Category Archives: Uncategorized

Creativity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Uncategorized

The SEVEN topics I would write about if my life looked like a blog post

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This one is just for fun today. A little poke at the traditional blog styling. I was just musing…

These are the SEVEN topics I would write about if my life looked like a blog post:

7 innovative ways to make coffee in the morning…included would be quippy tricks about keeping coffee from being bitter, maybe things to make my coffee taste like Christmas morning (hint: cinnamon in the grounds – nod to Berta from Two and a Half Men).

Then, I would move on to…

6 creative ways to get my dogs to walk themselves … here I would likely find fantastical and magical tips from Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer – one trick would include teaching the pups to walk on a treadmill – perhaps an advanced note on training them to turn the machine on by themselves.

5 important events that must happen before I start my day…these would likely be a bit more mundane – geared to entertain the new brand of remote employees and solopreneurs – things like clever ways to remember to brush my teeth and check to see if I need a shower. Of course, the fifth idea would be something cute and comical, just to add a kick of fun! (At what point in the laundry cycle you MUST mute your phone when on important conference calls! Something like that.)

4 items that are better put off until tomorrow … this would provide insights on the stuff to stop that TRULY sucks life out of my day. Like getting caught in a Minesweeper marathon, mindlessly trying to beat my best score from 10 years ago. (The entertaining “new” look at the power of procrastination!)

3 fun facts about work habits…this section would fascinate my reader with off-the-wall statistics about the things people do every day and do not even realize it. Something like…72% of office workers are thinking about hedgehogs while at the coffee machine (hello, Erika!). Ya know. Things you wouldn’t expect, but make you go hmmmmmmm….

2 reasons to avoid the grocery store on your way home from work…this paragraph would outline how much more susceptible I am to buying advertised items that are over-priced and high in calories at this precarious time of day. Something of critical importance!

THE ONE THING TO NEVER FORGET AT THE END OF THE DAY … my blog post would end with something mushy and inspiring, of course.  It would probably be something like … make sure to give everyone in my house a big hug with slurpy kisses (yes, the dogs are pretty slurpy!)

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

Love your Thanksgiving UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Uncategorized, Winning

Are you eating well, and then starving?

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This is SUCH a common occurrence, I must address it.

This article applies to pipeline salespeople and solopreneurs, mostly. Here is how the story goes:

I AM DOING MY MARKETING…GOING FOR IT

My focus is on marketing. I get 2 responses for every 100 messages I deliver (print media, emails, etc).

Then, I land a big deal (contract)

So, I start doing the work on that contract. I ignore my marketing.

Then, I have closed that big deal (finished the contract)

Now what?

I am back to the drawing board. Income is uncertain.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I have fallen into this trap…

I have gotten a BIG FISH on the line, and devoted all my time to that. Then, when it’s landed, I am left with no pipeline.

I have learned…

Whle I am DELIVERING, I am sharing with my prospects WHAT I am delivering, WHILE I am delivering it…this is UNBELIEVEABLE marketing. I am DOING IT NOW for someone else, wouldn’t YOU like to be a part of it?

NEVER NEVER NEVER stop marketing … and your BEST marketing comes WHILE you are working

Because you are confident. You are producing. You can leverage your current success into future success.

It takes discipline…and it is fun

When you are winning, it is easy and fun to talk about helping people win. When you are out of work, it is scary and desperate.

True professionals work their pipeline NOT MATTER WHAT.

Work yours. If you are willing to set aside time for marketing. Every week, no matter what. There is no need for famine, or desperation, or worry. They will be lining up! Because THEY see you are working and THEY have to get in line for your services.

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

Love your marketing UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Uncategorized

Allow yourself to be surprised by WHO YOU ARE!

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Stratospheric SuccessA crazy thing happened the other day…

I got a Tweet. A Tweet that will change my life forever.

Bob Burg followed me on Twitter.

WHAT???

Allow me to paint a picture. Will you?

I am a cartoon character with 425 comitted and amazing fans on Facebook.

I am a cartoon character with 316 followers on Twitter. I love each and every one of them.

