Greetings, Master!
Greetings, fellow practitioners!
My sharing today is entitled "Cultivating and Upgrading in Epoch Times Ads Sales."
I am a sales person for The Epoch Times in western Canada. I am 66 years old and have been doing this job for four years.
My original intention was to do this job according to the needs of Fa-Rectification. Ad sales is also a way to solve the financial problems facing the operation of The Epoch Times. But my notions made me feel a little strange using the word "sales." After studying Master's lecture from the New York Fahui in 2004, I changed my mind. In this lecture, Master said,
"Even though the things you do in this world look a lot like the day-to-day things that ordinary people do, the fact is that the Dafa disciples' basis and the purpose of what you do are completely different. Because the human world is simply in delusion, being caught up in what is real and tangible to them; it's hard for ordinary people to tell the
real from the fake. So whether ordinary people understand it or not, Dafa disciples are merely making use of ordinary people's forms to save all beings. And for you cultivators, precisely because of the delusion that is here in human society, being in this environment allows you to cultivate, and those who succeed in cultivation are outstanding." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York")
Isn't our selling ads using ordinary people's ways to save sentient beings? Thinking of these things, gradually I let go of my ego, and joined the sales team.
I am old and can't drive, so I sell ads by making phone calls from the office. Without any experience, I started with small classified ads and worked up from there.
Here are some of my understandings:
1. In order to do a good job in advertising, we must first be fully confident in our newspaper. Our newspaper reports news responsibly and truthfully. We uphold universal human values, rights, and freedoms, that are not influenced by any political or financial interests. Every business client who chooses to advertise in our newspaper will benefit from us.
We have numerous examples of positive feedback, which has strengthened our confidence in doing a good job in advertising. We are also using these successful cases to persuade those businesses who are considering advertising in our paper.
2. Through these years of doing ads sales, I have realized that the process of selling ads is also a process of building predestined relationships with beings, and presents great opportunities to clarify the truth and save beings. Although sometimes not even one ad comes in after making dozens of phone calls, we never give up. We pass on our practitioners' compassion to them, while introducing our newspaper to them at the same time. As long as they read the newspaper, they will change, they will understand the truth, and they can be saved.
A computer repair business said they got phone calls from our sales people a year ago. Although the man had some misunderstandings about our newspaper at that time, he agreed that our sales people were always nice and sincere. When he got our sales call this time, he said he would think about it. After consulting with others, he told us, "I am really moved by your sincerity." At first he only planned to do one-month ads. Later he said, "Please have my ad posted. I'll mail you a check for three months of ads tomorrow." Two days later, we received his check.
A client came to our office and told us that he'd gotten information on jobs from the recruitment ads in The Epoch Times. Consulting these ads helped him to find a stable job at an electrical company. To thank The Epoch Times, he persuaded his boss to do a 1/8-page ad in the newspaper for several months, and they later expanded it to a quarter-page. He also published his statement for quitting the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations for himself and all his family members on The Epoch Times website.
Once when doing sales, I ran into a businessman who made some slanderous comments about The Epoch Times. It was the first time I'd met such a person. My first thought was to rectify all unrighteousness with my righteous thoughts. I talked to him very peacefully, "We don't speak the language of communist culture. Only the evil Party labels virtuous people as demons. Do you agree?" I also asked if he had lived in China before. He said yes. Then I asked if he had been labeled as some kind of demon before? He suddenly changed his tune. "I know the Party is rude and evil!" At last I recommended that he read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I think this person will now have a right view about our newspaper.
Some people dare not to advertise in The Epoch Times. They say that The Epoch Times is Falun Gong's newspaper and reports on sensitive topics. We tell them that as a public media, it is our responsibility to report the truth. Timely and fair coverage of all the important events happening in the world today is our purpose. People around the world know Falun Dafa is good. We remind them that they are living in a free, democratic country that respects human rights, and advertising with us will improve their business, and ask, "What are you afraid of?" Speaking this way to them helps them to understand the truth, and often they will then advertise with us. Businesses that advertise with The Epoch Times will also help to better position themselves with regard to the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong.
3. Advertising is a job among everyday people, but it includes cultivation factors.
Considering Master's salvation of all beings and enduring so much for every disciple, we must realize our prehistoric vows. The working environment of our sales team should be a pure land. We don't fight for fame or gain, we encourage each other in Fa study and cultivation, and work hard on coordination and cooperation. We can do a good job in sales only when we are diligent in Fa study. Master pointed out at the Boston Fahui in 2002,
"When you do well in the Fa-rectification, I can see that it's always because you are able to understand the Fa from the Fa; and when you do somewhat poorly, I can see that it's because you aren't making a priority of Fa-study and you aren't able to understand the Fa from the Fa." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston")
I remembered when I had just turned 65 years old, I said I didn't want to work in the office. I could make phone calls at home for sales. My husband is a non-practitioner over 70 years old. He is not happy staying at home by himself every day. I think it's good to be able to take care of the family and do ad sales at the same time. Then a fellow practitioner said to me, "There's no retirement at The Epoch Times!" I felt the practitioner's words pushing me forward. Yes, Dafa disciples should be more and more diligent as time passes. How can I have this idea?
I found problems in my cultivation. On the surface, it was an attachment to comfort, but the deeper reason was trying to escape from conflicts. Actually, after working in the office for a long time, I saw conflicts among fellow practitioners and among departments, which had not been solved for a while. When my opinion couldn't be understood by fellow practitioners, my everyday people's heart was affected and I could not let go. So my mind kept wandering during Fa study, and I couldn't reach tranquility when doing the exercises and meditation, nor could I concentrate while sending forth righteous thoughts.
I saw fellow practitioners being diligent in cultivation and doing better and better in advertising, but my ads sales remained at the same level. I became upset and worried a lot. Then the DVD "Fa Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners" was published. I watched it over and over again, and many problems got solved. I realized what I couldn't let go of were all attachments. I was trying to prove myself instead of validating the Fa. I didn't learn the Fa very well and didn't look inside. I am determined to catch up! Master said,
"We stress holistic improvement and holistic upgrade. If xinxing is upgraded, everything else will follow up." (Zhuan Falun)
This is really the case, when my xinxing was upgraded, my ad sales improved.
Each sales person was given a target. I treat it calmly, adhere to Fa study and exercise, and send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference to advertising. I've been working hard but not being attached to it. Sometimes I was so busy that I couldn't get off work on time. At the end of the month when the financial department calculated the balance of that month, they told me that my sales had exceeded my target. I truly experienced, "Cultivation is up to you, Gong is up to the Master" (Zhuan Falun). Although it's my best month since doing sales, I know I am still far away from those fellow practitioners who are really doing well. I know I am still far from the requirement of the Fa Rectification. I am grateful to Master and Dafa from the bottom of my heart. I know our wisdom comes from Master, and we must believe in Master and believe in Dafa with righteous thoughts and act righteously. Our Epoch Times will never disappoint Master! Nor all the beings!
This is my personal sharing. Please correct me if there are any in appropriate points.
Please let me end my topic with Master's "No Obstacles" from Hong Yin:
Cultivation paths are different
Yet all are within Dafa
With no attachment to anything
The path underfoot is naturally clear
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!
