Tag Archives: creativity

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” →

Creativity, Irreverence, Presentation, Winning

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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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

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Authenticity, Creativity, Irreverence, Performance, Winning

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

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 →

Authenticity, Creativity, Goals, Loving Life, Prospecting

Your Jump-Start 90-day Prospecting Plan

success-1237378Since the whole week has been dedicated to one of my very favorite subjects, Prospecting, I thought you might enjoy a little formula that I’ve used with people to get their business jump-started again and get them back into the practice of prospecting regularly.

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

Feel free to use it or modify it to meet your own needs and your own style. Then, make sure to tell me how it went!

If your business has been stagnant, and you feel like that phone is too hard to pick up, here is my recommended 90 Day Prospecting Plan to get you moving again!

The first part of the 90-Day Plan is really quite fun and SURPRISINGLY rewarding!

Step #1: Ask the Magical Question

A) Find 15 people each month in your professional sphere to reach out to out of the blue. Ask them to set aside 20 minutes with you to catch up.

On this call, find out what they are up to. What’s new? What are they working on?

They are likely to ask you the same kind of questions. Be ready to share some recent client victories and let them know that you are now focusing on growing your business and looking for customers who are looking to accomplish exactly what your other customers are accomplishing. Don’t ask for referrals. Just let them know.

THEN, ask the Magical Question:

Continue reading Your Jump-Start 90-day Prospecting Plan →

Creativity, Goals, Irreverence, Winning, Wisdom

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… →

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 →

Creativity, Fill the Funnel, Goals, Performance

Remember this magical teenage moment?

Once upon a time, a boy and a girl (probably you) shared a favorite song.

Remember when she came to your house, with a new discovery of a new band, and together you fell in love with a new song? With a new band?

Maybe she even shared an ear-bud with you as you listened together (a la an 90’s Walkman moment).

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

Do you have ANY idea how long it took for your favorite song to register for you?

With the exception of your favorite crush plugging the song directly into your brain, it probably took awhile (and a bunch of social reinforcement) for you to even KNOW the song, much less like it.

What does this have to do with sales?

WHY ARE YOU NOT INSISTING THAT YOU BE NOTICED?

CEOs, CMO’s, Your customer… They are waaaaaaaay busier than teenagers.

If you have something that you know will make their business better, it is your job to get the “song” into their ears.

And it will probably take at least 12 times of hearing you or seeing your name before you even start to register.

Just because you called them once and left a message, doesn’t mean anything got through.

Remember, they are counting on YOU to find THEM.

Go sing your song, over and over again, and don’t forget to…

Love ‘em ALL UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Should YOU be a salesperson? Take the 100% Reliable Mostly Foolproof “Should I Be A Salesperson” QUIZ here:  http://www.isalesgirl.com/thequiz.aspx

Creativity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Winning

You Have a “Do-Whatever-It-Takes” Attitude and Here’s How I Know

I run into people who positively suffer in their jobs, or with their health, or with certain relationships. Perhaps you can relate to that yourself.

I want you to think about one of those parts of YOUR life right now.

Do you have it?

I’m about to tell you something you are not going to like, but stick with me –  it will make sense and give you new freedom. I promise!

Imagine that it really IS OK with you that this part of your life is exactly the way it is – RIGHT NOW.

WHAT?

I bet you a million dollars that the reason you are upset about this part of your life is because someone else, at some point, made you feel that it SHOULD be a different way. And so now you’re stuck with the suffering because it is not as it SHOULD be.

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

Perhaps you just really really really wish YOUR body was the perfect type, or YOUR work style was the perfect way to achieve success, or YOUR opinion about your family members was the socially acceptable one. So, you could love it the way it is now.

It wasn’t YOU that really wanted it to be different.

Here’s how I know this is true.

There are things in your life that you have taken a “DO WHATEVER IT TAKES” attitude and it has worked.

For me, when I was a child, I was DETERMINED to be the person who could stand on hot asphalt in the summer in bare feet longer than anyone else. And I did WHATEVER IT TOOK to earn that distinction. (I know, a crazy goal, but there you go.)

When I grew up, I was DETERMINED to get a job in marketing after school even though all of my professors said that NEVER happened right out of undergrad and especially with my grades (I had failed out of my freshman year). But, I did WHATEVER IT TOOK to make sure I got that job. So, while most of my high-grade-getting college friends were waiting tables, I held a marketing position with a major brand.

Today, I am DETERMINED to have a magical, intimate, juicy, relationship with my husband and I do WHATEVER IT TAKES to make sure we do! (BONUS: He does too.)

But, it’s not like that in every area for me.

Is my house as clean as it should be? No.

Am I as successful in my business as I know I can be? No.

Does my body look exactly the way I think it could? No.

But, I have to get STRAIGHT with myself that I am simply not brining ALL of myself to these areas.

You have done this, too.

If you have children, I promise you have at some point had a “DO WHATEVER IT TAKES” attitude about something that concerns them. Either, they are picked up on time from school. Or they are going to get in to see THAT doctor. Or, they are going to have 3 square meals every day.

And, I bet you’ve been like this at a number of things.

So, now, go back and look at that area where you are suffering.

Are you bringing a “DO WHATEVER IT TAKES” attitude to it?

Can you live with it the way that it is? Even learn to embrace it?

If, yes. Then, congratulations, you can now focus on the things that are TRULY important to you and give up the suffering.

If, no. If it really IS important that this area be different. If it is unacceptable for the way it is to be the end of the story in that area, then let’s GET CRACKIN’ and dust off your WHATEVER IT TAKES attitude in that area.

Either way, you no longer get to complain. Because now you know that you could make it different!

You are amazing.

Love your life UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Post a comment that tells me what you are NOW going to do in that area!

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