how you can fake your confidence kind of. Like you aren’t going to be a fake person, but you just want to be the person you want to be, that you strive to be.
I strive to be a leader. I didn’t know what being a leader looked like. So I pretended that I knew what I was doing and sooner than later I realized I could actually do this.
Be a product of the products. Be excited. Try not to think of your nerves and if you are scared. Your enthusiasm will rub off on other people. They will either want to buy your jewelry or join your team and feel that same enthusiasm as you.
Awnya: How simple is that. You don’t need a million dollars to buy a billboard or advertise in the phone book. Or get in the best place in Google. Just share and be excited and happy about your new business venture.
What advice would you give to someone who is feeling stuck in their Paparazzi business?
Debbie: If you had a great start and you find your business slowly going downhill, go back to the basics. That sounds so weird because what you did at the beginning might be completely different from what you’re doing now. What worked?
Go back to the period in your Paparazzi journey that you were rocking it. You were getting parties, you were getting new team members. What did you stop doing that you were doing when your business was stellar? You need to take a step back and go back to the basics. “Ok, that’s right. I was doing this and this and this. So I’ll try this and this and this again.” And pretty soon if you do those things that helped in your business, they will help your business grow.
Awnya: I’m a classic case of ”Shiny Object Syndrome” so if I go to a meeting or a Paparazzi event and somebody says “Have you tried this with your parties? It’s so amazing.” Then I will go home try it and when I don’t have the success they did. Then I start to think “What’s wrong with me?!”
Get back to the basics. Get back to what works to you. Just because it works for me or for Debbie doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you and your customers. Go back to the place you found success and focus. Focus in on that.
What is a quote that inspires you?
I liken this to goals. If you work, work, work, and you don’t have a set goal you are going to be working forever and find no satisfaction in what you are doing. Slow down, find a goal and make sure you achieve that goal. It doesn’t matter how fast or how slow you get to that new rank or get to “I want to do 10 parties.” What matters is that you are going in the right direction to get to that goal.
Some have been in Paparazzi the whole 4 or 5 years that it’s been around and are still directors or not even directors but they are still working it and they are still dedicated to their business and I think if the direction your moving is forward and not backward, eventually you will find the success you are going for!
What is a parting piece of guidance you have for us?
Debbie: Be dedicated! With your own business it’s so hard to loose motivation and think this is silly or that you aren’t going anywhere but you have to work past that and move forward. Don’t think about those bad thoughts that you aren’t worth it because you are. When I first started and even now, my own family, my parents, brothers and sisters, they are very negative about Paparazzi. I will even be like “Look! I won this contest.” They are like “Oh. Well, you can’t make any real money with Paparazzi.” Or “Yea, sure. “ And that really hurt my feeling. This is my life and they just shut it down.
I think a lot of people have this in their life. It could be your spouse. It could be your friends. It is hard to do but in order for you to move forward, you need to not let them go out of your life completely, but maybe let them go out of your business a little bit.
Like right now, if my family askes how Paparazzi is doing, I say “It’s going really well” and leave it at that cuz I don’t want those hurt feelings. When I get those hurt feelings I start doubting myself and all that I do.
My parting words of guidance are – keep out the negative. You’re worth it! You know what you’re doing and you’re going to rock at it. It will be fun one day to be like “See I did it!, Neener, neener.” Just believe in yourself! And I know you can do great things with Paparazzi!
Awnya: That is the best thing you can do! Believe in yourself. Know where you are going and if somebody needs to take a back seat in your life instead of being your copilot in life- now I’m not talking about your husband or anything– I’m not saying go get a divorce! But if someone is being a negative Nelly, don’t keep them right next to you!
Don’t call them up every time something happens and ask for their opinion. Let them take more of a backseat to your success. Because you are really are worth it. Deb, you put that so perfectly!
Awnya: Thank you for coming on this call and sharing all your knowledge with us! Can you see why I love Deb so much?! She is one of the sweetest people I know!
Resources:
Show Notes
Debbie Parkin: Elite Leader Interview – printable show transcripts