Mine Is The Best!!!...Or Is It?

“My company makes the best candles!” This was a claim I heard from a few distributors from another candle company, which shall remain nameless. For about three months, scarcely a week went by without my opening my in box to emails from eager distributors who wanted to prove to me that their candle was the BEST on the planet!

Finally, out of curiosity I asked one person to please send me one of her candles so I could try it for myself. I eagerly awaited my package, because as the saying goes; “Ten thousand Frenchmen can’t be wrong”. I was beginning to think that we were in serious trouble here if all these eager distributors were right!

My package arrived on time and as I unpacked it I noticed the first of many major differences…I could not smell anything emanating from the box. Strike One. "When I received my first order from ……., I got really excited because I could smell the candles even before I opened the box. I sat my candle on the table for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed the scent even before I burned the candle.”

I lit up the 20-ounce jar candle (Grandma’s Cookies) and prepared to enjoy the scent and the ambience. I was in for a disappointment because after burning the candle for the recommended four hours, there was no scent…only a flame! Strike Four. "I lit my first ……. candle, placed it on my fireplace and turned some music on and was running around the house doing some housework. Twenty minutes later, the entire house was filled with an aroma!”

The biggest letdown came when I blew the candle out. There was an overwhelming smell of soot, which took about ten minutes to dissipate! Strike Three. “The 1st thing that sold me was the jar sitting there with black soot all over it and it hadn't burned evenly. The …… jar was next to it, no soot and had burned evenly! How disgusting that other candle jar was and imagine what my walls, TV, picture frames, curtains and other items in my house would look like. I was hooked.”

For the record, the captions in bold are testimonials from customers who currently burn my candles.

I did burn the candle in its entirety in order to give a thorough opinion to the person who sent it to me.

Let your product speak for itself. Third party opinions are very valuable when promoting a product or service. Do not fall into the ‘mine is better than yours’ trap. This premise can also be applied to all areas of your life. When you live your life with authenticity, others will heap praise on you without solicitation. Remember… “Self praise is no recommendation”.

Woodstock and This Month's Candle Scent

I wasn't yet born in the summer of 1969 when the Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place in a pasture in Sullivan County with over 450,000 people in attendance. The event took place over the course of three days from August 15th to August 18th with some of the greatest musicians of the time performing before a mammoth crowd that spilled onto Max Yasgar's 600 acre dairy farm.





That summer was dubbed "Summer of Love " and I find it quite fitting that my Gourmet Candle Company has, on almost the fortieth anniversary of that iconic weekend of love, created what has become my new favorite candle scent; quite aptly named "Summer Love".

Folks, you have just got to experience this scent for yourself. It just reeks of sensuality and romance! I will be traveling this summer to introduce many of you to this incredible aroma that has awoken so many pleasant memories for me and I'm sure it will for you also. Looking forward to meeting some of you on my "Summer Love" tour.

Switching Gears

Hello World
I have not written in my blog for over a year and I must admit I have missed connecting with my readers. I was inspired to begin writing again when I read a post on a friend's Facebook page. Simon T Bailey said in his post: "If your life is not moving in the direction you want it to go, then make a U-Turn. That's right You-Turn and go in the opposite direction." I thought about it for a few days and realized that MY life was not moving in the direction where I wanted it to go. I decided it was up to ME to make the turn and steer myself back onto the path that I had strayed from.

It was kind of a hard decision to make because I had become quite comfortable in the rut that I had somehow gotten stuck in this past year. I was enjoying not over extending myself and growing quite used to staying in my comfort zone. I was unfortunately, very comfortably ensconced in mediocrity in both my personal and business life.

The most difficult part was the first step; assessing myself and deciding what changes had to be made. The first things I looked at were in my personal life. I was not eating properly and was not getting enough exercise. I immediately changed my diet and have started a walking regimen. It's strange stretching both my mental and physical muscles but I'm getting used to it.

I then had to take a long hard look at how I was running my business. My desk was disorganized and I know I have spent many BUSY mornings just reading and answering emails. I was not being productive at all. My first task was to organize my office and make sure it was ready for me to get back on the road of productivity.

The next thing I looked at was my actual business. Here is where the most crucial switching of the gears was made. I have enjoyed being a candle distributor with the same company for almost two years. Unfortunately I was not performing the actions I should, to be successful. I was recently reminded by Todd Falcone in his newsletter about the ten things I had not done to make my business as successful as it should be. They are:

1. Pick a company
   
2. Make the commitment to build it.
   
3. Start building it and don't stop.
   
4. Help people get what they want and maintain your focus.
   
5. Work hard and work smart.
   
6. Don't quit.
   
7. Be honest...first and foremost with yourself!
8. Be REAL. In other words, be genuine.
   
9. Keep working on your skills.
   
10. Lead by example.
    
    I had to make a sharp u turn away from all the activities that I was doing that were not helping me be productive in my business. I am so excited to be embarking on a new leg of my Direct Sales journey. I will be posting regularly about my adventures and whether I am staying on my newly forged path. I look forward to sharing with you.