Tag Archives: irreverence

The Hardest Part of Writing My 2017 Plan

Today was the day I put pen to paper for my 2017 plan.

Perhaps you’ve just done something similar. I use (and LOVE) the Simple Success Plan. It puts everything for my business and my sales planning onto ONE PAGE. I can easily tweak and modify it throughout the year.

It keeps me grounded and on track.  

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

When I got to the part called “Vision”, I had to Iook at how I REALLY wanted my business to be. And also, of course, my “real life” (the two go hand-in-hand – GO FIGURE).

What I realized was…

It is HARD to write down exactly what I want because I “shouldn’t” want it that way.

…Like I’m not allowed to want it that way. Like – who am I kidding?

Some examples:

Money

I want money to flow into my business hand-over-fist – while I am only doing the things that I love to do and feel like I have all the time on my hands to do it.

“NOOOOOOO… “, my little voice screams out in my head. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT! If you make gobs of money, you have to work your a** off to do it! How dare you say such a thing. Besides money is a terrible thing to want, dontcha know?”

So, I don’t write it down. (Even though, it’s what I really want.)

Another bold, audacious vision:

Power

I feel great every day with unbridled energy – each new day is like a new experiment and I have plenty of “oomph” to get it all done!

My little voice leans back, arms crossed, looking at me sideways (I think it’s even tapping its toes) “Really? Ha! YOU? With your habits? Tell me another one!”

So, I don’t write it down. (Even though, it’s what I really want.)

Fame

And another one pops in.

I want hundreds-of-thousands of subscribers to my YouTube channel this year, with requests from Forbes, and Inc., and FastCompany, and Ellen DeGeneres to come spread my wisdom (and hilarity) about “Bringing A Dash of Dignity to The Art of Selling” – being on the stage with tens of thousands cheering and waiting to gobble up my next book or blog post or appearance on some cool TV show.

My little voice is having an apoplectic fit now. It is actually rolling around on the floor, holding its belly, laughing hysterically – tears streaming – saying “Please, my sides, you’re hurting me. I. Can’t. Take. It!”

So, I don’t write it down. (Even though, it sounds like a lot of fun.)

My final one.

The Sell Out

I want peace, and love, and happiness, and joy, and abundance, and the ability to stay present and surrender to challenges, and have the serenity to know what I can change and the wisdom to know the difference and [Insert Warmed-Over Porridge Here].

And, my evil little voice breathes an audible sigh of relief. Sits back and says “Yeah. That’s a good one!”

So I write it down.

And I leave, ready to go back to the life I settled for last year and the year before and the year before that.

…Unless, I don’t….and I get the eraser…And I write all that other stuff down ANYWAY!

Take THAT, little voice!

And that is my story about writing my 2017 Simple Success Plan. (Does it sound Irresistible now? You can try yours here: http://simplesuccessplans.com/lm/blueprint/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=home&utm_campaign=button-link)

Have fun and …

Love ‘em ALL up!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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Best OUT OF OFFICE Message EVER!

So, I’m emailing the Demand Gen Specialist at Vidyard – great company – and I get this message back. Wow! I wish more people in business would feel free to show their real personality.

It may be business, but we are doing business with people here, after all!

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

This OOO made my day! Thanks to Wes Bush, he gave me permission to share:

Wes’s Subject Line: You like automated messages right? RE: Your message

Thank you for your message, %%first_name%%. I am currently lost somewhere below with limited access to internet.

How to get in contact (in order of preference)?

  1. Yell at the top of your lungs… 😉
  2. Email my co-worker & demand gen guru, Kim, for anything immediate
  3. Put URGENT in the title if you need me to take care of anything ASAP and I’ll review it when I find internet

Best, 

-Wes Bush

P.S. If you don’t hear back from my EOD by Sept 7th, consider me a goner. 

The good news is that I did hear back from Wes! Phew!

Have a little fun with your peeps and don’t forget to…

Love ‘em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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#TBT – Can We Revisit This Know, Like, and Trust Thing?

I wrote this back in 2013. I love it because it reminds us that we are doing business with HUMANS after all, and it makes us so successful when we remember that!

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

Here’s the article:

I hear ALL THE TIME…”People do business with people they Know, Like & Trust” from sales trainers and sales experts.

Here’s what I wanna know…

WHY IS THIS A REVELATION?

People go to prom with people they know, like & trust.
People travel great distances at great expense to visit people they know, like & trust.
People like to give gifts to people they know, like & trust.
Let’s face it, people like to hang out with DOGS they know, like & trust.

It’s pretty common sense, isn’t it?

SO I CHALLENGE YOU…

If it is some kind of revelation to you that people do business with people they know, like & trust, WHERE ELSE are you not bringing common sense to your sales?

Things like:

People do business with people who deliver excellent service
People do business with people who have a sterling reputation
People do business with people they hold on a pedastal
People do business with people who do what they say they are going to do
People do business with people who have similar values
People do business with people who ….. I mean, we could keep going here, couldn’t we?

BUT THE BIGGER QUESTION IS: 

If learning that “People do Business with People they Know, Like & Trust” is a revelation to you, then what is going on with your sales? 

Do you not believe in what you sell?
Do you not believe that your customer needs what you sell?
Are your goals different from that of your customer?
Are you trying to meet quotas instead of make a difference with people?

And here is my favorite…

~DO YOU THINK DOING BUSINESS IS DIFFERENT THAN DOING LIFE? ~

This week, I want you to bring common sense to your business. (Sorry, this will require actual THINKING)

FIRST:
Are you doing the work that you know you should do to connect with the people who need what you sell?

If yes (and be honest with yourself about that one),

THEN:
Who are the people that “should” be doing business with you?
Why?
Do they know about you?
Do they agree that they need something that you offer?

Reach out to THEM. Be clear, simple, concise. Offer them something yummy!

Go be a great human being. Period. THEN, see what shows up!

Love ’em UP! (And the rest will follow)

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Want the REALLY good stuff? The stuff I only share in my newsletter and never anywhere else (unless I end up writing a book). Get my Totally Irreverent Tuesday Newsletter: http://bit.ly/IrreverentTuesday.

B2B is a BUMMER!

I’ve been having a think on this lately.

What is it that bugs me so much about this whole concept of B2B and B2C selling? Something really irks me, but I can’t quite get my arms around it, until today when I realized…

These terrible shorthand terms take the humans right out of the mix! Businesses don’t  sell to businesses. Businesses don’t sell to consumers. PEOPLE sell to PEOPLE – some of them are buyers because their job description makes them buyers. Some of them are buyers because they have a wallet.

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

But, they are people nonetheless. Would you argue that in a B2B sale, you have 5 decision makers? Making it complex?

Didja ever try to sell a Porsche to a guy with a wife who has three kids under the age of 5? Talk about a complex sale!

Point is. If you continue to remember that there is another HUMAN on the other side of the conversation – with their own needs and values and worries and hopes and expectations – and people to take care of and people to please, you will start to look at your sales in a completely new way.

And you will get farther in all of the work you do.

There will never be a “gatekeeper” on the other end of the phone. There will be someone who knows the way the CEO likes to do business and what they are trying to accomplish in their business right now.

You won’t be calling on a “Suspect”. You will be talking to another human who has hopes, dreams, problems, and concerns. Imagine if you got interested in those hopes, dreams, problems and concerns? All of a sudden you are developing relationships that are much more likely to turn into business.

Do you know I walked into a meeting with a person I was selling to at a Fortune 50 company and she actually gave me a hug?!?! We got business with them year-over-year – it was a huge win!

How about some P2P selling instead?

Don’t forget they’re people and don’t forget to…

Love ‘em ALL UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Should YOU be a salesperson? Take the 100% Reliable Mostly Fool-Proof “Should I Be A Salesperson?” Quiz: bit.ly/TheISGQuiz

#TBT – A Surprising Trick to Bringing in 4th Quarter Quota

career-215528As our minds turn to finishing the year strong, I am bringing out this powerful tool to clear your sales pipeline of clogs and move powerfully to crushing your quota!

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

From October of 2014

3 COMPELLING REASONS TO BREAK UP – NOW!

The song says “Breaking up is hard to do!” And, it certainly can be.

But, here is how breaking up will free you up!

A very dear friend of mine. A tippy-top producer who has earned a penthouse overlooking one of the most famous (and expensive) avenues in America, shared this recent story with me.

