Category Archives: Dignity

Bringing a dash of dignity to selling

Dignity, Performance, Winning, Wisdom

Well, this book is refreshing.

Challenge the trends in sales. 

My friend, Mike Weinberg, says that all this talk about how “sales has changed” and “selling is harder than ever before” is a bunch of hooey. And I’m inclined to agree.

Surprise!  It’s ALWAYS been about fundamental principles applied precisely and consistently.

If you suspect that what you’re hearing from “experts” doesn’t add up, you’ll love Mike’s new hard-hitting book. Then – you’ll be raring to get back to your craft – not trying the new fad.

Check out the #SalesTruth with reviews and summaries here.

Enjoy the straight-shooting “expert-debunking” truths that he sees his top clients execute daily and win solid new business year-over-year.

Love ’em UP!

Dianna Geairn
The Irreverent Sales Girl

Appearance, Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Winning

Turn That Super Embarrassing Moment into a Sales Advantage

So people, let me know if this has ever happened to you! Didja ever have a super duper embarrassing moment while you’re trying to sell to the VP of Everything and the Mucky-Muck of Important Stuff?

What did you do about it?

Click to Watch the “Embarrassing Sales Moments” Episode of The SellOut Show! 

Done well, those moments can help you make a meaningful connection that actually leads to sales! Here’s how you do it.

Continue reading Turn That Super Embarrassing Moment into a Sales Advantage →

Creativity, Dignity, Goals, Performance, The Art of Selling, Winning

Negotiate the Sale – Hostage Style!

Join Shawn Karol Sandy and me in our conversation about how to negotiate the sale.

One of the fun moments is the book reveal – how to negotiate like your life depended on it.

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

This one is all about how to get the deal closed with the best possible outcomes – for you AND your customer! (What????) Yep. For you AND your customer.

It’s the raw and uncut version, so enjoy it like your favorite podcast or glass of wine.

Love the negotiations UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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Authenticity, Dignity, Goals, Irreverence, Loving Life

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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Cold Calling, Creativity, Dignity, Performance, The Art of Selling, Winning

3 Things You MUST Know About the “Gatekeepers”

As many of you know, I despise using the word Gatekeeper when it comes to calling on the assistants of the people I am hoping to reach. Why use language that puts you at war from the start?

But, many of you have asked for more insights about how to deal with this role in your sales efforts, so I will share with you what I have learned and the approaches that have been successful for me.

Here are the top three things I think about when calling on executives who have assistants.

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

#1 Thing to Know about The Executive Assistant – They have an enormous amount of power!

They are in tune with the entire company and they wield an incredible amount of power. When it comes to knowing what their boss does and doesn’t care about, they are the expert. When it comes to navigating the company, there is no one better. Often, a request from the executive assistant is taken as if the executive made the request themselves!

Continue reading 3 Things You MUST Know About the “Gatekeepers” →

Cold Calling, Dignity, Fill the Funnel, Performance, The Art of Selling

My Three Favorite Articles (So Far) About Sales Gatekeepers

Dear Tom Tenseth (@smgamesafari)

This week’s for you!

A couple of weeks ago – you asked for more information in dealing with Gatekeepers – you said it is your biggest challenge and struggle.

While I have a lot of opinions about working with gatekeepers – which I will share in Wednesday and Thursday’s blog articles, I thought I’d do a bit of research before I weighed in.

DISCLAIMER: If you’re familiar with my stuff, you know I hate the word “gatekeeper”! Why put yourself in an adversarial position from the get-go? That said, I promised a week of articles related to the topic, so here we go!

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

In my research, I found some articles I really liked:

  1. Interview with a Gatekeeper

This interview with “Alice the Gatekeeper” is quite informative. She is brutally honest about what she does and doesn’t like about dealing with salespeople on the phone. My favorite observations include:

“I like helping people, I really do.”  and “…I am a warm soul-filled person. Let’s have a real conversation and then be done.”

Want to get into the “gatekeepers” head? Read this one.

http://www.cobizmag.com/Articles/An-interview-with-Alice-the-gatekeeper/

Continue reading My Three Favorite Articles (So Far) About Sales Gatekeepers →

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, The Art of Selling, Wisdom

#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.

Cold Calling, Creativity, Dignity, The Art of Selling, Winning, Wisdom

What I learned about Gatekeepers from Clint Eastwood

clint-eastwood-394536Last week, I was watching the Katie Couric interview with Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, and Aaron Eckhart about the making of the movie Sully.

Start watching at the 9 minute mark: https://socialfeed.info/watch-katie-couric-chat-with-clint-eastwood-tom-hanks-and-aaron-eckhart-3971287

Notice something very interesting…

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

Continue reading What I learned about Gatekeepers from Clint Eastwood →

Creativity, Dignity, Fill the Funnel, The Art of Selling, Winning

Buyers are 65% of the Way to a Sale Before They Talk To You – And What To Do About It

photodune-1328178-business-woman-with-phone-and-laptop-xsI hear this statistic thrown around a lot. Maybe it’s even true.

In fact, on a recent sales call, the guy on the other end of the line said, “I’m your typical Millenial buyer. I’ve already pretty much decided what I’m going to buy before I talk to a salesperson.”

Now, being the salesperson on the end of that call, it’s pretty good news for me, right?

But, what about those people you are calling on who should REALLY consider working with you because you can make their lives SO much better? But, they don’t know about you yet?

You’re kind of in a pickle with them, right?

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 I’ve found really works in those circumstances…

When people consider it so important to be 65% of the way to a buying decision before they talk to me –  but I want a shot at a deal, I have found that it’s all in the language I use when I am first talking with my prospect. There are five approaches that I find can really turn a situation around and to my advantage.

Continue reading Buyers are 65% of the Way to a Sale Before They Talk To You – And What To Do About It →

Dignity, Irreverence, Presentation, Winning

#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.