A company is only as good as the people it keeps. 

 

The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang.

 

These are the motivating words and beliefs of late entrepreneur and cosmetics sales mogul Mary Kay Ash. She is considered by many as the most successful female entrepreneur and one of the most successful entrepreneurs, male or female, of all-time. A major part of her success was in her ability to empower and motivate other women to be independent, self-employed entrepreneurs, salespeople, and “Mary Kay Consultants.”

 

Today, there are over 600,000 Mary Kay consultants in the U.S. alone with global wholesales of over $3 billion per year. 

 

I wonder if she could have even fathomed that much financial success after starting out as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesperson and using her $5,000 life savings to start the company we now know as Mary Kay.

 

In this week’s installment of “How To Motivate Your 8 Voice Over Identities,” I cover how to motivate your “Salesperson” identity. While Mary Kay Cosmetics does come under some criticism and scrutiny today, we can still learn a LOT from Mary Kay Ash’s determination, drive, and overall life journey.

 

What can you learn about motivating your “salesperson” identity from Mary Kay Ash?

 

Mary Kay believed in her product.

Early in her sales career, she faced a lot of criticism for selling products people didn’t really need or want (i.e. encyclopedias…sorry, people who love encyclopedias). So, she found a product that she believed in and a product that other women would believe in as well.

What you can do: According to research, finding something you value and believe in can be highly motivating. You need to really believe in the importance of your voice over services and business. Why is it so valuable and important in the world today?

Why I believe in my product: I believe in my voice over product, because I bring a human element to this ever-growing technologically-dependent and distracted world. I give companies, organizations and individuals a voice to cut through the distractions and reach their audiences in a way pictures, music and sound effects can’t deliver.

 

Why do you believe in your product? Share your answer in the comments section below.

 

Mary Kay believed that her “consultants” were in it together.

She motivated her salespeople by saying that “At Mary Kay, you are in business for yourself, but not by yourself.”

What you can do: According to McClelland’s theory of motivation, affiliation is a strong motivator for many people. You need to realize that we are in this voice over business together. We have each other’s backs. I have your back (even though I am your rival, too). Use this support system and affiliation as a motivator for selling the product you believe in.

How I stay affiliated: I tweet, join voice over discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook, reach out to fellow voice over talent through e-mails, and try my best to add a little voice over humor from myself and others through The Fake VO Gossiper.

 

How do you stay affiliated? Share your answer in the comments below.

 

Mary Kay acknowledged and recognized her “consultants” for their accomplishments.

She motivated her employees by rewarding their loyalty and hard-work for the company. She did this by rewarding them with “diamond jewelry, five-star vacations, and, of course, pink Cadillacs” (Entrepreneur.com).

What you can do: Another one of McClelland’s motivators is achievement. Achievement motivates many people. However, you have to be acknowledged for that achievement. When you land 5 new clients, reward yourself with something small. Obviously, don’t break the bank or lose the money you just made, but take the time to recognize your own accomplishment.

How I acknowledge my accomplishments: This is a small, FREE reward, but when I land a few new clients or even a few prospects, I listen to a pump up song on Spotify or YouTube. As many of my friends know, one of my favorite pump-up songs is “Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson. This song even got the Statue of Liberty to walk! That way, I stay motivated and continue building momentum for continued sales success.

 

How do you acknowledge your accomplishments? Share your answer in the comments section below.

 

Here is one final piece of advice from Mary:

 

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this information useful and encourage you to apply some of it to help you motivate your “Salesperson” identity.

 

Last Friday, I covered “How To Motivate Your ‘Marketing Executive’ Identity.” Next Friday, I cover how to motivate your “Customer Service Representative” identity.

 

Subscribe on the upper right hand side of this page so you don’t miss any of this 8-part blog series about “How To Motivate Your 8 Voice Over Identities.”

 

 

“Mary Kay Ash.” Entrepreneur. N.p., 10 Oct. 2010. Web. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197602>.

“McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory.” Mind Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/human-motivation-theory.htm>.

Reiss, Stephen, PhD. “How to Motivate Someone.” Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 13 Apr. 2013. Web.

Sole-Smith, Virginia. “Why Mary Kay Is Only the Beginning | The Investigative Fund. N.p.,27 July 2012. Web. <http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/blog/1671/why_mary_kay_is_only_the_beginning/>.