This week on the Modern Direct Seller Podcast, our guests are not only top sellers in their field, but they’ve also won awards for their work! The annual DSA Canada awards were given out in September and are used to recognize consultants who are doing amazing things in the direct selling space. Who better to bring advice to our listeners? Today, Camilla Eves, Carine Goyer Gendron, and France Grenier joined us to share where their success started, their suggestions for connecting more sincerely with customers, how they stay motivated, and more!

Connect with our guests! Find Camilla on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠; Carine on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and TikTok; and France on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠.

Time based notes:

0:37 About the awards with Peter Maddox
4:07 Camilla Eves introduction
7:38 Camilla’s best tips for sales
10:19 Camilla’s tips for starting out
12:36 Camilla’s favorite office supply
13:54 Carine Goyer Gendron and France Grenier introductions
22:18 Carine’s tips for sales success
28:14 France’s tips for sales success
33:00 Carine’s favorite office supply
35:39 France’s favorite office supply

Embrace the Direct Sales Opportunity with Advice from DSA Canada Award Winners

The annual DSA Canada awards were given out in September and are used to recognize consultants who are doing amazing things in the direct selling space. Who better to bring advice to our Modern Direct Seller audience? Recently, Camilla Eves, Carine Goyer Gendron, and France Grenier joined us on the podcast to share where their success started, their suggestions for connecting more sincerely with customers, how they stay motivated, and more!

We are going to dive right into speaking to one of our award winners. So, Camilla, I would love to hear a little bit about yourself and your direct sales journey. I know you just celebrated a milestone with your company, so tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in the direct selling industry.

So, I did, I just celebrated 15 years, actually just a few days ago, which is just absolutely insane to me. I never, ever in a million years, thought that I would do something like this, never mind actually fall in love with it in the way that I have and continue it on the way that I have. I’m actually an actress and a singer, and I have done that my whole life. I had a very successful career. I absolutely loved what I did. I really felt blessed to do it.

But, you know, like any industry—but mostly like that industry that I come from—there’s an issue when you get to a certain age, and you stop getting work or you get paid less. And, that was sort of what was happening with me. I got into my 40s, and after trying everything in the world to get pregnant, we had our miracle, Jack, when I was 44. And, by the time I hit 47—which was when I heard about Arbonne—we were really in a bit of a crisis. Like, my income had been cut back dramatically. And, I knew I needed something, I just really literally had no idea what. I had been a professional actress since I was 17 years old. I don’t know how to do anything else. I don’t have any other education. And, this sort of fell into my lap. A friend of mine told me about it; I was initially a “hell no.” But, she gave me some products to try, and I fell in love with the product, and I decided to jump into it.

And then, you know, I did my due diligence, and I started to do proper research, and I started to get into the industry of it, and I realized, “Oh my gosh, this is such a phenomenal opportunity for someone like myself, who really doesn’t have any education for anything else, to really be able to make a decent living and love what I do.” And so, I just fell in love. And, I absolutely to this day, every single day, wake up excited to be a part of this incredible industry.

Amazing! What a journey. Well, what are your best tips when working with other direct sellers? What are your best tips for new direct sellers, or anyone that might even be reinventing themselves, based on all of your expertise and years in the industry?

Well, I think the most important thing about this kind of business is, you need to know what it is that you want from it. Because, you have to make sure that your expectations match your work ethic. A lot of people get into the business, and they want big things, but they haven’t developed a sense of discipline or grit. And so, that’s the first step, is you have to be really, really specific about what it is you want from this business. And, if it is something more than just a little bit of pocket money, then you have to treat it like a business. You know, our industry allows people like myself—just ordinary, everyday people—to pop into the 1% or top 2% of income earners in the world. But, if you want to be in the top 1% or 2%, you have to be somebody who is willing to behave like the rest of the world isn’t—like the 98% aren’t—and you can do that in direct sales just with work ethic.

The other thing I love about this industry is, you don’t have to be in the top 1% or 2% to have a phenomenal life as a result. You can build yourself a little business with a nice, comfortable income that really adds to your household, and adds to your life, and maybe allows you a little more time, or maybe gives you the opportunity to be a part of an incredible community of people who are all positive and forward-moving. There are so many things that are great about this business without having to be at the top.

So, with that said, any tips for those that might just be starting out to take the fast track and move up quickly in their business?

Well, I would say the first thing is to be coachable. Like, when I started the business, I had the benefit of being really busy. A lot of people look at that and think that it’s a detriment, whereas, I because I was working six days a week from noon until midnight, and I had a toddler at home, I didn’t have time to learn anything. So, I just did what I was told. Because, the business is simple, right? What you do super simple. It’s just, how hard are you willing to work? So, I was coachable, because I didn’t want to have to learn.

I think a lot of people feel like they need to know a lot of things, whereas I didn’t know anything. And, I always say to people to this day, like, I love a lot of Arbonne products, but I couldn’t tell you anything about them other than what I love about them. Because, I use the products and I share my experience. If you want more information than that, I can show you where to get it. But, I’ve never really bothered myself with knowing a lot of fact. And, I think that if you’re starting out in this business, know why you love what it is you’ve said “yes” to, know where you want to go with it, share your experience with people, and do what your upline tells you to do. Most people just don’t want to be coached, and this business is all about coaching. So, allow your upline and the people that have been here longer than you to pour into you and be coachable. That’s always a big one.

So good. So good. Thank you so much for this!

We have a couple of additional award winners, Carine and France, here to share a little bit about their backgrounds and their award that they have won. France and Carine, can you give us an introduction?

Carine Goyer Gendron and Interpreter: Hello, everyone! My name is Carine Goyer Gendron, I’m 40 years old, and I live in the Laurentians in Quebec. I’m a style advisor with Tocara Jewelry. It’s been over two years now that I’ve been with the company, since May of 2021.

France Grenier and Interpreter: My name is France Grenier. I am a national sales director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I’ve been with Mary Kay for 16 years. I live in TKTK, and I’m almost 48 years old.

Well, congratulations on winning this award—such a huge honor. I would love to hear a little of your stories and how you got started in direct sales.

Carine Goyer Gendron and Interpreter: So, for me, it started when I was on maternity leave with my second child. It also started during the pandemic, as that’s when I was looking for something else to challenge myself with, something else to fill my days, even more so than they already were. And, that’s when the Tocara opportunity was presented to me. It was something I booked for myself to celebrate my birthday. So, we couldn’t go out and do anything, but I did set up an online party and had an event with all of my friends. And, you know what? We had a lot of fun getting together virtually! And, this was my first introduction to the company and discovering its products and its opportunity.

And then, a few months later, after my birthday, the friend of mine who was the style advisor at the time and who had held the party for myself and my friends, had talked to me about if I’d ever considered doing direct sales as something additional. I was talking to her about what I was looking for, and I thought, “Why not try it?” I had no idea. I had no experience. I’d never done anything like this before. But, it was a lot of fun. She said that I was pretty good and natural at the event, so I decided to give it a try, and that’s when I accepted the offer to become a Tocara style advisor myself, and that’s how I joined and discovered Tocara.

France Grenier and Interpreter: So, the way they proposed Mary Kay was very different for me. I didn’t know what Mary Kay was before. I met with an old colleague of mine that I worked with in HR, three years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, and she told me what it was. And, she told me three things: It’s cream, lipsticks, and pink Cadillacs. So, I was really excited when I left, and I gave her my number, but she wasn’t doing Mary Kay; she knew someone that was doing Mary Kay. So, she passed along my information, and she explained to me the values of the company, the opportunity for the women, so I said, “Why not?” And, I had three questions for her. I said, “I don’t apply makeup. I don’t know anyone. And, I work all the time.” So, she answered those three questions, and I really fell in love with the values of the company.

So, you both are incredibly successful, and I love that part of your stories really show that somebody saw something in you, invited you to be a part of this opportunity, and probably at this point, you’ve invited others to join you in the opportunity. So, what are your best tips for others in direct sales for achieving the same level of success?

Carine Goyer Gendron and Interpreter: So, for me, I really approach building my team the way that the person who offered it to me did. For me, it’s easy, because I have a facility with connecting with people and approaching people; I’m very friendly in that sense. So, it’s easy for me to start conversations with people and to talk to them about it. I also have a lot of, like, varied interests in my life and knowledge, so I’m able to make really good connections with people on many different levels of life and different life experiences and interests. Making those connections with people is really important.

I can also say, it’s about not getting discouraged, for sure. I mean, there’s always a lot of good things—big incentives and prizes and different things associated with our industry. But, it doesn’t mean everything is always rainbows. So, you want to make sure that you’re always looking for the positive in things and recognizing that sometimes “no’s” that we might encounter when we’re offering should be looked at as a learning experience. You should be taking away the learning experience rather than the feeling of being discouraged by the “no” itself.

The other really big thing for me was judging and pre-judging—both the fear that I had myself of being judged for what I was offering and the industry I was in, as well as pre-judging others. So, I really had to learn not to worry about what people might think of me, and not worry about any judgments I might feel that they have, especially through misunderstanding of our industry, and use that as an opportunity to educate them instead; as well as learning myself not to do the same, and not offer something to someone because I pre-judged and decided they wouldn’t be interested in the company or the opportunity or the product that I had to offer. So, it was as much a learning experience for me as it was for others about being open, being welcoming and approachable, and not being afraid.

And, being consistent in my business was another important element I could attribute to the success that I’ve had. I do everything on a very consistent basis and with perseverance. So, make sure that that’s what’s always coming out. So, work on not being discouraged day after day, or month over month. Not being discouraged, persevering, and being consistent in your positive actions.

France Grenier and Interpreter: I love teaching new consultants. I love teaching people in the direct sales industry. But, one of the big things is that you discover yourself through it—your strong points. Because, you can learn your strengths in a traditional job, but you discover even more in this industry. You will learn resiliency. You hear “no’s;” we don’t like to hear “no’s.” We hear it as a rejection. So, you learn detachment. Consistency. And, really just understand yourself a lot more.

I always say that the journey is more important than the destination. Every step that you take and what you do makes you stronger as a person, because if you get to your destination, and you can look back and really appreciate your journey and the wow, the big factor, everything that you’ve done, that’s really important. And, what I’ve learned is to prioritize myself—and I teach women to prioritize themselves, as well. Because, we tend to put ourselves last. Life will be long if you don’t start prioritizing yourself and loving yourself. Yes, there’s going to be obstacles. Yes, you’re going to get some “no’s.” But, at the end, I’m not the same as I was 16 years ago. And, we can’t measure that interior growth, right? But, that’s where that’s being done—inside—and we can’t measure that, but it’s really big. And, we become overall better people and just wiser from it.

Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing all of that incredible wisdom. I know our listeners are going to benefit so much from it.

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