Category Archives: Loving Life

Creativity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Winning

Time for the whiteboard…the end of the year CRUSH IT!

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Tomorrow I bring out my favorite FOURTH QUARTER sales weapon. My way to Bring It On Home for the end of the year.

My good old tried and true magnetic whiteboard.

I will write the goal I intend to reach on the far right. I will list every deal I have closed underneath and subtract to get me to the number I desire.

Then, I will create a magnet for each and every prospective customer in conversations with me right now. I will divide my whiteboard into Monday _ Tuesday_ Wednesday_Thursday_Friday and I will move my magnets to the last day I interacted with my pipeline peeps!

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

Nothing slips through the cracks. I can visually see where I am at all times. It works like a charm.

What I can move, I can measure. What I can measure, I can manage.

What do YOU do to keep your business in front of you and moving? I would love to hear!

Love your systems UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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

Education, Goals, Guest Posts, Loving Life, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning, Wisdom

Boy, do I have a surprise for you!

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We have got some COOL stuff about to happen.

The amazing Robert Terson received delivery of his BRAND NEW book Selling Fearlessly today. I wish I could have seen his face when he opened the box…smelled the fresh new pages…saw the colorful covers…the completion of many, many hours of loving work.

Here is what I LOVE about this book. It is written by one of the most generous men I know. Someone whose writing chops are a match for his selling chops. Someone who ACTUALLY sold his whole career. (Go to http://www.sellingfearlessly.com/mound-road/ and read The Mound Road story he has avaialable on the site – it will draw you in!)

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

Bob doesn’t tell you how to sell, he SHOWS you how to sell.

So, the cool thing that is happening is that Robert is going to do a VaVaVaVoom (Vicarious, Virtual, Voyeuristic) Interview with me, The Irreverent Sales Girl, later this month. The interview will be fun, inspiring, will share some highlights and give you at LEAST one thing that will make a difference in your success.

It is my privilege to help this amazing man introduce his masterpiece to the world. Stay tuned for more information!

Love your stories UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

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

The pursuit of happiness…are we getting closer?

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I had dinner with a GREAT friend of mine tonight. A few years back this wonderful friend abandoned the Corporate World for her bright, shiny future as a business owner. She has created some amazing stuff. And it is just getting better.

She looked me straight in the face and said, “I have never worked harder, made less money, or been any happier!”

This experience of hard work and being broke while being HAPPY has put her on an interesting quest. She is becoming an expert in HAPPINESS.

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

Know what she discovered? FORTY-SEVEN percent of people are unhappy in their work. (This figure should scare the daylights out of Human Resources and CEOs.  WAKE UP CALL: nearly ONE out of every TWO workers is unhappy – which has a direct impact on your bottom line. You might want to connect with my friend and get some advice.)

Know what else she discovered? A lot of the reason people are unhappy is because they have less and less HUMAN interaction. She says, “People sit in cubicles and have no idea who is on the other side of the wall. They check on their Facebook and think they have caught up with their friends – instead of sitting across from them and seeing more than a sound byte of how it really is…hell…just picking up the phone to hear their voice and what is happening right now!”

And it is making them UNHAPPY.

Want to get happy? Do like AT&T used to tell you to do. Reach out and touch someone.

We were joined by another fantastic girlfriend tonight. The last time we had all gotten together was over three years ago. But, it worked! We had a great night. We were in person. And, tonight, I am very happy!

I wish you the same.

Love your peeps UP (in person)!

The Irreverent Sales Girl 

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

BEWARE the laurel resting…

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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

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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

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

I am so spoiled right now!

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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

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

On Perception

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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?

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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?

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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