Tag Archives: loving life

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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Authenticity, Goals, Loving Life, Winning

#TBT – Don’t Wait….The Time Is Now!

“Do one thing a day that scares you.” The famous quote from a commencement speech comes to mind as I read this short – but powerful – post from April of 2012.

That thing you’ve been waiting to do…..

that person you’ve been hoping to reach (yes, the BIG ONE)

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

Do it NOW!!!

Your destiny awaits. You WILL be surprised. I promise. Reach out to them. No matter what it takes!

You are bigger than you know. Take a risk today. Contact someone who seems out of your reach. What have you got to lose?

Love FAILURE up! (Hint: It’s the fastest way to WILD SUCCESS)

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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

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 →

Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Winning, Wisdom

#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 →

Appearance, Authenticity, Loving Life, Presentation

TBT – Sometimes What You Love Hurts You

Since dogs and sales stories are so much fun, I thought I’d pull this one back out. Plus, it’s super embarrassing, which seems to be entertaining.

Happy Throw Back Thursday – from 2012

This is a personal post.

Today, I was playing with my puppy. He has this lovely way to wake me up. (He is a 65-pound Labrador Retriever). Here’s what he does. He jumps on the bed and lays COMPLETELY on top of me and puts his nose in my face. I love it!

Today, we were wrestling around…and his back feet fell off the bed. He scrambled to secure himself…(you can picture it, right?) Front claws flying he dug in to anything that was solid…which included my left eye socket. WHOA!

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

Right away, I knew something was wrong. Yet, I had NO IDEA how wrong it might be.

I was bleeding. From my eye!

Tom took me to the ER. (I love him). I was a mess. I wasn’t a mess because of what had ACTUALLY happened. I was a mess because of what COULD HAVE HAPPENED!

Turns out, I didn’t even need stitches. They super-glued my eyelid to heal.

But, here’s what I had to deal with:

  1. I value my looks and wonder if I could be successful as a de-formed woman – how deep is my commitment? What if he’d ripped my eyeball out?
  2. I love my dog – this isn’t his fault. Sometimes the people we work with are just finding their own way and they hurt you, but they are not to be punished for it.
  3. I am vain. I am judgemental. I look at the outside to determine if I want to be involved.
  4. Tom was AMAZING with me, even though the entire hospital staff must have been looking at him like, “What did you do to her?”

How does this apply to sales or success? It doesn’t. Yet, it reminds me that I MUST DO SOMETHING NOW that is important. Risk it all. What we “think” we have, we don’t have. It can all turn on a dime!

Let’s go get WIGGY on what is important to us. Let’s remember WHO WE ACTUALLY are…in the face of anything.

Today, I was a scared, anxiety-ridden person — over scratches. I saw that I think my looks make me who I am! HA!

Now, I have to deal with that! This week, I am going to present to a Fortune 500 company…and I will do it, and I will be great. AND, I will warn them that I look a little crazy.

Toooooo many lessons in this post. My favorite is…PUSH THE DOG TO THE FLOOR WHEN HE IS SCRAMBLING! Then, take THEM to the vet if need be. LOL.

Love your luck UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Winning

#TBT – GEEZ, OH PEET! WHAT A PANIC!

I wrote this article over three years ago, but I still remember this epiphany! Hopefully, it will be good for you, too!

“ I had a GREAT BIG call today with one of the Elephants I am tracking.

We seem to be getting so close, yet we are HEAD-TO-HEAD with a fierce and competent competitor.

It’s all I’ve been able to think about lately.

I’ve been getting ATTACHED. 

I realized this during my workout today. Here I am enjoying a nice peaceful morning on the Elliptical and all I can think about is this PANIC I am having about landing this elephant.

rsz_eyes-937972

Ridiculous.

And then, I thought, “What Would the Irreverent Sales Girl Do?”

And, it came to me. She would

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 #TBT – GEEZ, OH PEET! WHAT A PANIC! →

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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Creativity, Goals, Loving Life

“That’s Not Like Me!” Using Bad Habit Truths to Your Advantage

What is one thing you know you would NEVER do? Like REALLY know you would never do it? It may be something like Embezzle… or try Crack Cocaine… or Poison Someone Else’s Dog. I’m talking about something that is completely out of the realm of possibility for you.

That is something that is truly JUST NOT LIKE YOU!

You are RELIABLE to not do it.

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

Now, think of something that you sometimes do – that you know isn’t so fabulous for you. Something like… eat entire bags of kettle corn after 11 at night… or smoke cigarettes … or spend too much money on QVC. This is something that you would prefer that it isn’t like you, but you have to admit that, reluctantly…

It IS just like you!

How did that happen? How did you become somewhat enslaved to a behavior that you wish was JUST NOT LIKE YOU?

How it happened was that you did it ONCE.

At one time in your life – doing that one behavior JUST WASN’T LIKE YOU. Then, you did it once.  Now it was JUST LIKE YOU!

OK – let’s not dwell in the bad stuff.

How can you apply this same principle to all the GOOD STUFF you want to have in your life?

First, think of something you WISH you were doing regularly or something that you wish were true about you, but it’s JUST NOT LIKE YOU!

It could be getting up at 5 am and exercising. It could be reading a book once a week. It could be making an hour of cold calls each Wednesday. It could be speaking at local business meetings regularly.

The good news is…to start a new GOOD habit is the exact same as starting a bad habit …

The first step is to do it one time. Just once.

Look what happened… doing that thing has become JUST LIKE YOU! Now it IS just like you to get up at 5 and go to the gym! How do you know? You did it just yesterday!

Now, it IS just like you to read a book in a week. How do you know? You did it just last week!

Now, it IS just like you to speak in front of the business meetings. How do you know? You did it just last Monday.

So, I invite you to look and see:

What is one good behavior that you would like to make a habit?

What is it going to take for you to go out and do it just once?

The first step is to do it just that once. A huge hurdle has been overcome: Now, it IS JUST LIKE YOU.

Of course, the second step is to do it again… but, let’s worry about that when we come to it.

Love it UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

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Creativity, Loving Life, Prospecting

Are you a Networking Rock-Star at Conferences?

rsz_meeting-business-936059

It is officially conference season!

I don’t know how YOU feel about conferences, but they always put me a little on edge. I mean, going to the right conferences and meeting the right people is an incredible way to SPEED UP SALES.  But all of those people you have to talk to? And get to know? And approach in an appropriate manner?

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

It’s exhausting!

Here is one simple thing that I like to keep in mind when I am attending conferences. It helps me a lot and I hope it will help you, too.

People Like To Be Included

They may not look like it. They may not act like it. But, fundamentally, they like to be included. Even if they turn an invitation down, they like to be asked!

Here’s how to use this to your advantage at your next conference.

Continue reading Are you a Networking Rock-Star at Conferences? →

Creativity, Goals, Loving Life, Self Care, Winning, Wisdom

What am I doing anyway?

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I woke up yesterday morning feeling a bit bemused. Can I stay in bed just a little longer? What would it hurt?

What SHOULD I be doing?
And, then, it struck me! I am living with far too many SHOULDS in my day. Nothing is pulling me out of bed – no voice saying “let’s do this today” “let’s take a chance” “let’s GO FOR IT”.

Huh! I wonder where that voice went? As I canoodled with this question, it started to become clear. So many things I do in my life are “in order to get somewhere else”…well, maybe not quite that. More like “in order to have my life NOT suck” just keep the wheels in motion to not backslide, to prevent chaos and dismay.

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 thought, well….what IF I sat down and thought about what I would LOVE my life to look like in a year, three years, five years. I started to canoodle on this, too. Little alarms started going off in my head. “Danger! Danger! Danger!” I found out that I don’t know WHAT I want my life to look like in five years. Or even tomorrow.

This is the pitfall of living a life I always imagined. I have the great job that I do pretty well. I have the love of my life. I have a beautiful home. I have amazing friends. I have three wonderful dogs.

So, why do I feel so “blah”?
Well, I think the reason I feel so “blah” is that my life is just far too much about me. My eye is far too much on my stuff.

Do I have everything handled? Is my home in perfect shape? Am I financially free? Am I in optimum health? Is my business even remotely where I want it to be? Absolutely not! But getting by seems to be suiting me just fine.

What is going to fire me up? It is not going to be a new car…that’s just not enough. It is not going to be more money…I would LOVE more money, but it’s not enough to get out of the lovely cocoon of my warm and happy bed.

Is there life beyond FEAR?
In the past, what always got me out of bed was ABJECT FEAR. Fear that I was going to lose my job if I didn’t perform. Fear that I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills. Fear that I would look bad if I didn’t show up on time. Fear that I would fail a presentation if I wasn’t prepared. Surviving.

Now, I am faced with the challenge of living a truly invented life. Designed for no other reason than that I say it is important. I have to look inside and outside to see … what am I here for?

I have gotten so good at performing for others on their agenda. Do I have enough character to strike out on my own and claim a created life. Do I have what it takes to LIVE LIFE?

Learning a new skill
It is time to learn a new skill. And, what is that new skill? The one I have no facility with?

I don’t know how to have FUN. I take everything far too seriously. No wonder I want to keep the status quo and do the bare minimum. No wonder it all looks like drudgery. I KNOW how to do that! I know how to be stressed out. I know how to “pull it off”.

I don’t know how to be free! In love with life! Kick-up-my-heels delighted!

Frankly, I am not sure even where to start. What if I start having fun and everything else falls apart? (Can you hear the survival kicking in?)

Today I declare that I am learning the new skill of HAVING FUN. That is worth going for. That will be the voice that whispers in my ear and gets me out of bed in the early morning hours to go dance in the dew of the new day. It is my new mission.

Any suggestions on where to start? Are you good at having fun and living a full, abundant life where it all works? I want to hear from you. I want to interview you. I want to learn.

Love your life UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl