Being an Introvert in an Extrovert Direct Sales World

Thirteen years ago, I stepped way (WAY!) out of my comfort zone.  I was only willing to do it because it was worth it.  I did it because I KNOW there is a great power in something everyone has, everyone needs, but few people do anything with.

Here's the thing.  I'm a die-hard introvert, but I'm an introvert with a deep desire to make a difference.  

HOW I DECIDED TO LEAVE MY COMFORT ZONE

I had not one but three invitations to leave my comfort zone, and they came in the form of phone calls from friends in March 2005.  Three of my friends had discovered a new company called Heritage Makers, a digital storybooking company that doubled as an heirloom-quality way of preserving photos and memories, too.  One of my friends called it "a company made for" me, and I knew she was right--I had always been a journaler and scrapbooker--but this new, fabulous company had just one drawback.  

It was a social selling company.  Heritage Makers was shared through direct sales, or network marketing, and I never even went to home parties!  That introvert thing really kicks in sometimes.  How on earth could I give home parties, ask people to host home parties, or close a sale?  I'm a low-pressure listener, not a high-pressure talker.  

Miraculously, it only took about three days.  I decided that taking the leap and sharing Heritage Makers was worth stepping out of my comfort zone because there is a power in photos and memories and stories that is too often left untouched.  Pictures are absolutely priceless because they can bring back people and moments that have gone.  Telling and owning your story, learning the stories of your grandparents and parents, and intentionally designing your own story now creates a sense of purpose and belonging.

And everybody needs it.  More and more, we need it desperately.

But first I had to learn how to be an introvert in an extrovert business.  At first, I tried to do things that were very unnatural to me--talk the direct sales talk, walk the direct sales walk.  It kind of worked sometimes, but I didn't enjoy it, and I wasn't very good at it.  I met another Heritage Makers consultant once over lunch.  She pointed to a guy sitting three Subway tables away from us and told me, "I could sell anything to that guy."

Well, congratulations.  But that's not me.  I'm not trying to just sell something.  I'm trying to share something that makes a difference in hearts, souls, and families.

FINDING MY OWN WAY

Over time, I tried more out-of-the-box things like hosting low-key open houses, having a booth at craft fairs, starting this blog (over 8 years ago!), and creating a YouTube channel with video tutorials.  In recent years, I've listened to business coaches, joined networking groups, and gotten great advice and ideas.  Some are ME, and some are NOT ME.  (I will say that the "give away your best stuff for free" advice is something I was doing already!  Keep reading to find out how much free stuff I give away.)

In the end, though, I found that the most important thing for me to do was to listen to myself.  Recognizing--and then using--my own strengths and talents made me happier, more successful, and more genuine (which, in turn, made me even happier).  Am I good at selling things to a random guy at Subway that he may or may not want?  Not at all.  

But I AM friendly, responsible, smart, experienced, dependable, funny, likeable, and helpful.  I'm a good listener, teacher, brainstorm partner, cheerleader, and coach.  Those qualities definitely have a place in business, too.  And, it turns out, I love speaking to groups and teaching classes!

I still constantly step outside my comfort zone.  I can't have success by not growing or not trying new (and possibly uncomfortable) things.  But my best chance of success is being myself and letting people who are drawn to my style come to me.

It took a lot of hit and miss over several years, but eventually I came to this.  Here's what I bring to the world:

WHAT I DO

• I solve photo problems.  Many people have too many photos and too little time.  I teach them how to deal with both.  I have many products and strategies that will help.
• I help people understand the heart-and-soul benefits of preserving photos and memories in a tactile form (why jpeg files aren't at all the same thing).  I share scientific statistics about how memory-keeping increases a sense of belonging and well-being, lowers stress, and even increases happiness and self-esteem.
• I introduce people to *Heritage Makers (see 2023 update below)--and, new in 2021, Forever--and what makes them the best way to preserve photos and memories and life's stories. 
• I teach people how to use the website and software, from simple styles to digital scrapbooking.  Forever is pretty straightforward and doesn't need much guidance from me, but my newer YouTube channel is dedicated to photo organization tips, private & permanent photo storage information, etc.)

