Category Archives: Women in Sales

Jack of All of Trades Master of One

Jack of All Trades Master of One

So one the biggest questions when hiring a new sales person is do I hire someone with industry knowledge or do I hire someone that knows how to sell. Well it really depends on the make up of your organization. Ask yourself these questions, does my company have a strong sales management team? Does my company have a strong technical staff that can support a strong sales person? Is the sales person going to have other teammates to learn from? Why am I hiring a salesperson? Do you need a hunter or an account manager?

If you find a candidate with strong sales skills chances are they will be a driven person with a desire to learn as much as they can about your products and services to be successful. Sales is a skill in its self and takes years to develop. With the advancement in technology it could be said that more and more people lack people skills, and in sales you will almost always be required to effectively communicate. A salesperson needs to have social skills that allows them to uncover needs and deliver necessary messages. I would argue that it would be easier to teach a new hire about your industry as opposed to teach a new hire how to effectively prospect and sell.

If you find a candidate with industry knowledgable and no experience in sales you are taking a gamble. You need to make sure your company can support the efforts to give this employee attention. That does not mean that you shouldn’t hire someone that has never sold. It just means that you need to make sure the candidate is willing to learn that skill and that your company is in a position to invest in their learning efforts. Is selling an art or a science? I believe it’s both and that will take time to learn and develop.

A GREAT sales person can be a jack of all trades but should strive to be the master of one….Selling!

Be Contagious

Koncept CARMA is not spelled wrong. It’s spelled different because we are different,and it means something.

So what does the C in CARMA mean? It means to “be contagious“. Your attitude and emotions are contagious to the people around you. Whether your mood is good or bad it will have a tendency to rub off on others. Don’t let your negative thoughts jeopardize an opportunity, and do not let someone else’s negative disposition discourage you.

1. Choose to be the positive energy that enters a space.

Have you ever walked into a meeting and the person you are meeting with has an extremely bad attitude from the start? Do you mirror their actions and clam up or do you allow yourself to overcome their attitude?

It’s both hard and intimidating when facing negative people. I challenge you before you interact with others (family, friends, coworkers, clients etc.) tell yourself you are “happy, strong, confident, and nothing can ruin your day”. Even if you come in contact with someone who has an overbearing strong attitude that exudes negativity stay focused on being positive. It’s not the easiest thing to carry out and it’s certainly not impossible either. Being aware of your attitude and others’ puts you ahead. We can’t change other people’s attitudes by telling them to stop. We can influence their moods by staying focused on what is good and our response. If someone is angry, upset, anxious, or uneasy that is even more reason to create a positive contagious environment.

2. Being Positive isn’t always possible.

What do you do when you find yourself unable to be positive? This can happen to the best of us. We all have bad days.

Call or visit someone who you know can help lift your energy levels. Read uplifting and positive quotes. It’s okay to have days where you feel off. Give yourself permission to feel upset or negative and also recognize it will pass and it is temporary. Remember your attitude is contagious so do not put yourself in a situation where you might influence others. Your bad attitude should not become another persons’ problem. If you are meeting someone for the first time and you are stuck in a bad mood they may get a bad first impression. Tell yourself happy thoughts until you finally get that positive energy back. Eventually if you tell yourself how good life is you will start to believe it!

3. Others will gravitate to your energy!

When I am down and need motivation the people I want to surround to myself with are positive high energy people. I do not want to associate with other Debbie Downers. It’s much healthier and refreshing to seek others that I know can lift my spirits. Positive Energy will help others want to engage with you. If you are speaking to a group your audience will feed off your energy, if you are networking you will be less intimidating to new contacts, and if you are in a meeting the other person will develop a better relationships faster and trust you.

Always remember our attitudes are Contagious! I will always choose being around a positive high spirited group over being around negative energy!

True Friends talk about you behind your back

Talk about your friends

Today, I found out that one of my friends has been talking about me behind my back. My realization made it clear to me she is not a friend at all….she is much more than a friend. She is a CHAMPION for me! The greatest support friends and colleagues can have for one another is spreading the word. If your friends are doing something great and you believe in them…Spread the Word! Like them, their services, and what they are doing on your social media pages….social media is more powerful than you think. Tell people you meet that can use their products and services.

So here is the story of my champion. I reached out to a person that I did not know at all and told her about Koncept Carma. This person’s company appeared in my Linkedin and I thought she would be a good connection. I was shocked when the contact came back and told me she knew about my workshops and had heard of my business. It was the greatest compliment a business owner could receive…..word of mouth referral! So of course I had to know who had been “talking” about me. I found out that a friend of mine that I have known for just over 2 years and who has supported me since the day I started Koncept Carma, had mentioned my Improv Workshop to this potential contact. Of course my friend had firsthand knowledge of my classes and even has come to multiple sessions. My so called friend had never told me that she was spreading the word. I didn’t ask her to do it. She did it because she was a champion for what I was doing and showed me she truly believed in me and was not looking for anything in return.

Be a champion for people and businesses in your life that you believe in. Talk about them and what they do good! The best gossip is gossip that moves life forward and helps others. Many times in life we remember to bring up bad experiences with businesses we have encountered. Forget about wasting your breathe giving them any sort of PR and talk about the businesses you believe in and support.

So in an effort to be a Champion in return, take a peek at my Champion’s website. http://www.enviroclectic.net/ Her business makes amazing eco-friendly custom clutches! I have two custom clutches myself and love them both!

Champions do not wait for you to become successful. They empower you along the journey!

Jealousy Doesn’t Look Good in a Suit

I remember it like yesterday although it was almost 30 years ago. I was a little girl and my older sister was in the town parade. She looked beautiful and was getting lots of attention. She got to ride in a fancy car, holding roses, waving and smiling to the crowd. I don’t remember why she was in the parade but I remember watching her and wishing it was me. My sister was always the prettiest girl in the group and it was “easy” for people to like her and want to shower her with attention.

We came home from the parade that day and I felt left out and I was sad really sad. I went to my room and cried. I felt like it was no fair that she was getting this attention. That was the day I learned one of my most valuable lessons. My mom came in to my room and she had no pity for me. She told me to stop crying and that I was being jealous. Jealous…what is that? I asked her to explain. She told me that I was feeling sorry for myself, because someone else was getting attention for an achievement. My mom explained what jealousy was, told me to get over it, and never feel that way again. I was shocked that my mom was not going to comfort me in my moment of need. I wanted to feel like my sister, but instead I felt shafted and hurt. After my mom left it hit me that my sister being in the parade had nothing to do with me. My sister didn’t hurt me and certainly she didn’t want to make me sad. She had earned that opportunity to be in the parade. It was her moment and I would have moments in my life where I would want my sister to be happy for me.

So what does my childhood moment of jealousy have to do with business? It has a lot to do with business. I see jealousy daily in the business world. Sometimes I even start to feel “jealous”. So as soon as I start to hear myself say “I am jealous”, I immediately switch to the thought of I am really happy for that person. The people you are happy for will be there to cheer you on.

Jealousy can run rampant in a sales team. Being part of a sales group always it’s imperative to strive to be number one, and especially important to always be happy for others when they win. If you can sincerely be happy for others and recognized the fruit of their labor you will learn from them. Luck runs out and hard work pays off.

Successful people sometimes get looked down upon because jealous people wonder why they can’t have what the successful people have. If you spend all your time worrying about what others have you will never make time to get what you want out of your career and business. Celebrate the success of your peers, partners, bosses, and companies. If you think they are undeserving then you need to make a choice to not be a part of their group. If you work for a boss that takes credit for your work look for a new job. If you find yourself secretly wanting others to fail then you will fail. If you think successful people got lucky or had things handed to them then you are spending too much time worrying about those “lucky” people.

Don’t let career envy scare you from overcoming challenges. Most of the people you are envious of have great stories of working hard and making their way to where they are. Work harder and set high expectations for yourself. Take the energy that you would spend worrying about others and worry about you and your goals. Jealousy usually shows and I haven’t met anyone it looks good on especially in a suit.