The Grass is Always Greener on Your Billboard?

More and more companies are looking for ways to get the jump on the "green" bandwagon hoping to tap into this fast-growing market. However, corporate America still struggles with how to organically incorporate "going green" into their business models. Rather than offering a green product merely to profit, why aren't more companies making a larger impact by becoming a green brand? One reason is that impacting the market by actually becoming green is a tough road to travel.

One socially conscious advertising agency is blazing a green trail. Being 'green' is a passion for Maikel van de Mortel and Bjorgvin Saevarsson, founders of Element Six Media http://www.elementsixmedia.com. According to van de Mortel and Saevarsson, Element Six Media "gives more to the environment than it takes out of it by providing a green alternative to traditional advertising and branding communications through the use of sustainable earth resources. Reshaping earth's resources like snow, sand, flora and water, we create a unique and engaging experience for our clients' audience."

They live their brand and have created a Company that reflects their mission in every aspect of its operations. Their first obstacle to becoming a fully green company was with their accountant, who resisted the idea of going completely paperless. "It was a long hard battle, one that we compare to the Civil War because it is a civil change. She finally gave in. If you must bill us; send it to us in an email!" Bjorgvin laughs. Another 'green' choice' is not to maintain offices. When I called them in Minneapolis, they were in a downtown coffee shop, working remotely, using smart phones and I Pads.

Every day, Maikel and Bjorgvin work to lessen their carbon footprint in the name of their brand, while offering opportunities for their clients to do the same. Element Six donates to a green charity on behalf of their clients' brands. Bjorgvin explains, "They see a Return on Investment (ROI) while simultaneously contributing to a charity and the community ... there's no waste in the environment. It's a triple ROI that doesn't cost them a dollar more."

Taking gorilla marketing to a new level, they designed a thirty-five foot tall by thirty foot wide snow mural for Green Giant in downtown Philadelphia. The ad was sensational. Yes, it eventually melted, but not before thousands of people had posted pictures of themselves in front of the mural on their Facebook profiles while others tweeted and re-tweeted about the mural. "When people are touching and feeling advertising, you know they are identifying with the brand!" Bjorgvin says.

"There are so many great inventions designed and produced by innovative companies. However, when you look at their advertising and marketing programs, you can see that they're wasteful and not very green". Maikel continues, "Ironically marketers are the first ones to point out the benefits their brands and companies offer, but not enough of these companies do it through ways and means that are green."

The vinyl used for billboards is "wasteful,...it's bad for the environment, it can't be recycled, yet these billboards promote how green these companies are". Biorgvin explains. Element Six's alternative is a living billboard made of grass that will make a greater impression on the consumer and have a healthier impact on our planet.



"Each and every step you take...makes a difference." Bjorgvin explains. There are so many ways that companies can make a positive impact on our environment. Telecommuting for one; employees are looking for work-life balance and many would take lower salaries to work remotely one or more days a week. In Los Angeles, people frequently spend upwards of two hours commuting to and from work. Adopting these new models decrease the Company's carbon footprint and their spending.

"As communities and people we need to evolve. If we don't, we'll have a big problem in this beautiful country of ours. People need to get used to change and evolution. This is what keeps us excited and alive although it's not the easiest way to go, that's for sure." says Maikel.

Maikel and Bjorgvin are sure that people believe in Element Six's sustainable campaigns and obviously, they believe they are doing the right thing: healing the planet and educating Corporate America at the same time.

Changing the perspective of an entire industry can be tiring and when asked what keeps them going on those tough days, they say, "Passion! Passion in general about what we are doing. Even on tough days, I keep going back to the dream we had when we started and it stands for all things positive vs. anything negative", says Bjorgvin.

These two pioneers believe they are on the right track. This belief coupled with their fire and passion are blazing a trail for corporate America. Stay tuned for a green billboard in your town very soon!!!

Our Mothers, Our Leaders

Happy Mothers Day!

Today, I celebrate my Mother, Barbara Rothstein. She is a leader in my life. She has always been a seeker: seeking truth, seeking to know herself and seeking to know others. Like a beacon of light, she has often illuminated my way just by listening with an open heart.

I think we could all learn a lot about leadership by looking towards our Mothers, who many times, lead by example. Like Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see." Inspired by my Mother, I have chosen to be a leader in my own life. We can all make the choice to step into a leadership role no matter what our “titles” may be at work.

Leadership is a quality we bring to every activity in our lives. Whether we are leaders in our businesses, communities, families or other areas of our lives, leadership is a quality of integrity we step into. When we consciously take this step, we create change.

Our world is changing, literally shifting and moving with strange weather patterns, earthquakes and tsunamis. If we listen, we can all hear the call to step up and support others. Leaders answer the call.

Business is changing as well. More and more people look towards leaders to guide them on their own path of leadership.

In these amazing times, people are drawn to those who lead with their hearts. What does this mean? It means: leaders must be real, authentic, and good listeners. Listen to yourself and let your heart be your guide. Listen to those around you and let your heart be your guide. Let your heart be your guide as you step into a leadership role in your own life.

Be Congruent. With every communication, every relationship be true to yourself. Don’t hide parts of yourself. Instead, tell your truth. More and more, people are being drawn in from a more heart centered and connected space, whether they feel the change happening or not. Choose to make a committed decision and move forward. Tony Robbins knows “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.” Leadership doesn’t come from forcing yourself into a role; it comes from connecting to your own voice.

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on.” Walter Lippman

Listen In. Listen to that little voice inside. Call it intuition, spirit, guidance, source, or just a hunch, but listen to it. It may seem that it's taking you far away from where you want to be, but trust that voice. You may have to stand alone for a while, but be patient. It may be a little scary at first, but soon you will find support and be joined by others.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Harold R. McAlindon

In order to motivate others you have to motivate yourself! You have to continuously connect to your passion and breathe that into your daily activities. You will inspire others with your energy, enthusiasm and motivation. Continue learning about yourself, continue refining your message as you build and reach out to your market. Leadership is a fluid process.

Be Compassionate. As you move in the world and your success rate increases your critics multiply and become louder. You have tapped a nerve, touched their fears and insecurities. Have compassion for them and come to peace with the fact that you may have a camp of people who are critical of your actions and your beliefs.

Practice compassion. Develop your skills. Continually connect inside with your truth and share that with the world. Focus on your appreciation and those who appreciate you, this will help you combat your critics and eventually, you might not even notice they are there.

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

When we live our lives grounded in compassion, vision, faith and reach out with an open heart, we are leaders in our own lives! Thanks Mom.

Leadership Summit Balances Head and Heart for Success

Attending the 2-day Leadership Success Summit in Ontario, CA at the end of January left me and everyone I met energized and exhilarated; ready to implement everything we learned immediately! To ensure our success, we were given the tools we needed to implement all we had learned. Lisa Marie Platske, CEO of Upside Thinking, created this business conference with that intention in mind. Not only did she actively balance head and heart, she appealed to different personality learning styles while teaching us all how to incorporate and implement important basic business tools immediately.

Lisa Marie and I spoke at length about how important it is to find a personal balance between head and heart in growing a successful business. We are not just heads running around creating deals and building business, we are flesh and bone and feelings. If we are to include our personal happiness in our definition of success we have to tap into our passion - our heart. Lisa Marie "wanted to offer a business event, help businesses get the help they need, but not have them burn out with too much information".

The structure of the conference was based on Lisa Marie's Seven Pillars of Success: planning, personality, partnerships, priorities, presence, progress and personal and professional development. Each pillar was explained in detail by one of the speakers or by a panel and then the audience could ask questions and get immediate coaching. In addition, Lisa Marie took time to ensure audience members left with the proper tools they needed to implement these pillars immediately.

People learn differently.

There are four primary learning styles: visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic (more touch and feel centered). People learn using a variety of these methods, but one is usually predominant. Lisa Marie addressed all learning types in her conference. She even had a basket of small toys and balls to choose from for kinesthetic learners.

Each of the speakers were chosen with this in mind. She invited Faith Rivera, an Emmy award-winning singer/songwriter to sit on a planning and strategy panel and share her songs with the audience. Faith was able to offer her unique perspective on strategic planning. Later she lead us in song; she energized and inspired us all as we found ourselves up on our feet, singing and dancing. The tag line on Faith's website is "change your music, change your life". Her music added heart to Lisa Marie's conference.




In between learning segments, Lisa Malik got us all on our feet again, moving and smiling while she shared more great tools from her Maxitize Method. Not only did we learn, we learned how to retain what we learned! "Lisa Malik has a wonderful way of engaging and energizing audiences with her Maxitize Warm-Up method....She received rave reviews from the attendees and presenters alike!" , says Lisa Marie.

And for those who like Ice Cream, (who doesn't?) Smita Vasant, founder of Neemo's Exotic Ice Creams and Saffron Spot, provided us all with her signature flavor of exotic ice cream, Saffron Silk. Smita was also a presenter on the strategy and planning panel. She is a true 'foodie' and she inspired us by sharing how she turned her passion for food and spices into profits.

Each of these successful women business owners is passionate about her business. In fact, these women based their businesses on their passion. Each implemented the best business strategies that were in alignment with their personal beliefs. Although they each run very different companies, what they have in common is passion and a balance between head and heart. This particular combination has brought them to their current levels of success (and they are all growing). They are passionate about their businesses and have made the conscious decision to stay in alignment with their core missions.

Many of the attendees were 2nd and 3rd time participants at this conference and have already marked their calendars for next year's conference. In 2010, Jenee Dana of Focus Planning "Mapped out a detailed plan for the year that has created a powerful and profitable foundation for years to come!" This year she participated as a vendor and paid close attention so she could continue to build on the strong foundation she has already created.

This conference stands out among others I have been to because of its balanced approach to business, learning and action. The journey to success is personal one. Finding a strategy to build on your passions while incorporating proper structures and foundation is a clear path to create a thriving business that will add to your personal happiness.

The good news: you don't have to do it alone. It is possible to lead with your heart and build a successful business and find the support you need to succeed!

WHAT To Implement or Not to Implement---THAT is the Question!

I have always known that implementation is a huge factor in business success.

Whether it is implementing a new tool that I have learned at a conference, or buying software that supports my accounting process, I have to actually take action and implement that new tool for it to work. This could make or break a business. Not the software per say, but the implementation process! This is where I see many of my clients get stuck: at implementation. Rather than move forward they hit a wall and don’t implement anything at all!

Unfortunately, finding particular tools, processes, procedures and actions to move your business forward is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. I came to this thought today while I was in the gym working out. My workout was a dynamic mix of kicking the hanging boxing bag, walking lunges, various weightlifting exercises, balance, squats, and jumping rope. I added in a few other exercises, some I had learned many years ago, old favorites and others, were brand new that I have recently seen or been taught.

I designed my workout to suit me and my body! I created a plan consisting of different exercises and then implemented them! I did each exercise in a particular order to get the results I wanted. My goals were to create a work out that would get my heart rate up, build strength and endurance and move me toward my larger goal of overall health. I combined the new exercises I learned from my trainer Megan Butacan and exercises that are tried and true favorites to get the results I wanted. I did it my way!

The same goes for business; implementation is key! However, you have to implement what works for you and your business model. Some people run marathons, some people do yoga and some people do both. Running a successful business means discovering the strategies and models that work well for you. Not only do we have to find what we enjoy doing and combine that with the proper tools that will move us forward; I believe we should enjoy the journey as well!

Running a thriving business is about trying different strategies, tools, processes, procedures, marketing and sales strategies (I could go on forever) and then putting into practice what works for you. Are you asking yourself this question: “How long does it take to know what works?” Here is an answer that you may or may not like, but it is the truth: “It depends.”

Here are some things to think about that will help you to determine your own personal business strategies:

What product or service you offer? You have to know your client and your marketplace in order to really understand what strategies you need to implement. This takes research and part of your research will be in the form of research and trial and error. This also determines your sales cycle and that will affect the amount of time you need to see which tools work best.

What is your business model? Are you a coach? Do you manufacture a product? Do you have a restaurant? Each of these businesses will need a different approach. You will need to narrow down your choices and try things out to see what works for you.

What are your goals? How intricate or expansive are your goals. This will make a huge impact on the tools and strategies you choose to implement.

My point is that building a business is a process and a journey to be enjoyed. It is a combination of strategies, actions and energy that you pull from different sources and you put them together to create your own design for success. HAVE FUN on your journey. If you aren’t having fun, what’s the point? Don’t you want to love what you do every day? Isn’t that one of the reasons you chose the path you chose?

Define your idea of success and don’t forget to include happiness and joy in your definition. Implement the tools that work for you. You can easily accomplish this with the proper support, structure, and balanced energy! Keep implementing and moving forward and you will ‘arrive’ at your personal definition of success.

For more information on how I can support you visit www.essentialselling.com

Make Your Way the Highway to Success!

Building a successful business in these ever-changing times might be more of an innovative process than it used to be a few short years ago.

Following established business models; once the standard for building new businesses, is not always the best course of action. Today, it may take more creativity, drive, passion and endurance to build a highly profitable company than ever before. The door has swung wide open and building your business while staying true to your core beliefs can be your highway to success.

I just finished reading Tony Hsieh's book Delivering Happiness -- A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose. Tony is the CEO of Zappos.com. He helped grow the Company from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. Change is one of the core values of Zappos: "Embrace and Drive Change."

Tony put all his eggs into the Zappos basket while remaining true to his core beliefs. Instead of launching a huge advertising and marketing campaign; he invested all his money and time in three areas: customer service, the 'culture' of the company, and employee training and development. He literally built the Zappos brand by offering a "WOW experience."

"To live and deliver 'WOW'" was the Zappos mission. Tony's belief is that "WOW" means you have to be innovative and sometimes even unconventional. Go above and beyond what's expected. In 2009 Tony expanded the Zappos mission: "Zappos is about delivering happiness to the world." "Whatever you do, have an emotional impact on the receiver."

He knows his thinking is way outside the box. "There's a lot of buzz these days about 'social media' and 'integration marketing,'" he says in Delivering Happiness. "As unsexy and low-tech as it may sound, our belief is that the telephone is one of the best branding devices out there. You have the customer's undivided attention for five to ten minutes, and if you get the interaction right, what we've found is that the customer remembers the experience for a very long time and tells his or her friends about it".

