Category Archives: Performance

How to perform – reliably

Buyers, Creativity, Customer Service, Dignity, Goals, Performance, Presentation, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning

Keeping the wolves at bay

Leave a comment

Keeping the wolves at bay…

I have had a client for a long, long time. They are a signature client and many other clients come on board with me because of THEM! They are important to my past, present, and future success.

Recently, they decided that they wanted to start looking around at other options. New, sexy, exciting, (unproven) options! They have included me in the process and are giving me the chance to stay in the game with them.

Tomorrow, I present to their team – and here’s why I’m 90% positive I am going to keep the relationship…because every chance I get, I talk to them about all the great things we’ve been able to do together over the years. We have a PARTNERSHIP. When THEY wanted to make a big, unprecedented splash in their industry, I was there. IT was awesome. When they wanted to expand their reach, I was there, we have results to show for it. When they wanted to support new markets, I was there and it made a huge difference.

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

But, if I weren’t communicating these wins with them (like a walk down memory lane), then it’s easy for them to forget when something new and sparkly shows up on the scene. It’s why I am going to keep this business (they even let ME select the position I wanted in the order of presentations. I picked LAST, of course).

The principles I’m talking about are easy to apply in any industry. They go like this:

When you get a new client

Send at least a handwritten thank you note, if not a gift. AND thank the person who sent them to you. This works with selling cars, furniture, appliances, real estate, mortgages, farming equipment, office supplies … ANYTHING.

When you have had a client for awhile

Check in to see how they are using your products. Has anything changed in their life? What is coming up that you should know about?  If you are a car dealer, you will find out that a daughter is about to turn 16 and a new car is in order (probably for mom and dad, but a new car, nonetheless). If you are in furniture, you will find that a baby is on the way, or that an aging couple is moving to a smaller place and needs help with the new setting.

When you have had a client for a few “seasons”

Send tokens of appreciation and schedule a coffee, simply to “walk down memory lane”. If you are in real estate, you can reminisce about how far that couple has come from their “first home buyer” experience to upgrading to a home for babies and for helping the first child get their first home. If you are in appliances, you can chortle about the surprise new range that he bought for his wife on their fifth anniversary.

The point

The point is…if you want to have a successful book of business that builds on itself, you will keep it personal and you will remind your clients of the partnership you have developed over the years.  This may seem like a lot of work, but BELIEVE ME…the repeat business and referrals you will receive FAR OUTWEIGH the cost and effort it takes to keep getting NEW clients.

Love the partnership UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Presentation, Self Care, Winning, Wisdom

BEWARE the laurel resting…

3 Comments

I’ve been having a pretty great Summer and Fall. Closing business like crazy at work, making all sorts of great connections with incredible people. Getting very cool opportunities for work and play.

I’ll say it straight. I’ve been feeling pretty great about myself.

So much so, that I had the brilliance of giving someone my opinion about them recently (an opinion that is nowhere grounded in any sort of fact). Somehow, I’d got myself thinking that I can say any old thing I please and everyone is just going to eat it up.

(Think :BIG SHOT by Billy Joel – you can hum it in the background as you read this post).

Well, I got the wake up call today. Not only did this person not appreciate my opinion (the one based in ABSOLUTELY no fact – mind you) but neither did her best friends – who happen to be in my business AND personal world.

Fortunately, these friends have had the generosity to share with me the damage I have done. I was so full of myself, I didn’t even notice.

Now, I get to go about the business of cleaning it up with everybody…looking around and seeing where I’ve left all the loose ends untied – (“Why should I have to take care of THOSE things when I’m clearly so awesome?”)

I have to learn that if I AM going to be more successful than I’ve ever been before, I’d better develop a much larger character than I have displayed lately.

Fingers crossed that I will be able to restore my friendships first. I may never be able to restore the professional relationships after this incident.

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

If there is anything I can offer from this horrible mistake I made, it is to share it with you. If I want to go big places, I  have to be bigger than I’ve been before. No use “beating myself up” (that’s just MORE of being irresponsible), But there are consequences and I will deal with them – they are MINE – I have earned them after all. And I will clean up what I can and learn and grow and even be grateful that the Universe keeps making sure that I become who I REALLY want to be – not some “shiny” replica with a hollow core.

