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Cultivating and Upgrading Selling Newspaper Ads
By a Falun Dafa practitioner 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 Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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