Personal Archives - TrainerTainment

What “They” Don’t Tell You – Part 2

by Krista Trietley-Estes | May 21, 2020 | Culture, Growth, Personal

Krista comes to TrainerTainment with a world of experience. She grew up in the family entertainment industry, worked most positions in the center, went off to college, and spent her early career developing and delivering training in the corporate world. She is an Arbonne entrepreneur and an enthusiastic sales representative for TrainerTainment. We are lucky to have her experience, insight, and commitment to others growth. I know you’ll enjoy this two-part series.

Plot Twist

Don’t you love those? If you remember part one from last week, you’ll know I’m sharing the story of my ideal internship during my final year of college – lake views and shopping all day with image consultant extraordinaire Linda Thomas!

Day one. Walk in. Sit down. Super excited. Huge smile on my face. I ask, “When is our first shopping client?” Linda replied, “Today and I really want you to pay attention and see how you like it. Really think through how the day goes and we will talk about how you feel afterward, okay?”

In my head I was thinking, “Of course I am going to love this. I was born to do this. I am going to knock your socks off!” I’m sure I was about to squeal with delight and excitement.

The Appointment

It’s 10am and we are headed to one of my favorite department stores in one of my favorite areas of Dallas. I felt so important. All the employees knew Linda. We got to go in the back where all the stylists went. We even had stylists there to assist if needed. This was a very important client.

As the day progresses, I remember Linda’s words. I was to “pay attention to how I felt during the appointment and see how it goes.” What I notice is two hours had passed and the client hadn’t selected anything we chose for her. I also notice the client isn’t particularly pleasant. I fight the negative feelings that were creeping in. Maybe she’s having a rough day. I’m hopeful the next few hours will be more exciting.

Those hours pass slowly as we add three shoe people and two additional stylists to the mix to try to make the client happy. The dressing room looks like we pulled the entire department store in it and flipped it on its head. I’m feeling exhausted, not empowered, and the morning’s enthusiasm is waning.

Realism Meets Enthusiasm

The client left with one dress and one blouse. Eight hours for a dress and a blouse that I’m not sure she even really liked. I wanted to change lives with clothing. I wanted to show people what great looks like. I wanted to work with people who were open to learning and who wanted and needed help. This appointment was not that! My mind was racing. What did I get myself into? How will I possibly be able to do another 392 hours of this? I remember wondering if this was really what I want to do with my life. Uh-oh. I have no other path. OMG!

Panic

As we get into the car, Linda asks, “So, tell me. How do you think that went?” It’s my first day. I can’t show her my crazy! I reply, “It was an experience.” “An experience,” she says. “Tell me more.”

So, I just let her in. I tell her exactly what was going on in my head. At this point, I’m thinking she isn’t going to want to ride with crazy all the way back to Lake Dallas. Since Lyft wasn’t a thing in 2009, I figured I might have to walk back or call my husband for a ride. Plus, now I’ll have to find another internship. How could I spend 392 more hours in that kind of misery?

After I get it all out, Linda smiled and said. “Great. I am really glad those are your thoughts.” To say I was stunned at her response would be an understatement. She then said, “Trips like these are rare in my business and I, like you, want to inspire people. I want to work with people who are open to learning. I want to help them learn about the messages they send with their clothes. I want to teach people what to wear and how to wear it. How to create a positive impression from the time a person walks into a room. That is what I really do. I am a speaker. I speak to groups all over, some small and some large, and that is also what I want you to do. Your first gig is in three days. Don’t worry. You can do this. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We will speak together on the four generations in the workplace. You will be the Gen Y because that is who you are and I am a Baby Boomer. You’ll need to study over the next couple of days. I have the bullet points for you to cover and I know you will be amazing. I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you could do it.”

I am pretty sure my eyes were really big. I had never done true public speaking, but I had no other choice. I wanted to learn from her, I trusted her, and I decided I was in this thing. This was my summer internship. I could do it.

The Moment of Truth

Thursday came. I had studied hard. This was the first of many presentations I did with Linda over the course of my internship. She hired me in the fall of 2009 and we continued our joint seminars through 2010 until I graduated and landed my dream corporate job as a trainer with a large retailer.

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Many of my friends who chose 400 hour internships in New York, LA, and downtown Dallas didn’t land dream jobs. I say this not to impress you, but rather to impress upon you how important it is to appreciate your current season. You never know what the next season may hold.

