Coincidence, I think not!

Some days I wonder if coincidences are real or just in my head. The other day I get a mystery call from someone who's name I don't recognize on the caller ID. I ignore the first time but decide to pick up when they called me the very next day. The reason I didn't know the name, was it belonged to someone I didn't know. However, it turns out that the person on the phone was!

In my line of work, if you maintain a certain level of business you get free referrals from the company. I simply list 5 zip codes of towns I service and the next time someone from that zip code searches for a consultant, my name is one of several that will show up.

Well, to back you up a bit, in my youth I was a girl scout. I went to sleep away camp for several summers & one year I met 2 sisters. We became fast friends and stayed in touch for years. Then sometime at the end of high school our correspondence just stopped. I always wondered what happened to them after college but this was before the dawn of Facebook!

Fast forward to current day. When sister "K" meets a fellow consultant at a party. She doesn't buy anything then but months later is interested in something. So she goes to our website to find a new consultant in her area. Guess who's face she sees? Mine. She tells her sister "C" who strangely enough had been thinking of me as she was packing up her belongings to move out of New England. (I guess we took a lot of pictures back then -- before the advent of cell phone with cameras mind you.) 

So was it coincidence that I show back up in their lives at this very moment? We'll never know. I'll tell you one thing, I never turn down the gift of friendship. I'm looking forward to meeting up with sister "C" this weekend before she packs up to move out of state this spring.

Why am I doing this?

I recently was told people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. It took a few brain cells to wrap my mind around the concept but I think I get it now.

If folks like you & are inspired by you, they'll enroll themselves in your cause & follow your lead. You have to be sincere & act with purpose though.

I belive in helping mentor women into successful business owners, by teaching them time & money management skills. I want to empower them, so that they might dare to dream bigger and stretch themselves to accomplish more.

I do this through teaching & selling skincare & makeup.  I'm not just trying to make $ to pay the bills, I want the freedom of choices that it brings.

So with every client I share my story & what I hope to accomplish. I ask for their help in the hopes that together we can do great things.

Don't forget to say Thank You!

I recently learned the value of a simple Thank You. We have mostly become a fast paced, high technology society that seemed to have forgotten that people like acknowledgement. i.e. "To paraphrase, people have a sign over their heads that says "make me feel special."  (I too like that "good job" or "thank you" when I've completed a task for someone else.)

If it weren't for my positive attitude and energy, I wouldn't be where I am today. To reinforce this point, I firmly believe my gratitude towards others hasn't been forgotten. Actually, it often has paid me back ten fold. Recently, I met someone because he was a Broker/Owner of a Real Estate office near my home. I was just looking for some potential business and networking. Turns out I got much more than that. What I didn't know is he also is in the "appreciation marketing" industry. (What's that, you say?) Why it's the art of saying "Thank You" which has brought him additional income but more importantly, it has brought him customer loyalty.

My industry, pretty much is one of customer service. I help people take better care of their skin, in addition to feeling and looking better. I'm doing most of the giving, so why should I be the one saying Thank You? Because without their business, support and referrals, I'd be out of business. I feel that there is a direct relationship to the strength of your relationship with a client and the longevity of that relationship.

I've been doing some reading up and it's true. Many people save greeting cards and thank you notes long after they were given. More often than not, they just delete emails of the exact same nature. So if you had taken the time and small amount of money to buy a pack of thank you notes and mail them off, not only would you be supporting the jobs of the US Postal service, but you would be giving someone a piece of mail they actually WANT to take and open from their mailbox. (Honestly, my husband lets me get the mail, because in his mind it's "always bills." Yet the upbeat child in me always hopes for a card, a check, coupons or catalog.)

Last night on TV there was a human interest segment about a small business owner who is selling stickers that say "Happy Mail" on them, that folks can buy and put on their mail so the recipient knows it's something to look forward to. (I think I just might have to buy few couple sheets!)

PS Regarding the stationary, you can go green and use post consumer recycled stock. Also, hand delivering the note doesn't hurt either.

Busy being busy

Well, well, it seems I've left my little blog unattended. I was busy getting married, looking for seasonal work  and volunteering my time for a good cause. Oh, not to mention selling my Mary Kay for the holidays.

So you may now call me Mrs. Culver -- that handsome gent would be my husband Brian.(It was at the Harris' Pelham Inn in New Hampshire.) I can't speak highly enough of my vendors, the cake was from Frederick's Pastries, the flowers from Petals Inc, the DJ & uplighting were from AllStar Entertainment, my photographer was Elaine Donahue and the videography was by Visual Excellence Video.

The seasonal work is simply because it's there, but also I sometimes find it's a great way to gain new skills without the commitment of a permanent job. (I've primarily learned cashiering but also various sales techniques, how bookstores are organized, the best way to rotate stock and face the product and in general learning what the customer really wants.)

