We often hear, ‘practice makes perfect’; my practice throughout the decades was to uncover meaning from the nastiness received and realize how to deal with it to move beyond feeling alone. By age 10, I was already weighing the pros and cons of hurtful comments directed at me to determine if I was missing an element for acceptance. Moreover, I always asked, ‘Why?’ in the hope of uncovering details, but insight was not to be. Accordingly, at a young age, I became an active goal setter and held my vision close to heart for a better tomorrow. Unbeknownst to me, it was perfect training for both the sales profession and entrepreneurship.
The corporate sales work environment was outrageously awful, leading me to realize that my previous experiences were steppingstones for handling what was to come next. As the sole female sales representative at my first job, I faced horrific treatment. Moreover, training was not permitted as I was ‘a stupid female’ and it would be a waste of company money.
‘Never give up, find a better way.’
‘Mindset and attitude are everything. These were the ‘old days’ of selling in assigned corporate territories. I was thrilled to leave the office daily and only return at the end of the day. Not knowing what to say to the people I met, I asked about their job satisfaction to potentially discover a better path forward. The bonus was that in the process, most of us became friendly, shared stories, and laughed. Surprisingly, I was introduced to the CEO’s.
It was almost magical that, despite having no prior training and limited knowledge of the product, I became the top producer by the fourth month. However, the games in the office got uglier, almost unimaginable, as the year and my sales numbers progressed. I needed to ‘stick it out’ as I was attempting to help build our children’s college fund.
At the end of the year, as the top producer, it was still an embarrassment to the men; management handed my hard-earned accounts over to the men, and my quota tripled for the following year. The same thing occurred for eleven consecutive years. However, the underlying benefit was that I quickly realized ‘how to sell myself on interviews’ to acquire every job I thought would be fruitful.
Anger and frustration got to me, so I took one day off for ‘me time.’ Stopped at a red light, my entire life changed when my car was slammed so hard, and although the doctors didn’t believe me, I could feel my brain swaying in my head. Dreadful pain was mine for ten years. It was a blessing in disguise to be a passenger one rainy evening as the car slid into a lamppost. I timidly said, ‘You better call an ambulance.’ Mindset is Everything. As I wondered if this was ‘my end’, I caught myself shifting to positive thinking, believing I would finally heal.
Placed on a gurney, I was wheeled into the admittance area of the hospital. As my family was taken into consultation, a beautiful golden light encased my entire body. Next, two sequential visions appeared before me; the first indicated I was to become an inspirational speaker, to which I wholeheartedly agreed. Upon a blink of a gold light, the vision faded, and the second appeared. It was startling, requiring full commitment. The vision showcased my life report card; on the left, I had high marks, but the right-hand side was an embarrassment as it was entirely blank and entitled, ‘Community Service’. Immediately, I mentally pledged to begin giving back to communities, however possible. A second gold light was seen, the vision faded, and slowly but surely the gold light encasing my body began to fade. Just as the light vanished, my family approached me, and I told them, ‘Go home and get a good night’s sleep, because I will recover!’ Given their consultation, they probably thought I was delirious.
Upon being placed in the ICU, which felt like a spa, a doctor greeted me. Looking back, his words were mysterious, but being heavily medicated, I paid strict attention to what he said, ‘I was driving by the hospital and heard about your accident. I’m a brain surgeon; would you be willing to have me experiment to help you heal?’ I wholeheartedly agreed.
Next, I was wheeled into an area where literally a metal halo is hammered into one’s forehead with screws and attached to a five-pound weight on the patient’s back. The 5 pounds had no effect; however, the experiment was to have 60 pounds of weight attached to my back. Instantly, I felt relief! It was another signal that I would recuperate. Upon being wheeled back into my room, the doctor called in the medical students to reveal what he had done. Their eyes almost jumped out of their heads!
The next morning, I was heavily medicated and told that I would have two minutes to meet with the surgeon. As a former salesperson, I expected words of encouragement, but instead I heard: ‘Mrs. Stutz, when you wake up, most likely you will be paralyzed.’ The ‘most likely’ told me he did not expect me to survive, but given all that happened the night before, I responded using some of his words: ‘Doctor, when I wake up, I fully expect to be well!’
The surgeon literally jumped backwards upon hearing my words. He was standing over me after surgery to reveal the following: ‘Mrs. Stutz, there is no rhyme or reason for what happened, but in four days, you will walk out of this hospital on your own!’ The entire staff visited me in my room, referring to me as ‘The Walking Miracle.’ Upon arriving home, I ordered a gift basket for the surgeon and his team to deliver in person. We gave each other a big hug, grateful for the miraculous outcome. It took years to uncover all the facts behind what occurred.
Focused on helping others, I founded my third venture, Smooth Sale, which stands for ‘Earning a returning and referring clientele’. I delivered inspirational keynotes at conferences, earning standing ovations, and trained entrepreneurs and sales teams in Silicon Valley to achieve excellent outcomes.
Sadly, everything changed upon moving North. Attending a new conference and announcing that I was a sales trainer, the jeers were worse than ever. Thankfully, someone took me aside and relayed that to establish credibility, you must write a book. I had nothing to lose, and within a month, my manuscript was complete.
What had I done? My commitment to community service was front and center as I revealed the horrific corporate stories and how I handled the dire situations. My goal was to empower every reader to speak up and stand up for themselves on a professional level. The unimaginable occurred as I broke multiple records:
- The first publishing house, Sourcebooks, agreed to the content. They titled the book; Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results.
- The book was featured in TIME Magazine, I appeared on ABC-TV News with Christian Spencer, and almost overnight, the book became an International Bestseller!
- During COVID, the book was announced as Evergreen – among the classes – never going out of print!
My new quote became, ‘Our worst experiences can be our gifts in disguise when we are willing to learn from them.’
All was as I imagined until we moved across the country. Upon being invited to several business conferences, the discrimination came into full light once again, but this time I was an older female. No one would have the decency to acknowledge my existence.
Thankfully, blogging was introduced, and I decided to use my writing to contribute to the community. The ongoing goal is to help readers advance their careers and businesses. As the Smooth Sale Blog took hold, contributors began to share their experiences and insights from varying industries to shed a broader light on how to succeed, helping to grow a robust reach.
Over time, I began testing methods for growing the visibility of the blog. Recalling a marketing person’s advice per collaboration for growth, I began reaching out to connect with others daily. Moreover, when someone likes or reposts my posting, I make it a daily habit to reciprocate. Soon unforeseen opportunities began to appear, and the numbers grew in all regards. The motto is, ‘Third time the charm’ and Smooth Sale is my charm symbolizing not only my sales ability but how to move past ill will to enjoy the gentle flow of the waters.
Looking back, growing up with bullies was my gift in disguise as I learned to handle myself at each phase of life. Learning to listen, observe, asking insightful questions, and taking calculated risks not only advanced my endeavors but also saved my life. I am grateful for the extra 23 years of life to date and for what the future may hold for me. Most of all, it’s a blessing to be with my family.