The Moral of the Story

“They” (those on the outside who tell you to go to college), should also be telling you about hands on training. Working side by side with someone makes all the difference.

An internship with any job can be one of the most valuable things you do for not only your career but for yourself. The time I spent with Linda, every time, was mentorship and real-life experience. There’s no amount of money or time that could match the value of those 400 hours. I would have worked 10,000 hours for free with her. Being trained by the expert on the thing you want to do is very valuable.

Once you get that training, pay it forward. Find someone to train who is open, wants to grow and learn, and works hard. If I hadn’t had the mentorship of someone who would stand side by side with me, show me the way, believe in me, take me through a fail experience, and then show me a win experience, I doubt I would be here today working for TrainerTainment.

That 400 hour internship changed the trajectory of my life. When I came back to school the next semester, I was a totally different person. I had a tough professor and even she asked, “What happened to you?” I was so different others noticed.

Linda believed in me at a level I had not experienced before. I had someone other than my parents telling me I was great. Linda helped me believe I could do more and be more than I thought. She helped me out of the goodness of her heart. She was always ready to share the spotlight not just with me, but with everyone. I will continue her legacy.

I encourage you to visualize your dream job. Work with someone already in that job. Take others with you. Decide that whether not a leader has your back, your peers are

What “They” Don’t Tell You – Part 1

by Krista Trietley-Estes | May 15, 2020 | Culture, Growth, Personal

Krista Trietley-Estes Krista comes to TrainerTainment with a world of experience. She grew up in the family entertainment industry, worked most positions in the center, went off to college, and spent her early career developing and delivering training in the corporate world. She is an Arbonne entrepreneur and an enthusiastic sales representative for TrainerTainment. We are lucky to have her experience, insight, and commitment to others growth. I know you’ll enjoy this two-part series.

Go to college, they say

Get your basics, pick a major, change your major a couple of times, and when you graduate, get your first real job. What they don’t tell you is that it’s quite likely that when you graduate from college, your first job will not be the dream job you thought the degree was going to bring.

I’m more than a decade beyond college and now know most people will not get their dream job. You must work your way up the ladder. Not every leader is going to have your back. Not every ladder will be worth the climb. Not every encounter with peers is going to be pleasant. But, if you can stick it out and remember where you want to go, it is possible to get to where you want to be.

A 400 Hour Internship

In college, we were required to do a 400 hour internship. I was in a Fashion program and many of my friends were dashing off to New York and LA or working in downtown Dallas. Many of them were getting paid for their internship.

I spent the summer of 2009 in the heart of Lake Dallas. Google it. You’ll find a small town, with a population of maybe 700 people and one stop light. If you blink, you miss the entire place. I was in the heart of Lake Dallas and my heart is there still.

From a young age, I was taught to find something you love to do and figure out a way to make a living doing it. Mom and Dad said you’ll never have to work a day of your life when you love what you do.

I Love Shopping!

I loved shopping. I loved dressing people. I truly have a gift for this type of thing, and I decided I would love being an image consultant. My plan for internship was to find a local image consultant who would take me on as their intern and teach me the tools of the trade. One problem. Finding image consultants who were local was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Finally, I found a consultant in LA who referred me a local – Linda Thomas.

When I found out Linda was in Lake Dallas, I was completely inspired. I had wonderful romanticized ideas of working in an office overlooking a lake after shopping all day long with our amazing clients. I quickly picked up the phone to call her.

The Call

Ring. Ring. Ring. No answer. I left a message.

“Hello, this is Krista Estes, I calling to talk with you about the possibility of being a free intern for you over the summer. If you could give me a call back, I would really appreciate it.”

When Linda’s husband Carl tells this story today, he says the “free” part is what hooked him. Linda says it was my eye contact at our first meeting. We all have different things that hook us, I guess. Whichever it was, the word “free” or my spot-on eye contact, I got the internship. I was on my way to lake views and shopping.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story…And call or email me right away to help you grow, using our training and coaching programs. And if you want a little advice on your next outfit, I’m up for that as well!

Do Your Business and Personal Values Match?

by Laura O'Neal | Apr 7, 2020 | Leadership, Motivation, Personal

VALUES

Do your personal values (how you run your life, treat your family, your view of “fairness,” creating work-life balance, listening, responding, maintaining your environment) match up to the life you lead at work? If not, why not?

REFLECTION

This might be a wonderful time to reflect on your CORE VALUES. What do you value? Take time to think deeply. This is not an exercise about what you mean to value or think you should value. This exercise completed thoughtfully, will shine a light on the values you actually live now.

HELP

What is non-negotiable for you personally? What is your natural way of being when you are at your very best? Do your work processes line up with your personal values? If you are kind at home in the way you communicate with your friends and family, but are brash and intolerant at work, why the disconnect? If you keep a tidy home but your workplace is messy, what’s that about? Now is the time to connect your personal values and your business values. The world is changing minute by minute. Why not get in a position to be the best you that has ever been!

CHALLENGE

Here’s the point. The way you are is the way you are. How is that working for you? Now is a great time to ask these two questions:

Am I out of balance with who I really am or want to be professionally and personally?
Am I out of sync with who I truly want to be?

You have some time to take a deeper look right now. Use a paper and pen (not the computer). Paper and pen slow you down. Things look differently at a slower pace. Rather than rushing through at warp speed as you pound your thoughts out on the computer, write them out. I promise a little old school pen and paper will create the clarity you might not get if you rush through the thinking!

FREE OFFER

If you need some help figuring it out, give us a call. We want to offer you a free Business Tune-Up Assessment (live, confidential, online, of course, and FREE). Let us help you see where you are today (before the shut down), where you want to be, and where you might need some help.

Reach out to me to book time for a virtual assessment: laura@trainertainment.net.

How a business coach turned “creative chaos” into a 5-star non-fiction book

by Robert Sax | Jan 14, 2020 | Leadership, Performance, Personal

Reprinted 1/14/20 from TheBookProfessor.com

Beth Standlee is the Founder, CEO, and President of TrainerTainment. She’s also a sought-after speaker, coach, and writer. Through her million-dollar company, she teaches people how to sell with confidence.

Beth believes the ability to sell can turn a life around. She understands this truth intimately. A career in sales turned her life around.

When Beth was only nineteen, she unexpectedly became pregnant. Forced to drop out of college, she said, “Instead of getting my bachelor’s degree, I got my M.R.S. degree—then my M.O.M.!”

She believes she could have gotten stuck, unable to reach for the life of her dreams. She discovered sales—a career path that allowed her to fit work around her family’s schedule.

Beth says she was lucky. Blessed with a “wonderful groom,” she had the flexibility to grow as a professional. In 2004, she fulfilled another deferred dream and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Texas.

However, Beth realizes many women aren’t as fortunate as she’s been. Increasingly, she wanted to write a book so others—especially women—could change their life through sales, too.

Her belief in the power of books spurred her on: “I wanted to write a book of my own because I’m a big reader. Books have certainly influenced my life and helped me grow.”

Then she laughed and said, “If this hillbilly from Arkansas can build a business through sales, anybody can!”

Turning Experience into a Compelling Book

As someone with an English degree, Beth is no stranger to the writing process. She writes the blog for TrainerTainment and, since 2006, a monthly column for RePlay Magazine called “The Party Professor.” She thought that writing a book would comfortably fall inside her skill set without much outside help.

So, at the beginning of 2018, she decided to collect her stories and wisdom into a book. She unplugged from work and set aside two weeks to churn out as much as possible. By day two, she realized she needed help.

She bought the book Stop Stalling and Start Writing: Kick the Excuses and Jumpstart Your Nonfiction Book by Nancy Erickson, The Book Professor^®. She found Nancy’s structured approach to organizing ideas through BookMAPs™ especially useful.

Beth worked on a draft of her BookMAP but decided to reach out to Nancy for help. When she recalled their first conversation, she remembered saying, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I need your process for helping folks.”

Nancy asked Beth when they would need to publish. It was February 2018 at the time. Beth had a big trade show coming up in June and hoped she could to release it then. Much to Beth’s surprise, Nancy told her five months wouldn’t be enough to finish a book. “Quality takes time,” Nancy said.

Disappointed, Beth said, “At first I thought, ‘What kind of coach are you?’ But then I realized, as a coach myself, how hard it is being on the buyer’s side of coaching. I didn’t like the things Nancy was saying at first. But just like I understand sales, Nancy understood her process. It made me think, ‘So this is how those salespeople feel when a coach comes to help them!”

