What Can a Drag Queen Teach Sales Professionals?

Last night I stayed up late to watch the final episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo. For those of you not familiar with the program, drag queens compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Super Star. (The Queen likes her reality television and is always interested in the lives of other queens.) It’s hosted by RuPaul and the judges are Santino Rice (Project Runway) and, Merle Ginsberg (fashion jou
alist) and of course, RuPaul. Guest judges sit in from time to time. The contestants compete in categories like Runway, Realness, Glam etc.

Last evening, after crowing American’s Next Drag Super Star, a lovely queen from Cameroon, (who said she started doing drag when she got to the airport in this country), they brought all of the contestants back for a Roundup session. The lovely ladies got to dish and share their experiences of being on the show.

At some point RuPaul decided to turn the tables and have the contestants critique the judges. Several of the ladies became very emotional about the level of criticism they felt they had endured from the judges. They felt much of the criticism was unfounded and cruel. One of the queens said that she chose to be eliminated rather than continue on and face the harsh criticism.

RuPaul, a very wise Queen, said, “Ladies, you are all fabulous. That’s why you were picked to be on this show. Criticism, anyone’s criticism, cannot make you not fabulous. The problem is not that you were criticized harshly, the problem is that you all forgot that you are fabulous.”

She then went on to point out that in her journey many told her it would be impossible to be a drag super star with a recording contract and her own television show.

So what can a sales professional learn from RuPaul? Simply this: You are fabulous. Even with a difficult economy, you are fabulous. Use your brains, and creativity and your determination to keep moving forward (stilettos optional). No one—not even prospects, customers or managers--no one can make you not fabulous.