In contrast, Bob Burg has 1,638 Fans on Facebook and 41,788 followers. Bob is someone who speaks to audiences of OVER 16,000 people at a time. He is a best selling author.

For those of you in home-making and decorating, he is Martha Stewart.

For those of you in personal growth, he rivals Oprah Winfrey.

He is a BIG DEAL.

WHY ME?

What in the world had him follow “little old me”?

My cynical side said… “He has an auto-bot following anyone in sales”.

So I Tweeted back (stay with me – this is about YOU). “WOW! Thanks for the follow, Bob. I would love to interview you.”

HA!

He wrote back, nearly immediately…”Great! I will have Carrie set up the interview”.

Now, here is what is embarrassing.

I thought that Bob was agreeing to a one-on-one conversation with me (which he did have with me), but what HE meant was that he was granting me a PUBLIC INTERVIEW for free. He was so gracious with my naivete.

So, I read his latest book – The Go Giver

I sobbed the whole way through. Have you wanted success so badly that you could taste it? Have you ever pursued it so hard you thought you would die if you couldn’t touch it?

Mine was business success.

When I read The Go-Giver, I was released. I have an undergrad in Marketing and a graduate degree in Finance. I have co-owned and sold a company. I have been a top salesperson for twenty years. I

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

HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS INFORMATION FOR MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE.

When I read this, I found out that I had EXACTLY all the things I need for STRATOSPHERIC SUCCESS. And, so do you. I THOUGHT I had to be cut-throat to be successful. I have never been stratospherically successful, by the way.

Now, I am learning that ALL the things I value are EXACTLY what will make me (and you) WILDLY successful. When you become a master of the five qualities Bob sets forth in The Go-Giver (you are so close, already), THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER.

Now, about you!

Two things:

1) Do you put yourself out there so that those who can help will find you. Do you take the chance?

2) I want YOU to come to the VaVaVaVoom (Voyeuristic, Vicarious, Virtual) Interview I am having with Bob on December 6th at 1 pm Eastern (register for FREE at http://bit.ly/VaVaVaVoom). You will leave INSPIRED and TRANSFORMED.

We are giving away 19 books to the first people to register. They will include an autograph from Bob and me. An historical event.

Remember who you REALLY are…

If you are reading this, YOU are committed to STRATOSPHERIC SUCCESS. You may not think you are capable of it. That doesn’t matter. You are committed to it.

Please let me join you on YOUR journey…

I am committed that we have 500 people sign up for this break-through event. If that is to happen, I need your help! I am asking YOU to register and I am asking YOU to invite your peeps!

I do not get a toaster if you do. I do not benefit from book sales.

I only WIN because you had access to something you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Love your life UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Goals, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Uncategorized, Winning

Do you need permission?

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GO FOR IT!
I give you permission to pursue your passion!

I was speaking with a good friend of mine today. She was a successful partner in a successful law firm and just retired (at the old age of 44)!

She was bemoaning the things she REALLY wants to do in life. Things she has always imagined.

She wants to walk into a prestigious nonprofit – dressed to the nines – and offer them her service – if even to only bring coffee to the people who run the show. She feels dorky doing it.

She wants to call her childhood friend who is now pursuing HIS (and her) LIFETIME PASSION for acting and musicals. She feels dorky doing it.

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

Even though she “knows” that if she doesn’t approach these people the answer is as “NO” now as if it would be if they told her “NO”. She still doesn’t want to put herself at that risk.

It made me wonder. This is a person who has been a HIGHLY PAID professional, a leader in her community, a bad-ass-mamba-jamba. Yet, she is AFRAID to pursue her passion.

Where are we looking for permission to pursue our passion? Do we feel better about holding our passion as a possibilty than finding out that we can’t have it? Possibly so. Maybe the “wondering” feels better than the “no” that we fear we would find.

So, here we are, my lovelies. Passionate beings who want to pursue our passions (and feel the hole inside that we are not), but happier to have it as a “possibility” than a clear “no”.

I GET IT!

Tonight, I BEG OF YOU, to think of ONE THING you could do to pursue your passion. Get ahold of someone who will hold you to account. Let THEM give you permission to pursue your passion.

Then, GO FOR IT!