Partnership with a Book-Writing Coach

Beth felt comfortable with Nancy almost immediately. “It was very collaborative. Nancy helped me focus my story through an extremely efficient process. I came to her with ‘creative chaos,’ and she helped me organize it.”

First, they created a purpose statement. Beth wanted the book to show people—especially women—that a professional career in sales could change someone’s life both professionally and personally.

Soon after, Beth and Nancy structured the book’s problem/solution sets, an innovative part of the BookMAP process. Beth said, “From a speaker’s point of view, I really understood Nancy’s system. Make a point, then drive that point home. It was the same process: First problem. Then solution. Then here’s a story that’s going to help you remember that solution.”

Because Beth worked with Nancy one-to-one, she had the freedom to customize the writing process to her creative style. After some initial back and forth, Beth decided to complete the first draft in one large chunk, then send it to Nancy for feedback.

The notes Nancy gave Beth were insightful. They were also actionable. Beth was able to incorporate the edits during a difficult time—her husband was in the hospital, diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She finished her book as she cared for her husband (who’s now doing much better).

As they approached the final stages of editing, she relied heavily on Nancy’s consistent feedback, especially during such a difficult period.

A Five-Star Book on Amazon!

Beth’s partnership with Nancy gave her the ability to write and organize something as long and complicated as a book. She said, “I’m not a process-driven person, so I really connected with Nancy and her method.”

The Book Professor’s system helped Beth get the book to market as well. She said, “I wouldn’t have kept going if I had been responsible for editing, registering, coming up with the cover, and everything. I could do it, but I’m too busy!”

By May 2019, Beth released her book, People Buy from People. As of the publication of this article, all thirteen customer ratings on Amazon are five out of five stars.

She’s been able to accomplish all of her goals, even donating the book to several women-in-need organizations. Beth said, “When I write my next book, Nancy will be involved!”

To learn more about Beth Standlee’s book, People Buy from People, or to buy a copy, click here.

Reprinted from TheBookProfessor.com.

At TheBookProfessor.com, we help people from all walks of life get from a concept to a high-quality finished book. If you have a story that you need help writing, contact Nancy Erickson here.

A Holiday Message

by Beth Standlee | Dec 24, 2019 | Motivation, Personal

Whatever your reason is for the season, I hope you take time to love each other abundantly. I’m pretty sure the world needs a lot more love. We all tend to run as fast as possible. In doing so, we may miss the chance to notice those who need our love or express gratitude for those who’ve shown us love.

Personally and professionally, my family and I have been lucky enough to be the recipient of a great deal of love this year. I’m so grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over my husband’s health. I’m grateful for my beautiful, talented, and loving children. I’m grateful for having had the love of Nancy Starr in my life; and that even in her passing I am able to know her presence. I’m so grateful for the friends, family, and team members who are willing to listen to me rattle on about the many ways we can make the world a better place.

As a new decade descends, my intention is to be more out loud with expressing love to and for others. I hope you’ll join me and let’s see if we can recreate a holiday spirit of giving, care, love, and unity every day of the years to come.

Much love to you and yours,
Beth Standlee & The TrainerTainment Team

I’m here. What do You Need?

by Candi Kelley | Dec 17, 2019 | Leadership, Motivation, Performance, Personal

A couple of weeks ago (ok, ok – it was the opening weekend), my 7-year-old and I went to watch Frozen 2. The Frozen story is one of my favorites because its’ focus is the story of sisterly love, not romantic love, portrayed in unconditional love and acceptance. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend.

In Frozen 2 there was an incredibly profound line that hasn’t left my brain. The line, spoken by the character Kristoff is simply “I’m here. What do you need?”

Powerful and incredibly difficult. Instead of asking people what they need, we are in the practice of:

Assuming we know what is best for them.
Assuming they want/need us to provide solutions for them.
Pushing our own agendas that fill our cup, not theirs.
Assuming that we know not only what they need but exactly how they need it as well.

How different would our relationships be, personal & professional, if we just said “I’m here. What do you need?” and then shut our mouths and actually listened. Would it be possible to:

Grow in understanding of others.
Deepen your connections by being willing to meet people where they are.
Have more authentic relationships.
Increase the support you not only give others but receive in return.

So, that line is my focus going into 2020. As a coach, friend, leader, family- “I’m here. What do you need?”

You can reach Candi Kelley candi@trainertainment.net