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:

Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Book Recommendation: The School of Greatness

Today I want to tell you all about the book The School of Greatness, by Lewis Howes. I read multiple books each month, but rarely do I finish a book and put it on my desk… to stay. I have a small row of books that I reference over and over again, and continually refer to my clients. Lewis’s book made the cut.

Each of the 8 chapters is a separate section full of inspirational stories, thoughts, processes, and exercises to implement the steps in that section. Instead of giving you an overview of each chapter, I’ve decided to give you a deeper breakdown of my favorite: Chapter 4 – Develop Hustle.

Posted on Monday, June 27, 2016

5 Things Successful Networkers Do

Successful networkers know that networking can be an incredible way to find referral partners, meet prospects, and make more money. Yet I still meet seasoned sales professionals who think networking is a waste of time. Every time I hear someone complain about how networking doesn’t work, I think, “You’re doing it wrong!”

I have a goal to attend a networking meeting of some sort every week and recommend the same for my coaching clients. When done right, networking can be an enormous income producing activity. But when you just go through the motions, networking CAN be an incredible waste of time. Successful networkers network with purpose; they attend every event with a specific plan of attack.

Posted on Wednesday, April 6, 2016

When No One’s Looking, Be Like Mike (Phelps!)

Oftentimes, self discipline boils down to what you do when no one’s looking. Want to see what real self discipline looks like? Check out this recent Under Armour ad:

Even though I’ve never been a competitive athlete, I’ve come to realize that many of the best motivational videos are centered around elite athletes. I get it. I admire the motivation and self discipline it takes to be an athletic champion, because it takes a lot of those same qualities to have an elite career in sales.