Failures can be crippling if we allow them to be, but when we have the proper guidance, we can learn how to turn failure into success. Airica Kraehmer of Gracious Care Recovery shares her own story here and reminds us that we can turn our weaknesses into our strengths. MENTAL TOUGHNESS Airica’s story doesn’t directly involve sales, but it does involve difficulty and mental toughness. She started working as a model in the fashion industry and she had a dream to succeed there. She realized that the fashion industry demands that you be your own product and that you bring your A-game all the time. She called it cut-throat. As a result, there’s room for exploitation. Airica found herself the victim of human trafficking because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wrote down her story, and when she finished her book, she looked for outlets that would help her share it. She figured telling her story would help her move beyond the struggle. She became an international best-selling author, and it taught her that she could rise above the low points in life. SEEKING A CHALLENGE After she moved to Florida, Airica realized that the state was number two in the country in terms of human trafficking, tied with Houston. After the upcoming Super Bowl, Florida is projected to move into the number one spot due to the large influx of people. Hearing stories of other victims made her realize that she was part of something bigger. She realized that the process would repeat if she didn’t do something to help. She reminded herself that there were as many good people in the world as there were bad people. REJECTION Nobody wanted to talk about trafficking, so she kept encountering closed doors. She compares it to cold calling for sellers. [07:23] Though people cared about it, they didn’t feel like they could speak out about it. She kept knocking on doors, and eventually, she found Gracious Care Recovery. There were survivors there who recognized the need for people to speak out. Her message to sellers, then, is to keep knocking on doors. Despite the fact that she was addressing an impossibly hard topic, she found people who would engage. Get in the other person’s mindset. We each have different experiences, and we’re each traveling a different journey. That means we each have different ideas. That can be a powerful tool as long as we remember that the effort isn’t all about us. It’s about who we can help and who we can serve. Keep in mind that the prospect isn’t rejecting you. It simply isn’t the right time for your prospect. PERSISTENCE If you’re a sales manager who is motivating a team to overcome rejection, teach your team members to practice persistence. Be persistent, but be kind. Be willing to invest the time to build trust. Sales is a numbers game to some degree, and you have to keep reaching out in order to achieve results. Especially now that we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, you have to keep knocking in order to hit your targets. OVERCOMING FAILURE Airica compares her personal experience to bankruptcy. It was the ultimate low. She had nothing left. And she knew it would take years to recover. She learned that you have to leave behind the things that don’t serve you well and that you shouldn’t focus too much on the why. It’s ok, for example, to ask why something happened, but refuse to stay focused on it. Instead, look to the future and ask yourself what you can do to address what happened. Ask yourself the following questions: Who am I serving? What is my purpose? What’s my goal? Once you’ve identified those things, align your morals and values with your goals. Tackle one goal at a time. Small goals will accumulate quickly and result in large accomplishments. “HOW TO TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS” EPISODE RESOURCES You can connect with Airica at airica@graciouscarerecovery.com and grab a copy of her book, Models Stop Traffic: How to Dodge Enslavement in Pursuit of Your Dream to Become the Next Top Model. This episode