I never thought about what I would say or post or how we would celebrate this episode so I gotta be honest, not much is gonna be different. I AM working on something EPIC for our 100th episode though so you’ll want to be sure to tune in for that!!
Listen Now:
Training:
In this episode, we are talking about being REAL and why it’s important to show your personality and human-ness to your customers and team.
So, I think I’ve shared before that I’ve been in Direct Sales for a while now. I was with several other companies before Paparazzi and was involved with several training and speaking organizations to improve myself and my business. I learned SO much!
One of the things that I could never quite accept from all of the teachers, speakers, trainers and coaches that I had was that they wanted me to look PROFESSIONAL at ALL times. In my mind, I was like, “Professional?! Are you kidding?! I haven’t had a shower in 3 days and I don’t think I own a shirt that isn’t stained with spit-up or PBJ!” I really struggled with wanting to present myself in a professional manner but still being a work at home/stay at home mom.
I think this is what also held me back in my business. The women that I was trying to emulate were professional working mothers. They had a babysitter or a daycare to watch their kids. Most of them had an office they would be at from 8-5 and they were able to avoid the PBJ stains. Don’t get me wrong, these ladies are AMAZING at what they do and highly inspirational, but the entire reason I wanted to be in direct sales was to STAY HOME with my kids. To BE a mom!
So it took a lot of soul searching and several years, but I finally realized that what had been drilled into my head wasn’t going to work for me in my life.
Now, I’m not saying that you should go live with messy hair, no bra, and no makeup – that’s just not a good way to represent a company that is about fashion and accessorizing. But what I am saying is that you don’t have to have it ALL together ALL the time either. People like knowing that you are human. That you have struggles and challenges too!
So the other day when I was doing a live Facebook video, my daughter burst into the room crying. I quickly handled the situation (she’s 3 so she usually just needs a Mommy-kiss) and sent her back on her way. While I was embarrassed, I was able to quickly say something about how lucky I am to be able to work from home with my kids and then I moved on. I was a moment of real life that was infused into my presentation and my customers LOVED it!
Another morning, we had really had a difficult time getting out the door to school. I was still in my husband’s t-shirt, ball cap and I’d managed to throw on a pair of jeans. At a stop light on the way to the school, I grabbed a pair of earrings and a necklace and put them on and was amazed at how quickly my “just out of bed look” became a “dressed down but still cute” look. So what did I do? I took a picture! I shared with my customers that I was just out of bed BUT that anyone in the drop off line at the school or the secretary at the front desk thought my look was on purpose – because of my accessories!
Was I completely perfect looking? Not by a long shot, but I can guarantee that the other moms out there decided that they need to keep a necklace and pair of earrings handy for JUST such mornings so that THEY can look good too!
Recently, I have a consultant join my team and she shared that she had been looking at several other consultants for quite some time, trying to decide whose team to join. When I asked why she choose me, she said that I posted about business, but I also posted about my kids. She was able to get a feel for who I am as a person and knew that I have a life outside of Paparazzi. She said the others that she had been watching were purely business and she couldn’t get a feel for who they were or if they would be a good leader!
See it pays to show who you are! To be real. Genuine. I had no idea that I was being watched but now I am glad that I post silly pictures of my kids or new and exciting things going on in my life because it really does matter.
So what I’m trying to say is there’s nothing wrong with not looking 100% polished and put together at all times. It makes what you do seem legit. Like they can do it too. It also helps people to believe you a little bit more when you are telling them how awesome your business is or how much money you’ve made with Paparazzi. They think that if you are willing to be honest about those less than perfect moments in your life, you are also being honest about your success with Paparazzi. It’s a Win, Win!
I do want to clarify one thing – these aren’t an everyday thing. You don’t want to portray that your life is a disaster and that you are barely able to brush your teeth every day. That’s not something they are going to want to sign up for either, but those tiny peeks into your personal like on occasion will go a long way!
Show Challenge:
Post at least 1 thing to your personal Facebook timeline or in your sales group that shows a different side of you. It could be a collage of silly faces or how you accessorized your top while you were still wearing PJ pants – but none of the other moms as school drop-off knew! You pick! Be honest, be genuine!