Her pipeline has been a teensy bit stagnant of late. So, she took a BOLD ACTION. She carefully crafted a gracious break-up script and shared it with her prospects who were just not getting back to her.

Generously, she has agreed to let me share her message and her results.  Here is the message she left for her prospects with whom she had met, but received no activity:

Continue reading #TBT – A Surprising Trick to Bringing in 4th Quarter Quota

I bet you can’t tell me what you want…

What if I told you that you could have anything that you want? You just have to be able to tell me EXACTLY what it is. And, you can have it.

Do you know how STRESSFUL this would be for you?

wall-612177I TRULY believe this is what keeps most of us from achieving our very highest goals.

We can’t say what we want, and (more important) WHY we want it!

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

Here’s what we’re good at. We can tell you in a heartbeat what we DON’T want.

There is magic in this realization!

First of all, if you can spend time thinking about exactly what you DO want and WHY you want it. Just one of these a week, I bet you would start to see results you can’t even imagine start to happen.

Also, it gives you some insights into your customers.

If you spend more time asking them about what they DON’T want, you are going to be WAAAAAAY closer to offering a solution (and gaining the sale).

Continue reading I bet you can’t tell me what you want…

#TBT – If you want to make sure your prospect is listening…

rsz_communication-1015376This short, but sweet, and truly powerful post ran in March of 2014. It’s so good I had to share again.

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

~ Alice Heiman

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

Brilliant!

Love ’em UP and let THEM talk!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Want to get the really good stuff? Sign up for my Totally Irreverent Tuesday newsletter where I share the stuff I never publish anywhere else! http://IrreverentTuesday.

#TBT – More of Whatever It Takes

This Throw-Back-Thursday article published in May of 2012 and it just seems like the perfect post to come next. If you’ve been reading my articles this week and you got my Totally Irreverent Tuesday newsletter, you will see exactly what I mean!

“Are you willing to live a Do Whatever It Takes Life for your dreams?

Careful of your answer – there WILL be a test! *GRIN*

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

Every single one of us has it in us to do whatever it takes for something. We think we’ll be too tired if we REALLY go for it, or that we’ll miss out on something else that life has to offer.

Not true! The more you give to your dreams the ABSOLUTELY more they’ll give to you. But you gotta be willing to do WHATEVER it takes!!! The miracles that come along with this kind of life will TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!!

Love it up!

The Irreverent Sales Girl”

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What college degree is best for a career in sales?

rsz_laptop-943558I was skimming through Quora today – as I am wont to do from time-to-time. You can find the most interesting questions there, like “What is it like to be dead?” (Reading the answers to that question took up half of my afternoon one day. Fascinating stuff out there.)

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

But, I digress.

I stumbled upon this question: What college degree is best for a career in sales? And, I thought, hmmmm…. I would really like to weigh in on that one!

You are right now thinking to yourself one of three things:

1)  I am in sales. I wonder if I got the “right” college degree! (67% are thinking this)

2)  I want to be in sales. There is no way I am going back to school. Wonder if what I majored in is the “right” degree? (32.9999% are thinking this)

OR

3)  I’m in high school and I know for sure that I want a sales career, so I would like to hear more about the right degree for me (Exactly 1 person reading this article is thinking that right now).

The truth is that many of us find ourselves in situations that require us to sell to do a good job.

Either we:

  • own our own business,
  • or ,we are interested in climbing the ladder at our current company and we need to learn to sell ourselves internally
  • or, if we want to earn a leadership position in our firm, we need to get better at bringing business in the door
  • or, we plain old landed a sales job and we want to be the best we can be.

My message for all of you is…

ANYONE can learn to do sales and do it well.

For the 1 reader who is looking for the right college degree, get ahold of my dear friend Dawn Deeter who heads up the National Strategic Selling Institute and she can help! @DawnDeeter

Micheline Anstey, Associate Professor at Southern New Hampshire University, recently told me that if you are a marketing major, you are most likely to have a sales job at some point in your career. While that’s probably true, is THAT the major that sets you best up for success in selling? I’m not so positive.

Some of the smartest and most successful people I know, who have a natural sales style about them, didn’t go to college!

They were out in the real world doing real things learning hands-on what it took to put dinner on the table for themselves and their family instead. And, they self-educated.

If you want a strong, and highly entertaining, opinion about this topic, Google Gary Vaynerchuk’s rant on college. I was going to include the link here…the message is great, but the language just isn’t a good fit for this blog. So, you’re on your own! (You know how to use Google, right? *wink*)

Here are the

THREE MOST CRITICAL THINGS YOU MUST LEARN TO BE GREAT IN SALES

– and where you learn them is entirely up to you.

1) The ability to THINK CRITICALLY

If college offers you ONE thing that is most likely to make you a successful sales person, it is learning the ability to THINK CRITICALLY and become exposed to more WAYS OF THINKING.

The best degrees to learn that skill are more likely to be in Literature, Philosophy, the Sciences, Mathematics, Political Science, Economics, and the like. At SOME point, you are going to have to learn business skills. It will be important that you understand cash flow and profit margins and the business things that your customers are dealing with – but learning to THINK is the most important step.

However, do you really need a college degree to learn that? In today’s world of Information Accessibility, all you need is a device that connects to the Internet and a healthy dose of Curiosity to get an extraordinary education in any skill. And that includes sales.

2)  SELF DISCIPLINE

In sales, there are no Participation Awards. You must learn a “whatever-it-takes” attitude and apply it daily.

If you take your college degree seriously, and use it to become masterful in a subject, then the structure of college may help you develop the critical quality of SELF DISCIPLINE.

If you party the whole time and do what it takes to “get by” in the academic world, you have set yourself waaaaaaaaay back. You may get a degree, but you are going to have to unlearn a whole slew of bad habits to become great in sales.

Throughout your successful career in sales, you will:

  • need to do what other people will NOT do to get the business
  • need to make time to learn, and learn, and learn – in a myriad of topics
  • need to make that last sales call even when you are exhausted
  • need to grapple with your self-doubt and come out on top
  • need to look at the mountain of IMPOSSIBLE and do whatever it takes to climb it
  • need to fail and be grateful for your failures
  • need to wake up before the others do and go to bed after they do.

My favorite teacher on the topic of SELF DISCIPLINE is Dan Waldschmidt. Check him out: @DanWaldo http://danwaldschmidt.com/

3) EMPATHY

This is not a touchy-feely topic, empathy. It is the ability to demonstrate that you can get over in someone else’s world and identify with the way life ACTUALLY occurs to them. (Today, some people are calling this quality Emotional Intelligence or EQ.)

Here’s what I mean. We mostly walk around thinking that our view of the world is the way it really is. When you understand that this it true about you, you have an amazing insight into your customer. Because THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING, TOO!
THEY are walking around thinking that the way they view the world is the way that it really is!

When you can let go of your own view and really speculate about what that person’s world looks like to them, you can now sell!

A college degree will help you with Empathy – especially if you have a degree in things like Philosophy, Literature, History – subjects that force you to think from another person’s world. Perhaps even in a different time or a very different world circumstance.

However, just being a well-read person can do this for you. Pick up books that DO interest you and books that DON’T interest you.

  • Read, read, read, read, read.
  • Watch, watch, watch, watch, watch.
  • Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.
  • Research like crazy.

Get good at EXPERIENCING what it is like to be in someone else’s situation and see that how they behave makes PERFECT sense, given their unique point of view.

What is the right answer to “What do I need to be a success in sales?”

The answer has nothing to do with a college degree or any other formula. The answer is always and purely…

The never-ending, “never-give-up” commitment to be a success in sales and never stop.

Love your sales journey UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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Would Someone Please Just Say It Like It Is?

photodune-3721815-female-speaking--xsIs anyone else out there tired of listening to business people use big words and phrases to make their topic sound more important than it really is? Or maybe make themselves look smarter and sexier than they really are?

Do you ever find yourself wishing that they would just say it like it really is?

I do!

So, I’ve put together my very own totally Irreverent, mostly accurate, and thankfully abridged glossary for your edification (and amusement) about what commonly used business and sales terms actually mean. Not in alphabetical order because, well, you’ll see…

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

CAUTION: This one is a teensy bit snarkier than my typical post. It may not be suitable for all audiences – especially those who use these terms regularly.

Enjoy!

Continue reading Would Someone Please Just Say It Like It Is?