Thanksgiving

"I wish I could let you inside my soul. It is there that you would feel my true thanksgiving. My words can't accurately define it and my actions don't adequately demonstrate the overwhelming gratefulness that fuels my heart."

Coffee Perks

I’m a serial dater, a bona-fide serial coffee dater. It makes perfect sense. I mean I am the Sales Barista!

A while back I was challenged on an invitation I extended for a coffee date. Denied! I was told coffee is just that – “coffee” a pick-it-up-and-go or brew-it-at-home beverage. Oh how my heart was ripped out! For the love of coffee beans, it’s so much more!

So I forced myself into self-reflection: Why do I prefer coffee dates versus any other kind of meeting?

I boiled it down to one main reason: coffee creates connections.

In this technology-ridden world, it’s a brief time to turn away from the smartphones and focus, engage, and connect with a “smartperson” in a relaxed and welcoming environment. It’s not professionally stuffy, it’s not yoga-pants casual, but instead it is perfectly brewed friendly.

Here are the coffee house connections you can capitalize on:

1. Caffeine. The most popular “drug,” caffeine, boosts energy and alertness when consumed properly. One too many espressos and you may trigger the jitters. However, when you get the dosage just right, it can connect you to a heightened sense of focus and awareness, a huge asset when meeting with prospects, customers, or friends.

2. Conversations. This is the main reason I connect with people over coffee, is because it forces authentic and genuine conversations. If I ask you to coffee, I’m looking to talk, listen, share, collaborate, and communicate together. One-on-one. It’s that simple.

3. Concentration. Laser-sharp focus. Meet in an office, conference room, or a home, and you are subject to interruptions. Meet at your favorite coffee shop and post-order you are left to your own devices. Most coffeehouse-goers are very respectful of not bothering their other smart brew-sipping neighbors. This allows you to dive into deeper concentration and be more productive in less time.

4. Creativity. I also make coffee dates with myself. It’s my creativity haven. I have my very own “Cheers.” It’s called Cast Iron Waffles. My favorite barista, Elsa, knows me, knows my order, and knows to leave me alone once I sit down at my bar stool, open my MacBook Pro, and put in my ear buds. It’s the environment that invokes my most creative juices. I connect, like most other creative types, to the aroma, buzz, and personality of a coffee shop.

OK, OK, so for those of you who may not love coffee, hopefully you are still reading. You may not love coffee shops. You may hate them (GASP!). That’s ok. This is what works for me. What else would you expect from a Sales Barista? The point isn’t to force yourself to make coffee dates if you know it doesn’t work for you. The point is for you to find your own special place to plan professional, personal, and solo dates where you can communicate and concentrate more effectively.

Uncover your place and you will begin to create a calendar with dates you look forward to. Uncover your place and you will begin to be inspired to create deeper connections with others. Uncover your place and you will begin to connect with the person who matters most - YOU!

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the Michelle at Buy Gitomer via email at michelle@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.

Meet Me in My Dreams

"Every night you are my last thought before I slip into sweet dreams, 

where my only hope is you will be there to meet me."

Road to Success

75 years ago, the Wizard of Oz, transformed movies by coloring the world with ruby-red slippers, yellow-brick roads, and a land somewhere over the rainbow of sparkling emerald green. The story about Dorothy and her trusty dog/BFF Toto’s journey to find their way back to Kansas is one full of life’s success lessons.

On the surface, the movie presents a story about good and evil. One about making friends and learning there is no place like home. Scratch the surface deeper and you’ll find between the uncles and flying monkeys, that Dorothy’s 103 minute journey is one espousing the skills you need to be successful in the journey we are all on together, the one of life and success.

Following the Yellow Brick Road of Success:

1. Which Witch?

I suppose I've always had a good witch in me.
When I was 5, I wanted to be Glinda for Halloween,
so my Mom made me a custom costume. 

Glinda, the Good Witch of the North: “Only bad witches are ugly.”

You’re such a witch! Everyone is. The killer question: which witch are you? When Dorothy’s adventure began in Oz with her house crushing one witch, she quickly encountered two more: Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Both epitomize the polar opposites of personal outlook. There is the bubbly, soft-spoken, happy, oh-so-positive Glinda and then you have the hideous, cackling, negative, “I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog too,” Wicked Witch. Every day, every moment, you receive the privilege of deciding if you want to be positive or negative. Your attitude determines how others see you, beautiful or ugly, and you choose. If you want to be successful, you must first start with your internal attitude. Be positive and you’ll be more attractive to others.

2. Brain.

Dorothy: “How do you talk if you don't have a brain?”

Scarecrow: “Well, some people without brains do an awful lot of talking don't they?”
This brain is made for thinking, and that's just what it'll do. One of these days your brain is gonna think critically for you. Critical thinking is a long lost luxury amongst the world. And it’s two-fold. There is thinking before you act. Think before you speak. Think before you decide. Think before you proceed. And thinking about your abilities. Think that you can. Think that you will. Think that you are. Thinking is a complex process that contributes directly to your success. Your thoughts are powerful; choose wisely.

3. Heart.

Wizard of Oz: “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
Love is the greatest of all. The heart of your success is to believe in what you do and have an unwavering passion. The happiest, healthiest, and most successful people radiate a love for what they do that is contagious. They are successful because others are attracted to the aura they project. What do you love? What are you passionate about? Find it and you’ll find your success.

4. Courage.

Wizard of Oz: “You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

The adorable Cowardly Lion had no courage whatsoever because he lacked confidence. When you are full of self-confidence (not self-conceitedness) your courage follows. The courage to BE: be different, be memorable, be creative, be courageous, be criticized, be you. One of the most courageous characters of my lifetime has been Steve Jobs. He had the courage and confidence and creativity to see beyond the ordinary, to picture what could be, what would be, and then took action to make it happen despite critics.

Toward the end of the movie, the Tin Man asks Dorothy what she’s learned. She replies: “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!”

Your desires have and always will be with you. You will often fail because you choose to veer off the path of your true desire. Stay the course. Use your brain, your heart, and your courage to dance down the yellow brick road of success. When you do, you’ll find yourself living somewhere over the rainbow.

The Yellow Brick Road of Success is one of my signature keynote presentations. If you would like to learn more about booking me to share this message with you and your team, please email Michelle@Gitomer.com with the subject line – Yellow Brick Road. 

There's No Place Like Home

I'm standing in a sea of 30,000 people singing “Home” in imperfect harmony, as my eyes, heart, and spirit well up with pride.

It’s an amazing experience, to be surrounded by so many people, in my hometown, all experiencing the overwhelming and heightened emotions of being home. 

What feelings does the word “home” evoke for you?

Safety? Security? Happiness? Peace? Comfort? 

I have learned that home is a distinct word that can create special emotions for each person. I’ve also learned that you must create three home fronts in order to be your best. 

How to create your best three homes for success:

1. Personal Home. It could be an apartment, a townhouse, a mansion, or a shack, but your personal home, must be somewhere you feel comfortable, happy, and at peace. The personal home is a reflection of your entire life. If your closet is cluttered, your life is probably cluttered. If there is dust on your floors, there is probably dust in your mind. If there is crayon on the walls, there is probably a three-year-old running around! Your personal home is an expression of yourself; it’s a direct representation of how you see you. When you take the time to adorn your house with décor, you are taking the time to build a sanctuary of your personality and interests. But there is one room that is more important than any other in your home: YOUR room. Whoever invented the concept of “man cave” was spot on! I challenge you to create your own man cave room. Don’t argue with me and say, but I don’t have an extra room to make all for myself. Improvise! At minimum create your own “space” just for you. A spot where you can read, think, write, create, pray, and be with the best person in the world, you! 

2. Work Home. It’s the place you spend thirty, forty, maybe fifty or more hours a week, so why wouldn’t you think of work as your alternate home? I’m a huge advocate for making your workspace, your space, by infusing it with things that inspire you. My space includes pictures, awards, books, candles, and a collection of coffee mugs. It’s distinctly Sales Barista! What’s on your desk? How are you taking ownership of your work home like you do your personal home? Do you take the time to adorn your work space and your actual WORK with your personality and interests? Or do you simple check the tasks off your list without taking full home ownership? 

3. Internal Home. The space inside your body is your internal home, your mind, your conscious, your heart, and your spirit. This the most important to take care of, and usually the one that is most frequently ignored. Taking care of yourself, your mind, your body, and your heart is what contributes to a healthy life. When was the last time you focused in? When you took the time to decorate your internal you as much as the external? When you adorn your spirit with your true interests, you create an internal glow that is hard for others to ignore. What’s your passion? What’s your interest? What are you doing about it? How’s your spiritual home? Empty, half-full, or fully Martha Stewart-ly decorated?

LIVING ROOM: In every home you have to take the time to work on the living room. That’s the area where you actually make the room to live (thanks Michelle!). And while it’s ok to dwell alone, life is not about living alone. It’s meant to be shared with other people. When you combine a physical place with people and the pleasure of experiencing life together, that’s when you are home.

Home can be a place, a dwelling, a big city or small town. Home can be four walls, a staircase, and a walk in closet. Home can even be a button on your phone or Facebook page. 

For me, home is experiencing happiness, peace, and love in as many moments of your life as you can. There’s no place like that home.

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Where's Stephanie? Somewhere in this singing sea!

Post by Troy High School.

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the Michelle at Buy Gitomer via email at michelle@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.

InstaSales

NFL Preseason has arrived – WHO DEY! Teams are training, pads are colliding, and my Bengals are making some “Hard Knocks.”

Football is competition at it’s finest: two teams, facing off, making strategic play-calls on offense and defense for four exhausting quarters until a victor emerges. Goosebumps! Reminds me of the day-to-day interactions of business. Competing companies, driving down the marketing field to capture the customer before the other team does. Touchdown!

There are few things I love more than football, but fashion, is one of them. And over the past few months, I’ve developed a fancy for fashion from one specific store. The fashion affair began when I received a gift bag from The Cheeky Bean. Naturally, as the (one and only) Sales Barista, I assumed it was a caffeinated place. Excited to open my java gift, I was shocked to find a new bracelet in my hands. Cheeky What?!

I was quickly educated about The Cheeky Bean and easily fell in love with their store, fashion, owner, but most importantly their business approach. After the suggestion, (referral), to follow them on Instagram, I was quickly buying more clothes from a storefront, than online: the first time in YEARS that was the case. I was giving The Cheeky Bean instasales based on their genius-gramming.

I have engaged into a game of no-limit fashion with The Cheeky Bean, who is monopolizing my money and destroying the competition that used to receive my fashion funds. What’s so darn cheeky about this place, you ask? They understand the following key components…

How to beat your competition for instasales:

1. Ease of Doing Business. Simple, make it easy to do business with you and you win. When buying from you is more like solving an algebra equation than basic addition, you lose. Figure out how to allow your customers an ease of purchase and use. I can BUY from The Cheeky Bean at their store, on their website, or over the phone. Oh, and they ship ANYWHERE, so their customers don’t have to be in Charlotte to be Cheeky. How easy can your customers buy from you?

2. Meet Your Customers Where THEY Are. The Cheeky Bean allows me to see their merchandise in store, online, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Essentially, they meet me where I am. They have mastered exposing customers to their product to create a desire for it…leading to an investment. Impression + Inclination = Investment. Showcasing your business, products, and services where potential and existing customers regularly interact is networking at it’s finest. How are you meeting your customers where they work and play?

3. Testimonials. 
Not every company can get a well-known bachelorette to wear their product, but every company and person, you, has access to current, happy customers, who would testify on your behalf. To capitalize on this, you have to give them a platform to do so. This is accomplished through communication, asking for their help and telling them to freely share their opinion in whatever XYZ fashion (Website, Facebook page, Twitter, Blog, Company Newsletter, etc.) you wish. A testimonial is a broader reaching referral. I’m more likely to buy based on someone else telling me how great it is. I became a Cheeky customer because my husband bought me a gift from there and told me I HAD to check them out. “Checking them out” has made my check card and me very happy…I wonder if he regrets that decision or is enjoying my new wardrobe?! Who’s talking about you? Referring you? Testifying for you?

Follow The Cheeky Bean on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

4. What’s Your Cheeky Factor? Here’s the kicker to The Cheeky Bean. They understand how to style. Never before, in my fashion life, had I ever bought an entire outfit from the mannequin, until I walked into their precisely styled store. They get it. They know how to combine tops with bottoms and accessorize properly. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t love all of their looks. There would be a major problem and debt issue if I did, but I do love what they do. Their extra wow factor is their styling. Whether it’s through their Instagram account or walking into the store, the staff will perfectly pair outfits for you, based on your style, your likes, and your body. It’s all about YOU, not them and for that, they win. What’s your Cheeky factor?

Imagine…you’re suited up in your pads, waiting in the tunnel, about to run out onto the field. Imagine…you’re suited up in your pumps, waiting backstage, about to work the runway. Imagine…you’re suited up in your business best, waiting to open the door to a prospects office, about to pitch yourself, your business, your product, and your services. Competition is everywhere: in fashion, in football, and in business. It’s what makes people strive to achieve more and become best. The only question you have to answer is, how will you compete to complete instasales?

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the Michelle at Buy Gitomer via email at michelle@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.

The Other Side of the Barista

I Made A Mistake

“Big mistake. Big. HUGE!” 

Do you see the pretty woman whose mouth those words spilled out from?

I’m not one to quote movies, but this is one of my favorites, from the scene laced with sweet revenge by the profiled and mistreated Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

While most people identify with Julia Roberts (no, I’m not talking about the fantasy of being a prostitute in Hollywood who gets rescued by the oh-so-dapper and extremely wealthy Richard Gere and gets to shop with wild abandon on Rodeo Drive) but rather most identify with her as the person who was afflicted with pain by someone else’s mistake.

How many times are you the sales person in that memorable movie scene? How many times are you the one who has made the “big mistake”?

Me? Numerous! Even recently I’ve made some hard-to-swallow mistakes that take time, energy, and reflection to move past.

Mistake. Error. Faux pas. Call it what you will, but mistakes happen. Mistakes happen in life and they also happen in business. Do you know what the big mistake, the huge mistake is? Not knowing how to recover once the mistake is made.

How to recover from a mistake:

1. Acknowledge. Just like any addiction, the first step is to acknowledge that you even made a mistake. Most people blame, point fingers, make excuses, do anything they can to avoid the simple acknowledgement that they were the culprit. It will take an honest moment of self-reflection to recognize the real reason why the mistake occurred. Once you are honest with yourself (the hardest part in my opinion), you can move on to being honest with others, and especially with the people who the mistake affected.

2. Apologize. It takes guts to admit when you have done something or been in the wrong. It takes balls to confront the people who were affected by your mistake, look them in the eye, and genuinely apologize. You don’t have to be sorry, but you do need to be sincere, genuine, and apologetic. This is not the time to drum up your excuses again; this is just a straightforward admittance that you messed up. It’s not easy to profess your mistakes, oh but it is rewarding when it’s accepted. Once you apologize, listen to what they have to say, and then work together to move forward and recover.

3. Accept. You don’t get to accept your own apology, that’s for the other person to determine. But what you do have to accept is that you messed up and then it’s time to move on. Don’t dwell on the mistake, instead recover from it. Don’t beat yourself up over the mistake, instead learn from it. Most importantly, have the self-awareness to not make the same mistake again.

4. Advance. So, you admitted you made a mistake, apologized, and have personally accepted it, now it’s time to advance. Put the mistake behind you and carry on. Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO, titled his book with one of my favorite, very underutilized words, Onward. That’s what you do. You pick up and you push onward, learning and living through the mistake experience.

I made a mistake and it did not make me a pretty woman. It was a big mistake, big, huge! So big that it allowed me to re-evaluate, self-evaluate, and mistake-evaluate. I’ve acknowledged it, apologized for it, accepted it, and now I’m moving onward. I hope the next time you make a mistake; you’ll do the same. Mistakes happen. If you face them with eyes, mind, and heart wide open, they will teach you exactly what you need to know.

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the Michelle at Buy Gitomer via email at michelle@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.