After only a month in kindergarten, B man came home with a fundraiser. As someone who hasn’t done a fundraiser in decades, I wasn’t too excited about the idea of this.
B man looked at the paperwork. When he saw the prizes he could win, it was all over. He set his sights on a remote control dinosaur, the next to the top fundraising prize. I say, “You have to sell 100 items for that.”
He says, “Yes, I want to sell 100 items.”
Doubtful he’d really do it, I say, “That’s a lot.”
Yes, I recognize I teach others about their negative thought. These initial negative responses are so embedded in us, it takes constant work to change them. I’m a work in progress too.
He replies. “I can do it.”
I say, “Okay.”
He replies, “Mama, I believe in me.”
Wow! If he believes he can do it, I believe he can do it. Let’s do it! That’s all it took to get me on board with his idea, is his belief in himself and his wanting to do it.
I figure it out, that means we have to get about five orders a day for two weeks. That’s so doable.
I say to B, “We’re going to have to go door to door. That means knocking on people’s doors.”
He replies, “Okay, let’s do it. Let’s start now.”
It’s the first night, and B has never done a fundraiser, so he isn’t sure what to do or say. I share with him, “Say to them, ‘Do you want to contribute to my fundraiser?’ And then hand them the book.”
He knocks on a few neighbors’ doors of people we know.
He asks strangers out on a walk. He even asks a neighbor who has kids at the same school. Every neighbor he asks, buys something from him.
Within an hour, he gets 10 orders. Wow! He’s off to a great start.
We go out again the next night. Before we leave the house, he says, “Mama, I’m going as Captain America.”
He puts on his costume and we head out. He might have good results. After all, who can resist Captain America?!
We venture to houses, where we don’t know the people. Before reaching the door of the first house, B pauses for a minute. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. He says to himself, “Do you want to contribute to my fundraiser? Do you want to contribute to my fundraiser?”
He’s practicing what he is going to say. Very smart.
He takes a few steps forward and knocks on the door. Someone answers. He says, “Do you want to contribute to my fundraiser?”
She says, “What do you have?”
I say to B, “Hand her the catalog.”
He does. She orders something.
B is super excited. After all, this is his first order from someone who doesn’t know him. I give him a high five, and say, “Who’s a Rockstar?”
He points to himself and says, “I am.”
“Who is?”
Pointing to himself again, he says, “I am!”
“Who is ‘I’?”
“Blaise Rector.”
“Yes, Blaise Rector is a Rockstar!”
The next house, B does the same thing before knocking on the door.
Someone answers the door. After B asks, “Will you contribute to my fundraiser” and hands him the catalog, the guy asks, “What are you selling?”
B replies, “Look at the catalog.”
The guy laughs and orders something.
I give him another high five and say our chant, “Who’s a Rockstar?”
When we leave, I say to B, “Instead of saying, ‘Look at the catalog,’ give them an idea of what’s in it.”
Every house we go to and someone answers the door, he gets an order. He’s on a roll.
Then things come up, as they always do, for the next several nights, and we aren’t able to go door to door at all. Then I feel like we are behind and have to catch up.
We plan to go out one night, and it is sprinkling. I look at the weather over the next week, between now and when the fundraiser is due, and it’s supposed to rain almost every day.
Ugh. It’s really supposed to rain almost every day between now and when it’s due. Will the rain stop him from going out? Is B going to reach his goal?
What did you pick up on that you can use in your own life? What did you learn to grow your business, improve customer service, or increase sales?
Here are the top 5 lessons from a 5-year-old that’ll grow your business.
1. Tweak and adjust
What is working? What can be done better? Step away from something to gain perspective and see what works really well and where are the opportunities for improvement. Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean it needs to continue. In order to grow your business or organization, you have to do something different.
2. It’s not going to be perfect the first time. Do it anyway
Don’t let it not being perfect keep you from doing it. You need to risk. Put yourself out there. Stop criticizing yourself. People connect with imperfection, because they are imperfect. Once you do it, you can get better, which leads me into the next one.
3. Be prepared and practice
Although it may not be perfect, you can be the most prepared you can be, practice, and then practice some more. You may mess up, but the more you practice, the better you get. You’ll get your own rhythm and way of doing it that resonates with you. Then there won’t be anything stopping you.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask. You don’t know the answer unless you do
Often times, people don’t ask questions. They are scared of how they will look or what the other person will think. If you don’t ask, you don’t know the answer. And then you’ll just keep guessing and playing a story out that isn’t a true story. It’s based on the information you’ve made up. Ask if you can lead the group. Ask if you can get a promotion. Ask to clarify what he is saying. Ask for the order. Ask, ask, ask. And then ask some more.
5. Celebrate others and their successes
Everyone likes to be celebrated, yet we celebrate others so rarely. We think they should just know they did a great job or that we appreciate them. They don’t. And even if they do, they like to be told. It takes two minutes a day to make someone else’s day by acknowledging them. You like to feel and be appreciated, so start appreciating others more.
Find out what happens in Part 2, by clicking here >>
Jessica Rector’s mission is simple: transform lives. With a BBA, MBA and BS, Jessica started, hosted, and produced her own TV talk show in Los Angeles with just an idea to help others which launched jessICAREctor International. Through her own experiences, research, and strategies, she helps you turn inner communication into outer success through her proprietary process Tame Your Brain Game. As a thought leader, keynote speaker, and #1 best-selling author, Jessica consults with companies, trains teams, and speaks at conferences, conventions, and organizations helping you disrupt your status quo thinking. Jessica is a Contributor for The Huffington Post and has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Business Journal, and Market Watch. Get Jessica’s new book, Tame Your Brain Game at jessicarector.com. Follow her on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.
