FAIRFACE PODCAST SHOW NOTES
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Fairface podcast! Thank you so much for being here and Happy December!
I realized today I hadn't even turned my calendar to the next month! December kind of crept up on me and once December 1st hits, it feels like December goes into a free fall until Christmas. Is it just me? Every day that ticks by is one day closer to not having everything ready for Christmas. Yikes!
We put up our Christmas tree and decorations a lot earlier this year (like before Thanksgiving.) What? I know, but I've loved it. So we're that far, but as far as gifts go...I haven't started. So, that's on my list to get figured out this weekend, as well as all the things that have to be completed before the new year starts for me personally, and my business.
Selling as an Introvert and People Pleaser
This topic of selling is hitting me hard this month, as it is December, and holiday sales are in full swing. I'm sure your email inbox is full of businesses trying their best to entice you to buy their products for Christmas. It's all we see on tv. It's all we see on social media.
I'm feeling the effects of SELLING and being SOLD TO. Every Instagram account is trying to lure you in to buy their products. Every influencer is doing their own song and dance to entice you to click the link and buy through them.
It's an exhausting time of year for this very reason. I don't know if you're feeling a bit of that too.
And what makes it all the more difficult, is that I am also one of those businesses trying to bring in holiday sales. The last 2 days I have spent a countless number of hours hunched over my computer sending emails out to my customers and I'm not even part way through my list.
To be honest, being the sales person of my business is one of the hardest parts of what I do.
I'm an introvert and a people pleaser.
- I don't like asking people for anything.
- I don't want to bother anyone.
- I don't want to seem pushy.
- It's hard for me to ask people for things.
- It's certainly hard asking someone to spend their hard earned money to buy something I've made.
- It's hard for me to shine the light on myself.
- It's hard for me to feel comfortable being in videos.
- It's hard for me to talk about myself.
- It's totally out of my comfort zone to put myself out there.
BUT
Here's the conflicting part of this whole situation-
I absolutely, unequivocally believe in and love our washcloths!
The Part that should make selling easy (What I love about our products, Fairface Washcloths)
It's not like I'm trying to sell something I don't believe in.
I want to share our washcloths with the world because they are wonderful.
Because they can help.
Because they really work.
Because the real value is there.
We make every single one of them. They aren't made in a far away factory.
I know the quality of the craftsmanship. I know the thickness and the softness of the flannel.
I know they are truly a great product that doesn't compare with anything out there right now. Our washcloths are truly products I am proud of putting out into the world. They are a piece of me.
My Personal Connection to our Washcloths
I created these washcloths out of necessity when I was diagnosed with Rosacea and couldn't find a washcloth soft enough for my face. All the other traditional terrycloth washcloths were so scratchy on my sensitive skin, they hurt to wash with and would irritate my already red skin and make it worse, which basically created a non-stop cycle of redness and irritation on my poor skin.
It was out of necessity that I looked for fabrics that wouldn't irritate my skin, and were gentle and soft enough that I could wash my face without it hurting and without scratching it and without turning it red.
With this beautifully soft flannel washcloth I had made, I could finally wash my face and it actually felt good. The flannel felt soft and soothing against my sensitive skin and it helped to calm down my skin. And it kept it calm when I washed it every time after that. I had found one of the keys to calming down my irritated, red, sensitive rosacea skin.
By taking abrasive textures out of my skin care routine and replacing them with our soft, gentle flannel washcloths, my skin finally started to heal.
And with my skin care routine, which I have shared countless times (and I will again if it helps you) I have been able to live, I would say, 98% of the time, without Rosacea flares or skin irritation. And the only reason I say 98% is because the triggers still get me once in a while - certain foods (like drinking sugary soda) and environment like weather - heat and cold that I can't always control. No one knows I even have Rosacea unless I tell them.
I created our washcloths and found that they helped my skin so much and continue to help my own skin and I KNEW in my heart and soul that if they had helped me this much, there were millions of people out there with sensitive skin that they could help as well!
And that's why I couldn't just keep them to myself and I heard that inner voice say it's time to share these. I wanted to start selling them to help other people. And so I did.
AND we've had thousands of orders over the last 10 years since I put them out into the market and countless customers who have told me how much they love our washcloths and they keep coming back, for themselves and to give them to other people they love.
That's why I do what I do.
And it may seem easy to sell it, because of all the reasons I just described, but it's still not.
It's a hard thing to reconcile in my head.
My introverted, people pleasing voice takes over and messes everything up.
I was thinking, if I had found our washcloths in a store, I would shout about them to everyone because they are incredible! But because it's my own product, that we cut and sew and market ourselves, it somehow creates this shadow between how much I love them and how much I feel comfortable selling them.
How this Introvert sells that feels genuine
So instead of selling...because it feels like a bad word, I choose to think of it in a way that connects with my heart and soul. It have to be authentic and sincere, so
I focus on gratitude and I share and invite.
- It's easy for me to be grateful that out of hardship, I created this wonderful product that has helped me and can help other people.
- It's easy for me to share something I believe in so much.
- It's easy for me to share something I know can help other people with sensitive skin.
- It's easy for me to be grateful for every person who shows an interest in our washcloths and chooses to visit our websites.
- It's easy for me to be grateful for every person who buys our washcloths (or pillow cases or other products for that matter).
- It's easy for me to be grateful for each person who takes the time to leave a kind review.
- It's easy for me to be grateful for each person who reaches out to me with a kind email or message.
And so in this place of gratitude, I share and invite.
It's easier for me to share what I love about our washcloths and invite someone to try them and see for themselves what a blessing they can be for their skin, than it is for me to try to sell someone or convince someone of something.
So I continue to share my products, which are truly of part of me.
- I invite you to try our soft washcloths.
- I invite you to see how the softness can help change your skin for the better.
- I invite you to share in this wonderful product I have created because I care about helping you.
I want to share the soft washcloths I created because they did wonders for me when my skin was at its worst and they continue to help my skin stay healthy and clear every day. I want you to find the same relief and joy that comes from finding something that can help.
So clearly you can see what I love about our washcloths and how much I believe in them. It's somehow easier for me to sit here and tell you about them, like we're friends having a chat, than it is for me to try to "sell" them.
It's hard with an introverted personality to yell, "hey everyone, look at me! Look what I made!" That's how it feels, and it's not who I am...so the voice in my head takes over and says:
- you're bothering people,
- or you're going to make a fool of yourself,
- or they won't like your products,
- or you're being too pushy,
- or the worst, who do you think you are to think you're all that and a bag of chips?
And so I refocus myself and share and invite in a place of gratitude, because that's what connects with who I truly am.
Can Introverts still be successful at sales?
Is it still important to put myself out there and try different things?
Yes.
Will it still be uncomfortable?
Yes.
Do I still cringe a little when I post something that feels like I'm selling?
Yes.
Will I still continue to stretch myself out of my comfort zone?
Yes.
One person I can think of, who doesn't come across as gross when they try to "sell" their products is Lizi Heaps, better known as the Food Nanny [@thefoodnanny]. She has a darling sparkling personality that lights up the world and she sells Kamut Flour, and other products like French finishing salt, dough hooks, and copper pots from France.
She is clearly an extrovert, who shows up for her people. She makes Kamut bread, pretzels and other delicious things and shows you on Instagram. She shares her farm life (I'm obsessed with her farm, cows and chickens), she attends events, and energetically shares how much she loves Kamut flour and her dough hooks and her copper pots and how they all are truly the best things you could ever eat or use in all the world. Do I believe her?
It's a stretch that they are the best in the world (haha!), but yes, I can feel the positivity and sincerity behind what she believes and what she shares and it's enough for me to one day try her Kamut flour. Right now they have shortages, so another day Lizi. But she is fun to watch on Instagram because she seems like a genuinely kind person.
The thing is, you can have an amazing product you believe in and the world could benefit by, but if no one knows you exist, then no one can know the joy of your product.
So I try to spread the word about our amazing soft washcloths through our
- Blog posts
- Podcasts
- Our tiny YouTube channel at the moment (I have ambitions to get more videos made)
- and reaching out to our customers one by one
But it's hard to put myself out there, so I feel like I have limited myself to some degree, and definitely have areas I can work on.
It's a daunting task. There's so much competition for your attention. There's so much competition on the internet. It feels like a giant black hole. How do you ever find all the brands and all the blog posts and all the amazing products out there? It feels very overwhelming, and like an impossible task, so I just try to take it one day and one effort at a time. It takes a village, and I'm a small town of one, so I need to think about other ways to branch out.
So that's me.
If you sell a product and feel the same way, let me know. It's a tricky road to navigate, but I feel like if you believe in what you're doing, and you really do have a well made product or service that can genuinely help other people, you're coming from a place of sincerity, and you put in the work, you can get your message and products out there to the right people.
Happy Holidays, with gratitude for you!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season! And if you've learned anything from this episode, I hope that it's that I am genuinely grateful for you. Thank you so much for being here and for listening. And thank you for helping support our small business. I am so grateful for all our Fairface Washcloths customers.
When I see customers come back time and time again it warms my heart and I feel a special feeling of gratitude for those who have been buying our washcloths since 2011, back when I made my very first sale. I know your names and it fills my heart with so much gratitude when I see your orders come in. I write little notes on each order because I want our customers to know how much I really do appreciate their business. It means a lot to me on a personal level. You hear people say it's not personal, it's just business...but for me that's not the case. It's all personal.
And with that, I bid you a fond farewell until the new year, 2022...wow, that seems crazy doesn't it? Happy Holidays to you and all those you hold dear. Stay safe and enjoy all the best these holiday times have to offer and I will see you next time!
xo Shannon
Our soft skin care washcloths really are as good as we say they are! But don't just take our word for it, try them for yourself!
Pick up a set or two
here: Fairface Washcloths Etsy shop
or here: Fairface Washcloths website
Thanks for being here!
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