Earlier this year, I decided to do something totally out of my comfort zone and start working as a Pure Romance consultant. Never, not even in my most bizarre dreams or terrifying nightmares, had I considered any sort of job where I would be involved in sales. But I realized that being a consultant was, as its name implies, more about consulting, educating, and empowering than it was about sales. I wanted to have that type of impact in the world and maybe make a difference in someone's life the same way my consultant (and now team-lead) had in mine. So I ordered my kit in February and hit the ground running....and then I seem to have tripped.
Like I said, things started off really well. We have monthly team meetings and I felt like I was receiving a lot of recognition and encouragement. The first meeting I attended I was recognized just because it was my first time and congratulated for taking the leap. The second meeting I received recognition for having sold $2000 in retail in my first two months as a consultant. I felt like I was doing great and my hopes of having an impact and empowering others were being fulfilled.
And then, like a false spring common to Utah, the clouds rolled in, the snow fell, and my budding hope was buried and told to reemerge in warmer weather. Two parties cancelled and one rescheduled, leaving me with nothing in April and little hope of scheduling something for May. Life became busy and I struggled to find time to dedicate to regrowing what I felt I had lost.
But I'm stubborn and I don't like the idea of giving up. The brief taste of having empowered someone else motivated me to find that struggling sapling and nurture it back to life. With some words of encouragement and advice from other consultants, I got things going again. But it was too late to have any impact on my success for April.
I walked into team meeting tired (it was one of those days where you leave home at 8 AM and get home at 11 PM), frustrated (I had forgotten my name tag and notebook) and disappointed (I had managed $60 in sales in April). After two previous meetings of recognition, I just felt I had no reason to be recognized and no success to show for my work.
I sat in the back, listened to the training and took notes on a blank page in my planner since I didn't have my notebook, and watched as my sister consultants received recognition for the awesome jobs they each did the previous month. And though I was happy for them, I was still disappointed in myself.Then Dani, my team lead, began talking about the "Random Award" for the month. I had forgotten this award existed and, to be honest, can't tell you who received it the previous two months or why. Dani declared this month's random award to be the "Fighter award" for someone who had fought through difficult times, kept pushing forward despite disappointments, and refused to give up. I never imagined my stubbornness would earn me an award, but she called me up and gave me a cute tote and a hug.
I signed up with Pure Romance because I wanted the opportunity to empower and inspire others. In that moment, trying not to cry, I realized that I had received something even better. A room full of people who empower and inspire me.
Next time my plans fall through, parties cancel, and sales drop – I'm probably not going to receive a cute bag and congratulations for keeping my chin up. But I will remember these wonderful women who tell fun stories about their kids as we carpool, who bring cupcakes to every team meeting because there is always something to celebrate, and who empower me to press forward when things get rough. These women are a miracle in my life.