HOW I DO IT

• I share time management tricks, photo organization methods, detailed plans for catching up preserving photos, and memory-keeping's real-life benefits to families and individuals in blog posts and and videos I've made. 
• I introduce people to heirloom-quality memory-keeping through online live or recorded classes as well as blogposts.  I also introduce *Heritage Makers in person with small groups.  
• I hold events (mostly online) to help people who don't have time for their memory-keeping because it's a time to block off on their calendars for just that purpose.  

ADAPTING WHEN THINGS CHANGE

*We can call this my 2023 update!  So much has changed since I first published this post in 2018.  It really started in 2013, if we're honest, and came to a head in 2020.  Heritage Makers was purchased by another company, and eventually some of the original vision and mission was lost, though I kept it strong in my own business.  In 2020, some technical issues and other major setbacks happened, and by 2021, it became apparent that it would be wise for me to offer additional options for their photos and memories to clients.

A dear friend introduced me to Forever, and I loved the high-quality and guaranteed photo privacy it offered, but it offered even more!  From digitizing services (VHS tapes, slides) and THREE options for preserving memories in print to permanent cloud photo/video/audio/PDF storage, I could see it was everything I wanted for my own memories, and I knew other people would feel the same way.  It was the whole package.

For almost a year I represented both companies because they offered similar things in totally different ways, and I thought it would be helpful for my clients to have more options.  However, in 2022 I learned that the new software platform Heritage Makers was moving to didn't have the same creative options (templates only) for digital scrapbooking and was no longer going to have digital photo storage ability.  It wasn't what I fell in love with, and was too niche to make a business.  It wasn't what I wanted for my own photos and memories, in fact.  So I retired and focused solely on being a Forever Ambassador.

AND WHAT I LEARNED FROM PIVOTING

What I learned from this unexpected change is that I am a memory-keeping consultant.  

My passions, beliefs, skills, and drive make me good at teaching, helping, and sharing valuable tools with people that they need and love.  Maintaining relationships with my clients and potential clients over time builds trust.  

That is using my talents.  I have seen firsthand that it matters as much as the business you're representing.

And I learned that sometimes pivoting is the best thing that could ever happen to you.

"GIVING AWAY MY BEST STUFF FOR FREE"

My best stuff is detailed plans, tricks, helps, directions, video tutorials, classes--all designed to get you from a photo hoarder to a memory-keeper.  It's all available online either at this blog or my YouTube channel Photo and Story Treasures.  These are things I've worked hard on to create, and in some cases re-create to update.

One of the things I love the most is getting e-mails (via the "contact me" tab at the upper left of this page) asking for specific helps.  I really and truly love helping people.  The blog is searchable, of course, and you can probably find what you're looking for that way, but if you don't know that my plan for catching up if you're behind on preserving your photos is called the Two-in-One Plan, then you might not know what you're looking for.  I LOVE getting questions and being able to point people to the right blog posts, printables, video tutorials, etc. to get them on their memory-keeping way.

HOW I GET PAID

One question I always wonder about small business owners or consultants or entrepreneurs who give away so much of their stuff for free is:  "Then how do you make money?"  I've been asked this question, too.  I do provide tons of free resources, but I get paid three ways:

• I receive commission from everything on my website.  As people follow through on my helps and advice and classes by creating family yearbooks or digital scrap pages or storybooks (etc.), I receive a portion of the price of the item in return for my efforts getting them to that point.  (With Forever, there are also options for media digitizing--like scanning or converting VHS tapes to digital, etc.--and permanent photo storage that's private and triple-backed-up.  Those items are commissionable for me as well.  Again, it's a compensation for my time teaching you about those things and getting you started.)
• Helping people get started (with a free account at either company) is free, any additional work with clients is $35/hour.  (I'm always happy to answer quick questions for free, though!)
• I hire out to do projects (or parts of projects) for people, help with photo organization, etc. for $35/hour as well. 

FIND YOUR WAY

What talents or strengths do you have?  Sometimes, especially for introverts, it can take a while to actually pinpoint them--or even just recognize them for what they are.  

Yes, stepping outside your comfort zone is usually required in business, but there's so much more to success than the ability to "sell anything" to a random guy at Subway.  

Relationships, reliability, knowledge, compassion, the ability to listen, patience, and heart go a long, long way.

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