Posted on Monday, October 16, 2017

The Importance of Non-Negotiables

Setting yourself up for success—both personally and professionally—starts with cultivating self-discipline and holding yourself accountable. The most effective rules, after all, are the ones you set for yourself.

For me, a huge part of making sure I’m achieving everything I want to do in this life is sticking to those self-set rules, which I call my non-negotiables. These are the key things that I know I must do in both my work and personal life to reach the goals I’ve set for myself. Stick to your guns on these, and you’ll see that over time, your routine will become habit and you’ll be powering towards reaching those cherished goals.

These are the items that get done, no matter what:

Posted on Monday, September 11, 2017

Body Language and First Impressions

You only get seven seconds to make a positive first impression on someone. And for a sales professional, first impressions are make-or-break; it’s vital that you know what you should be doing when you’re standing in front of a prospect.

Mastering your body language is the first step towards making a great first impression, as it focuses on quite literally putting your best foot forward.

Posted on Monday, August 28, 2017

The Formula for Achieving a Balanced Life

So many people talk about the importance of achieving a “work-life balance”. And I get it—you want to achieve balance. You want to make enough money while not working too much.

But instead of trying to find a perfect balance between work and life, focus on spending time on the things most important to you, both in your career and your personal experiences.

I use the acronym L.I.F.E. to help me remember the four pillars vital to creating a true foundation for a well-rounded, balanced life.

Posted on Monday, August 21, 2017

The Benefits of Meditation for Salespeople

Like most salespeople, I suffer from a total squirrel mentality. I’m always going; always trying to do a million things at once. If not properly managed, this can obviously lead to an extraordinary amount of stress—and stress is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to success.

Meditation has long been recommended to reduce stress levels and increase focus. That didn’t prevent me from thinking it was entirely too hokey and a total waste of my time, though. I tried it for two whole days in a row before making up every excuse in the world about why it wasn’t going to work for me.

But then something happened.

Posted on Monday, July 31, 2017

The Power of Positive Affirmations For Salespeople

One of my favorite quotes comes from Earl Nightingale, a radio broadcaster from the 1930s: “You become what you think about.” When you consider the importance of that concept, success often comes down to reprogramming your brain through positive self-talk.

And yes, you can joke about looking in the mirror and saying things like, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.” But those things are powerful. In the movie What About Bob, Bill Murray’s character repeats the mantra, “I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful.” And those are his “baby steps” – the positive affirmations he uses to convince himself that he can do anything.

Posted on Sunday, September 18, 2016

It’s Gonna Be a Great Day! 10 Ways to Stay Positive

I was recently the guest speaker at a 7:00 am business breakfast at a women’s conference about 90 minutes from my house. That made for an early morning – even for me. It was a cold, rainy day and Shane wasn’t up to give his normal cheerful send-off. Not the start of a great day.

When I got there, I went to the restroom to pump myself up. While washing my hands, I thought, “what a perfect day to stay in bed in my pajamas and watch a movie.” Just then, a woman came out of another stall. Our eyes met in the mirror and I smiled.

“It’s gonna be a great day!” I said.

She sheepishly smiled back at me and said, “Yes. I guess it could be.” I didn’t know it at the time, but that little exchange made a big difference in her day.

Posted on Monday, August 8, 2016

Create a Winning Morning Routine

I’ve found that a rock solid morning routine can be the first and most important ingredient for daily success. Looking back to my teenage years, my mother (and my 16-year-old self) would be shocked to know that the 40-year-old me is such a morning person (actually, I like to refer to myself as an “all day person”)!

The more structured my morning is, the better I feel throughout the day, and that means I get more work done and close more sales.

My clients ask me a lot of questions about my personal habits, so here’s a little snapshot of my morning routine: