Category Archives: Creativity

Let’s Go All The Way!

Take a little ’80’s Break!Lets go all the way

Remember when you really hit your stride as a salesperson?

Maybe you only have one memory of it. Maybe you have had many.

What was it that made that time so magical?

Perhaps you would say that you were lit up by the product you were selling. Or the challenge. Or you had a great team around you. Or that people really wanted to hear about what you were selling.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

One or all of those things might be true.

I want you to consider something. Look and see if this resonates.

Continue reading Let’s Go All The Way!

Ever just called someone to see how it’s going?

If you believe that sales are founded on great relationships.

And, most of us still do. Especially in this world of complex sales.

Ever thought of calling your decison-maker up – just to see how their life is going?

It will test your ability to GET OVER IN THEIR WORLD.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

What if your customers viewed you as someone who called them because you were interested in what THEY were dealing with. Not just what you could sell them to help them. You won’t always have the answers.

Can you see how much more FUN you would have calling on people?

You have fun. They have fun.

You will find out things about their children, their marriages, their pressing concerns.

You do it because you “getting the deal” isn’t the most important thing to them. But, their life IS important to them.

Do you know that salespeople don’t do this?

Stand out. Demonstrate that you are truly out for THEM.

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

How to make sure your prospect is listening!

Get your prospect's attention!“If you want to make sure you have your prospect’s 100% attention, let THEM talk!”

~ Alice Heiman

Brilliant!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Love ’em UP and let THEM talk!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Five Steps to Taking Control of Your Destiny – One Morning at a Time!

I am delighted to share this article from a salesperson I recently met who, frankly, blew my socks off!

Please meet Cait Green, a truly remarkable saleswoman. Her enthusiasm, her ability to quickly detect what is important to other people, and her drive captured my attention! Could she really be this excited all of the time? This on point?

So, I wrote an email to Cait and asked her what I really wanted to know…Do you WAKE UP excited?

Here’s what she wrote. I got a ton of great stuff from it and have even put a few things into my morning that have made a difference….I haven’t added Julie Andrews yet, but, hey, if it works, it works!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

From Cait:

Do you wake up excited?

Heck yes! “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” for me anyway. My alarm clock sounds at 6:30am each day with Julie Andrews belting out the uplifting opening number from “The Sound of Music.” People often laugh when I let them in on my little show tune secret, but HEY it works for me. It’s difficult to make time for ourselves in the midst of hectic and demanding schedules, but it’s crucial to find something that inspires you to greet the day in a positive way. Cue the birds chirping and Julie spinning arms wide open against the backdrop of rolling green hills and I’m up and ready to take on the world.

I don’t allow myself to catalogue the myriad thoughts that are RACING through my mind at the start of the day, in bed. Beds are for sleeping. Here are my simple morning steps for success…

STEP 1: Avoid that snooze button like the plague and GET UP.

STEP 2: CLEAR YOUR HEAD. For me this entails some combination of feel good tunes (lots of Beyonce as of late) and exercise, preferably outdoors. You’re going to be grinding all day so it’s important to allow yourself the time to mentally prepare for the hard work at hand.

STEP 3: MAKE A LIST! I’m not talking about a list that begins with…”make a list” so that you can immediately slash an item off in thick black marker with a satisfied grin. It’s imperative to set goals each day. It’s easy to get carried away in creating an inventory of the MILLION things you NEED to get done NOW. Be smart about it and prioritize at least 3 tasks associated with your goal(s) that you can realistically accomplish. You want to end the day feeling fulfilled and carry that momentum through to tomorrow. So there’s no point in setting unrealistic expectations for yourself that will ultimately leave you feeling like you’ve fallen short.

STEP 4: READ. It can be an excerpt from Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha (a great read) or a chapter from The Hunger Games (also a great read). It wakes your brain up. NOW, peruse the trades that pertain specifically to your area of sales expertise; an article or piece of research you can dig up on a prospective client or an exciting event that impacts your marketplace. Being well versed and up-to-speed on industry happenings sets you up for success and gives you the confidence you need to engage your clients in an interesting and meaningful way.

STEP 5: REMIND YOURSELF TO BE YOUR BEST SELF. Relationships are at the heart of success.  It is all about the connection forged and maintained between the parties transacting. Working hard to BE YOUR BEST SELF is the key to being the best professional you can be. Relationships flourish when we take care of ourselves, which enables us to best meet the needs and expectations of our partners.

WHAT WILL YOUR MORNING ROUTINE LOOK LIKE?

You owe it to yourself and to your clients to devise a morning routine that works for you. Sometimes I want to toss Julie Andrews right out the window when she starts in on her 6:30am serenade, but I don’t. I refuse to allow the negativity to seep in while I lie in bed …dread gathering at the thought of placing my feet on the cold floor. We all know how quickly our anxieties can snowball and intimidate us into inaction. When you take control and focus on getting excited about what the day holds for you…you WILL succeed!

And of course, take the time to prepare and eat a great breakfast…a little French pressed coffee goes a long way in making you feel like a BOSS.

Note from ISG: As many of you already know, I particularly like the Kerry Ellis version of Defying Gravity to get me going in the morning!

 

Love your whole day UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Take the 20 minute challenge to speed up sales!

Take the 20 minute challenge! Business was moving at the speed of molasses.

Deals were stacking up. All that was required was SOMEONE putting pen to paper, but no one was doing it.

The roadmap to RESIGNATION

I was on my way to the land of RESIGNATION! Where booze flows freely, the entertainment is On Demand, the food is decadent, but it is an empty, empty world. Nothing is getting done … and escape seems the only good thing about my day.

As appealing as a trip to the land of RESIGNATION seemed, I thought that this time I would take a detour. I called my dear and very successful friend whose business has been EXPLODING lately and asked her for her advice. How was SHE blowing business out of the water and I was stuck?

And here is what she said!

She told me that she had been creating a “clearing” for business to come in. Huh! Taking actions that create a new context for her day and for the way her business goes.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I wanted something a bit more concrete – more actionable.

She said. Play this game with yourself. Make it a point to return every email, every phone call, every communication within 20 minutes. Be a RESPONSE machine!

WOW! Interesting.

So, I agreed. For one week, I was going to play the game. Between 8 am and 7 pm every day, I was going to respond to people within 20 minutes.

Know what happened?

1) My pipeline got even MORE full with truly interested and qualified buyers
2) I closed a deal and another one is on its way this week
3) My activity went WAY up – so that I am meeting those goals, too!

Now, if you think this is all a little “woo woo”, I assure you it is not.

Let’s take a look at what is in play here.

Meeting People Where They Are

The golden KEY to sales is being where your buyer is. It is our biggest challenge. We have entire marketing teams dedicated to it.

When your buyer sends you an email, they are thinking of you and they are interested in engaging with you in that moment. You have about 20 minutes before their mind moves on to something entirely new and you are forgotten.

The LEAST EXPENSIVE and EASIEST way to be where your customer is at the right time, is GET RIGHT BACK IN TOUCH with them – when they are thinking of you!

Activity Breeds Activity

As you get active, you will see other actions that you want to take. You will communicate more and more often. If you make more requests, you will get more responses. Period. You will get more meetings. You will get more “no’s” which you can move out of your pipeline. You will get more “yes’s” which you can move into your pipeline. You will get ideas and inspiration! You will be a communication machine!

Putting the Universe on Notice

When you get in touch with EVERYONE (I mean everyone! Not *JUST* customers!), you are telling the universe that you are open for business! Not in a “woo woo” way – although, we all have heard that when you create a true intention that the universe moves to fulfill on that intention. I don’t know much about that, but I DO know about this natural law called INERTIA.

A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. Why argue with natural laws? You fight authority, but authority always wins. If you put things off, you will get put off by others!

If you want to BREAK THE BACK of RESIGNATION, you are going to first have to get your body in motion. Which means – it will take some extra energy to get you moving, but once you do, it will ACTUALLY take extra energy to STOP being in motion! Inertia is your friend or your mortal enemy. You get to say!

Take the 20 minute challenge!

I challenge you today to take the 20 minute response game on! For one week, play the game of getting back to EVERYONE within 20 minutes, then tell me what happened! I think you will be amazed!

Love ’em ALL UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

Spice it up a bit this week!

Spice it up a bit this weekIt’s mid-winter.

It’s mid-quarter (sort of).

The bloom of the New Year has worn off a bit – and it’s too early for Spring Fever.

So, what can you do to spice it up a bit?

This week, I want  you to come up with some BIG reward for yourself. Something to put a little action in your step. Pick something that you rarely do for yourself, like take an afternoon off, or that great bottle of champagne, a massage, a night full of guilt-free TV. Something you don’t normally do, but will really enjoy.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

NOW, pick a goal to accomplish this week.

A S-T-R-E-T-C-H goal. Maybe it’s an extra ten cold calls. Maybe it’s getting your CRM all-the-way-up-to-date. Perhaps it’s setting up 3 extra meetings for next week. Whatever, it is…put THAT at stake this week. Make sure it’s an ACTIVITY goal – not an outcome goal. Activity is always the key!

If you hit your goal – you get the reward!

Then, tell someone else about your game. Your spouse, your boss, a fellow salesperson. (It doesn’t work if you keep it to yourself).

Get to work! Have some fun! Blow your goal out of the water and ENJOY your reward.

It’s too easy to get on the treadmill of doing, doing, doing – make sure you’re taking great care of YOU when you win.

BONUS EXERCISE

Write a comment and tell me what your goal and reward are for the week! I want to see you get CREATIVE!

Let’s get spicy and…

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Check your Confidence Quotient FIRST this year!

Welcome to 2014!Check your Confidence Quotient

Before we get started together this year, I recommend we look at one CRITICAL thing.

How is your MIND SPACE?

THE NUMBER ONE indicator of your success this year, is the level of self-confidence you have going in!

SO, let’s take a look.

On a scale of 1 – 10, how confident are you that you will meet your goals this year?

If you are anywhere below a TEN, let’s take a look at what might be happening and churn up some ideas to whip your confidence RIGHT UP THE SCALE!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

First, let’s take the advice of Jack Canfield. Instead of asking ourselves how we are going to move from a 5 to a 10, we are going to ask ourselves – “Hmmmmmmmm…..why so high? Why am I as high as a 5?”

(You will find some interesting things about what you DO feel good about).

Next, we are going to continue to take the advice of Jack Canfield again and ask “What would it take to move me up to a 6?” No need to jump all the way to the 10. This answer will be much more informative and much more actionable.

Now, look to see what might still be an open, gaping wound from the previous year (or even previous years).

If you’ve lost your swagger, you probably got a good swing (or two or three) to the face with a (hypothetical) two-by-four. Perhaps you missed your quota last year. Perhaps you came in at number 3 when you were sure you were headed for number one. Perhaps you lost that DEAL YOU HAD COUNTED ON to a competitor at the last minute.

Take that two-by-four moment and confront it. Can you see clearly WHAT happened and WHY it happened?

Often, when you look straight at the problem, you can see where YOU had a hand in the negative outcome. Find out if you can forgive yourself . The good news is that if you are the one who caused the negative result, you are also the one who can get the positive result in the future. Huzzah!

Some things you CAN’T control. It is possible that something knocked you off your game and you had nothing to do with it. Take a moment and call a trusted mentor (or even a therapist) to get this sorted out – and sorted out all the way. Until you are completely restored to your brilliance and natural FANTASTIC-NESS!

Restored to FANTASTIC-NESS

Finally, play a game with some friends. 

I was chatting with a couple of my closest girl friends yesterday. We all three realized that we were lacking a bit in the area of self-confidence around our goals this year. SO, here’s what we’re doing:

1) Writing down our top 10 qualities that take us to success

2) Writing down the top 10 qualities of the OTHER two of us – that WE know helps them to success

3) Writing down our top 5 accomplishments from last year –  and identifying how WE made those happen

4) Writing down our top 5 disappointments from last year – and identifying how WE made those happen

5) Getting together again for a chat next week to share what we found with each other

So, what are YOU going to do to make sure you go screaming and proud and confident into your 2014 – armed with all the swagger and pomp you can manage? I would love to hear! 

Love your confidence UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Be part of something BIG!

Have you ever wanted to use your talents to make something GREAT happen for someone else?

Pretty sure you have!

Recently, the publisher of the Salesforce.com blog told me that she is DYING for Marc Benioff (CEO of Salesforce) to recognize her efforts to support the sales community.

SO, let’s help Jennifer win her game, shall we? (It’s easy, I promise!)

I spend HUNDREDS OF HOURS animating this video (don’t believe me? try animating a video!)

http://youtu.be/HsblniyanTo

You will LOVE IT!

So have fun watching me take my first ever steps, but please hit SHARE, too. If you help us, we can go viral! How fun! And Jennifer will be abl to keep her job! Works for everyone.

Thank you for being awesome!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Grl

You are discouraged? Go, go, go, go, GO!

Yes! The end of the year is upon us!

Yes! We don’t know if we are going to meet our goals (Didn’t it all seem so DO-able in January?)

I INVITE YOU To GO FOR IT!

Do you know that one year  I had a colleague who had sold a sum total of ZERO against her goal in October.

By December, she had exceeded her quota!  (True Story)

She went from ABSOLUTE ZERO to winning in TWO MONTHS. You are discouraged? Go, go, go, go, GO!

What was the catalyst?

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

She did some work to DISRUPT her conventional ways of thinking and acting!

Are you willing to GO FOR IT this year?

Never stop going! http://ampandpivot.com/end-of-year-success/

AND, email me for the private conversation of how my colleague made it happen: [email protected]. Not to be mysterious. Just not everyone wants to hear it!

You can do it if you will let NOTHING STAND IN THE WAY – including YOU!

Love your success UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

A Backwards Hansel & Gretel Story

Here’s what I have learned about getting everything I want in life.A Backwards Hansel & Gretel Story

When I set myself going in a direction (goal) and then I follow the bread crumbs (Hansel & Gretel backwards), it always seems to work!

My dear friend Nicole (name changed to protect the amazing) recently shared a story with me that brought it all home for me.

Nicole is a super-smart, super-successful, super-educated Ph.D. scientist.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

She was working in a job that was OK,  yet it didn’t give her everything she was seeking in career and life fulfillment. (Does this sound familiar to you?)

So, she sat down and started thinking about how she wanted her life to REALLY look!

And amazing things started to happen. Opportunities started to show up that moved her towards her ideal situation. Things she never could have imagined. She started finding new pathways towards her dreams.

Here’s what she shared with me:

“I started living my life in a direction. And then, I simply followed the bread crumbs in front of me.”

Isn’t that how it REALLY works?

So many times, we feel that we need to understand all of the things that will take us to our goals before we even dare to dream them.

Instead I say, DREAM THEM and be sure to say “YES” to the opportunities that show up in front of you.

You have NO access to all the things that are happening in the world that will bring you the circumstances you crave!

Scientists ascribe this phenomenom to the brain’s “Reticular Activating System”. (Much like when you decide you want to buy that brand new BMW and then you start to see them all over the road.) I don’t know much about that…

WHAT I DO KNOW is that when you really commit to something, no matter how crazy it seems…SOMETHING goes to work to help you have it. Is it the Universe? Is it God? Is it some subconscious power that we cannot explain?

WHO CARES?

I mean, really? Do you understand how electricity works? (Hint: no one REALLY does). But, do you plug your lamp into the socket and it shines? Yes, it does.

Moral of today’s story: GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT! Live your life in a direction, and then follow the bread crumbs!

Something is working in your favor! (Period.)

And a quote that my good friend Carolyn Coradeschi sent to me today:

“A step in the wrong direction is better than staying on the spot all our life. Once you’re moving forward you can correct your course as you go. Your automatic guidance system cannot guide you when you’re standing still.”~Maxwell Malz

Love your direction UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

P.S. I am about to do something that I rarely do. I am going to suggest some resources that you could check out if you are committed to living your life in your direction FAST!

IMPORTANT: I do not get paid if you do these things. I have checked them out and know they make a diff!

1) If you are looking for a powerful career transition to something you love, please hire Christie Mims at http://www.therevolutionaryclub.com/. Take the assessment for free. She only works with women, but I BET we could convince her otherwise 😉 Men are important, too! Right?

2) If you are looking for a powerful sales coach to get you to the next level, please consider Carolyn Coradeschi (www.rainmakermindset.com). Take the assessment. Get the free consultation!

Love, ISG