You probably won’t. We seem DESIGNED to hold back, but maybe, just maybe ONE OF YOU WILL.

Tell me your story. Tell me the passion you are resisting. Let ME be your accountability partner. I mean it. YOU have access to The Irreverent Sales Girl and I will work with you to give yourself permission, BUT, I will also ask you to help me get the same permission I seek.

Any takers?

Love our lives UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Education, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Uncategorized, Winning

May I have my algorithm, now, please?

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May I have my algorithm, please? Remember when dating sites first came out? I don’t know if they still do this, but they used to promote this thing they “did”.

Finding your perfect mate…mathematically! 

Here’s how it works. You enter answers to a survey. Do you smoke? What is your age? What was your GPA during college? What is your profession? Are you an outdoors person? Do you like to drink pickle juice in the middle of the night, watching TV in your swimsuit?

You know, the usual.

And then, they would run all of this data using an algorithm against all other data – and POW! Your perfect match! We did the math and here he is!

It was always a little hard for me to buy

I found myself deeply suspicious that anyone’s algorithm could take all of this “perfectly” correlated data and find me the right guy.

Unfortunately, this is how most “Sales Training” works

We are trained that if we can capture a bulk of the circumstances; the level of the decision-maker, the industry, the economy, the average length of a sales cycle, the ferocity of the competition, and the number of pixels on our marketing pieces (as a sample set) – and we can put this all into a formula and POW! – we will have the right approach to CLOSE THE DEAL!

To that I say ‘hooey’

Each sales transaction, every one, is a complex and delicate social and psychological transaction. Whether you’re selling your three-year-old on eating his peas, or selling an airplane contract to Boeing. Procurement departments are put in place to keep this complexity out – but that just adds one more element to the mix.

How to use sales training

Here’s what I’ve found to be VERY useful. When I hear something that makes sense, I give it a try. See if it works FOR ME. If it does, I keep it. If it doesn’t, I tweak it or toss it. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out what is wrong with me that it does not work.

When I hear something that makes me sick to my stomach, I ask WHY I am being trained that way. There “might” be a good reason. If there isn’t, I scrap it!

When I have worked for a company who insists on a certain way, I found my self-expression in it – or moved on.

There is NO exact formula or mathematical algorithm to sales. It is a constant dance and an unending opportunity for refinement and education. It challenges and fascinates me. And I love it. I have found my voice in it.

I wish the same for you and am willing to help in any way I can (and willing to learn EVEN more than I now know!)

So, let’s keep this community going! It is a beautiful art we pursue! 

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 Girl

Creativity, Customer Service, Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Uncategorized, Winning

Making the most of my conference attendance!

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Going to the Big Conference

Here’s one for those who attend conferences. Some juicy tips that will help you make the MOST of your dollars.

I’m headed out to a big fat conference in New York this week. All of the decision-makers in my industry are attending.

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

I’ve gotten to be a bit of a pro at this (at least for myself) and would like to share my favorite tips for making the VERY most of the time and money you are spending to attend:

1) To booth or not to booth
I am attending this industry-standard conference as a vendor. But, NEVER as someone with a booth. Know why? I find it’s a waste of money. If the conference will let me attend as a vendor without a booth, I DO IT! I circulate more. Meet WAY more people. And spend less money. Geez, I hope the conference organizers aren’t reading this 🙂  If I MUST have a booth to attend, I work to get myself on as many panels and invited to as many parties as possible.

2) Pre-conference Prep
I email my entire list of current pipeline prospects and people I haven’t spoken to in quite some time. I ask them, are you attending the such-and-such conference? I will be there and I would LOVE to meet. This accomplishes a few things. 1 – it gives me credibility as someone who is keeping up-to-speed as a thought leader. 2 – it gives me the chance to set up appointments to meet people face-to-face, which allows for some nice efficiencies. 3 – It gives me a reason to be in touch. 4 – it allows me the opportunity to be a resource to my customers who can’t make it to the event – I touch base with  them when I get back about the top 3 things I learned – or with people I’d like to connect them to.

3) Opening the conversation
I used to find this to be the hardest thing to do at a conference. What do I say that won’t annoy the daylights out of someone who is there trying to get educated in their field (and avoid vendors, frankly). Now, it’s easy. I simply ask: “What do you most want to get out of this conference?” or “What is the thing you would say has been most valuable about your time here?” This opens the conversation for what THEY care about. Often, I’m able to serve as a resource with some of their key issues. SCORE! (And they’re glad to talk to me because they are talking about themselves. Critical.)

4) Don’t drink
I leave the alcohol consumption to the celebration of all my new business when I get home. If I am really going to work the conference to its best advantage, I need all the stamina and sharpness I can get. I go to the parties and join in on the fun, but I keep it straight. This is my business, after all.

5) Bring LOTS of business cards, but leave the presentations at home
Conference attendees do NOT want one more thing to drag home with them. I bring plenty of cards, and make sure I get theirs!

6) Carry the Thank You notes and stamps along with me
Yep. The hand written Thank You note again. When I am REALLY on my game, I write the cards out before I go to bed. At least I have them on the plane with me for my ride home. I believe people are impressed that they get something personal from me right away on their return.

7) Set a goal
I set a goal of how many meaningful connections I am going to make at the conference. Connections that could lead to a sale. My goal for this three day conference is 20 meaningful connections. Obviously, I will make many more connections than that, but I’m talking about the ones that will lead directly to further conversations about working together. I hold myself to my goal and I don’t quit until I’ve made it. It’s a great game!

8) Be a stalker
This is only for the VERY accomplished. If I am listening to a keynote or a panelist who is a big deal at their company (my favorites are the Fortune 500 CEOs), this CAN be an ideal time to connect with them. But, I am careful. I MUST have something MEANINGFUL to say that takes about 5 seconds and addresses core issues they just mentioned. I ask them for a CONNECTION at their company, not for THEIR time. These can be magical moments.

9) Love ’em UP!
When I get home, I’m quick to put a bullet-point summary of the value I got from the conference. I send this to all my peeps who I did not see at the conference. I become a thought leader and valuable resource! Then, I connect with all the *meaningful connections* to set future action. I do NOT let this wait until sometime next week. I will take off Tuesday afternoon, as a reward- as long as those communications go out ASAP!

10) Balance the drawer and then we’re out!
I take care of my finances. It’s never fun, but I challenge myself to finish my expense report and turn it in within two business days. No use carrying balances for the work I have done.

Great! I’m ready to rock ‘n roll! What strategies do YOU use to make the most of your conference time? I can’t wait to hear!

Love your peeps UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Dignity, Goals, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Self Care, Uncategorized, Winning, Wisdom

So many times it happens, we live our life in chains…

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and never even knew we held the key.

NOT ME!

I was working with my business partner the other day, working on our strategy and business planning. A break from the selling to get more focused on the bigger future.

We started to explore some of the “low-hanging” fruit for ways to generate revenue. Things we could start marketing NOW and building a larger income base.

And then it struck me! These were all good ideas. And they could be sold. BUT, I WOULD HATE DOING THEM. Besides, they don’t give us any leverage to scale. They would only be a way to make a little more money in the short term, and they would lock us into commitments and marketing development and product development for at least the next nine months.

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

Something in the back of my head yelled STOP! (Thank goodness!)

It is OK to demand of my created business that it be fun and that I enjoy doing what we’re doing. I can always get a job that demands me to do stuff I don’t like. Why would I dare bring that into my own creation?

And then I saw, if I am patient and I keep doing the things I love, the money WILL take care of itself. I don’t need to worry about that right now. (Fortunately, I don’t need to worry about that now).

The point is – I realized how quickly I build prisons for myself when I am pursuing the the things I love. I approach my beloved projects with conversations from THE PAST which is exactly where I am moving away FROM!

Today, I will have the courage to envision my ideal future and keep trusting that it is mine to claim!

Hand me those keys, will you?

Customer Service, Dignity, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Uncategorized, Winning, Wisdom

Making a difference

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I was reading some research today about why people volunteer. I mean volunteering with nonprofits – getting involved with a cause. In every age group, the overwhelming reason that people say they volunteer is that they want to make a difference. It wasn’t a surprise to me. Mostly, I think people are wired to feel they are part of something bigger and that they make someone else’s life better.

It’s the same thing with the greatest salespeople I’ve ever known. They are out to make a real difference – for their customers, their society, their company, their families, themselves.

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

Here are the top characteristics of a salesperson who is out to make a difference:

1. They understand the big picture of what happens when people buy their products – the jobs it creates, the efficiencies it allows, the satisfaction that is achieved, the industry it improves.

2. They keep themselves educated in their field and their industry, so that they serve as a real resource to their prospective clients – whether they buy or not – because they are committed that people get the right solution.

3. They make sure they have a REASON to call on someone before they pick up the phone or write the email. A REASON that will matter to the person on the receiving end.

4. They stay in communication with customers to make sure that they are up-to-speed on the new things their customers may need, make  sure that what they have sold is still working, and to fix issues that might have gone wrong. They are in the relationship for the long-term and interested in the performance of what they sold.

5. They make good on their promises and do whatever it takes to make their customer “whole” when they haven’t delivered EXACTLY how their customer expected them to. THEY take responsibility for the outcome of the sale. 

Isn’t selling fun? It is wonderful when I know that I have made a REAL difference for people.

Love your peeps UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Uncategorized, Winning, Wisdom

Why is sales important? Can we eliminate it?

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I hate to tell you this. You will hate to hear it.

Sales is EVERYWHERE.

If you are proposing to your beloved…”selling” is involved.

If you are working to get your kids into a great school…”selling” is involved.

If you are applying for a job…”selling” is involved.

If  you are buying something important…”selling” is involved.

This is where The Irreverent Sales Girl comes in.

I REALIZE that “selling” exists in EVERY part of our lives. It is important. It is the way we transact with each other.

So, if you *thought* I was the person who is out to make salespeople more slick, you got it wrong.

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

I am about people getting more comfortable, more alive, more self-expressed with their daily transactions of buying and selling. I am about you loving your life. I am about communication skills that work. I am about people having the resources they need, at their fingertips, to make their lives work better and faster.

I am about cutting through the stigmas that hold us back from being TRULY GREAT!

When people get REAL about their lives, they understand that “selling” exists at least three times a day in their real lives.

I am the person who helps you remember how best to “sell” your three-year-old into sleeping in their own bed.

I am the person who helps you get that job you really want.

I am the person who has your back at eliminating the barriers to you living the life you love through extraordinary and clean communication.

I help you break the rules that hold you back.

I give you permission to go for what you want.

And, you give all of that back to me.

Together, you and I can transform the art of “selling” and make sure EVERYONE has access to the things they want to get in their ONE PRECIOUS LIFE.

Let’s do this together. Let’s ALL become Irreverent Sales Girls (men included)!

Love LIFE UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Uncategorized, Wisdom

IT IS ALL MADE UP!!!

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A weird realization this morning…

I woke up feeling like I was finding my way through a jungle.

I immerse myself in a web of information that pulls me and pushes me in the journey of finding “success” – the word my sixth-grade teacher posted on the wall. I didn’t know what it meant – prob’ly still don’t!

I forget that I am wildly successful. I have done it all! I have built the business, earned the career, found the love of my life..but still I am wading through these tendrils, looking for the next Nirvana. (When I get THERE, I will probably complain that I miss doing the laundry).

I see that I am chasing all the things that SOMEONE ELSE said was success. I am alone in a sea of my own expectations. I am disconnected from those who revel in my life and who are achieving their dreams. I AM MISSING THE WHOLE THING!

The tendrils of the jungle tell me what I am supposed to look like, what I am supposed to wear, the income I am supposed to have, the car I am supposed to own.

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 not me! They are not my voice. And, they are not YOUR voice.

I stopped and remembered who I am today. I am fatally flawed, but I have achieved things that some people want to achieve. And, I am going to share EVERYTHING I know. For reals. The BMW’s and the Volkswagen’s. The credit cards and the fear about money. The love of new love, and the fear of growing old. I am INFECTIOUS! I am a voice that wants to be heard.

So are you. I wake up like you do. I feel like you do. You are me.

Let’s go MAKE SOMETHING AMAZING UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl