The best all-time lesson for my corporate sales journey was learning how to stand up to bullies at age four. I was instructed at home, ‘If you do not stand up for yourself, no one else will.’ For the most part, on my end, whenever a startling demand arises, I ask, ‘Why?’ to realize the motive behind it and then drill down with more questions. The other at-home instruction was to be respectful of all. Coupled with not fitting in in my hometown, I began to travel at age 16, becoming aware of the varying cultures and experiences of those I met.
As a graduate of UCLA, I was excited to pursue a career I would dedicate myself to, but it was not to be. The only possibility was to do secretarial work, but I was beyond the discriminatory and unfair offers. A friend surprised me by asking how I would like to be in the party-giving business with her. Not knowing much about operating a business or how we would go about it wasn’t a showstopper. Instead, I wholeheartedly agreed. Our first client was the KFWB Rock ‘n Roll Station in Los Angeles 1968. We created an elaborate event at Universal Studios to rave reviews! Publicity was ours, including being featured on the cover of Mademoiselle Magazine and the L.A. Times Newspaper. But sadly, the market dropped dramatically, KFWB became a news station, and the job hunt was essential for me.
Again, secretarial positions were offered, but I negotiated the job with the owner of a marketing firm. I stipulated that he teach me about marketing, and he did. Realizing I am the creative type, he offered I create a theme for a billboard. My idea was ‘skydiving,’ and that billboard appeared on Sunset Boulevard, for which I was proud! One of the clients was a news reporter for CBS-TV. Upon making friends with him, I found an opportunity to share my previous party-giving experience. He asked permission to interview me on television; I accepted!
Several years later, I married, we traveled internationally, and the time came to raise a family. My husband taught me well how to encourage children in their development, and soon the favor was returned by each of them. We can uncover the best ideas for advancing when we are willing to learn from everyone, regardless of nationality, generation, or beliefs.
As a stay-at-home Mom, I created Words On The Go, a word-processing business for a side income. Clients included lawyers, a college professor, and an ophthalmologist. Being the mother of two was an outstanding experience and continues to blossom further each day. It was my teenage son who taught me a valuable business lesson. He incredulously asked why he could never win an argument. It stopped me; I apologized and said he was right. I changed my demeanor; later, when the time came to help earn college money, it was the differentiator for my sales career. Listening with curiosity became my differentiator to becoming known as ‘A breath of fresh air.’
All the above allowed me to flourish in corporate sales. I rose above the corporate bullying and established a trusting clientele to become the top producer at all the companies. But being an embarrassment to the men, my accounts were given to them, my quota tripled, and it was necessary to seek new work every year for eleven years. As an aside, I became savvy about’ selling myself on interviews.’
‘Our worst experiences are our gifts in disguise.’
One day off from work, finally, I was severely rear-ended at a red light. I was in pain, but no doctor would touch me. Ten years later, as a passenger, I stated, ‘You better call an ambulance.’
A near-death experience was mine as I lay on a stretcher awaiting admittance to the hospital. Two visions appeared, the first showcasing me as a speaker. I replied, ‘Yes! That’s what I always wanted to do!’ Suddenly, a brilliant gold light encased my entire body, the first vision faded, and a second appeared as a report card. I had high life marks, but the right-hand side was blank, entitled ‘Community Service.’ I instantly vowed to begin giving back to communities. Always a salesperson, I added that to do my best, I must be able to walk out of the hospital independently. A blink of light indicated I would be well, and the gold light over my body slowly faded. My plan for giving back to communities began that night, mentally, in E.R.
After surgery, the entire medical staff on duty referred to me as a walking miracle. My motto became, ‘Believe, Become, Empower.’ Believe in yourself, become that person, and empower others to do the same. Entrepreneurship was essential.
My daughter named my business, Smooth Sale – https://smoothsale.net. According to her, I earned every single account I ever desired; the title captures the theme of my work. The first step in assisting communities was to teach job seekers how to incorporate relationship-building skills into their interviews. My commitment was never again to seek employment but be self-employed to teach others how to step up to advance their careers. I received an overwhelmingly appreciative response for teaching people how to attain their desired jobs, plus teams on how to sell well.
Shortly afterward, we moved. My introduction on stage at a new event to about 200 people proved humiliating. Upon announcing I was a sales trainer, the men rudely laughed out loud, and the women shrieked, believing I was highly manipulative. Fortunately, another took me aside to say, ‘To establish credibility, you must write a book.’
My phone wasn’t ringing, and there was nothing to lose. I captured the most awful and the laugh-out-loud stories throughout my eleven jobs. The manuscript and then the book broke many records:
– In 2006, the first publishing house said, ‘Yes!’ to become known as ‘Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results.’
– The book was soon featured in TIME Magazine plus other known outlets.
– Nice Girls quickly became an International Best-Seller.
– The all-time honor is that the book is now Evergreen – among the Classics!
The stock market fell in 2008, and people were anxiously seeking work. My initial community service work taught job seekers how to incorporate relationship-building skills into their interviews. Upon receiving an overwhelmingly appreciative response for attaining their desired jobs. The favorable response motivated me to write the book HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews.’ Recognition was received written on White House stationery.
Most of all, I always remembered my promise of community service. I find inspiration everywhere, from hearing people speak about their experiences, reading and hearing the news, and taking enjoyable bike rides on the beautiful paths on the U.S. East Coast. Upon relocating to the eastern U.S., I was invited to several business events. But upon entering the events, seeing me as an older female, no one wanted to speak to me. It was a waste of time and money for me.
Upon learning about blogging, I created the Smooth Sale blog dedicating the effort to empowering young people with insights to move their careers further with a bit more ease. Over time, its popularity continues to increase both for contributors and readers. Realizing a collaborative effort is best, I invite leaders in varying fields to contribute their stories about overcoming hardships to achieve success.
Stuck at home during the pandemic and reviewing all my previous experiences, I gladly accepted an invitation to be on the social media committee for Inclusion Allies Coalition, a global organization dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sadly, not much has changed in the work environment. Harassment, discrimination, lack of equal pay, and unequal advancement opportunities are pretty much the same as the many years prior. Authentic leaders encourage others to do their best, offer help, and cheer them on with each achievement. It’s no wonder that remote work has become popular and will remain the same for many. Smooth Sale began to flourish during the pandemic, and during that time, Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building that Gets Results became evergreen, among the classics.
Throughout my lifetime, most females have been too timid to speak up or stand for what is fair, just, and proper. Another element is that statistics are momentary; we can change them individually, but together, the changes are far more significant. Change becomes possible when we take united strides to change what is unfair and encourage others to join the movement, returning to the motto, ‘One for all, all for one!’
