I am starting a new sales job and really want to be successful. I am starting with a company who has an exciting product, a primed marketplace, and a culture of team-play. Tons of management support and excellent compensation models.
Sounds good so far, but here’s the problem.
I’m a competitive person. I’m an ambitious person. I like to win. I like the thrill of the hunt and I like to be acclaimed for my victories.
Which can be great – for me – when I’m winning.
Not so great for the people around me – I’m a bit arrogant when I’m #1.
And terrible for everyone when I’m NOT winning. (And by winning, I mean blowing my quota out of the water and being #1 in the company – no matter what!)
I tend to be a front-runner. I’m fired up when I’m number one, but easily discouraged when I fall to second place or below.
I sabotage my sales managers when I’m not winning – they can’t figure out what is going on – I was doing so well. It is frustrating for them and I don’t clue them in on what I need. I stop working at full-speed-ahead. I get resigned.
What can I do to ensure that I set myself up for a long and happy run with this company, while honoring the “we’re a team” culture, and feeling like I am succeeding?
Check this out! Dan’s EDGY introduction of the game-changing book!
I HEART DAN WALDSCHMIDT. He is one of the most accomplished, generous, and committed people I know – committed to OTHER’S success. He is EDGY and real and awesome. The Irreverent Sales Girl would be nowhere near where we are today without his awesome-ness!
Here is what Dan has to say about the book he released today!
“It took us four years of work to figure out what really makes ordinary people do amazing things. Like you, we had read many books about how to be successful in business, how to stay motivated, and how to get rich. When we finished reading each one we though “if that formula works so well why is it that I don’t get the results that the book says I should be getting?”
We threw away the books and motivational seminars and started looking around at ordinary people who ended up unbelievably achieving outrageous success. We looked for common people who accomplished amazing feats of success and dug a little deeper into their stories. The more we started looking, the more examples we found.
From business to math to science to sports to politics, we studied 1,000 ordinary people who achieved success against all the odds. What we uncovered were four clear character traits that I had never read about in any book. We call it EDGY. (And wrote our own book about it.)”
www.EdgyConversations.com — This is our site where people can learn more about the book, along with the workbook, ebooks (optimized in different formats)
SHORT AUTHOR BIO:
Dan Waldschmidt is an international business strategist, speaker, author, and extreme athlete. His consulting firm solves complex marketing and business strategy problems for savvy companies all over the world. Dow Jones calls his Edgy Conversations blog one of the top sales sites on the internet. He’s been profiled in Business Week, INC Magazine, BBC, Fox News, The Today Show, and Business Insider, has been the featured guest on dozens of radio programs, and has published hundreds of articles on progressive business strategy. He is author of Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Achieve Outrageous Success.
AND, if you order NOW, he’ll send you his workbook FREE!
First, let’s take the advice of Jack Canfield. Instead of asking ourselves how we are going to move from a 5 to a 10, we are going to ask ourselves – “Hmmmmmmmm…..why so high? Why am I as high as a 5?”
(You will find some interesting things about what you DO feel good about).
Next, we are going to continue to take the advice of Jack Canfield again and ask “What would it take to move me up to a 6?” No need to jump all the way to the 10. This answer will be much more informative and much more actionable.
Now, look to see what might still be an open, gaping wound from the previous year (or even previous years).
If you’ve lost your swagger, you probably got a good swing (or two or three) to the face with a (hypothetical) two-by-four. Perhaps you missed your quota last year. Perhaps you came in at number 3 when you were sure you were headed for number one. Perhaps you lost that DEAL YOU HAD COUNTED ON to a competitor at the last minute.
Take that two-by-four moment and confront it. Can you see clearly WHAT happened and WHY it happened?
Often, when you look straight at the problem, you can see where YOU had a hand in the negative outcome. Find out if you can forgive yourself . The good news is that if you are the one who caused the negative result, you are also the one who can get the positive result in the future. Huzzah!
Some things you CAN’T control. It is possible that something knocked you off your game and you had nothing to do with it. Take a moment and call a trusted mentor (or even a therapist) to get this sorted out – and sorted out all the way. Until you are completely restored to your brilliance and natural FANTASTIC-NESS!
Finally, play a game with some friends.
I was chatting with a couple of my closest girl friends yesterday. We all three realized that we were lacking a bit in the area of self-confidence around our goals this year. SO, here’s what we’re doing:
1) Writing down our top 10 qualities that take us to success
2) Writing down the top 10 qualities of the OTHER two of us – that WE know helps them to success
3) Writing down our top 5 accomplishments from last year – and identifying how WE made those happen
4) Writing down our top 5 disappointments from last year – and identifying how WE made those happen
5) Getting together again for a chat next week to share what we found with each other
So, what are YOU going to do to make sure you go screaming and proud and confident into your 2014 – armed with all the swagger and pomp you can manage? I would love to hear!
Are you more attracted to that woman you can’t get, the one who makes it seem like it’s all available to you, but you’re not sure you’re up to the challenge? Or are you interested in the woman who STALKS you? (Fill in gender as it makes sense for your situation!)
People want what INTRIGUES them!
And they run away from things that chase them.
Find a way to attract your customer!
Very few of us have a product that we are not willing to sell to just anyone who’s willing to buy it. Fair enough. But, I invite you to think a little bit differently.
Where does your product or service become available to only the “exclusive” ones?
I have a very good friend who is a wildly successful representative of a Brand-Name investment group.
When she sells her product like any old investor can come work with her, she grinds it out and doesn’t get many interesting and cool clients.
When she positions herself as if “Are you the kind of investor we would take? Worthy of our services?” business sky-rockets.
Take a look. How can you make YOUR customers feel like they are in the pool with the “cool kids”? Figuring this out is your ticket to unquestionable wealth.
When you DO get the “cool kids” to sign on, make sure you service the hell out of them and let them know that they are the “in-crowd”. They will be references for you like crazy.
CAVEAT: To do this strategy well, you must be three things:
1) The best at what you do
2) Relentless in delivering an experience once someone has climbed on board
3) Make sure your “cool kids” stay the “cool kids”. Keep reminding them that they are in THAT game!
Ready to seduce? I promise you, it is much more effective than chasing.
Alright, I admit it … I have become a bit of an Erika Napoletano stalker of late. (www.redheadwriting.com)
There’s a good reason!
A break in the storm
And, no, I am not talking about Sandy here – although I am sending all my love for you who are dealing with her tonight.
I am talking about the Business storm. You may be familiar with it.
My entire life (since age 12), I have been hoping and studying and praying that one day…please, God…one day I would be a GREAT business person.
I ran an (unsuccessful) lemonade stand, have attended undergrad and graduate B-school. I have co-owned and sold a business. I have failed at starting a couple of businesses. I have been a top salesperson.
Still, the BRASS RING seemed so far away.
Business seemed like a minefield to me. One where you PROTECT your butt against people who will steal your idea. One where MOST BUSINESSES FAIL in the first three years. One where you had just better get used to the idea that it is a DOG-EAT-DOG world out there.
Erika was my break in the storm.
From zero to FUCK YEAH
Now, all of you know that I refrain from swearing whenever possible. Yet, you can hardly get to know and love Erika unless you understand this very raw premise.
Erika Napoletano is ONLY about getting your business and your life from zero to FUCK YEAH. And she means it. She does the work to filter out all of the stuff that will distract you from your goals. She serves as a MIGHTY resource. AND she backs it up by being on your side!
Someone who knows NOTHING about me wants me to win? Will teach me to be vulnerable? Will take time to understand my pain and EXALT in my successes? IS there such a thing in business?
Well, yes, THERE IS. And she is no small potatoes. She is a celebrated columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. She is a sought-after consultant for tech firms. She is an author of a real live book. (The Power of UN-Popular) And….wait for it…
She is a Tedx Talker
I can prove it:
Now for the game
Erika is being LOVED UP for this Tedx Talk. She should be. It is amazing.
It is all about the Power of Being UnPopular (did you ever want to be one of the popular crowd? did you ever imagine there would be an advantage to being UN-popular? you will love this).
OK, my lovelies. If you have been following me for over one MINUTE, you KNOW that I am about YOU winning. That is why I post every single work day. For your success.
Now, I am asking YOU to help ME make someone ELSE successful. Let us show that The Irreverent Sales Girls (and guys who love The Irreverent Sales Girls) can make a BIG FAT SPLASH in the world.
Why I’m Showing This to You
When you find something that moves you, sharing it is key. So today, I’m sharing this with you in the hopes that it might move you, too.
If you like Erika’s talk, LIKE it on YouTube.
If it moved you, TELL HER in a comment on YouTube (she’s responding to everyone who leaves a comment — and there are over 100 so far!).
If you love the message, SHARE IT. On Facebook, via email, tie it to the leg of a carrier pigeon — whatever moves you.
The upside to all of this is that, on occasion, sometimes TED (the mothership) features TEDx talks (talks from smaller, independent events) on their main site. It’s kind of like winning a TED-flavored Oscar. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could be a part of letting TED know that we think Erika’s talk is an idea worth spreading? And if you’re not familiar with TED, that’s exactly what it is: Ideas Worth Spreading. People from all over the world give talks that are 18 minutes or less on ideas that move them, and in turn, TED.com moves people across the world by sharing, or as TED says, spreading them.
The Irreverent Sales Girl does not win a car if you do this!
The real power of what we are doing here is the power to CONNECT each other with amazing resources and opportunities.
Your “watch” and “like” and “comment” is something YOU can do for someone who is AMAZING and playing life BOLD.
I get nothing from it. YOU get my true and raw thanks.
I invite you to meet someone exceptional
You will laugh, you will be moved, and you will remember something stirring deep inside of you that is ready to be GREATER THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED.
Please watch the video, like it (if you do), and send a comment. Let’s get Erika to Ted.com!
Now, what can I do for YOU?
Post a comment about what you think of this game, and tell me something I can do for you.
In each scenario, everyone had a BANQUET laid out in front of them at the table. The trick was that everyone had splints on their arms which prevented them from getting their hands to their mouths.
In HELL, everyone sat around the table – lamenting that they could not feed themselves from the sumptuous table.
In HEAVEN, everyone fed each other.
WHO ARE YOU? Are you looking to feed yourself OR looking to feed others and trust that you will be fed? It’s an important choice.
This week, a professional consultant told me that my business will never work
I spent most of yesterday mourning my demise. Relegated to a job. Not able to make my dreams come true.
Then, The Irreverent Sales Girl came to me and said, “REALLY? REALLY? You are going to GIVE UP NOW? REALLY?”
SO, I picked myself up… got in touch with people who love me …
and GOT BACK ON THE HORSE!
I don’t care how long you have been putting aside your dreams or who tells you that you can’t have it. Get back on the horse! NOW! It takes courage… and you have it.
If there is only ONE system to create your goals, this is it….
Write down two or three of your goals….I’ll wait…do it now.
Now, look…would THOSE be the goals that …..say..Oprah would write? Donald Trump would write? Super model Natasha Poly would write? Angelina Jolie would write?
to you, but you’re not sure you’re up to the challenge? Or are you interested in the woman who STALKS you? (Fill in gender as it makes sense for your situation!)