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How to sell if you hate sales

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Sales people get a bad reputation (some may say undeservedly so). However, the best sales people never sell at all. Not one iota. The perception of sales people as pushy, overbearing sleazeballs is pervasive however. …unfortunately. Most people do not wish to identify with the caricature of strong-armed “persuasion,” and so miss many opportunities to grow their business… their interests or their life in general.

The best sales people know the secret that I am going to divulge to you now: *everything* is sales. Every time you have been hired for a job, gotten people to help you sell cookies for your kid’s band camp or even gotten a retweet on twitter, you have sold something.

The best, most sustainable form of sales is not a feverish, hyper-focused “positive affirmations on steriods” Annette Bening”s Real Estate Saleswoman from American Beauty: “I WILL SELL THIS HOUSE TODAY.”

Real sales is not plaid sport coat-clad WKRP’s Herb Tarlek; nor is it Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s Sam Beauregarde (With Sam B, it’s a Guarantee).

As you build your business or organization, bringing people on board is crucial to your success. Whether you need investors, vendors, employees or ultimately clients/customers, you MUST first understand that the intrinsic value that YOU bring to the table and your vision is part and parcel of what people “buy.” You are the product.

“The can’t BE you so they BUY you.” ~ MCK

When people do business with you, they are extending a symbiotic representation of who they either are or aspire to be. They believe in you/your product or service so much that they are willing to exchange energy for it. They co-opt and incorporate their worth into and as part of what you offer.

This exchange of energy may be manifested as political will, clout (or Klout), money, influence… any number of things. In order to learn how to accumulate “sales,” there are certain actions you must take.

1. Understand what a value proposition is and how you can create/offer one
2. Embrace and contribute to reciprocity
3. Deliver what you promise
4. Educate your “buyer” as to the features and benefits of what it is you offer and
5. …make it relevant to THEIR needs.

Being able to articulate and deliver these aspects of your business is essential to your success, regardless of your endeavor.

1. Does your product or service fill a need?
2. Do you have competitors? If so, how does yours truly differ?
3. Why have you entered the market?
4. How can you contribute to/elevate the options available?
5. Do you actually care about what it is you offer?

Here’s where I disagree with Michael Corleone. It IS personal. Entrepreneurs don’t launch businesses because they are bored. Or need a hobby. They invest their blood, sweat and tears into their efforts. They’ve made sacrifices. So, yeah; it’s personal. Once you’ve become crystal clear on the above, you’ll find that traditional sales approach isn’t necessary.

Alignment with who you are and what you have to offer activates a polarity to which people will respond. “Qualifying” prospects becomes easier and “closing” is assumptive rather than forcibly achieved.

Determine who it is that you are, what you have to offer, why you exist (and for whom) and watch how much more easily “sales” comes to you.

Have you found this to be true in your experience? Have you grown into a more natural sales mindset? What are obstacles for you that still may remain?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation).

Do you have what it takes to be free?

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1200x1200--GeniusShared ReadIn my opinion, these four endowments from Steven Covey form the cornerstone of our progression to independence and autonomy as human beings. Each component interacts with the others to support and strengthen our individuality.

No one is perfect, and at any given time, one component will be more defined or developed than the others. However, through regular and periodic review and assessment, we can take responsibility for each attribute as it relates to our independence.

“Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” ~ Stephen Covey

1. Self awareness: From the very beginnings of our development as children, around 18 months old, we realize that we are separate from our parents. This realization is first manifested as a physical understanding. Then as we progress through childhood, we begin to distinguish ourselves psychologically, mentally and spiritually as distinct from not only our parents but our peers, teachers and bosses. This component is largely outward-inwardly focused. We are able to distill and define outside influences on our behavior and change accordingly and appropriately.

Part of this stage means that we recognize and take responsibility for our reactions to others. Blame is jettisoned. We realize our choices and our part in any given situation. Our perception shifts from “You make me feel….” to “When you ___________ I feel __________.”

2. Conscience: This can be construed as an awareness of others’ feelings and how OUR behavior effects them. Guilt, “right and wrong,” and a reconciling of morality falls within this component. Granted, as is stated above, each component interacts and is influenced by the others. Therefore, an ability to decide healthy boundaries for our actions is essential. Compassion and concern for the feelings of others is necessary for the health of a civilization. Learning how to accept responsibility for one’s own actions, without absorbing the perceptions of wrongdoing held by others enables us to operate independently of others. Some reference the quote, “What you think of me is none of my business” when making this distinction.

Of the components, this is the most kinetic. Will implies ACTION. Once discernment and identification of a certain course of action has been determined, will is the implementation of any such decision. The fact that “independent” is used within the definition of this component only serves to underscore the fact that you may be alone in your decision to act a certain way. You may hear a different drummer, know how to build a better mousetrap or choose not to follow the herd. You must rely on the strength of the other components when choosing to exercise your will, for most people will probably challenge you.

4. Creative imagination: This is literally the ability to see what others cannot. As the Henry Ford quote says, “If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” The person who fosters his or her capacity for independence sees beyond the current paradigm and offers something new. Although mechanized transport may not have been new, per se, creating the assembly line was. Seeing the automotive equivalent of the Gutenberg Press required creative imagination.

Learning how to recognize each endowment and where you are along your developmental scale takes time, silence and discipline. You may find that a hobby or a pattern helps you to hone this skill. Maybe you think best when you exercise, whether while riding a bike or jogging. Yoga or meditation are also ways to center the self and increase an awareness of our body/mind/spirit connection. Journaling is also a means through which some are able to learn more about themselves.

Whatever the method, faithful adherence will yield powerful results. By investing in yourself daily, you can take steps to achieving “the ultimate human freedom.”

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish the Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history,the Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through the Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive)

What to do when you feel alone

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I’ve previously made reference in these posts to the “Jiminy Cricket-esque” quality of the voices within my socnets as your streams, threads and updates intersect with mine. Very oftentimes, a tweet, a Pinterest image or an update will speak to me in a way that has special significance. Call it kismet; call it some sort of angelic or Divine message, The Hive Mind….call it what you will, but I’ve come to rely on the Collective Wisdom that pervades my day-to-day existence as we become increasingly interwoven through our communication platforms.

This week, I had an opportunity to hear from a few folks who had gained something from my digital ramblings into the ether. I think that sometimes, we sit behind our screens and pontificate into the social space, assuming that no one else is there. Yes, there are times when intentional sharing occurs, or active networking, but then, in the case for those who took the time to contact me via two different platforms, something that I said pretty much to myself (ie. thinking aloud through typing) resonated. A bit humbling, truth be told.

Of those who contacted me, the comment about being alone speaks most directly to the entrepreneur’s experience. Launching a business or establishing something that doesn’t already exist in exactly the way we see it requires a certain amount of “alone-ness.” The very nature of seeing what others don’t requires an outsider’s perspective, and for those who are REALLY bleeding edge, the rest of us can be painfully slow in catching up.

You really aren’t alone. Solitude is usually self-imposed. I’m so grateful for good friends & the ability to recognize them.~ MCK

This is the paradox and the nebulous half-world in which we entrepreneurs find ourselves pretty much 95% of the time, isn’t it?. How many of you have said to yourself, “WHY can’t anyone else SEE this?!” How many of you think that you are equal parts egomaniac and the most Patient Person Who Ever Lived? How many of you are grateful and humble for the tribe that surrounds you and keeps you sane?

No man (or woman, for that matter) is an island. Each of us is interconnected with the other. We draw strength, inspiration and energy from each other. In order for us to succeed, we must learn the art of surrounding ourselves with people who nurture, challenge and accept us while at the same time being able to disengage in order to change the status quo/implement our vision.

When I was in the first year of establishing Women With Drive Foundation, there were three people within my Inner Sanctum who would receive texts from me, which read simply, “I’m not crazy, and this will all work out.”

To my eternal relief and gratitude, these people, without fail, would immediately return my text, saying, “You’re not crazy, and this will all work out.”

When you feel alone, pause and really determine WHY you feel alone.

– Do you perceive that you are misunderstood?
– Have you been maintaining contact with people who care about you and want you to succeed?
– Have you been neglecting your health (spiritual, mental, physical)?

Being “alone” is the most cruel illusion because it is one to which we subject ourselves. I can’t recall if it was Kant or The Eagles who said, “…so oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains / And we never even know we have the key…”?

If you feel as though you are misunderstood, reach out to someone you trust and ask him or her to give you honest feedback as to where your message is breaking down. One of the BIGGEST shortcomings of we entrepreneurs is that we fill in the exposition gaps within our own internal vision and forget to clue in the external world.

Keep in touch with people. Take care of your health. Without a healthy Shell, your vision will be more difficult to communicate and sustain. Thank people who provide support. Let them know their part in helping bring your vision to life.

I’m not gonna lie: there ARE going to be stretches toward your goals where it will be just you holding the vision alight. There ARE going to be stretches when you face making payroll, dipping into the emergency savings, or selling your belongings on ebay to buy groceries. At those times, you will feel as though no one else gives two shakes ~ for you, your idea, your vision or your solution that you can bring to the world.

For what it’s worth, I care. Hang tough. Breathe deep. Stretch. Call one of your Crazy Inner Sanctum Friends (you should have at least three). Keep going. The world needs you.

Have you ever felt alone? How did you process it and keep going? What was the result? What did you learn?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation).

My top 5 lessons from Dr. Seuss

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I was born with a congenital heart defect, and so I spent a LOT of time in hospitals until I had, at age four, the final open heart surgery operation (Tetralogy of Fallot) that corrected my malformed “ticker.” With all of this time on my hands, I learned quickly how to lose myself in books, chief among them the work of Theodor Geisel.

As a child, I loved the whimsical sing-songy rhymes that knit his narratives together, but as I got older, I grew to appreciate the greater wisdom tucked into each stanza. Folks who spend a lot of time in the social space will see a couple of his quotes tweeted and retweeted (or quoted in updates, pinned via Pinterest etc.), but some of my favorite snippets of his don’t get a lot of attention by comparison.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”
~ Dr. Seuss

I cited this quote in particular in an earlier post about The Benefits of Being Backwards and for good reason. When I was an art student, there were times when we were instructed to flip a panel upside down and paint/recreate it from the upside down perspective. In addition to flexing different centers of the brain, the results from the upside down copying session were usually more accurate than the right side up ones, because when we see something right side up, we usually filter what we see as “reality” through own lens and interpretations of what we are seeing. When forced to look at something in an unfamiliar frame of reference, we actually see more than that which is present than through what we presume through our filters.

But more to the point of the actual quote, nonsense is vital if we wish to remain open to possibility. By making space for the unplanned and the unorthodox, we allow for unforeseen resolutions of challenges we may be facing. Keep it loose. See what comes of it.

“Being crazy isn’t enough.” ~ Dr. Seuss

This isn’t from a book. But I think it’s important to include, because many times those who see themselves as operating outside the periphery think that it’s simply enough to be Different for Different’s Sake. No. Close, but no.

It’s a start, certainly, because there are insights that can be drawn only from The Outside by the nature of its perspective. If you wish to make a difference, change happens when you ACT on your observations from the periphery. The edge.

Being “crazy” is one thing: effecting change is another. But once you have made the choice to implement your solutions based upon your observations, watch out for the next step…

“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.” ~ Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go

This is the part where you must have faith in yourself, your vision and your ability to withstand the flux of implementation. Once you begin to act, social physics kicks in and your world will begin to alter and shift in response to your actions. In the words of Dare, Dream, Do author Whitney Johnson, you have “disrupted yourself.”

If you can hang in there, you will see that “Things That Start Happening” events will mold you into a stronger, more resilient person. You will become more compassionate. You will become more resourceful. You will expand to become your highest self.

“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” ~ Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

It is during this time that you MUST train yourself to look for opportunities and ask for the ability to recognize them. Ask daily. Keep an open mind. Albert Einstein has said that problems cannot be solved using the same method of thinking that created them (paraphrase). It is in this spirit that you MUST keep your eyes open, because as you are now in uncharted territory, you will not naturally be conversant with what’s possible.

Learn how to tune in to the signals from your intuition, follow up on the opportunities that resonate with you and keep moving forward.

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” ~ Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, Seussian or no. One of the central truths I’ve learned is that all of our power, our talents and our insights are worthless if they are not leveraged to help another actualize and flex his or her own.

As we grow in knowledge and skills, it is incumbent upon ourselves to ask, “are we speaking for those who have no voice?”

Being The Lorax means that you must be secure in yourself, your knowledge and your talents to withstand the onslaught of The Naysayers. It takes courage to stand your ground and speak for those who cannot, for whatever reason, speak for themselves.

The truly powerful understand that it is a privilege and responsibility to defend the weak. Simple as that.

What are your favorite Dr. Seuss quotes? Why? What is it about them that speaks to you?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation).

Why obstacles are necessary

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Persistence is an odd alchemy of hope, determination, resourcefulness and (truth be told, more than a little stubbornness). At its root is a personal vision; an actualization that is only visible to the person who holds it. It is only through dogged effort that this vision is filtered through the individual and manifested externally to the rest of the world.

Sadly, many, many wonderful ideas have never come to fruition because their Conduits lacked the discipline, courage or faith to be persistent enough to bring them to pass. So what is the key to persistence?

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” ~ William Feather

A visual of independence that I hold in my head: a lone hiker at the summit of a great mountain. From this height, she is able to look back at the obstacles she has overcome; the challenges she faced and the solutions she generated in order to circumvent them.

She had many opportunities to rest, and there were some switchbacks taken. Some shortcuts that turned out to be dead ends, but her vision of reaching the mountaintop was the fuel that kept her going when it would have been easier to turn back.

There may have been other climbers along with her that would encourage her to do so, saying, “You’ve come so far! You’ve already achieved so much. You should be proud and happy of doing so well.”

Persistence and belief in her ultimate goal are the keys to her blasting through those well-intentioned thoughts and attaining the summit.

“…But the moment you turn a corner you see another straight stretch ahead and there comes some further challenge to your ambition.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

How many times have we begun a project only to be thwarted a few days, weeks or months into the task? Anyone who has attempted a goal has met with unexpected delays, unforeseen outcomes and misjudged reality.

These obstacles are tools meant to not only test your mettle, but to help you flex your independence muscles. At this stage in the game, your ability to assess and distill the lesson from the obstacle determines your next steps.

  • How creative can you be?
  • *Have* you been going in the wrong direction?
  • How skilled are you at sifting out opportunity from chaos?
  • What lessons will you learn?
  • What will you leave behind as you make your ascent to the mountain top?

“A door opens to me. I go in and am faced with a hundred closed doors.” ~ Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

This quote reminds me of a movie reference from Cinderella. Two intrepid mice, Jaq and Gus, get the key to Cinderella’s room from the step-mother only to face a mind-numbing spiral of stairs to reach the top of the mansion’s turret, where they plan to free Cinderella. It wasn’t going to be easy to continue, but they do. Sometimes, we work so hard toward a goal that when we finally achieve it, we are dismayed to find that it is merely an intermediate goal. Upon “succeeding,” we are faced with yet even more challenges. It can be very easy to feel discouraged at this point.

That is precisely why, at this time, that we must review our ultimate goal, our motivations for achieving it and refresh our vision of what it will mean for us to realize it. We must begin again, refocusing and persevering until we finish what we started. That is the way to independence.

What goals have you overcome to get where you are? How did you do it? Where would you like to go next?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation) or “like” them on facebook.

How your lenses affect your vision

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It would be difficult for us to walk around all of the time in a state of complete awareness. I say that because, at least for me, when I receive an “aha” transmission from the ether, it tends to rock me back a bit. My inner world tilts a bit on its axis and I need to recalibrate my understanding of how my perceptions and realities have shifted, based upon the influx of a new comprehension. I’m not sure that I have the fortitude at present to stroll around with the receptor dial cranked up to eleven. It may fry a circuit or two.

It has been said that when the student is ready then the teacher will appear. That was my week in a nutshell. Wednesday, I had a chance to talk with a mentor and one who has already achieved many of the goals I have set for myself. In retrospect I understand that his role was to prepare me to understand the subsequent teachers I met on Thursday and Friday.

I began to consider perception and lenses in earnest when I heard Eva Timothy speak at the Business Innovation Factory (#BIF9) conference in Rhode Island. Central to her message was the integration of the perspectives, perception and understanding of the world through our individual lenses (perspective). Through her body of work, we were invited to consider objects through both literal lenses and alternative vantage points.

“No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye.” ~ Elizabeth Bowen, The House in Paris, 1935

Our eyes actually lie to us every day. Through some bizarre camera obscura sort of filter, our brain actually flips the incoming images that pass through our eyes and “rights” them as we perceive them. All this aside, if you paid close attention to the aforementioned link, you will have read that the brain can be trained to accept any information fed to it, as long as the information follows a consistent pattern. Pretty wild, eh?

“Be careful how you interpret the world: It is like that.” ~ Erich Heller

This explains why negative people perceive the world as hopeless, thieves distrust others and positive people assume the best in their fellow human beings. In order to change your world, you must first change your perspective. It sounds implausible, but it is true, nonetheless.

It is not easy to overcome negative programming. If you were raised with negative emotions from your friends and family, quieting those voices will take time and consistency. However, it can be done.

Sometimes, our lenses are set by adverse circumstances, but we can always choose to change them to something else. As an exercise, just for one day, pay attention to the times you say something negative to yourself (ie. “That was stupid;” “I’ll never figure this out;” “Nobody listens to me.”). Once you are aware of this negative thought, replace it with its opposite (ie. “I am smart enough to find another way;” “I just learned another method that didn’t work;” “I have something valuable to say”).

Notice positive things about yourself:

  • When you do something right.
  • Learn to say a simple and sincere “thank you” when given a compliment
  • Genuinely smile as often as possible

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” ~ Ana¯s Nin

Take the time to see who you’ve chosen as friends. We project ourselves onto our friends and choose those who mirror our perceptions of ourselves. Also notice those in your life you may consider to be enemies or people who annoy you. Chances are good that they possess a trait of your own that you don’t like about yourself. These people/models present opportunities for you to develop your own character.

With practice, you will get more attuned to your shifts and will actually be able to sense when you are changing. Your “aha moments” will become more apparent, and you will be able to transition between life phases more easily. You will also be able to identify crossroads opportunities and times when you are consciously aware of “settling” or choosing to grow.

Just remember to turn your amp back down to seven once in awhile. You don’t want to blow a speaker.

Have you had any “aha moments?” How did they change your life? Were there teachers who influenced your path? How have your lenses affected your life’s journey?

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Molly Cantrell-Kraig is a woman with drive. Possessing an innate sense of purpose and a pragmatic, solution-based approach to empowering people, she fused these two traits in order to establish Women With Drive Foundation. Based upon its founder’s personal history, Women With Drive Foundation is a means through which Cantrell-Kraig may effect change on both a micro and macro level. By providing women with something as essential as personal transportation in order to transition them from poverty to prosperity, she, through Women With Drive Foundation, seeks to empower women to help them help themselves. Through this action, the individual applicant benefits, as does society as a whole. Follow Molly on twitter as @mckra1g or @WWDr1ve (Women With Drive Foundation) or “Like” them on facebook.