Life's a Sales Call

Jack Warkenthien, the dynamic founding CEO of NextStep Solutions, radio personality and author of Life's a Sales Call: How to Succeed in the World's Oldest Profession energized our San Antonio Sterling Bank Women's Business Initiative Luncheon in San Antonio last week.

He shared his five part code for success:

1. A sale is a relationship, not a transaction.
2. People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
3. The depth of your convictions is more important than the length of your knowledge.
4. Have fun and a sense of humor.
5. Stand out and be memorable.

He used fictional AM and FM radio stations to emphasize the importance of the other person in our relationships:

• MMFG-AM - Make Me Feel Good About Myself
• WIF - FM - What's In It For Me?

Though we all like to know the answers, he reminded us that when we don't have a ready answer, it gives us a reason to call back with the requested information.

Jack vividly portrayed the importance of action in stating that vision without a plan is a hallucination, and reminded us that a decision is not an action. Though others can inspire us, we motivate ourselves as captured in his definition of motivation - motive for action.

If you'd like a copy of Jack's handout, leave your contact information in comments or email me at pamela.lovett@banksterling.com.

Timing Connects Everything

Today, in San Antonio, my cab driver from the queue at the airport dropped me at a different spot at our luncheon venue than any other time I've arrived at this location.  As I exited the cab, I thought I heard someone calling my name, but also realized it could have been an attempt to connect with some Mam or a Sam rather than Pam.  In my "everything's connected" world, it was, of course, our terrific luncheon speaker, Jack Warkenthien, arriving at just that moment.  He was taking advantage of his very early arrival to visit with a colleague over coffee.  If I'd been dropped at my normal spot, I'd have missed the comforting early confirmation that my dynamite out-of-town speaker was on the premises.  A few paces forward, as I rounded a corner, I heard another personal greeting.  One of my treasured colleagues was arriving from my usual entry point at just that moment.

After our fabulous luncheon, I declined the gracious offers of my colleagues to take me to the airport.  My favorite airline, Southwest, keeps changing the San Antonio-Houston connections, and I had a long wait before my departure, so I decided to make a quick personal "retail therapy" stop before moving my mobile office to the San Antonio airport.   I opted to return calls on a bench outside a major retailer before ambling over to a hotel to hail a cab.  As I was making my final call, a friend (who is also a very close friend of our speaker) who'd attended our luncheon, and stayed to conclude a contract, drove by and spotted me.   Linda Elliott graciously offered to take me to the airport and we had the chance to consult about one of her pending engagements and our Women's Business Initiative.

I'm always amazed and delighted at how everything is beautifully connected.