VIBRATIONS AND ATTITUDE

“You have the right to work, but never to the fruits of your work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world as one established within oneself—without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga is perfect evenness of mind.” – Gita

My First Sales Job On A River…

When I was about 21 years old, living in Cambridge, England, I decided to get a job as a ‘river guide’ with Scudamores River Tour company. The job had two parts. The first involved trying to convince random people walking down the street to stop what they were doing and take a boat tour of the famous Cambridge colleges. We would stand on the pavement, wearing straw hats and company sweaters or shirts, holding laminated boards with pictures of the river and colleges. As passersby approached, we’d say: “River Tours?” “Would you like to come on a river tour?” “See the historic colleges,” and so on. We could basically say whatever we wanted, hoping the right people would feel compelled to show interest. If they did, we’d explain the tour, and if they were ready to join, I’d write them a slip with the number of people in their group and my initials. They would then take their slip to the boathouse to pay for their river tour. Not everyone made it to the boathouse, but for each person who did and paid for the tour, we earned a commission. If we didn’t sign up enough people, we’d only be paid minimum wage, which, I recall, was about $3.50 per hour.

To Work or Not to Work?

This commission-vs-minimum-wage structure meant we could either sit around and still get paid minimum wage, or work hard and earn more if we signed up more people. It was an interesting dichotomy: either do nothing and get paid a little, or work hard and possibly earn more—or end up with just minimum wage if we didn’t succeed. It was a test of faith and belief in the value of work and personal agency. Do we really influence our fate or not? Is extra effort worth it, or should we just sit on a bench, vaguely waving our board to pretend we’re working?

The second part of the job involved punting the boat down the river with 9-12 passengers while delivering a (mostly made-up) tour of the famous Cambridge colleges. At first, I couldn’t steer the boat straight and ended up dangerously swerving all over the river, hitting the banks and sometimes other boats. But over time, I got the hang of it. Once I could punt in a straight line while delivering my tour, I found it fun to come up with stories and see how the passengers reacted. That little stretch of river is truly magnificent—an impressive and beautiful slice of the planet filled with culture and history. Spending a couple of hours a day punting down the river became quite magical in its own way.

I took the job partly to overcome my inhibitions and fear of talking to strangers. I was a bit too shy and introverted, so I realized the best way to overcome this was by talking to strangers for 4-8 hours a day. When I started the job, I was very disappointed with my results. Most of the people I asked to join a river tour said no. Some ignored me; others had harsher words. Almost everyone said no. But then again, even the best river tour guides got far more no’s than yeses because, as you can imagine, most people walking by didn’t want to be interrupted. Many were locals on their way to work, and tourists may not have been in the mood for a tour right then and there. The job was, after all, a bit like being a door-to-door vacuum salesman—except we were selling tours instead of vacuums.

During the first couple of months, I barely signed anyone up. I didn’t quite know what to say, who to ask, or how to say it. I wasn’t alone in this. There were another 5-10 guys around the same age as me, doing the exact same job, often just a dozen feet away. Both sides of the street were packed with Scudamores salespeople, plus a handful of independent river guides hoping to get a piece of the action.

We were all there, like vultures, vying for the limited number of tourists wandering by, hoping for the big catch. And we were in direct competition with each other. If one of the other guides got to a group of tourists before me, they’d make the sale and get the commission, leaving the rest of us with nothing. Occasionally, a large group of tourists would appear, and whoever signed them up got the commission for all of them. The job started to feel like a cruel lottery.

I began to wonder what I was doing wrong, especially as I noticed other guides—standing just 5-20 feet away, wearing the exact same clothes—were getting far more customers than me. As weeks passed, I considered just sitting around for minimum wage. But at the same time, I was also learning meditation and discovering how to experience higher states of consciousness. In meditation, I learned about giving happiness to others, seeing them as spiritual beings, and letting go of attachment and expectations regarding results. When I arrived at work, I still had the desire to sign people up and get paid. This didn’t seem to fit, so I began thinking about how to apply these spiritual lessons to my work.

One day, after too many disappointing results, I decided something needed to change. Up until that point, when potential customers approached, I had an inner desire for them to join a tour. After all, it was my job to get people on the boat, so when I asked people if they wanted a river tour, I also wanted them to say yes.

It sounds obvious. Most of the others doing the same job also wanted people to buy tickets. But as time went on, I realized that my desire for the fruit of my work was actually blocking me from enjoying the job and doing well. So, I decided to do something radical: I gave up the wanting and craving and tried something new.

A New Approach

A little Starbucks coffee shop sat about 30 yards away from the boathouse. One morning, I ordered a large black coffee and decided to change my approach to work. Instead of trying to convince people to join the river tour, I focused on seeing everyone as a spiritual being and sending them happiness.

My goal shifted from selling river tours to giving happiness. After drinking my coffee, I went out on the street. I looked at each person walking by, not as a body, but as the eternal soul animating their body. I saw the jewel of light behind their eyes. I felt that each one was part of my spiritual family. These people walking past were divine souls, and I sent them love, blessings, and joy from my heart. My aim was simply to make a connection of happiness with each person, even if it lasted just a few seconds. I still played the part of a river tour guide and continued asking if they’d like a tour, but my real mission was to share love and light. This wasn’t a trick to get more sales; I did it from the heart. I was there to give happiness. I felt like an angel in disguise.

As a result of this shift in perception and intention, I also became less inhibited and more expressive in my offers. I don’t remember exactly what I said or did differently, but my general vibration and demeanor felt fun, light, joyful, and free. I didn’t expect any change in sales; I just hoped to share good vibes and enjoy myself in the process. It was all a game, so why not have fun and enjoy it? Either way, I would be alright.

Soon after this inner shift, I noticed several changes. First, I enjoyed myself much more. Since I no longer craved or needed anything from others, I felt more open and better able to connect with them. People smiled at me more often, and even those who weren’t interested in a river tour responded politely. I also became better at identifying who was a local and who was a tourist, so I stopped wasting time asking locals.

The fact that my workdays became more enjoyable was a huge upgrade. If that was the only change, it would have been enough. Instead of dreading work and feeling deflated, tired, and hopeless, I felt alive, inspired, and energized. The job became so fun and fulfilling that I’d have been happy to do it for free. I felt like I was in the right place at the right time.

Then, to my surprise, I noticed that as the good vibrations increased, so did the sales. This was not what I expected. More people than ever started saying yes to the tours. I began writing more and more tickets and making more money than before. Despite countless other tour guides on both sides of the street, the right people seemed to pass them by and come directly to me. I was amazed. At one point, I even broke the longstanding highest sales record. It seemed that the more I sent out good vibrations, the more people wanted to sign up.

Given that all other circumstances were the same—the same place, same time, same street, same people—I can only attribute this shift in sales to my attitude and vibrations. I went from craving and needing to letting go of selfish desires and focusing on giving love and joy. I wasn’t even interested in the product (the river tour). I just wanted to give people good vibes, and they seemed to feel it.

After this experience, I started to think about how this applies to life and, in particular, to sales jobs. Can this method help you make more money and have more fun? I believe it can.

How to have more fun
and make more sales

1. Aim to give happiness, not to get anything
   
   When we want something from people, we’re not coming from a place of giving. We’re coming from a place of taking, and that is not a good vibration. People pick up on it and don’t feel safe. So, instead of that, we need to aim to serve, shine, and bless those we come in contact with. We need to shift our attention away from getting, and focus on giving, from the heart. This shift in consciousness is profound, and it’s highly effective in creating a better situation for all involved.

First of all, when you focus on giving, it improves your own life right away because giving from the heart makes us feel happier. It also leads to more sales. However, ironically, we can only gain the benefit of this practice financially when we truly detach from the outcome and focus on creating vibrations of peace and joy, sharing them with others unconditionally. If we say to ourselves, “Okay, if I feel good vibrations and share them with others, then I’ll get paid more,” it won’t work. Or, it won’t work nearly as well. Why? Because the intention is not pure; it’s mixed. If our actions are driven by expectations about the results, we lose most of the power because we are doing something with the desire for the outcome. As a result, we become anxious about the results and are unable to fully show up and serve in the moment. It’s a subtle but tangible shift.

To truly give from the heart and desire to serve others, we need to emotionally let go of the outcome we want. We must simply focus on sharing good vibrations and giving happiness to the people in front of us, while considering what is in the highest good for all. When you really focus on them and surrender to the highest good, you feel happy, and they feel happy because you genuinely care. It’s important to serve the highest good and give good vibrations for their own sake. Do it for the joy of it. Do it for the love of others, for the love of God, or for the love of service if you prefer. But make sure you show up from the heart, for reasons other than trying to get something from your potential customer. The desire to take turns us into beggars. Energetically, we are craving, wanting, and desiring. When we feel full and satisfied inside ourselves, we give with a big heart, from the heart, and don’t need anything in return. This is the space that leads to maximum joy and impact.

So, how do you get into this space and stay there?

2. Find what brings you joy, bliss, peace, and makes you come alive.

When you feel alive and inspired, you can give to others in a powerful way. If you don’t feel inspired, how can you expect to inspire others? So, what lights up your soul?

For many, the easiest way to get into this space is through some kind of spiritual practice that fills you up. We have many guided meditations to support you in this way. Or, if you find that something else—like running, being in nature, dancing, or listening to music—makes you feel alive and inspired, then do that. Whatever it is—prayer, meditation, exercise, music—do more of it so you feel FULL. Aim to feel recharged and inspired, alive. Once you do, you are in a better position to serve others.

3. Prioritize your inner state
The more you give attention to your own good feelings, the more you can help others. This means putting your inner state at the TOP of the list in your life. Feel full yourself, then give to others.

4. Take JOY from helping others find joy.
If you develop the habit of helping people find what they want (even if it’s not your product), you’ll enjoy yourself, and people will want to pay you. You may have noticed that some customer service people seem to get a kick out of being uncooperative and not giving you what you need. This is probably due to some unresolved control issues or problems in their own lives that they are taking out on strangers. Then, there are the angels who actually care and want to help you find the fastest, easiest way to get what you want. Which one would you rather pay?

The more pleasure you find in helping others solve problems and find joy, the more fun you’ll have, and the more success you’ll achieve.

Ps. If you’d love to get access to our complete sales training – go here.