Love the lessons UP (even when they suck)!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Creativity, Customer Service, Dignity, Goals, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning, Wisdom

What I learned from Galaga this week

1 Comment

Have you ever played Galaga (the video game)?

I LOVE that game. Haven’t played in years.

This weekend, I went to a resort in the Smoky Mountains that had the vintage game Galaga! YAY! I was so happy.

I started playing. I was having a blast. Playing and playing and then…something interesting happened.

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

I started approaching the HIGH SCORE! YAY! I was going to beat that high score. WOW! The first time EVER I was going to be on the screen for being the HIGH SCORE.

So, what did I do? I started playing the game with an eye on the score…and GUESS WHAT!

GAME OVER at 10 POINTS UNDER the high score. Aaaaargh!

Isn’t that just how it goes? You are playing like a winner and THEN you look at the score and GAME OVER.

I played another game after that and came nowhere near my first score. Then, I just turned the game off.

The lesson? Keep your eye on playing. Let the score INFORM you, but keep your eye on the game.

When I am being my best and doing everything I know to make my customer happy, game on! When I calculate against what someone else has done or the “score” I am hoping to achieve…it comes to a DEAD STOP!

Love the game UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Buyers, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Performance, Presentation, Winning

The Big Wig is falling ASLEEP?

Leave a comment

I’m in a meeting today at a Fortune 500 company that I’ve been selling to for about 6 months now. My key contacts have asked me in to present to all the Very Important Executives who help make the buying decision.

My contact is GREAT she’s got everyone there – the VP of This, the Head of That, and the Boss of All of Them (BOAT). Sounds like a great set-up, right?

Except my job is to make my contact look like a ROCK STAR, address all of the angles that everyone is looking from, AND keep it on time.

Still, not a problem really, but about 5 minutes in, it is clear that BOAT has other things on his mind, and he’s doing his best to not fall asleep, the dear. Oh, and the Head of That is 40 minutes late but wants to cover everything.

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

It was crazy…but I decided to have some fun with it…here’s what I did

I used BOAT’s name from time to time
Instead of pretending that he wasn’t interested, I used BOAT’s name from time to time in the examples I was giving, this kept him awake, and amused, and even interested (you must do this gracefully and appropriately and not single him out.) Pretty soon HE was asking great questions. Once I even CRACKED HIM UP

I asked each person what they wanted to learn from our meeting
That way, I could keep it HIGH LEVEL and on point and everyone knew where we were going.

I graciously welcomed the Head of That when she walked in the room, but kept on point
Once BOAT even started answering her questions.

I respected everyone’s time
I stayed late with Head of That, but made sure that VP of This and BOAT had everything they needed by 5 minutes before the hour, so that they could cut out for their next thing

I made every word count
I did not give an unnecessary stories or expansions on my answers. Straight, to the point and I gave every word energy with an intent to communicate

I was flexible with my presentation
Of course, I have a way that I normally show my product, but I followed their lead. If they asked about something, I went right there and I kept it all on point. (You have to KNOW your product INSIDE OUT to do this)

I loved ’em ALL UP!
I took them all JUST THE WAY THEY WERE and made sure they all won and got to be great.

AND my contact looked like a ROCK STAR. She was so grateful.

So, if you get in a jam, SWING OUT, have some fun and

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Education, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Self Care, Wisdom

I am so spoiled right now!

Leave a comment

I have just spent the most amazing weekend with 20 incredible people in the Smoky Mountains – participating in an amazing program called Elevations.

I have been spoiled rotten. Every detail was attended to. From food to lodging to personal gifts that made ME feel KNOWN and SPECIAL.

The whole program has been fantastic. Intelligent exercises to think newly about my goals and aspirations. .Plenty of time to practice living outside of my comfort zone – and watch other people do the same. Expanding my horizons and taking everything I’m doing to the next level.

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

Most of my life is about taking care of my clients or getting people things they need from me to become a client. I am ON CALL for others. I loved having something for ME. I loved being taken care of and challenged and reflecting and taking personal risks.

It reminds me…if I am up to big stuff and I want to accomplish things I have never accomplished…I MUST continue to learn and practice and STEP AWAY from the laptop. Time for me. Time to learn new things (always room for that).

Look for pictures, on their way. We had a blast!

How will YOU feed your ambitions this year?

Love your success UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Creativity, Goals, Performance, Winning, Wisdom

Need a BRAND NEW idea?

Leave a comment

So, I am driving through middle America this week, enjoying the pre-Fall in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio. Many clients to see, and many hours in between.

I am listening to Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” on audio books. Believe it or not, I have never read this all the way through. What a mistake!

At any rate, one story stood out for me. It was about a man named Burbank – who boasts over 200 patents with the US patent office. Not Steve Jobs, but a brilliant man who made a fortune for himself and others.

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

Hill talks about a practice that this interesting man used to do. When he was stuck on a problem with a new invention – and he need a BRAND NEW IDEA – he would go into his “sitting” room.

This “sitting” room was entirely closed off from light and was mostly sound-proof. He would take a pad of paper, a pen, and have a light switch at his finger tips. And then, in the dark, he would close his eyes and wait. He would wait to tap into the “sixth sense” – what Hill calls the “Creative Intelligence”. He would wait until he got inspirations about entirely new approaches to his puzzle. And then he would write, sometimes for hours, EVERY little thing he received from this session.

Companies hired him to “sit” for them.

I realized. I rarely spend time deliberately shutting everything out until I get a new point of view in the places I am stuck. Seems like it’s worth a try!

What about you? What do YOU do to get inspired?

Love your ambition UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Goals, Performance, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning, Wisdom

A funny little story about Uranium

Leave a comment

You’re familiar with Uranium, right? That lovely little radioactive substance?

Funny thing about Uranium. It has a very specific rate at which its radioactivity decays. It has a precise half-life and, so far, has never been known to vary.

Here’s the crazy thing…If you watch Uranium under a microscope…it will not decay. No matter how long you watch. You can watch and watch and watch. No decay. BUT, as soon as you leave the microscope to do the dishes or grab a nap or something, when you come back to take a peek at the little guy it is EXACTLY as decayed as you would expect it to be given the precise half-life and all that jazz.

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

Sounds like that BIG DEAL you keep waiting to close, doesn’t it? You watch and watch and watch it. You poke at it. You hold your breath. You make promises to a higher power. You fret. Then, just when you go talk with some other customer, start doing other work…BOOM! It slides right in. Deal closed.

See what I’m sayin’ here?

Love all the deals UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

Authenticity, Creativity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Quotes, Winning, Wisdom

On Perception

Leave a comment

I was reading a perfectly lovely blog post on Olga Herman’s The Choice Driven Life – I’ve referenced it below – it is called The 3 Things You Need to Discover the Life You Were Born to Live. 

Pulling out of a VERY dark week last week, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Perhaps you’ll find some gold in it as well. It is a bold and courageous approach to illustrating what really works about a life that works.

Now, you probably already know these things, because YOU are someone who has their life together. But, me, sometimes I am a HOT MESS and it turns out that EVERY time I go about the business of making a bigger life for myself, things get EVEN messier.

My favorite quote comes from the third section on Perception. Mostly, I love this quote ‘cuz it’s just a fun thing to think about – but it also reminded me that when I’m going after the NEXT BIG thing, perhaps it’s time to look at things a little differently. I felt the overwhelm I’ve been feeling the last couple of weeks slipping away. Here’s how it goes:

“You know the story of David and Goliath. When David saw Goliath, his perception of that challenge was totally different from that of his brothers and the entire armies of Israel; they perceived Goliath as too big to kill. When David looked at him, he thought he was too big to miss. Same giant, same problem, a different perception.”

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

It just tickles my funny bone and makes me giggle at how BIG and MONSTROUS I create my huge dreams and ambitions to be. Maybe my goals are simply TOO BIG TO MISS!