The volunteer work, is an extension of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life I walked last year. If you scroll back one entry -- to this summer. You'll see that I am both a cancer survivor and caretatker (my dad was diagnosed with the same cancer 14 years after me.) Now I'm the team co-captain and have decided to take on a leadership role by being part of the Relay Committee for our town as well as the Team Development Chair (coordinating all the team captains for our event) this year. If you want to know more check out this site and find a relay near you. http://www.relayforlife.org/

I would be remiss to mention my Mary Kay business. Not to sell you anything but to let you know I'm doing an adopt a grandparent program. I have an association with the activities director at Wingate Healthcare nursing homes in Needham and Sudbury (they were nice enough to invite me to their holiday craft fairs) so I figured it was time to give back. Most of these folks don't have visitors or even get gifts during the holidays. So I'm looking for folks to be sponsors for $20 your "Grandparent" will get a mint foot lotion, satin hands lotion and warm fuzzy socks all nicely packaged with a bow. (I'm matching all gifts by donating my profits.) My goal is to give 120 of these, so I really need your help. Please contact me for more information: KRoseCarol@marykay.com (781-816-7465)

Taking time out to do some good

Sorry I've been away too long. I recently was "downsized" from my day job and cranked up my "fun job" to full time. As a Mary Kay beauty consultant I have made the decision to make it my full time job by becoming a sales director. (That takes a bit of focus, hence the lack of blogging.) OK shameless plug aside, let's get back on topic...

I'm doing the American Cancer Society: Relay for Life with my cousin this week. So glad the rain will finally stop (up here in New England) so we can truly enjoy the night sky.  As a Thyroid cancer survivor myself, I thought it was time to do something for the cause. (I've walked for everyone else's fundraisers: JDRF, ADA, MS, etc, but I feel like this is my own.) It's been almost exactly 14 years since I had my surgery. I hadn't even heard about thyroid cancer. So naturally I panicked when I was diagnosed. Fortunately, we caught it early enough that all I have to show for it is a small (yet cool "pirate scar" as I tell my nephews.)

I was only 22 at the time. Then 2 years ago, my father (67 years old), was diagnosed with the same cancer. It was my turn to help him go through the process and hold his hand. Kind of odd to me that the child was leading the parent. I gave him books to read and talked to him about what would happen. Thankfully, technology had improved in 10 years, so his procedure was less invasive with a faster recovery time. It's an odd bond we share, so when I walk this week at the relay, I'm both survivor and caretaker.

I can't take all the credit though, as my mother helped both of us through our respective dilemmas. She is the ultimate nurturer. Mom went out of her way to prep our food according to the doctor's restrictions/specifications. She made sure we took our "pills" and took care of our scars. Mom's great like that! Every cancer patient needs someone like my mom caring for them.

So as I walk around the track, looking at the faces, the luminaries, and reliving the memories, I'll be smiling, not crying as I know I'm stronger for having lived through this. Not everyone is so fortunate. Some people experience much more malicious forms of cancer. Ones that attack the body viciously, without relent. I understand many people who will be there have lost one or more friends/family to cancer and I respect and honor their memory.

My take home message is this. If there's an ACS: Relay in your neighborhood, please sponsor a walker, or even better, join the cause and walk with them.

Thank you
Kristen

Classic Beauty

What is considered classic beauty? I honestly feel it could change over time as people's opinions of what is beautiful do. The gist of what I think it is: the face is so well structured and flawless, a person don't need make up. As one blogger I was reading put it: A classic beauty looks just as beautiful in the morning and she does in the night, she can wear anything and people will still only notice her face, you don't need specific lighting or make up to make her look good. Another way of putting it: A classic beauty would be considered beautiful no matter what time period they lived in.... the 50's, the 20's, the 80's, or now. So that might explain why some actresses through the years, even long after they have passed are still held up as an example of what is considered beautiful.


These would be my personal favorites:

Audrey Hepburn

Bridgitte Bardou

Grace Kelly

Katherine Hepburn

Elizabeth Taylor

Marylin Monroe

Rita Hayworth

Sophia Loren

Although I considered it, the lyrics to Madonna's "Vouge" only came to mind after the fact!

Would you buy skincare from a vending machine?

No, I would not. I'd still go to a store or a beauty consultant before resorting to a vending machine. 


In it's defense, if you've already consulted with a dermatologist, then perhaps when you need a "refill" this might be a good thing. 


But there's something so impersonal about using a machine that just doesn't seem right.

I saw this a the mall and decided to look at how it works. You use the touch screen and pay with a major credit card. They provide an 800 number if you have any questions or problems. The same number for "consultation" is used for if you have any problems with the product, such as needing to return it. 


I will give them kudos for their policy that if you're not happy with it, you can send back the half-empty bottles for a refund.Very few places will let you do that, so they must believe in the quality of their product.


I noticed that other skincare brands have not jumped on this bandwagon yet. I guess it works better for iPhones and other items (often found at airport terminals and hotel gift shops.)