Friendship will always lead you to something good. Tony says, "The more diverse your set of friends, the more likely you'll derive both personal and business benefits from friendships down the road". And what better way to connect with people than by being yourself and having one-on-one conversations with real people?

Reach beyond your 140 character status updates on Twitter and Facebook and pick up the phone. Make real connections with an open mind and with no agenda. You never know where or how you'll be led to an opportunity. I reached out to one of my Facebook friends, had a chat, met for coffee, and she led me here: to writing my blog on The Huffington Post.

Bart Greenhut and his wife, the founders of Bart's Bakery in Los Angeles, like Tony, are passionate about their mission and product: chocolate chip cookies. They are another example of a successful business built on a foundation of passion and integrity. According to Bart, "This venture is not about money--if a great cookie makes you smile, then in my small way, I've made the world a better place!" You don't hear that every day.

Their core belief is, "We strictly limit distribution & focus only on our quality & customers (you)... our mission is simple: to preserve a place in the world for untainted ideals, uncompromised quality, and the propagation of happiness."

Read the not so fine print on each of their cookie boxes : "Note: You will never see these cookies in any store that charges 'slotting' ... We believe that slotting fees cause the demise of many great products. We support only quality stores that respect the American virtue of fair competition!"

When a giant consumer products company offered to acquire Bart's Bakery, the Greenhuts walked away from the deal because it would have meant compromising the integrity of their product. The corporation told Bart that they would eventually put him out of business. Bart's Bakery embraced change, got creative and started private labeling.

Through their "Cookie Donation Program," Bart's Bakery sent cookies to Second Harvest Food Bank, for volunteers in the Louisiana Gulf Coast clean up. Their goal was to "help people smile during difficult times." A lot of hard working people enjoyed those delicious cookies. The unexpected bonus for Bart's was a Christmas order for 4000 boxes.

The Greenhuts and Tony Hsieh not only embrace change, they drive change. They lead by example, proof that you can build a successful company, large or small, grounded by your beliefs, your passions, and your integrity.

These are great times to make your way the highway to success!

How Are You Running?—Essential Thoughts For 2011

I went for a run this morning.

Today is one of those perfect-after-a-rain-clear-blue-sky days in Los Angeles. The ocean is blue blue blue and the wind strong. The visibility was amazing. The Santa Monica Mountains, the Ventura Mountains beyond them and my dreams were all right before my eyes.

I ran along the beach and made a left to run up my favorite hill. Today I went further than I normally go and I zigzagged the neighborhoods that overlooked the Pacific. I pushed, but I felt great and so it was easy to go beyond my normal limits. I kept running up, knowing, I would come down eventually and so could re-energize myself if I needed to on the downhill portion of my run. I didn’t worry about getting tired. If I got tired I knew I could keep going and focus on my goal of living healthy and living a vibrant life. That would push me forward!

When I started my run, I had the wind at my back and so I didn’t notice how strong the wind actually was. On my way back, my run got a lot harder!

This reminded me of what happens when we first get an idea…

When we first have an idea, the spark that flows into us, excites us. We are running with the wind at our backs because we are so excited about our new idea and all the possibilities. Everything seems easy and fun. That spark that ignites something deep within and we feel that fire in our belly!

I want to take action fast! I start writing so I can turn my idea into a vision. I list the possibilities, what my idea can become and what it will look like when it materializes into something real.

Sometimes the initial excitement and pure adrenaline we feel when we start on something life changing can lessen. Like a fire, you have to keep feeding it, but you have to give it space to breathe and become bigger. You just can’t keep piling logs onto it, if you do, it will most likely go out.

It is like running into the wind. It is challenging, but we can do it. We become overwhelmed with all that we need to do in order to create our dreams. We come up against an obstacle and we are running into the wind. We have three options: give up, keep going into the wind or change course.

Today, I kept going. I dug deep to remember my primary goal to be healthy and live a vibrant life. My secondary goal, my run, supported my primary goal. I kept running into the wind. That was my solution. I kept going with my goal, literally in sight. I didn’t have far to go though. I was able to focus on the beauty around me and move toward my goal step by step.

When we have a much longer run in front of us—a big dream—we don’t want the whole run to be into the wind. But, when the wind shifts we need to keep going. Simply change course. Make a shift that supports your final vision so that it isn’t a fight against the wind your whole journey.

In life and in business, we want the wind at our backs as much as possible. If everything is a struggle, look inside. Ask yourself some simple questions. What are you fighting against? What might you do differently? What adjustments can you make that will bring you the support you need?

When we lead with our hearts and believe in our dreams more than not we will be running toward them with the wind at our backs. We are meant to run this way, to be supported and joyful.

We may come across an obstacle or two, a naysayer, someone that doesn’t see your vision. Alter your course and keep the end destination—your dream--in sight. Move past an obstacle using creativity and strategic action; don’t listen to a naysayer, a non believer, YOU believe in yourself no matter what; if someone doesn’t see your vision, don’t force the issue, move on, the right people will see your vision!

As you move into 2011 I wish for you a fun run toward your vision with the wind at your back. May you feel and be supported each and every step of your run towards your dreams!

Happy New Year!

Taking Failure Off the Table--Really!

My father helped me get a summer job on a movie my first year in college.

I was excited to be working on a major motion picture and a little nervous. I wanted to be a success, not a failure! My Dad gave me some great advice. He said, "No matter what anyone asks you to do, just say yes, even if you don't know how to do something, say yes. Then go and learn what you need to learn to finish the job". I took this advice to heart.

On that movie set I learned what it meant to be solution-driven. I learned how to be creative and resourceful by focusing on solutions. On movie sets, there is only yes for an answer, it is all about finding a solution. Failure isn't even an option! Now, if I find myself presented with a challenging situation, I don't get discouraged or feel defeated. As long as I'm working toward my dream, I'm OK.

Most successful people know on some level that they're going to achieve their dreams. No matter how out of reach their dreams might seem, they take steps each day to move forward. If things don't go exactly as planned they still keep moving forward. Adapting this mindset will allow you to succeed in big ways. Failure is never the option; the only option is finding a workable solution.

That is what Allison Maslan, CEO of Blastoff Life and Business Coaching, did when she had an idea for coaching software: Blastation Interactive Goal Setting and Life Coaching Software. Allison wanted to create an online software experience for her clients. Rather than buy someone else's software, she developed her own. Although she didn't know the first thing about software development, she didn't let that stop her. Allison takes failure off the table. It is never one of her options, period.

Allison developed Blastation when she was unable to find adequate goal setting software to use with her coaching clients. "It's a lively software that helps keep you organized, optimistic and inspired so you can stay on track to make your dream life a reality".

This unique web-based software can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection. "Blastation will help you to clarify and attain your large and small life dreams and visions in an exciting and stimulating way". The software enables users to break their goals down into easy-to-follow incremental steps, called 'Mini Feats', that allow bigger projects to be more easily achieved.

These steps are then posted on your personalized online Blastation Calendar to keep your personal and professional life organized. Allison thought of everything: Blastation can even send e-mails and host your online address book.

"If you are creating something new and you have a fear of failure, you can take a different approach. Whatever happens, whatever wall I hit, I just have to figure out a solution and then I can never fail, I just find a solution". Allison's right, when you shift your focus to finding a solution, you rewire your brain.

According to David Rock in his book Your Brain at Work, "unmet expectations often create a threat response" and the "brain is built to avoid threat, people tend to work hard to reinterpret events to meet their expectations". In other words, if we tell our brain something, it listens.

Look for solutions and adjust your expectations. David Rock recommends the following: "stay in a positive state of mind, find ways to keep coming out ahead of your expectations over and again, even in small ways". And maybe most importantly, "when a positive expectation is not being met, practice reappraising the situation".

Direct your brain's energy into finding solutions. Focus on learning new tools to support your goals. Explore new ideas and new ways of doing things. Allison's solution was simple: she reached out to an expert software designer.

Allison had an idea. She didn't know how to develop software, but she knew what she wanted and focused on that. She found a solution and her dream materialized in a big way: her software is used internationally! First say "yes" to yourself and your dreams, then take the necessary steps to achieve them. Allison's motto is, "keep your head pointing towards your dream, walk towards it daily and don't let anyone tell you it can't be done"!

With this kind of solution-driven attitude anything is possible.

As seen in The Huffington Post

Passion in Business: Moving Out of Your Head, Into Your Heart

When I left recruiting in 2008, I made a conscious effort to change the face of my business.

I spent thirteen years operating my executive search business from my “to do” list. There wasn’t enough room for inspiration, passion and heart. Wake up, go to the gym, get to the office, get on the phone, find the candidates, schedule the interview, prep the candidate, negotiate the salary, and close the deal. Do it again and again and again. Where is the passion in that?

My business was too much head and too little heart. Of course I had a heart and felt it when I couldn’t help a candidate, or they didn’t get the job they wanted. But my day to day was all form and structure. This leaked out into my personal life too, I needed structure there too and quite frankly didn’t know how to stop, slow down and relax. I wasn’t happy every day!

When I started my sales consulting business in 2008 I ran it the same way I ran my recruiting business: more form structure than true creativity. I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I had imagined somehow I would be happier. I thought I was following my heart.

I was following my heart, not leading with my heart.

I would work so hard that I would burn out and on those “burn out” days, out of sheer exhaustion I was forced to relax. I would leave the office and not think about where my next client was coming from. On these days, I was able to reconnect to my core mission. I began to be aware of the contribution I was meant to be making. Something amazing started happening. On these “burn out” days, I would literally attract my best clients. I noticed a pattern. The harder I pushed with my head, the more my clients went running for the hills. The more I focused on what I could do for others, the contribution I could make, the more clients would seek me out.


It was time to reconnect to my passion and my purpose. I needed to map out a new strategy for myself. I had to figure out what I wanted from my business, where I wanted to be and why. I didn’t want to forget the reasons I left recruiting and the contribution I wanted to make. I tapped into my passion and realized that I wasn’t moving toward my core mission, because I didn’t know what it was. I was still in my old corporate mindset and I wasn’t running my business, it was running me.

We hear it over and over, successful entrepreneurs follow their passion. They know what they want to do and why they want to do it. Every action they take is fueled by that drive, that fire in their belly, their reason for doing what they do.

Recently on Facebook, a video of Kevin Spacey from “Inside the Actor’s Studio” went viral. Its title: “Kevin Spacey—Motivational Speech”. He says, “The only prize is this one: what you feel and what you want to accomplish…to want and to be ambitious and to want to be successful is not enough; that is just desire…To know what you want and to understand why you are doing it…if you feel you have something to give…worth caring for, then there is nothing you can’t achieve”.

Kevin Spacey is absolutely right!

Now when I plan my day or my week or even my month, I plan from my heart. I make sure that everything I am doing lines up with my core mission, my beliefs about who I am and how I want to contribute to the world.

For me it was taking a leap of faith. It was about rewiring how I think, how I react and how I run my business. I still have structure, I always will and it is important for a thriving business to have some structure. I know what I want and mostly how I am going to get there, but I am not so inflexible as to close myself off from opportunity.

My strategic plan is all about heart and is based on my core mission. More than ever, my heart leads and my head follows. Opportunities appear to land in my lap with more ease and clients reach out to me more than ever. I am not saying to stop marketing, stop selling, stop accounting and operations. I am just suggesting you lead from a different place. See what changes for you when you are fully connected and operate from this place of remembering your passion and your purpose.

You know what I’ve discovered? I’m happy every day!

You can be happy every day too! I can help!!! www.essentialselling.com

10 Sales Tips That Can Help You Sell More---NOW!

We all sell.

We sell every day! Even when we aren’t “selling” our products or services, we sell. We spend time at networking events, on the phone, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn building our network, our businesses and our brand.

It is never too late to improve your selling skills.

I wanted to offer some tips that you can implement immediately so that as you reach out at all the upcoming holiday networking events and parties, you can be even more successful than you already are!

Have a Sales Strategy
Like anything being built, a business needs a blueprint too! Your sales strategy is your blueprint for your selling success. It is the map you follow that guides you to your final destination: SUCCESS! It will ensure that you are focused and moving forward to achieve your goals.

Know Your Target Market
During your Sales Strategy Session you will define your ideal customer or your target market. If you don’t know what kind of plants you want to grow in your garden, you don’t know what kind of seeds to plant. First learn what you want in an ideal client; then do the research to determine what your ideal client wants from you! You can’t sell anything without understanding the person, group, or company you are selling to.

Schedule Time to Sell
Once you put your sales strategy together; then break it out into action steps to move you forward. Make a daily, weekly and even a monthly plan. Work your plan! When you work your plan you will reach your goals. Even if you only set aside one hour a day to make calls, set appointments and follow up, you will see some results. Consistency will move you forward and closer to your goals!

STOP TALKING
Yes, you have heard this many times before AND it bears repeating: “Don’t talk so much!” LISTEN. Really listen to your prospect as he/she speaks. (Take notes if you can). You will hear important clues that will guide you toward your sale. Selling isn’t telling your story, it is listening to theirs. Let them do most of the talking and you most of the listening!

Be Curious and HEAL THEIR PAIN
Selling isn’t pushing, it is a gentle pulling…pulling a thread of discovery. Be curious and ask questions to discover how you can work together and what your customer might need. You can’t solve their problem without knowing what it is. So ask questions that will get you the answers that uncover their pain and then you can heal it! That’s selling!

The Money shouldn’t be the Goal
At the end of your life, you won't care about being rich (you can’t take it with you), but you will want to be known as the best in your field. Make that the goal and the money will follow.

Attitude Attitude Attitude
It should be a good one! Don’t take the “NO” personally. Starbucks may be right across the street from Coffee Bean and they are both crowded. It is a “taste bud” thing. When someone says NO, we can ask why and learn, we can say “thank you” and ask for a referral, or just move on. Don’t worry your ideal client is there. He or she might just be across the street at the Starbucks, so continue on with a smile.

Relationship Relationship Relationship
I buy from people I like. Don’t you? So do your customers. People buy on emotion and back it up with intelligence. So you want to connect with your customer and be yourself. You are building a relationship. This might take one call or two or seven or more, but keep at it and your prospect will appreciate your efforts!

Show Value
Selling is a process and closing is part of the process. In this process you MUST show VALUE to your prospect. When you do finally quote a cost, remember to reiterate all the value your customer will get for their hard earned money. When you show value you are more likely to hear “yes”. You aren’t “closing” someone you are offering value and filling their need.

Have Fun
Remember that you have a core mission and part of this is sharing your knowledge, your value, your product and your service. So have fun! No matter what, this should all be fun and it can be! Selling is nothing more than learning about another person, being interested, curious, open, and honest and making someone’s day with a smile. So have fun and sell lots!

I hope that this has been helpful! If you need more, or have specific questions I am here to help and look forward to our collaboration!

Visit my website for more on how I can help you: www.essentialselling.com

Are You Thinking Big…Enough?

A few weeks ago I decided to really start saying “yes” to myself and with that I started stepping way outside of my comfort zone.

This led me to some really unique and exciting opportunities as well as another great question, “Am I thinking big enough?”

Before I could answer that loaded question, I felt a shift. You know, “shift happens” and sometimes it happens without a lot of effort. Things can change in your life just by asking yourself different types of questions.

All I did was ask this question and it somehow changed the way I think in general. My brain took over and answered the question quickly. You know what; the answer was “No”! Just by asking the question I had to rethink what I was doing in my business (and in turn my life). I had turned on the light in a dark room and unless I closed my eyes, I had to see what is in front of me. That was the truth of the answer “No”.

Instead of beat myself up for not dreaming as big as I could dream, I looked toward living an even bigger life. What I saw in front of me was a path opening up. Ideas began to flood my mind and I realized that there is so much more I can be doing! I took pen to paper and started writing at once.

I created a vision for my life that was so big; it almost seemed like a fairy tale. I kept writing. I turned off my very strong editing mechanism and wrote and wrote and wrote until my hand got tired.

I immediately started asking myself bigger questions. Like what can I do differently right now that will help me to think big? What can I offer my clients that is bigger than what I offer them now? Maybe people need more support, not just a five week course about how to sell, but maybe they need a 6 month program that offers them ongoing support, education, training, and fun! Maybe they need support in areas like their core mission, their value proposition, their strategy and how this will tie into their bigger picture and change their lives, as I am doing with mine!

Are You Asking Yourself Big Enough Questions?

If you want to learn how to think big, ask yourself big questions. Ask yourself questions that tap into your imagination and your dream life. Ask yourself the questions that might seem completely out of line or like a fantasy. Questions like, “What if I were interviewed by Oprah”? This may seem like a pipe dream as you ask yourself, but ask it anyway. Maybe just by asking yourself a question like this you plant a seed. You may never be interviewed by Oprah, but you just might end up on The Today Show. Do you have a favorite conference you attend every year? What if next year you were up on stage with the speakers that you admire rather than being an attendee? Who knows what a question like that could change for your business and in turn your life.

Your brain will naturally look to answer the big questions just as easily as it does the small questions, so why not focus on the big ones? Instead of worrying about why there is a traffic jam on your way to a meeting, let your brain answer something like, “How can this meeting be beneficial for all involved?” Let your brain be creative about how to really get the most out of a meeting or a conference or a networking event. You need to be able to focus on things that will make you expand your perspective and your life.

You know what else will most likely happen, the opportunities will show up as well. At least that is what has been happening for me. The bigger I think; the more actions I take and the more opportunities are presented to me. I also find I say “yes” a lot more to myself and those around me!

Commit to yourself now! Commit to living a big life and ask yourself some different questions. Commit to letting yourself feel a little bit uncomfortable for a few minutes. Just breathe through that bit of discomfort and remember that you are committed to expanding your comfort zone. So think big enough, or even bigger. See what unfolds when you start asking yourself the BIG questions. I bet the opportunities will come flooding in as quickly as the ideas!

The bigger our dreams the bigger the questions we ask ourselves and the bigger our lives.

Have fun being as big as you can be! I would love to hear your experiences, so please email me to share: Carolyn@essentialselling.com or visit my FB page to share your experiences. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/essential.selling

Strategic Vision Shift—Do You Need One?

After a mind blowing 3 hour strategy session with my client, she turned to me and said, “You are so much more than a sales trainer”.

I am a sales trainer, I explained, but without a strategy based on your core mission you don’t know what to sell, who to sell it to and how to sell it. You can’t sell without a strategy. I move my clients through a process so they are able to create, find, understand, uncover or retool their core mission and then put a strategy in place that supports their mission.

In our session we were able to excavate and uncover my client’s true gifts. She has many, so we worked together to decide which gifts she wanted to share with the world and why. Most of us are gifted and have a lot of talents. We need to dig deep to find out what we want to share with the world and how. This is what I do with my clients, excavation. I am a Business Archeologist; I help you to unearth your gifts, find the gems, dust them off and let them reflect brightly in the light.

I am a Business Captain, helping my clients navigate the stormy seas of growing a business. Without charts, GPS or a compass the business ocean is a pretty scary place to be. It is hard to cut through the fog and waves without charting a course and having a strong seaworthy boat. Understanding your core mission is the first step to charting your course. From there you can determine what you want to do, how you want to do it and who you want to do it with and for.

Quite often, our true mission is hidden under busy-ness. We keep busy for many reasons. One may be because we think we should be busy. It makes us feel good to check off to-do’s from our list. We feel like we are getting somewhere, when really we are bobbing in the middle of the ocean in irons, with our sails luffing; there isn’t a stitch of wind to move us forward. This is a great prescription for seasickness.

Being busy can be a good thing, if it is really about getting down to business.

I work with my clients to ensure that each task they complete will move them forward toward their goals. It is easy to get lost in phone calls, emails, and tasks that don’t move us forward. Whether we delegate, or just focus on what is important first we have to make a plan and then work it so we can move on to our success. Your strategy is what you base your plan on.

I help my clients deconstruct what they are doing now. Then we renovate, creating a strong foundation for them to build upon. Each step is a brick that they use to build a strong building that will protect them from the harsh elements of the business world. I mean business and I mean to help you build a strong and prosperous one! A business that will sustain you into the future!

You could call me a General Contractor of Business (although a friend of mine already uses that catchphrase, but you get my point).

You need a strategy, a strategic plan. You may have an idea of what you want; you may have an idea of your core mission; you may even know what your core mission is, but if you don’t have a working strategy that lines up with your core mission, you aren’t navigating your course, you are just flying blind.

The bottom line is this: know your vision, know your why, know your mission and build a plan around that and then move forward with focused steps. If you don’t know why you’re selling, what you are selling, who you are selling to, how will you know how to sell it?

So, yes, I am a sales strategist, a sales consultant, a sales trainer and a sales coach. I start at the beginning with my clients. I don’t jump to the doing before uncovering all the knowledge, gifts, talents, reasons, and so much more of my clients’ vision. I ensure they have a map, direction, guidance, tools and support so they will become successful beyond their dreams. That is my goal.

You may know your core mission and you are currently working a plan based on that. Great! You are perfectly positioned for success! If not, that is okay; you just might need a strategic vision shift to bring you back on course.

For more information or if you have any questions, please reach out to me. carolyn@essentialselling.com

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone Means Working Smarter Not Harder

I like when things are neat and tidy and organized.

This makes me feel at ease, comfortable and safe. This is when I am in my “Comfort Zone”: a behavioral state wherein a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.

Recently, I realized that living in my comfort zone wasn’t really living. When I live in my comfort zone, my life isn’t as vibrant and my business is something I have to do rather than want to do. I wanted to just follow creative ideas as they came to me to see where they would lead me. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to live in my truth. So, I started saying YES.

I started taking some risks committing to living in a place that is exciting and colorful. I started reaching beyond what makes me feel comfortable. I chose to live my life from a place where I say YES more than NO. Some of these choices have been challenging. Some even involved making difficult communications, because saying yes to me sometimes involves saying no to others.

In the past two weeks alone I have sent emails suggesting new ideas to friends and associates. I have posted love poems on Facebook. I have introduced myself to people I don’t know and asked them to collaborate with me on specific projects or I have asked them to include me as a speaker at an upcoming event. In each instance I have gotten amazing feedback. Maybe the initial request has been denied, but the idea it was born from has materialized in a much bigger way than I had imagined it would. The result is that doors are opening faster and more frequently and my business is growing more quickly than it was before.

This is my new definition of “working smarter not harder”.

I see a pattern. The more I reach beyond what I would normally do, the easier everything else around me becomes. My “work” is no longer work. The more risks I take the more rewards I receive. It is as if the road comes up to meet me when I take a step outside my comfort zone. I am not struggling, trying, pushing, or working hard. Instead I am having more fun, feeling more energized and living in a more joyous and creative state. This is a smarter way to operate on a daily basis.

Think about it for a moment. When you reach out in the direction of your dreams and STRETCH beyond where you would normally go what happens? Even if you don’t always get a resounding “YES”, is there a “YES” in the “NO”? Is there something that comes to you that is perfect for what you need at the time? If it isn’t exactly what you asked for, is it something that brings you one, two or even more steps closer to where you want to be?

Following our dreams, really living in our truth can be a scary thing in itself. When we do this and live in a place beyond comfortable we create the space needed for miracles to happen. We are able to function at our best and at our most creative! It might not seem to be the case in the moment, but our businesses will move forward more quickly when we operate from this place.

Usually this place is on the other side of our comfort zone. You know over there, across the rickety bridge, on the other side of the raging river that is the line that keeps us safe in our zone. The journey over that bridge is well worth the effort.

I bet you could even look back and track some of your choices. Decisions made from a place that might seem a little risky are usually the ones that have the higher rate of return!

I have a challenge for you. Take a step outside your comfort zone. Be true to yourself and say YES in the moment and let it lead you beyond where you are comfortable. Do something that is a little scary. Whether it has anything to do with your business or not, just try it and see what happens.

As Nike says, “Just do it”!

Mixing Old and New to Boost Sales

We are becoming a global community as our ability to communicate expands worldwide.

We can reach out to people around the world using sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. People are coming together, craving community and connection. People, wanting to be seen, heard and understood, are changing the face of how we do business.

This is the age of Joint Ventures and Affiliate Partnerships. We no longer have to struggle alone to grow our businesses; the trend is to move forward with partners. “Why compete when we can collaborate?” is what we hear more and more.

As an entrepreneur, you are ideally situated to ride the wave by taking advantage of this new movement toward community. By being proactive and utilizing the tools available to you, you can vastly broaden your reach. It’s not the internet that is driving us to be more social, it is a predictable trend in human nature that is moving us to want to connect, be more social, collaborate more and join together with others who are like minded. It is this bigger human trend that is taking the internet and turning it into a social contact machine the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

Here are some ways you can tap into this emerging trend and position yourself to use social networking sites to your advantage and grow your business:

Think about who you can partner with and how you can help each other to expand your reach for mutual benefit.

Investigate new ways to collaborate with individuals who are in similar industries, or who were once your “competitors”. (They have a name for this because it happens that often! They call it “co-opetition”, the combination of cooperation and competition).

Be creative and reach out with the intention of helping each other in the process. This is the key as we move into this new marketplace.

Learn about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other important networking sites through free on line tutorials; learn how businesses are benefiting from ‘social’ networking.

It’s fun to scour Facebook and the other social and business networking sites to look for old friends and reconnect but as I look at my social networking sites I see people, at first a few but eventually hundreds and even thousands that are showing up in my community. Just seeing them there is like a mini introduction, showing up in each others communities shows that we have something in common and that connects us, in fact, we feel like we know each other even though we’ve never met or spoken.

But too often this is where it ends! Take this tool one step further to build valuable relationships by reaching out beyond the norm and creating strategic alliances that can propel you forward in ways you never imagined.

Reach out and touch someone – or – the lost art of the cold call

Remember this AT&T iconic slogan? Its meaning is more important now than ever. Our modern social networking medium is amazing, but what if you took it one step further and picked up the phone and made a more lasting connection? This is the magic opportunity; you can turn social networking into something that will differentiate you from others and boost sales.

While I was on Facebook recently I found a college friend I hadn’t spoken to in twenty years. I sent her a message to ‘reconnect’ and then went to her ‘info’ page and noticed that she works in advertising sales for a major corporation. It was fun to connect via message, but it was even more fun to pick up the phone, exchange stories about our lives over the last twenty years and be able to ask for a referral to her VP of Sales. As a corporate sales trainer, this turned out to be a really great lead for me.

Your first step might be to become friends with people on line, but don’t stop there. Make a real connection with someone and pick up the phone. If you can’t find phone numbers, company names and email addresses on their profile, then send them a message and book an appointment to speak on the phone. Cold calls aren’t really cold anymore, at worst they are “warm calls” because you have made the introduction via a friendly message, by sharing mutual interests and just that is already building a relationship! As social human beings we tend to have a predisposition to like people who like what we like. So use that, use the similarity of interests you’ve already discovered to build rapport.

One of the stumbling blocks for people is determining who to call. Creating your list isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact, you can utilize the social networking and business networking sites to create a comprehensive list of people and places to contact. Utilize these sites for all they have to offer and conduct searches for individuals and companies that are in your target market. LinkedIn has an excellent advanced search.

This is the time to shift the global community and our global consciousness and work together in new ways. This is the time to work collaboratively in teams rather than as individuals. This is the time to think “outside of the box” or to do away with the box altogether. Take full advantage of all the tools available, both new and old. The internet and the phone are a match made in heaven.

Carolyn Ziel, President of Essential Selling, is an expert sales trainer and she supports entrepreneurs, sales teams and corporations with her trainings. Her specialty is lost art of effective cold calling please contact carolyn@essentialselling.com

How To Turn Your Dream Idea Into A Dream Come True

You know you have an incredible idea a dream that you're driven to share with the world, but you can't seem to put all the pieces into place to move forward.

You find yourself in overwhelm and procrastination. You've reached what's known as an impasse. An impasse is a roadblock to a desired mental path.

Being creative involves getting around impasses. According to Professor Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, more than 50 percent of workers today do creative work. Are you one of them? Do you write, invent, design, draw, color, frame or even tinker with information in a novel way? Creativity drives business. Your creative process is your wealth generator!

Answer this though: if you're creative, developing new ideas, writing, drawing and generally being innovative how do you move through impasses to share your brilliance with the world? And, if you are moving forward, sharing your ideas with the world, are you juggling too many things at once while you're doing it?

Are you doing everything effectively? The real question to ask your self is: "Should I be doing everything? Am I letting my business drive me or are am I driving my business?"

Look around at the truly successful people you admire and you'll see most of them working with teams. You need a team of talented creative and non-creative people around you as well. No one can do everything. As the CEO of your business, your job is to focus on building a team so you can move forward with your dream. Building on your strengths and bringing in support, will free up your brain space so you can easily move through impasses.

Running a successful business requires a strong foundation. You need a business plan, a strategic plan; you need to look into the future to determine where you want to be. How do you create your business plan, strategic plan, create your marketing and strategic sales plan, build your website, write the copy and market the website using social media and good old fashioned sales techniques, create your marketing collateral, oversee business development, build relationships to further extend your reach, and run your day to day operations and accounting all at the same time? It's exhausting just thinking about all those elements. If you can figure that out, let us know!!!

Don't let your business, or "Busy-Ness" drive you right into the ground! Take inventory of all the tools you have at your disposal. This includes all of the relationships in your network. Build on your strengths and collaborate with those who can add strength and value where you need extra support.

Innovative Solutions Productions helps you do just that. If you're overwhelmed, juggling too much for one person, or unhappy with your Company's performance results we are the resource to support you, collaborate with you and guide you to success. Our job is to make your job of developing your ideas not only fun and exciting, but manageable. We help you develop your ideas and EXECUTE!

Whether you're a start up company, a solo-preneur or a well established business, we urge you to reach out to us.

We all have dreams and we will help you share yours with the world!

Carolyn Ziel carolyn@essentialselling.com

Pick Up The Phone Already!

The new sales formula combines social networking with old-fashioned phone calls.

Although it might seem contrary to many, cold calling and social networking are a perfect blend of old and new tools that, when used in conjunction with each other, can really boost your sales.

Take the first step by getting involved in social networking to expand your contact base. This will provide the context and contacts for the cold calls you're going to make. The fact is, as our ability to communicate has expanded, we have become a global community. We can reach out to people around the world in ways we never dreamed of, using sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. People craving community and connection, coming together to be seen, heard and understood, are changing how we do business.

This is the age of joint ventures and affiliate partnerships. We no longer have to struggle alone to grow our businesses; the trend is to move forward with partners. Why compete when we can collaborate?

As an entrepreneur, you are ideally situated to ride the wave by taking advantage of this new movement toward community. It's not only the internet driving us to be more social, it's a predictable trend in human nature. And it's this bigger human trend that is turning the internet into a social contact machine the likes of which we've never seen.

Here are some ways you can tap into this emerging trend to grow your business:

Think about whom you can partner with and how you can help each other to expand your reach for mutual benefit.

Investigate new ways to collaborate with individuals who are in similar industries or who were once your competitors. (There's even a name for this because it happens a lot. It's called "co-opetition," the combination of cooperation and competition).

Be creative and reach out with the intention of helping each other in the process. This is the key as we move into this new marketplace.

Learn about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites through free online tutorials; learn how businesses are benefiting from social networking.

But don't stop there. Take this tool one step further to build valuable relationships and create strategic alliances that can propel you forward in ways you never imagined.

The Lost Art of The Cold Call

Remember AT&T's iconic slogan, "Reach out and touch someone"? It's more important now than ever. Social networking via the internet is amazing, but what if you took it another step? What if you picked up the phone and made a more lasting connection? This is the magic way to turn social networking into something that will differentiate you from others and boost sales.

Recently on Facebook, I found a college friend I hadn't spoken to in 20 years. I sent her a message to reconnect and then went to her info page and noticed that she works in advertising sales for a major corporation. It was fun to connect via message, but it was even more fun to pick up the phone, exchange stories about our lives over the past 20 years and ask for a referral to her vice president of sales. I'm a corporate sales trainer, so this turned out to be a really great lead for me.

Your first step might be to become friends with people online, but don't stop there. Make real connections with people and pick up the phone. If you can't find phone numbers, company names or e-mail addresses on their profile, send them a message and book an appointment to speak on the phone. Cold calls aren't really cold anymore. At worst they are "warm calls" because you've already discovered mutual interests and started building a relationship online. As social beings we tend to have a predisposition to like people who like what we like. So use the similarity of interests you've already discovered to build rapport.

One stumbling block is determining whom to call. Creating your list isn't as hard as you might think. In fact, you can use the social networking and business networking sites to create a comprehensive list of people and places to contact. You can use the sites to conduct searches for individuals and companies in your target market. LinkedIn, in particular, has an excellent advanced search tool.

Social media give us the opportunity to work together in new ways. Now's the time to work collaboratively in teams rather than as individuals. Take full advantage of all the tools available, both new and old. The internet and the phone are a match made in heaven.

For more information on how you can feel comfortable and easily pick up the phone, reach out to me: carolyn@essentialselling.com www.essentialselling.com

Telling isn't selling!

I am a myth buster.

You won't see me on Discovery Channel though, well not yet anyway. You will hear me busting the "myth of selling" through my classes, my writing and when you meet me. This is my goal: to change the way people sell. Selling is an amazingly creative and fun process and that is what I want to impress upon you. Not only that, the art of sales is the art of clear communication, listening and relationship building. Learning this has changed my life and the lives of those I "sell with" and it can change yours as well!


People think selling is about pushing your product or service on your client or prospect. Others still think that it is about telling their story, sharing about how their product or service has changed their life. It isn't. Selling is so much more. Selling is about building relationships and discovering who your prospect is as a human being. Beyond that, selling will help you to discover who YOU ARE as a human being. If you follow my Equation for Success: VISION + VALUE + KNOWLEDGE + TOOLS = SUCCESS you will understand your own VALUE as a human being and this will transform you in ways you wouldn't imagine. The art of sales is a collaborative process. In this process we learn about ourselves, about our prospects and we build strong relationships with ourselves and our prospects!

Think about it, you go to a networking group and share your story. What happens if the person you share your story with has a different story? The person you are speaking with might not have the same problem you had and you could easily lose them right here. You can start over, and start building from that place, but it will be six times harder to build this relationship because you haven't established trust.


Many companies teach their sales people to "share" their story to bond with potential customers and clients. I am the first to tell you that this is a myth. Telling isn't selling. Discovering is selling! Learn about your prospect first and then selectively share your story when appropriate. Be yourself and reach out to ask about your prospect and learn about them. Don't make the sale the primary goal, make learning about your prospect's needs the primary goal and you will make the sale.


If you don't make the sale, you will build a relationship and this will lead to a sale down the road or a referral and a bigger sale. Trust the selling process and have fun with it, don't push.


Selling can be transformative if you allow yourself to embrace the process. If you are connected to your VISION you will feel the passion that drives you and so will everyone you reach out to. What about your VALUE? I mean your VALUE beyond your product or service. When you understand your intrinsic VALUE and reach out to people grounded in this understanding you reach out in a powerful way.

This is a powerful place to visit, your intrinsic VALUE as a human being and why you are special. When you are able to truly appreciate your own VALUE then you easily lead by example. People are drawn to you and you can easily build powerful relationships with others, because you have built a powerful relationship with yourself. KNOWLEDGE is your bridge to your prospects and clients. When you add in the TOOLS you can only WIN! Selling becomes bridge building because we are touching people in a way that lets them know we care.


I believe that we can change the way people do business. Selling becomes a way of connecting that shows our clients or prospects we care about them, not only about the sale. We don't tell our story but we listen to theirs. We just relate to them as human beings and we offer them our presence and our clear communication. We don't tell them our story until they ask and they will. So, selling becomes so much more than just telling!

I would love to hear from you!

Reach out to me and tell me your stories and share your thoughts about the selling process and I can share them with my readers: carolyn@essentialselling.com

What is your definition of an expert?

Here is Webster's Definition of an Expert: "one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject".

I believe an expert is someone that is always learning. I believe an expert is someone with an open mind, a creative mind, a flexible mind. I believe an expert is someone who is open to changing. I believe and expert is someone with an open heart.

Really an expert is someone who doesn't always have the right answer and accepts that someone else might.

The more open we are to learning the more opportunity we create for ourselves. In business we want to see all sides and have an open mind. We can be in service and offer a benefit AND get well compensated for the benefit we bring. We can be in a place that is cooperative not competetive.

An expert can see the doors opening and takes the steps forward to cross the thresholds. Along the way an expert helps others and this collabroation is what supports everyone's success.

I would love to hear your thoughts. What is your definition of an expert? Email me and let me know how.

I can post some of your answers in my next newsletter or blog post! So do send them along! Thanks for sharing...have a great day!!!

Email: carolyn@essentialselling.com

Our Community Is Getting Bigger!

Business is changing.

We are part of a global community now! We can reach out to people all around the world with sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. People are coming together, they are craving community and I believe this is changing the face of how we do business.

If you are an entrepreneur you are someone with adventure and openness in your heart and this new wave of coming together will support you as you grow your business. It is the time to take advantage of this new movement toward community and utilize all the tools available to broaden your reach.

This is the age of Joint Venture and Affiliate Partnerships. We don’t have to struggle alone to grow our businesses; the trend is to move forward with partners. Why compete when we can collaborate?

I recently returned from a unique event called CEO Space and their motto is “Collaboration NOT competition”. At this event, people actually came up to me and asked, “What are you doing and what do you need next?” rather than thrust their business card at me and ask who I know. This is quite a shift from your average conversation at a typical networking event.

This is the time to shift the global community and our global consciousness and work together in new ways. It is time to work collaboratively in teams rather than individuals. It is time to think “outside of the box” or completely do without the box.

Here are some things for you to think about as you look at this emerging model of business. Think about who you can partner with and how you can help each other expand your reach. Think about new ways to collaborate with individuals who are in similar industries, or who were once your competitors. As you reach out, keep in mind how you can help each other in the process. This is key as we move into this new marketplace.

Utilize all the social networking and take it one step further. Go beyond the emails, messages, newsletters and tweets. Be different, pick up the phone and make a real connection with someone. Then determine next steps to find out how you can help each other and further your careers together. This is really a win-win relationship.

It is so much fun to scour Facebook, look for old friends and post what we are doing. However, take full advantage of this amazing tool and really build valuable relationships by reaching out beyond the norm and create some partnerships that will propel you forward in ways you never imagined.

I know that sometimes people feel uncomfortable picking up the phone, but I can help with this! I teach people how to EASILY pick up the phone to reach out and build relationships, whether to build Joint Ventures or Affiliate Partnerships or to just reach your target market and sell more. For more, reach out to me, who knows, we might be able to work together and help each other along our paths. carolyn@essentialselling.com

For more information on how to attend a CEO Space Meet Up Group in the Los Angeles area contact me.

SALES 101

I was at a great event this past week.

The motto of this event is "Cooperation NOT Competition". What a great way to do business!

How many times do you go to a networking event and come home with a stack of cards that people basically threw at you? Recently this happened to me, I was at an event and an architect thrust her card at me and said, "Hi, I'm Beverly(not her real name) and I am a Real Estate Agent, here is my card, so if you know anyone let me know".

Wow. That was an ineffective sales pitch. Really, I just took her card and it is sitting here on my desk as I type this right now. I don't even know what to say to her to follow up and I AM AN EXPERT AT THIS. I know nothing about her and she knows nothing about me, there is no sense in that. How can we help each other grow our businesses using this model?

We can't!

I could feel her desperation, I could see her nervousness and really I could tell she didn't really know how to sell herself.

That is the problem with this model of competition, you have to sell yourself.

I believe that "Sales" is about building relationships and in order to do that you have to ask questions that lead you to the real answers. You can't solve a problem if you don't know what it is, right?

Why not give this "new model" a try at your next networking event. Walk up to someone and ask them, "Hi, My name is Carolyn (use your own name), what are you doing and how can I help you"? I bet you will get a warm response and this will be the beginning of a great relationship. This is the building block to sales!

Write to me and tell me about your responses and the quality of connections that you make. I bet they will be pretty great!

Good luck out there. Keep in touch and don't forget to visit my website to learn more about building relationships, the core of Essential Selling. www.essentialselling.com

Email me your stories and I can put them in my next newsletter! carolyn@essentialselling.com

How's Your Retention Rate?

I read an interesting article this morning about Twitter and retention statistics.

The article explained that after someone joins Twitter, that person might not come back for a whole month.

It got me to thinking. All these social media sites need to keep their users interested and coming back for more. With all the competition of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other sites popping up every day, the big question becomes: How do you keep someone interested?

This should be a question that you are asking yourself as you reach out to “sell” in the marketplace. Because, as we know if you have been following my blog, we ALL sell no matter what!

So, how do you keep your customers interested? How do you keep your customers loyal? How do you keep your customers?

Here are some tips that will help answer this very important question:

Remember you are building a relationship.

Selling is relationship building. People like to do business with people they trust and they like. Let your prospect know you care by asking questions to understand how you can help and answer a need. You can’t answer a need though if you don’t know what it is, so ask questions to uncover that need and THEN offer your solution. This builds trust and let’s your prospect know you care.

Keep reaching out:

Selling is about connecting and connecting and connecting. You can’t just reach out once and expect to make a sale. It does happen and when it does it’s great, but it is rare. What you need to do is keep reaching out to your prospects AND your current clients to continue to learn more and more. This takes discipline, organization and a great system. You need to have this in place so you can continue to keep in touch. In sales absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder.

Be unique:

What do you have that is original and different from your competitor. What is your brand? What is special about what you have to offer? In some cases, it could just be YOU. That is ok, take advantage of you. If you reach out from a place of confidence, power and good intentions, this will ring true for your prospects and clients. You will notice that more and more your prospects and clients will be drawn to you because you are genuine. You don’t have to push, just be yourself.

Use the phone:

You can build a relationship on the phone and selling is building relationships. So, use the phone. Reach out to people and differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t just send an email or even a letter. Say hello, and build a relationship on the phone and in person!



I don’t know how Twitter will keep people interested. I do know how we can; by reaching out on the phone and in person, with the intention to be “of service”. This is what can make all the difference in a market flooded by social media, e-zines, newsletters, email marketing, voice broadcasting and tweets.

For more on how to reach out from a place of power and confidence, to anyone on the phone and in person visit my website and sign up for my next course: Essential Selling’s Cold Calling Wealth Building Technology™. www.essentialselling.com carolyn@essentialselling.com