In fact, as I was walking my three labs today on the beach – I thought about this very thing. Often, people will pass me on the street with these three energetic, sometimes bull-headed puppies and they will say, “Wow! You look like you’ve got your hands full with THEM!” Today, I walked thinking next time I will reply “Actually, THEY’VE got their hands full with ME!” HA! A whole different experience, dontcha think?

I hope you have some fun with Olga’s insights!

Love your big challenges UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

http://www.thechoicedrivenlife.com/3-things-you-need-to-discover-the-life-you-were-born-to-live/

 

Appearance, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Self Care, Winning, Wisdom

Didja miss me?

Leave a comment

I have broken my promise to you for the first time in three years!

My promise it to post 5 times weekly with lovely stories or unexpected inspirations and the occasional miracle! (Certainly snarky insights about sales!)

I fell ill this week and did not even open up my laptop. As many of you know, I am working like a DOG to transition to The Irreverent Sales Girl full-time. And it took its toll this week.

This is not an excuse. Not even an explanation.

I noticed….hmmmmmm, do we make things harder than they have to be? Perhaps I am!

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

Do I take care of myself like I would a $10 million race horse? No. But, here’s the trick about that point.

I feel like EVERY part of my life is a “must do”. And adding taking care of myself as a “must do” is the OPPOSITE of taking care of myself. Still, I am not taking full care of myself. Can you see what I’m saying here?

Let me add a different view. Today, my car is in the shop. I know what it needs. Premium gas, an extended warranty, regular check ups, cleaned and pampered. Geez, I won’t even let anyone EAT in my car. My cars are ALWAYS in excellent condition. I have a savings account for that car’s service and a plan for the next one. It is ALWAYS handled.

Yet, it is EASY for me to take care of my car like this. I hardly even think about it. It is just something I DO!

So, what about me? Why not the same level of care? I would NEVER allow my car to run on sub-par gasoline at under a quarter of a tank – FOR SURE never under 1/8 of a tank. But, I let MYSELF run on fumes with not enough water and (many times) sub-par “fuel”.

I am in a quandary. What are some things that YOU do to take care of yourself – that are easy and obvious to you? I wonder if I could have some fun with this! Hmmm….Tell me. Is taking care of yourself a “MUST” do…or a self-expression! I need some clues.

Love your body UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Winning

Stuck?

2 Comments

Yesterday I was REALLY REALLY stuck! I had a piece of business that was CERTAINLY going to move quickly and be a BIG HIT. I was WORRIED that I wasn’t ready for the onslaught of work that all of this new activity was going to generate when my client said “yes”. I was battening down the hatches. I had prepared my client, and I was ready.

Then, I made the presentation, and ….. CRICKETS. No response. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

UGH. I tossed and turned all night wondering what I was going to do about this. Should I remove the offer as if it had been snapped up by someone else? (It hadn’t). Should I pretend that someone else was interested and they might lose their chance? (They weren’t?) Should I perservere in winning the business???? Aaaaaggghhh. Hours of churning.

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

Then, I had a flash of inspiration. I got everyone on the phone who had anything to do with this project. The people who had helped me set it up and the people who were in line to execute on the business. THIS WAS HARD FOR ME … because I always feel that people expect me to have the answer, the direction. I didn’t have it this time.

I laid the situation out on the table and even bared the naked truth of some of the dishonest things I had been considering doing (we have a strict policy of honesty and transparency – big no-no!). I asked, “What should we do now?”.

It was GREAT! They knew more about what was happening with the customer than I did (remember how I always work with people smarter than me?). They told me that… as we spoke, people on the client’s side were working to sort out budget, timing, they were EXCITED about the prospect of working with us.

They also forgave me for considering alternate means.

Just goes to show.

Stop tossing and turning. GET ON THE PHONE! Lay out the options. Let your leadership be that you take immediate and decisive action on the things your team needs from you to get the job done and then GET OUT OF THE WAY!

This is the hardest part that I am learning about building a wildfire business. Other people are the fire. Not me. Let it roar!

Trust your peeps UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl