Deals on Heels Podcast

In deze aflevering vertel ik je over de allereerste salestip die ik ooit kreeg op mijn 16e, en hoe ik deze nog steeds toepas in mijn werk als coach en deal closer. Met als resultaat… meer blije & loyale klanten en meer sales kansen!

Lees de transcriptie hier

Je luistert naar de podcast Deals on Heels door business mentor Lotje Euser, aflevering nummer 81

Haay, welkom in deze nieuwe episode van mijn podcast! Mijn naam is Lotje, ik ben business mentor voor ondernemers en bedrijven die verliefd willen worden op sales

En vandaag ga ik het hebben over een onderschat onderdeel van sales, wat ik al leerde toen ik mijn allereerste salesbaantje. En het heeft heel veel met feminine sales te maken, en ook met verbinden grappig genoeg.

Laat me je even mee terugnemen in de tijd dat ik 16 jaar was, misschien zelfs nog 15 jaar. Ik weet het niet zo goed meer. Maar iets in die leeftijdscategorie.

Ik zat in de vierde klas en had zoals ieder ander geen cent te makken. Ik kreeg wel wat zakgeld, maar dat was iets van 30 euro per maand en ja – ik wilde uitgaan, mooie kleren kopen, ik wilde g-star spijkerbroeken want dat was een heel ding –  dus ik begon met werken.

En andere vriendinnen werkten in de horeca, bezorgden reclame, wasten af in een keuken, of in een kledingwinkel maar ja ik wist niet zo goed wat ik wilde gaan doen. En ik geloof dat mijn moeder met het idee kwam om bij de V&D te solliciteren.

Aan de V&D had ik hele leuke herinneringen als jong meisje. Vroeger toen ik denk ik 6 jaar was, ging ik met mijn moeder de stad in en dan gingen we naar de V&D om gevulde koeken te kopen en nog andere dingen. Die gevulde koeken blijven me op een of andere manier heel erg bij. Dus ik denk dat ze erg lekker waren.

Dus ik vond die suggestie van mijn moeder, om te solliciteren bij de V&D, wel een goed idee. Ik kwam er zelf graag, het was vlakbij en ze zochten nieuwe medewerkers.

Dus ik kwam op sollicitatiegesprek bij de V&D en een vrouwelijke manager met blond haar nam mij direct aan, toen was dat allemaal niet zo ingewikkeld. En zij gaf me een tip mee in dat sollicitatiegesprek en haar tip was: 

om altijd iets aardigs te zeggen over de aankopen van klanten.

Ik vond het een goede tip, en aangezien ik helemaal geen ervaring had in kassawerk of überhaupt enig ander werk, nam ik hem graag aan.

In dat werk begon ik eerst met inpakken bij de kassa, om het kassawerk een beetje te leren kennen. En spannend dat ik het vond! Ik weet nog, dit klinkt echt heel stom maar zo was het, dat mijn handen trilde toen ik voor het eerst iets moest inpakken in een tasje.

HAHA! Zo spannend vond ik dat! En het was super simpel werk. En toen mocht je nog alles in plastic tasjes doen, helemaal niet milieuvriendelijk maar dat was toen nog niet een ding.

Dus ik items in tasjes verpakken. Toen ik dat goed onder de knie had, mocht ik in mijn eentje kassa draaien zoals ze dat noemen, en ik vond het fantastisch.

En ik paste dus de tip die ik had ontvangen van die manager toe bij elke klant die langskwam, ik begon iets leuks te zeggen over de aankopen. Zoals:

“Wat een leuke panty! Mooie kaarten! Oh van deze geurkaarten houd ik ook zo! Wat heeft u geweldige oorbellen gevonden.”

En klanten reageerden daar heel goed op. Ik had daardoor hele leuke gesprekken. En… omdat je daadwerkelijk begon te verbinden met klanten, voelden klanten zich ook vrij om te zeggen wat ze niet hadden kunnen vinden. Of wat ze eigenlijk hadden willen kopen maar niet in hun maat was. Of waar ze over twijfelden.

En dat creëerde heel veel opportunity.

Want door die gesprekken ontstonden er allemaal kansen voor meer verkoop. 

Want, je moet weten, zo’n V&D was enorm. Even groot als een HEMA of zelfs groter, een beetje de Bijenkorf maar dan betaalbaarder. 

En soms hingen kledingstukken op andere plekken, of werd het weer anders ingericht. Of hadden we wel maten achter, maar dat wisten klanten dan niet. 

En dat weet je als verkoper niet, dat mensen iets zochten maar niet konden vinden, totdat je met ze in gesprek gaat. 

Dus ik heb best een hoop extra kunnen verkopen, door dat gesprekje aan te gaan met klanten vanuit die start met een compliment.

Wat mij opviel toen al, is dat mijn collega’s die complimenten over die aankopen absoluut niet deden. Ze zeiden gewoon “Goedemiddag. Dat wordt dan 9,95” ofzoiets. En dat was dan het gesprek. Zelfs dames die daar al jaren werkten.

Ik weet nog dat ik toen dacht van: die zijn vast niet door dezelfde vrouw als ik was aangenomen. Of misschien wel, en ze waren die tip al vergeten.

Maar… ik ben deze tip eigenlijk in alle baantjes die ik daarna heb gehad, gaan toepassen. Ik heb vervolgens bij kledingwinkels als Steps gewerkt, bij Pulls, bij Paleis het Loo, bij Douglas – en die tip werkte ALTIJD. En mijn werk werd er ook zoveel leuker door omdat mensen oprecht blij zijn als je, en hier komen we tot de kern, bevestigd dat ze een goede keuze maken.

En tegenwoordig verkoop ik geen kleding meer, maar coachingproducten, copywriting, salestrainingen en software en services – maar ik pas de tip nog ALTIJD toe.

En nu denk je misschien: ja maar dat is natuurlijk wel wat anders dan een setje oorbellen of cadeautjes. En ja dat is zo.

Nou kun je over software niet echt zeggen van: wat een leuke software! 

Maar je kunt wel aangeven dat je blij bent dat mensen een koopbeslissing hebben genomen. Of ze bevestigen dat ze een hele goede keuze hebben gemaakt.

Bij coaching doe ik dat ook altijd, ik zeg altijd iets van: super leuk dat je bij dit programma bent of iets dergelijks tegen klanten en dat meen ik ook echt. Dat komt uit mijn hart. Ik zeg nooit iets gewoon om het te zeggen, maar ik zeg wat ik voel en ervaar.

En ik zeg het niet alleen bij grote producten die ik verkoop, van duizenden euros maar ook als iemand een masterclass van 17 euro bij me koopt. Want dat telt net zo goed.

En dat is wat mensen voelen.

Bij de V&D verkocht ik ook wel eens foeilelijke jassen, in een soort strontkleur maar dan TOCH zocht ik naar iets wat ik oprecht kon noemen. Zo van: “oh lekker he zo’n dikke jas voor de winter.”Of “Ja die paraplu heb je wel nodig bij dit weer.”

Het klinkt als weinig en het klinkt misschien ook als een no-brainer maar maakt zoveel verschil in hoe je verkoopt en het gevoel dat je klanten meegeeft, zodat ze ook weer sneller terugkomen. 

Want dat is waarom mensen terugkeren, daar geloof ik heilig in, dat als je ze een goed gevoel geeft, het gevoel geeft dat ze de juiste keuze hebben gemaakt. Want daar worden mensen blij van.

Er zijn zoveel dingen die we kunnen kopen. Zoveel dingen waar we ons geld aan uit kunnen geven.

Maar als ik mijn geld uitgeef, dan wil ik dat het mij een goed gevoel geeft. En dat is precies wat veel ondernemers maar ook verkopers nog kunnen leren: klanten dat goede gevoel meegeven.

Ik heb het zelf ook met restaurants, de restaurants waar ik naar terugkeer zijn de restaurants die mij een goed gevoel gaven. Waar ik hele leuke gesprekken had met de bediening. 

Dus ga eens voor jezelf na: wanneer was de laatste keer dat jij een klant een goed gevoel gaf? Want ik wed dat je dit nog meer kunt toepassen en ik weet ook dat als jij dit meer gaat doen, dat klanten ook automatisch sneller terugkeren.

Want dat merk ik ook in mijn wereld: mijn klanten kopen nooit 1x iets, de meesten komen altijd terug. Dat is niet alleen omdat ik heel veel waarde bied maar ook omdat als ze iets bij mij kopen dat altijd vanuit een goed gevoel gaat en ik ook deel dat ik dit belangrijk vind.

Het bericht #81 – De allereerste salestip die ik ooit kreeg (en nog steeds toepas) verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

Wat moet je doen als je sales traag gaat? Als niemand lijkt te kopen en je alleen krekels hoort? In deze episode deel ik met je hoe ik hier zelf en hoe ik hier klanten mee leer omgaan. Want sales is zoals eb en vloed en hoe beter jij leert omgaan met de trage periodes in je sales, hoe makkelijker jouw sales weer gaat stromen.

Beluister hieronder de aflevering

Lees hier de transcriptie

Wat doe je wanneer je sales traag gaat?

Je luistert naar de podcast van businessmentor Lotje Euser aflevering nummer 79

Jaa welkom bij deze nieuwe podcastaflevering! Mijn naam is Lotje Euser, ik ben deal closer en sales expert en ik help ondernemers om meer sales dan ooit te genereren op een manier die energie en plezier geeft.

Vandaag wil ik het hebben over wat je kunt doen als je sales momenteel traag gaat. 

En misschien heb jij dat gevoel ook. Dat je ziet dat er weinig nieuwe klanten bijkomen, of dat je heel hard moet trekken aan mensen om bij jou te kopen.

En daardoor zakt je energie in. En je motivatie en denk je: Waar DOE ik dit allemaal voor?

Je werkt zo hard. Je post heel veel. Je probeert je publiek te groeien. En het enige wat jij terugkrijgt zijn krekels!

En daar heb je zo’n hekel aan waardoor de moed in je schoenen zakt.

Oke als allereerst wil ik je vertellen dat sales zoals eb en vloed gaat. Er zijn momenten dat je sales enorm makkelijk voelt. Dat je volop nieuwe klanten krijgt en dat je echt in die flow van goede energie zit. Alles lijkt vanzelf te gaan. 

Maar er zijn ook momenten dat het langzamer gaat. Dat het eb is. Dat je weinig aanvragen binnenkrijgt. Of zelfs helemaal geen. 

En dat je jezelf afvraagt: gaat dit wel goedkomen? Komen er nog wel klanten? En waar zijn ze in hemelsnaam?

Dan kickt je zelftwijfel ook in. Ga je je afvragen of je aanbod nog wel klopt, of je prijzen wel goed zijn en mensen niet afschrikken.

En die gedachtes van twijfel, vullen dan op dagelijkse basis je hoofd.

Dit is echt normaal. Ik coach klanten die 50K omzetten, 100K omzetten of zelfs 300K omzetten en bij NIEMAND is sales een constante lijn. Het is altijd eb en vloed.

De klanten met wie ik samenwerk, hebben vaak last van ongeduld. En dat gevoel ervaar jij misschien nu ook.

Dat je ongeduldig bent.

Dat je niet wilt wachten.

Je wilt die klanten NU!

En hoe ik mijn klanten hiermee help is als volgt:

Als allereerste gaat het erom dat je die emoties die je nu ervaart, erkent. En accepteert. Het klinkt nogal logisch maar ik zie heel veel ondernemers die heel slecht kunnen omgaan met wat ze voelen en ervaren.

Die dan allerlei vreemde sprongen gaan maken.

Ineens mega veel korting gaan geven bijvoorbeeld. 

Of hun lancering gewoonweg afbreken omdat er niemand komt.

Of ineens mensen pushy berichten gaan sturen, omdat je zo erg graag die klanten wilt.

Oké als je geneigd bent om dat op dit moment ook te doen, die rare sprongen te maken wil dat je even stopt.

Maar dat je erkenning geeft aan wat je voelt momenteel. 

Ik zie altijd 3 soorten bewegingen bij klanten die het lastig hebben. Of ze bevriezen, dus ze vallen stil. Ze doen niks meer. Of ze vluchten, ze bedenken dat ze ineens op vakantie moeten. Of ze gaan in de vechtmodus. En gaan nog harder pushen. Vallen uit tegen hun omgeving. Zijn niet meer te genieten. 

Dit is geen gezonde manier met je emoties omgaan. Het werkt super destructief voor jou en voor je business.

Dus ik wil dat je hier anders mee omgaat.

Ik wil dat je die gevoelens opschrijft. Van je afschrijft. Dit is een manier waarop je met emoties kunt leren omgaan. 

Emoties zijn er niet om op te kroppen.

Maar om te ervaren, ook de minder leuke emoties.

En ze te accepteren.
En ze vervolgens te verwerken

Dat opschrijven is een manier van die emoties accepteren en verwerken. En ik merk bij klanten, en ook bij mijzelf dat dit heel goed werkt.

Zelfs beter dan je misschien nu denkt.

Als jij ze niet van je afschrijft, blijven gedachtes en gevoelens in je hoofd ronddraaien.

Je denkt de hele tijd: “OMG er koopt niemand,” en daardoor voel je je rot.

En dan nemen al zulke soort gedachtes heel veel ruimte in en kosten ze veel energie. Omdat je er de hele tijd mee bezig blijft. En dat kan je echt gek maken. En dan kom je in zo’n vicieuze cirkel van gekmakende gedachtes, negatieve emoties en dan is alle helderheid weg. 

Gedraag je je als cruella de vil. Haha.

Dus schrijf ze op. Alles. Alles wat zich in jouw hoofd afspeelt. Alle angsten. Alle twijfels. Alle boze gevoelens.

Schrijf maar op hoe vervelend je het vindt dat klaasje naar de concurrent is gegaan. En dat er niemand reageerde op jouw oproep. Dat je masterclass aanmeldingen nog 0 zijn. Dat je je oom die goede advies wilde geven, een lul vindt. Dat je baalt dat je omzet nu zo laag is.

Ga net zolang door, totdat je leeg bent. Totdat alles op papier staat. En ja dat kan soms best wat blaadjes in beslag nemen.

Maar ga dus net zolang door tot je hoofd leeg is.

Maar je zult zien, dat als je klaar bent met schrijven je je gekgenoeg vervuld voelt. Alsof het oplucht. Je hoofd is leger. Het voelt minder zwaar. 

Want dan merk je ineens: wauw, er speelt zich echt een hoop drama in mijn hoofd af.

De vraag is nu: is alles echt waar?

De meeste dingen die we denken, zijn niet eens waar. Maar als we in die golf van emoties zitten, Ja dan zijn we gewoon niet zo helder. Dan kunnen we niet logisch nadenken want we VOELEN van alles. En dat zijn niet altijd de fijne emoties. En dan komt vaak echt die drama queen omhoog.

Misschien ervaar je ook wel emoties als je al die dingen opschrijft. Dat is helemaal oké. Laat de tranen maar gaan. Beter eruit dan erin. Huilen lucht altijd op.

Als je alles hebt opgeschreven is het tijd voor het volgende:

Wat je vervolgens kunt doen, is opschrijven waarom jouw gedachtes niet waar zijn. Waarom jouw sales bijvoorbeeld WEL snel kan gaan.

Waarom de volgende klant al WEL onderweg is.

Waarom jij het verdient om nieuwe klanten te ontvangen.

Waarom mensen wél op jouw hulp zitten te wachten.

Doe dit op de meest hardnekkige gedachtes, die jou echt dwars zitten.

En je zult eerst weerstand ervaren. Want als mensen geloven we gewoon: onze gedachtes zijn allemaal WAAR! Natuurlijk zijn ze waar. Ik DENK ze toch.

Maar zijn ze dat echt, of houd je jezelf voor de gek?

Ik had een klant en ze zei van: ik heb gewoon geen zin om te posten. En ik zei van: waarom niet? En ze zei: het heeft toch geen zin.

Dus ik vroeg haar: waarom heeft het geen zin?

Ze zei: omdat ik nauwelijks nieuwe klanten aantrek via social media.

Ik zag gewoon haar teleurstelling. Haar frustratie. En het blokkeerde haar voortgang.

Ik zo: øke maar wat gebeurt er als je stopt met posten? Komen er dan wel klanten?

En ze zei nee…

Ik zo: dus wat als ik je vertel, dat je maar 1 post hoeft te schrijven en dat je dan de kans X100 vergroot dat er een klant naar je toekomt? Heb je er dan zin in?

Ze zei: ja dan heb ik er wel zin in.

Dus zie je dat het eigenlijk niet waar was, dat ze geen zin had? Ze was alleen bang dat het niets zou opleveren. Maar het vooruitzicht dat het wél iets zou opleveren, verlichtte haar weerstand direct.

Dus ik zei haar: ga vanuit die energie jouw post schrijven. Vanuit: door deze post kan ik ZOMAAR nieuwe klanten aantrekken.

Want het is namelijk echt zo. Ik zie het vaak genoeg bij klanten dat ze soms maar 1 post nodig hebben om hun sales weer in beweging te krijgen.

Natuurlijk train ik ze op copywriting en messaging in mijn Bestseller programma. Maar belangrijk is dat ze zich realiseren dat door juist in die blokkade te gaan, ze niets bereiken.

Maar juist door uit die blokkade te gaan. En hun weerstand te overwinnen, ze zoveel nieuwe kansen naar zich toe trekken.

En dat gebeurt met jou misschien ook wel. Dat je omdat je uit je flow bent, blokkeert. En niks meer doet. 

Maar ik zie zoveel doorbraken bij mijn klanten als ze juist door hun weerstand heen bewegen, hun emoties erkennen, accepteren en vervolgens ook zichzelf hier doorheen kunnen leiden.

En dit heeft absoluut niks te maken met “Doen alsof je emoties er niet zijn,” Maar te ervaren: “oké ik voel weerstand. Ik erken mijn negatieve emoties. Ik ervaar ze ten volle. Ze zijn hier bij mij. En tóch kies ik ervoor om weer in de actiemodus te gaan.”

Want dat is wat jouw sales momenteel nodig heeft. Beweging. Als jij beweegt, komt jouw sales ook weer in beweging.

Maar als jij vertraagt, omdat jouw sales traag is, ja dan houd je deze tendens in stand. Ik zeg altijd: jij gaat eerst, dan komt je sales.

Dus ga in die actiemodus! Schrijf je gevoelens op, schrijf je hoofd leeg. Ervaar je emoties. Accepteer dat je je momenteel gewoon even BLUH voelt. En daarna maak je de shift.

En ga je, desondanks dat het niet makkelijk is, toch weer bewegen.

Het succes in je sales wordt niet bepaald door de succesvolle periodes, en ik weet dit klinkt tegengesteld maar juist hoe jij door de trage periodes heenbeweegt. Hoe jij daarmee omgaat. Hoe jij je emoties verwerkt. Dit is echt waar jouw doorbraak zit in jouw sales en wat jouw sales weer in beweging gaat brengen.

Ik hoop dat je veel hebt aan deze aflevering. Er is nog iets wat ik met je wil delen, want op 4 april gaat er iets heel leuks gebeuren: ik ga dan een nieuwe editie van het Elevate Event geven. Het heet dit jaar Elevate Your Leads en vindt plaats op 4 april op een fantastische locatie in Utrecht. Tijdens dit event ga ik jou leren hoe jij jouw lead generatie X 10 kunt brengen en kunt zorgen dat je een pijplijn vult met droomklanten die staan te popelen om met jou te werken.

De meeste ondernemers weten niet eens hoe ze aan lead generatie moeten doen die perfect past bij hun aanbod, dus het is echt tijd om dit aan te pakken.

Dit wordt een live dag / trainingsdag want we gaan echt samen jouw unieke lead generator neerzetten. Super praktisch, in de actiemodus. Gericht op jouw droomklant en jouw aanbod. 

En even voor jouw informatie: dit gaat verder dan het zoveelste Gara e-book schrijven. Want er zijn nog ZOVEEL andere mogelijkheden die veel leuker en unieker zijn om aan leads te komen.

Is dit iets voor jou? Je kunt je aanmelden via mijn link in bio op Instagram. Ik heb er echt onwijs zin in en de plekjes gaan heel hard! Dus twijfel niet te lang!

Heb een geweldige week!

Tot snel!

 

This week I’m interviewing coach & client Elian Vermeulen about her journey of moving from corporate life to entrepreneurship. We talk about why she decided to leave her corporate job and become a coach and entrepreneur. We dive into her own experiences as a coach, how she helps her own female clients and sales in the corporate world vs in the entrepreneurial world.

 

Het bericht #79 – With Elian Vermeulen about moving from corporate life to entrepreneurship verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

I know from a lot of entrepreneurs who I’ve been talking to that they feel a lot of stress and overwhelm at this time of year. They have so many things they need to get done and they feel they’re not in charge of how they spend their time. And they feel like their agenda is leading their lives, instead of them leading their lives and using their agenda to support that.If you feel overwhelmed as well, this episode will help you tremendously to reduce the amount of overwhelm you’re experiencing right now. So let’s dive into this!

Read the transcription below

You’re listening to the deals on heels podcast by business mentor Lotje Euser episode number 78

 

Welcome to this podcast episode, for those who don’t know you: my name is Lotje Euser and I’m a business mentor for entrepreneurs and companies who want to fall in love with sales and become really good at selling.

 

So how are you all doing? How are you feeling? I’m doing amazing! So many things have happened since the last episode. I’m going to organize a new Sales event in 2024 and I’ve recently got to a new office. So many great things are happening right now and overall I’m feeling really blessed. Also I’m thrilled to talk about today’s topic: how to feel less overwhelmed.

 

It’s December, and I think in this month especially that feeling of overwhelm plays a big role for many people. Not only when you’re an entrepreneur, but for other people as well.

 

For must of us, December is such a busy month. And can cause stress for a lot of people because of all of the things that need to be done before the end of the year. 

 

So how does feeling overwhelmed feel?

Overwhelm feels like being out of control. And not being able to manage it all within the given time that you have. And it causes those “I’m running out of time.” Or “I have so many things I need to do” or “I don’t know what to focus on.” or “I have a hard time focusing on the right things.”  thoughts. And it can cause a lot of stress within our heads as well. Especially at this time of the year. Because time is quite limited this month, because of the holidays, and this can lead to us feeling a lot of pressure.

 

And maybe you feel the same way right now: you’re feeling stressed because you have so many things on your to-do list, or so many projects that are running or new ideas that are taking up space in your mind.

I know from a lot of entrepreneurs who I’ve been talking to that they feel a lot of stress as well at this time of year. They have so many things they need to get done and they feel they’re not in charge of how they spend their time. And they feel like their agenda is leading their lives, instead of them leading their lives and using their agenda to support that.

 

If you feel overwhelmed as well, this episode will help you tremendously to reduce the amount of overwhelm you’re experiencing right now. So let’s dive into this!

 

The first thing I want you to do is realize that it is the thoughts that are causing this feeling of overwhelm.

 

We’re thinking like: ‘I need to do this, and that. And I have so little time. And I have so many things that are important right now.’ Those thoughts are causing the feeling of overwhelm.

 

So whenever I notice that my coaching clients are struggling with this I ask them to write it all down. To write all of their thoughts on paper. Not only all of the things they think that need to be done. Also all the emotions and feelings that are in their minds and bodies. Like putting it all onto paper.

 

Because the problem is: our minds cannot always determine what is important and what is not that important. Sometimes we don’t even know why we feel the way we feel. And that causes stress, overwhelm and confusion. And that’s when our emotions mess with our clarity and our ability to make the right decisions.

 

Because in our minds we can make everything equally important. We cannot differentiate anymore between what is important for us right now, and what is not. Because of the emotions that we are experiencing. It’s like a rat race. 

 

And as soon as you write everything down that has been on your mind, you will see that it will become much easier to determine if it’s all true. Like are all of our thoughts for real? Or are we creating a lot of drama about things that are not even that important? Or are your to do’s creating stress and is that why you feel fed up?

When you write everything down, you will create so much clarity for yourself. I cannot emphasize how important this is. And when you experience that sense of clarity again, you can easily determine what is important and what is not. 

 

That is when you can start to prioritize all of the things you’ve written down.

 

So what I would advise you to do is to start prioritizing what is important to do TODAY. What MUST be done today? And what is important for this week? And what is important for upcoming weeks? And you will see that when you take a good look at everything that you’ve written down, you will see that it’s actually not a lot of things that need to be done ASAP.

 

Most of the things that we create head drama about, are not that urgent or need to be done immediately. They need to be done, but not often at this particular moment.

 

I experienced the overwhelming feeling myself a few weeks ago. I was getting the key to my new office space. I was super excited about it! It’s my very first office and I felt so proud and happy but I also felt quite overwhelmed by: how am I going to get all the furniture moved to my office? What do I need to focus on first?

 

I was also experiencing that feeling of overwhelm. And when I realized I experienced that emotion I decided to take action upon that feeling. And to do what was necessary to reduce the feeling of overwhelm.

 

Often people shy away when they experience overwhelm. They try to avoid the emotions caused by overwhelm, or they try to get rid of it by using alcohol or distracting themselves by starting other things. They try to do anything to avoid the feeling. 

 

But this is like a ball that you try to push under water, it will always come back up. And the thoughts that are causing you stress are still in your head and taking up space. And knowing that somewhere in your mind you feel so much stress, will only take up more energy and will block your natural creativity and flow. 

 

I can tell you from my own experience that whenever I’m stressed, I’m just not a fun person to be around. And I bet you recognize this for yourself. No one becomes at nicer or more joyful person by experiencing stress.

 

So I want to be very clear to not avoid the feeling of overwhelm but to act upon it. And take measurements to solve the overwhelm.

 

So when I noticed I felt overwhelmed, I wrote everything down that was on my mind, and by doing that I created clarity for myself. Clarity about what I stressed about, what I needed to do, what I needed to know, and I could determine what needed to be done first.

 

What first needed to be done in my case, was to take measurements in the office space. Then decide what I wanted to actually change in that office space. Did I want to paint the walls? Did I want to put in flooring? What furniture did I want to put in that office space? And move from there. So I created a to do list and prioritized all the to do’s, determined what I wanted to get done and simply started with the first thing on my list.

 

And you can do this too for yourself. And whenever you start to prioritize the things that are on your list, I want you to also prioritize taking breaks for yourself. And make them as important as all the other things on your to do list.

 

When I put down everything that I needed to fix for my office space, I also prioritized my energy. So whenever I knew that I would be in my office all day, to put in the flooring or whatever, I would keep my evenings free. I would schedule alone time. I would schedule relaxing activities. Because I know that when you’re busy it becomes even more important to take breaks. However, that is not always what we do right? Whenever we feel busy and overwhelmed, the last thing we think about is taking breaks.

 

But these are the exact moments that breaks are even more important.

 

So I want you to add those breaks to your agenda. And schedule them very intentionally. Because when you don’t do that and you’re super busy, you simply forget to take breaks. Because anything else seems more important.

 

But it’s not. If I would only work and work and work, then I would exhaust myself. And that is why overwhelm can also cause burn outs. Because we forget to do selfcare in the heat of the moment.

And I want you to not schedule so many things in your agenda that you’re not able to keep up with it. But to schedule them in a realistic way. And add those breaks as well.

 

And if you don’t know how much time something will take up, and you experience troubles to schedule all of the things then I would say like: that is simply untrue. 

 

The amount of time something will take, is determined by the time we create for it. This is Parkinson’s law. Parkinson’s law is a law, which states that the work of a task expands according to the time available to accomplish a task.

For example: I can take 3 hours to write the perfect post for social media. Easily. Really. But I can also simply decide to write 10 posts in 3 hours. So the amount of time some activities take, are determined by the amount of time we decide to take for it. Remember: you are in control of your agenda, your tasks and your time. Not the other way around. If you do what I say in this episode you will feel in control again, you will know what needs to be done and you will reduce the feeling of overwhelm.

 

I hope that this episode will help you get through December in a less

In this episode I’m welcoming Janet van Dijk, who is a coach, copywriter, and has a strong vision of “Joy First”. In this conversation we discuss how Janet started with coaching and entrepreneurship, the choices she made and why she thinks Joy is so important. We also discuss the coaching industry and our love for life-long learning. This has become a quite extensive podcast, but I just didn’t want to cut anything out. I hope you like it!

Het bericht #77 – An Extra-ordinary conversation with Janet van Dijk verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

Do you want to get more yes’s in sales calls? Do you avoid sales calls because you feel a certain resisitance? In this episode I will share with you how to get more yes’s in your sales calls and how to overcome the pressure of needing to get a yes.

Het bericht #76 – How to get more yes’s in sales calls? verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

How can we as women empower each other although we might not always agree with each other? In this episode I’m sitting down with anti-selfsabotage mentor Mariska van Dijk and we’re talking about how we can overcome our judgements and disagreements in order to create environments where women can be themselves and thrive.

Het bericht #75 – About Disagreement vs Empowerment with Mariska van Dijk verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

This episode is a special one, I’m sharing how I’m following my own dreams and how I’m challenging myself to empower more women and their sales. Because I want to become an example to other women in showing how sales can be fun & amazing. So today I’m sharing how I am achieving that for my own mission and what I’m currently super excited about!

Read the transcript below

You’re listening to the deals on heels podcast with business mentor Lotje Euser, episode number 74.

Good morning! Good afternoon – how are you doing this week? I just finished another training session about human design training with a client and I feel so energized right now – this feeling is amazing!! I really feel that giving training is really something I need to offer more often. Because it gives me so much satisfaction and fulfilment to train people. If you’re interested in human design and you want to become an expert in human design, just send me a message! And if you’re like: lotje what is human design? Then just listen to one of my earlier episodes where I share all about it. I think it’s in Dutch though, I might create a new one in English.

Today I want to talk about the dream that I have had for quite a while. 

And as most of you listeners of this podcast know, I have such a big passion for sales. I can talk about it all day and it is my absolute mission to help more women get to the top and I felt earlier this year like: how can I create something in real life?

What would feel like a bit challenging but also fun and new?

How can I empower women and bring these amazing and smart women together? To inspire each other, contribute to each others success and share lessons together?

So I felt I wanted to create a real life experience, because most of the coaching and consultancy that I’ve been doing has all been online. Almost everything is happening online. And while I’m absolutely grateful for being able to do my work in the online space, I also love live experiences.

Last year I took some clients out for dinner and that was so much fun! It was so amazing to meet with them in real life. And to discuss our lives and businesses and to really make a deeper personal connection with them.

So I wondered: how can I apply this for my own business for more of you?

And then it came to me: I want to organise a live event!! An event that is all about sales and mindset and strategies and energy.

So in June I decided, I’m going to do this! I’m going to make this happen. But I’m not that much of an organising type, to be honest. I can organise things and I’ve organised events in my earlier career but it’s not the thing that gives me a lot of energy.

And I’m a busy woman, I have a lot going on always. I have all these customers to serve, companies I’m helping with sales. But I didn’t want to let that stop me from bringing this dream coming to life!

So I made a very clear decision: I’m going to find a way to make this happen. Without me burning myself out, or without me stressing out about things.

Therefore I hired a VA, virtual assistant, to help me set it up, to choose a location, to brainstorm with about this event and to take everything out of my hands to make this happen. And I hired Vicky van Luijt, she’s amazing – if you need business support, go talk to her. 

And now I’m so happy to share that this event in happening! In September! On Friday the 29th. 

I’ve called this event the “Elevate your Sales” event because I feel like no matter where you are right now, in your sales – this event will help you to bring you sales to a next level – no matter what that means for you.

No matter if you want more clients, or less clients but more revenue, if you want to sell ideas in the company you work for, elevate your team or want to spend less time on sales but more results, or more creative ways of getting those clients in – this event will challenge you to break through your own level of what is possible now, vs what do you want to make possible.

But of course, I needed to find the right location to host this event. 

I wanted to pick a location for this event which would feel super inspiring and luxurious, instead of boring locations where most trainings are being given with suspended ceilings and fluorescent tube lighting – I think we all know what I’m talking about right? If you’ve watched the series Severance on Appletv+ you definitely know what I’m talking about and I can tell you I’ve had enough of those kinds of spaces in my corporate career and I’m never going back to those spaces ever again!!

But we did it! We found the perfect location for this event in Utrecht, in the Karel V huis. This location just feels so aligned. Sometimes I feel like I’m like an old soul from the golden age. With all the classism art and architecture. I kinda like the fashion from those centuries as well.. uncomfortable but so nice. 

And this house was built in the 15th century and Karel V stayed there with his sister Mary of Hungary when he was at the top level of his power and glory and ruled over  his large European realm. Karel V was limitless and ambitious. His motto was: “Plus Oultre.” Which means always more beyond. And hello…. Is that not what I believe in as well? I always talk about how important it is to persist, to grow and to believe in what’s possible and to aim for bigger goals.

How aligned is this!! Ps, here is another fun fact: I have a dog, my grandmother has adopted him and she loves him so much so I will probably never get him back again ever, but that’s perfectly fine. So his name is Karel as well. I called him Karel the Great, which is super funny because he is a chihuahua of 3 kilograms. But he acts as if he is ruling the world, always. I think the name caused it, so I’m totally the one to blame here. Although I raised him always very strict – and he knows all the orders. He really needs a firm hand to be directed. No matter his cute brown eyes.

And it’s just so funny to me how these synchronises appear in my life when everything is so aligned.

So the vibes of this location are just… Bridgeton meets suits on steroids. Because I feel like, I’m all about glamour and I love to dress up but at the same time I can be very direct and have this business attitude of getting things done and closing deals without a blink. So this location is perfect!!

And I also wondered like: do I want to organise an event for many? Or keep it intimate and just for a few?

When it comes to sales, I feel like this is a very personal matter. Most people love sales when it works, but we hate it when it doesn’t. And it requires people to be very open to talk about sales. 

And in my world, sales is personal. My vision is that you can’t close deals without building these personal relationships with your potential clients.

So I decided, for the sake of this event, I want to make it personal too. I want to be able to give every attendee the attention she needs. And I want to create this safe space, where women feel like they can be open and vulnerable.

I think an intimate event is PERFECT for that!!! 

Next to this, I was thinking about; what would be so next level? How can I promote this event in a way that has never been done before. Because I’m all about making sales feel fun & unique.

So I sat down with an old client of mine, Laurens, he’s a producer and together we created a soundtrack for my promo video of this event. We came up with the lyrics and I’m even singing on this track. My boyfriend was even amazed by me, that it sounded so well!! Massive lol. And omg what did I have fun to organise this event so far!!

If you’re getting curious now, go to my instagram account and watch the video there. I show in this video all types of women, because I want to attract all kinds of women for this event. No matter the age, background or profession, – I truly believe in the power of diversity here. And I’m super aware that we all have responsibilities to contribute to inclusive environments.

So there are already 8 women in, there is room for 6 more – and in this episode I want to invite you for this event.

And maybe you’re not sure if this event is right for you. So let me help you with that:

• if you feel like you want to get more out of your sales
• If you feel like you need new inspiration to increase your impact
• If you want to surround yourself with like minded with and feel supported

Then yes this event is EXACTLY for you.

It’s going to lift you up, I will show you a bigger perspective of how sales can be done and how you can have even bigger impact through your sales. I will dive in with you what’s lacking right now and how you can overcome your current obstacles in order to grow to the next level.

That’s why I’m calling it Elevate – this is really about lifting you up and empowering you as a woman to get to your next level.

Next to that I promise you it will be super personal, I will also share my stories about how the way that I’m selling has evolved and the obstacles I have to overcome. Because yes, we will never get to that point that everything is just smooth sailing. Every level has another devil. Life will always be 50-50. So the question is: how will you deal with that? And use your own wisdom and talents to your advantage?

So are you in? I hope so! I would feel super excited if you join! I already know the women who have joined already, and I can say: I love every one of them. They are all amazing and I feel so thankful that they have already jumped and bought their ticket!!

You can buy your ticket through: lotjeeuser.com/elevate and if you want to bring a friend, then let me know! Because there’s something special I’d like to offer you,

Alright, I hope you liked this episode, where I shared this process of working towards this event and I can tell you: if you have a dream like mine? Then just go do it. Make it happen! I’m saluting you incredible woman!

Lots of love and talk to you next week!

Het bericht #74 – Elevate your Sales verscheen eerst op Schop naar de Top - Lotje Euser.

In this episode I’m discussing what good functioning relationships look like and what you can do yourself to improve your current relationships, on a personal level but also on a business level. Because building strong relationships is one of our primary needs, we want to feel loved and feel like we belong. But how do you accomplish that? And do you keep your relationships healthy and strong? That’s what I’m discussing in this episode.

Read the transcription below

You’re listening to the Deals on Heels podcast with business mentor Lotje Euser, episode number 73

Welcome to a new episode! My name is Lotje Euser and I’m a business mentor for entrepreneurs and companies who want to fall in love with sales and create customers for life. It is my goal to help more women get to the top and I strongly believe sales plays an essential element in that.

Today I want to discuss a very special topic that I haven’t been talking a lot about yet, but I had this coaching call today with one of my clients and we started talking about relationships. And it was such a beautiful conversation in which we discussed what we need in order to thrive not only in our career but also in our personal lives.

The goal of the conversation was to discuss her business but the conversation turned into one about relationships.

We can make a lot of money but if our personal foundation isn’t strong and the relationships we have in our lives aren’t there or aren’t supporting us, then everything falls flat. Then we feel empty.

And I’ve been given this topic a lot of thoughts lately. I thought about my own relationships that I’ve build, not only with customers but also in my own personal life.

As a human being it’s one of our primary needs to have relationships, to feel loved and fulfilled. This is also part of the Maslow pyramid. It is one of our primary needs to feel loved and feel like we belong. And in order to accomplish that, we need to have these relationships in our lives.

And I can share a lot about this topic. 

It’s also a unique part of my own concept of Feminine sales, in order to sell to customers you need to build strong relationships.

And for ourselves on a personal level, we need those relationships as well in order to live a great life. And that’s what I want to talk about today.

So I want to ask you: how do you currently feel about your personal relationships? 

Do they fulfil you?

Do they feel supportive to you?

Do they add value to you?

Do they meet your expectations of how you want your relationships to be?

As human beings we constantly grow and therefore we evolve. Our lives change, our lives evolve and your relationships naturally do that too.

But sometimes they don’t. Or they evolve in something that does not serve you anymore at this moment, in this stage of your life. And if we don’t keep working on our relationships, even the best relationships can deteriorate. 

I’ve had multiple stages in my own life where I noticed that a relationship that felt good at that moment in that period, started to no longer feel right. And I think we can all relate to this right?

I’ve had a lot of boyfriends when I was younger. I went on a lot of dates and I was really putting myself out there on Tinder and other apps. My dating game was really active.

And that felt so right at that moment, but if I look back then I sometimes can’t help to feel like: OMG Lotje, how could you do that? Why did you have all these dates with that person?? Why did you stay in that relationship for so long?

And I feel like if I would go back in time, with my current self in this state, I would have approached things in a totally different way.

And that’s a beautiful thing. Not from a place of shame. But it shows how I have grown myself. And that I now have a better understanding of what I look for in a relationship. At the same time I know that all these experiences when I was younger, have made me to the woman I am today. The good, the bad and even the ugly.

So today I want to discuss how to improve you current relationships. Instead of letting them deteriorate. And you can use the things I’m sharing today either in your business or your personal life. It’s applicable to both.

Let’s start by discussing what defines a good functioning relationship? Do you know that for yourself? This can be different for anyone.

Maybe the way that I define a good functioning relationship is totally different from your perspective. And that’s great! That’s perfect. There is not ONE way.

But it all starts with knowing and feeling what you need in the relationships that you have.

It’s so beautiful how this relates to sales as well. Because in sales you can’t build relationships if you don’t know what you want to get out of it and when you don’t know what the customer wants to get out of it. 

So what do you need? And how does that vary per relationship type? It can be that in a romantic relationship you need support, love, connection, intimacy. But when it comes to friendships, it can be that you need love and support as well, but also common hobbies, or activities you want to do together.

Once you know what you need in your relationship and you see that at certain points that relationship isn’t actually fulfilling you – then it’s time to wonder: okay so what causes that feeling?

Do you feel like you’re not being supported? Do you feel the lack of common interests? Do you feel like you’re not able to spend enough time together?

A relationship can only function if the 2 people who are in the relationship both contribute to it. It takes two to rumble. You can’t rely on 1 person to make the relationship a success. The same in sales. I can’t take full responsibility for my actions and the actions of my customers – my customers need to take responsibility as well. They need to act as well. Otherwise it feels bit like beating a dead horse. And I’m a very responsible person, sometimes I tend to take on responsibilities myself, that don’t belong to me. 

My coach told me the next thing which really helped me with this. She said: You and the other person are both part of the equation. You bring A, the customer brings B and together that will lead to C. But if B’s missing, that’s not your responsibility. It is however your responsibility to express to the customer what’s missing to get to C. But you cannot take ownership for things that don’t belong to you.

And this brings me to the following thing: Because you can feel like you’re contributing a lot to this relationship, while your partner or friend may feel otherwise.

So the next step is: do you know from each other what both your expectations are for this relationship? I would always advise you to manage the expectations on both sides.

This is something that I discussed with my current boyfriend as well. Not only at the start of our relationship but also meanwhile.

To get to know what he was expecting of our relationship I asked him: what do you need from this relationship? What do you expect of me? What do you think is important? How do you feel about our current relationship?

Because I was really curious, and I wanted to manage the expectations in order to build a even better relationship. And I think, since we all evolve, that it’s important to keep having these conversations. Not only at the start of them, but also during.

Again if I make the link with sales: if you have a customer, it’s so important to keep that relation strong and keep managing the expectations. And to keep curious about if they’re still happy with your services or your product. I always ask my own clients after a coaching session how they feel about our session. And at the end of a program I ask them: what do you think of this program? Did it meet your expectations?

Not to react, but to listen and learn. 

But in order to do this, you have to have a vulnerable attitude and open mind. We can’t expect the other person to be open and honest with us if we don’t show that same behaviour to the one sitting in front of us.

And this is difficult for a lot of people. Because it often happens that somebody says something, that triggers you and you react immediately offended. Or you try to immediately defend yourself.

So if the other person says: “I need a relationship where we do fun things together.” And you immediately respond with: “But we do that right? We do so many fun things together!” Or you try to defend why that isn’t happening and putting the blame on someone else like saying “But you’re never home! You always work.”

In that case, you’re giving signals to the other person that you’re not really taking them serious because you react defensive immediately, instead of listening carefully and really hearing what that person is saying.

So do you listen in order to learn and really hear the other person? Or do you listen in order to respond?

Ways to not fall into this trap is by staying silent and wait for what’s next to come. 

Or if it stays silent, to repeat the other persons answers in order to motivate them to explain more to you. I call this active listening.

So if the person in front of you says: I need to spend more quality time together, that you repeat the  other persons words: you need more quality time? And that you give them room to share even more and allow them to explain. Without sounding like you’re accusing them.

Another way is to ask deepening questions: what do you mean by that? How does that look like for you? 

We often fall in assumptions here. We think we know what the other person is telling you, but can you really be sure? Are you absolutely correct? In most of the cases, we’re not.

And once you’ve given room to the other person in order to share their expectations of your relationship, and you completely understand them you can ask confirming questions to check if you’re understanding them correctly. For example: “If I understand you correctly, you want to spend more quality time together and do fun things during the weekends instead of going out with our friends. Is that what you mean?” 

And then the other person can confirm if you’ve understood them correctly. Then it’s up to you to respond in an empathic way. Because if you would tell them like: “Well I don’t agree.” You ruin the entire moment. And the safe space you’ve created is gone. So always try to understand them, even if you might not agree. 

Sometimes it can happen in business that a customer feels a certain way, like you haven’t been pro-active enough or you haven’t done things in a way they were expecting and you feel completely different about it. This happens a lot.

I want you to know that the goal here is not to figure out who is right. But how to improve the relationship by finding common grounds.

So if you’re having this expectation man

Do you feel your current team is lacking a sales mindset, is not proactive and you lose sales opportunities? Here’s how to develop a sales mindset within your sales or business development team.

Read the transcript below

You’re listening to the podcast Deals on Heels by business mentor Lotje Euser

Hello everyone! My name is Lotje Euser, I’m a business coach for entrepreneurs and businesses that want to fall in love with sales. I’m a big sales passionate, I have developed my own concept of feminine sales that is all about helping customers make empowered decisions and it’s my goal to help more women get to the top. 

So I’m wondering: How are you doing? Are you enjoying the summer?

I’ve spent 2 long weekends in Barcelona and London, and it was so nice to really explore those cities and just get detached from all business things. I went together with my boyfriend and we had such a great time!

This year I’ve been traveling quite a lot, but for business mostly, so these casual trips were so welcome! Sometimes I forget how nice a holiday is – because I just love to work. But winding down and going off the radar is so important. 

And before we jump into todays’ episode I want to share what I’m currently working on because I’m super excited: my first live sales event in The Netherlands! 

OMG I’m soooo excited about this. It was one of my goals to create a live experience about sales and it is finally happening! My Elevate your Sales event is happening on the 29th of September, and I’ve already gathered this amazing group of women. And there are still tickets available, so if you’re an entrepreneur listening right now and you know there’s room for you to improve the way you sell and serve your clients then go to lotjeeuser.com/elevate and grab your ticket! I really can’t stop talking about this event, because it’s going to be super amazing but let’s dive into today’s topic.

I was inspired to make this episode through multiple calls I had this week with different businesses about sales. And I thought like: omg I HAVE to talk about this in my podcast.

Today I want to discuss how to develop a sales mindset – not only for yourself but also for the teams you’re working with or you are in charge of as a manager.

So if you’re feeling your current team is lacking a sales mindset, that they’re not pro-active enough or you lose opportunities because your team is not picking them up: this episode is especially for you!

And everything that I share in this episode, you can apply for yourself as an entrepreneur as well. But for the sake of being clear, I will focus on sales or business dev teams in this episode. But if you listen closely, you will realize even as an entrepreneur, you can benefit from what I’m about to tell you.

So what is a sales mindset? 

When you ask chat gpt you get the following answer:

A sales mindset refers to a particular set of attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives that are conducive to success in the field of sales. It’s a mental framework that shapes how sales professionals approach their work, interact with customers, handle challenges, and pursue their goals. A sales mindset encompasses various qualities and principles that contribute to effective selling and building lasting customer relationships. Here are some key aspects of a sales mindset:

1. **Positive Attitude:** Salespeople with a positive mindset are optimistic, resilient, and focused on opportunities rather than obstacles. They believe in their ability to overcome challenges and see rejection as a stepping stone to success.

2. **Customer-Centric Focus:** A sales mindset emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing customer needs. Successful salespeople genuinely care about helping customers solve their problems or meet their goals, rather than just pushing products or services.

3. **Empathy and Active Listening:** Effective salespeople are empathetic and skilled at active listening. They seek to understand the customer’s perspective, concerns, and preferences, allowing them to tailor their pitch to align with the customer’s needs.

4. **Continuous Learning:** Sales professionals with a growth mindset are committed to continuous learning and improvement. They stay updated on industry trends, sales techniques, and product knowledge to provide valuable insights to customers.

5. **Resilience:** Rejection and setbacks are common in sales. A sales mindset encourages resilience, helping salespeople bounce back from disappointments and remain motivated to pursue their goals.

6. **Adaptability:** The sales landscape is constantly evolving. An adaptable mindset enables salespeople to adjust their strategies, tactics, and communication styles to suit the changing preferences of customers and market conditions.

7. **Goal Orientation:** Having clear goals and targets is crucial in sales. A sales mindset drives individuals to set ambitious yet achievable goals and work diligently to meet or exceed them.

8. **Confidence:** Sales professionals need to exude confidence in their products or services. A sales mindset helps individuals build self-assurance and effectively communicate the value they offer.

9. **Problem-Solving:** Salespeople encounter objections and challenges regularly. With a sales mindset, they view these obstacles as opportunities to creatively find solutions and provide customers with what they need.

10. **Building Relationships:** Long-term success in sales often relies on building strong customer relationships. A sales mindset emphasizes the importance of cultivating trust and rapport with customers to foster repeat business and referrals.

11. **Ownership and Accountability:** Sales professionals with a sales mindset take ownership of their performance and results. They hold themselves accountable for their actions and strive for continuous improvement.

Overall, a sales mindset is a holistic approach to sales that combines personal qualities, communication skills, and a customer-centered perspective. It’s about adopting the right attitudes and beliefs that drive success in sales, leading to better interactions, increased customer satisfaction, and higher sales performance.

And if you ask me a sales mindset is a way of looking at yourself, at your business, at your customers, at your processes and wondering: what are opportunities lying here, that you can pick up? How can you keep on improving what you’re doing? How can you even better serve your clients? And take action in a way that is beneficial for you, for your customers, for your business, or for the impact you can make.

It’s also some kind of perspective – it’s a way of looking at growth, opportunities and business from an optimistic point of view. 

And what I’ve noticed from my own experience in the sales world, is that some people have that natural gift. To see opportunities for themselves or their business everywhere. 

And I have a great example of someone who has always had that natural gift of a sales mindset. And this might surprise you but…

I was watching the jeen-yuhs documentary on Netflix About Kanye West and he’s the perfect example of someone who has that sales mindset. I know many of you won’t be a fan of Kanye, since he’s gotten all out of control lately. 

But this documentary follows him from the start of his rapping career. He had a friend, Coodie, who followed him day in and day out and recorded everything with his canon video recorder. In this documentary all that material has been put together, which resulted in a really authentic documentary series.

And Kanye’s career didn’t start off instantly when he had just begun. 

I know we tend to think that all the superstars out there just were super stars from the beginning, they were born like superstars but everybody has to start from zero. Kanye included.

His big problem was when he had just started his career, was that nobody saw him as a rapper. They all saw him as this producer, who could make good beats. But Kanye wanted to be seen and acknowledged as a rapper. And it took him some time and effort to accomplish that. And he needed a deal with a record label to really pursue his career. So a few things that stood out for me here is that: he never waited for opportunities to come to him. He took advantage of situations. He went for example to a record label and started playing his music in that office. To let himself be heard. He entered the studio where Jay-Z was recording his album and saying like: hey this is what I’m feeling and he just started rapping in front of Jay-Z. And that is how he managed to rap on one of Jay-Z’s tracks just by putting himself out there. Everywhere where he came he made sure people knew who he was and what he did.

And with good results – Kanye has become a superstar. But it did not go smoothly for him at the start. For a very long time, he had to keep pushing, keep sharing his vision, keep showing up and showing people what he was capable of. And whenever he saw the chance to show his capabilities, he grabbed it with both hands.

You should watch the documentary, even if you’re not a big Kanye fan, it’s really inspiring what your sales mindset and self-belief can help you achieve when it comes to creating those opportunities for yourself.

Kanye did not have a lot of opportunities, he did not have that Bronx, criminal rapper background – which made so many rappers famous in the ’90. He was different. So he made sure he created those opportunities for himself.

So maybe you’re running a sales team or a business development team, where you have at least one of 2 people on your team who also are those opportunity spotters and have that sales mindset fully embraced. Those are your superstars. You love them. You can count on them.

However, you may have 8 other people who don’t own that mindset and are not creating the results you’d hoped them to create. And you want them so badly to perform better. To create better results. To act proactively. To see opportunities and grab them with both hands. But they just don’t seem to do that, no matter how you try to inspire them.

And you feel like you’re losing money through the so-called opportunity costs. And the truth is: you are. But what are you going to do about it?

You might feel that you need to get rid of people on your team who don’t have that sales mindset.

And that’s because most people think about skills as: you either have it or you don’t. But that’s totally a fixed mindset. That is not a growth mindset.

Maybe you feel the same way about the people on your team, and you believe just don’t have what it takes when it comes to sales. So you end up frustrated and you show them how it’s done but you’re getting ZERO results.

But here’s the good news: We’re not all born with the Kanye-skills. But we can learn. 

Everyone can develop a sales mindset. No matter who you are, what yo