Author: Pia Jansson | Pia Jansson

Let’s talk photography and brand story

by Pia Jansson | Jan 19, 2020 | Business, General, Strengths

What do photography and branding have to do with sales mojo? We all have a personal brand and a story that we communicate to the world which is a mix of how we dress – colors and style, carry ourselves – personality, interests, values, knowledge, education, etc.

Do you have pictures that actually illustrate and present who YOU are to the world?

I love to bring out the inner essence when I capture my spur of the moment pictures of people. Making people laugh has always been important to me. When we allow ourselves to let loose and just be ourselves, laughter comes easily. With laughter comes the beauty and depth of each individual and that is what I love to capture.

Presenting a face to the world that truly represents who you are in the moment helps you sell yourself and your products. What that looks like will be as unique as you are, and the business area you’re in. It’s also a warm invitation to others to start a conversation or simply spread good mojo vibes. Add to that a list of questions to ask your prospects or existing clients and you’re ready to roll.

I watched “A Marriage Story” the other night on Netflix. Despite all of the awards, to me, the story of that movie was so sad, yet how many stories end. It illustrated the importance of communication, asking questions and not making assumptions. It’s so easy to stop asking questions in any relationship, personal and professional, not wanting to rock the boat yet if you don’t there are more messes to clean up. A photograph, video or movie tells a powerful story.

What is the brand story you want to create?

You’re in sales because you care, like the freedom and challenges that this game offer and you want to impact people. You know that balance is key, listening to what people have to say, being genuinely interested in people is what makes the difference short and long-term. Is how you present yourself to the world congruent with that? That’s the person I want to capture.

Networking is a big part of prospecting and landing a new account. When people start referring you leads you to know that you’ve made a difference to the point that they want to help you build your business. One of my co-workers has been really good at asking for testimonials from his customers. We created a testimonial sheet with contact info that he provides any new prospect who’s on the fence. It includes testimonials about what to expect both from a service level, character, and product performance. That’s a powerful sales tool.

Have you asked your current accounts for a testimonial?

This initiative provided me with so much information about how he manages his region. It takes a lot of courage to ask your clients for a testimonial and when you have a close working relationship, it’s easy, right? He knows the value he brings to his customers, and yes, he knows his strengths and his performance has skyrocketed after many years in sales. It’s never too late when you’re hungry and focused.

So what does this have to do with photography and stories? The words from your customers are creating a powerful story in itself, imagine adding a picture of you to your testimonial sheet that actually matches what your clients are saying about you. One where you have your mojo that shows off your personality.

We all have a personal brand whether we do something about it, or not. Why not use it to your advantage?

Your talent lineup is a unique mix, 1 in 33 million people unique, just like you and that is only counting your Top 5! When you review your talent mix you quickly get what your needs are, what you bring and with that a lot of information about your personal brand.

With that in your arsenal you can stand out, you’re not like the rep down the street. Yes, the same thing can be said for that person so looking at HOW you stand out is key. There’s absolutely no need to slam competition, it’s an illusion on so many levels. Just think about who you’d rather buy from, what are the qualities you’re looking for?

Doing business with people you connect with, that are looking for what you uniquely bring is the sweet spot.

Who are YOU as a brand? I’d love to know.

What’s Your WORD and Focus for 2020?

by Pia Jansson | Jan 12, 2020 | Business, General, Strengths

Focus word

When you embark on a new year AND a new decade it’s a great opportunity to hit the reset button and start fresh with a clean slate. I like having a personal word, sometimes several, that helps guide my decisions during the year. The word(s) tend to “pop” into my head towards the end of the year, often as a result of how the current year played out.

My word for this year is BALANCE. When I’m in balance, I make powerful choices for myself in business and life. When I’m in balance I feel great which creates flow in every area of my life. When I’m adding projects, meetings, meetups, I ask myself: “Will this create more balance for me?” And with that simple question I know if it’s a yes or a no in a moment. It’s a super simple tool and it works – try it!

We live in a time when it’s so easy to take on too much and then get in overwhelm mode while pushing ourselves by cramming too much work into a short timeframe to make it happen and hit the deadlines. It can be a fine line between a fun “let’s go” to “too much to do, how am I going to get this all done?” mode. If you have #Achiever® and #Activator® in your Top 5-10 you know that it’s easy to say yes before you stop yourself and take on too much!

Taking time out every day

Doing something for you is important for longevity, whether it’s a workout, walk, hanging out with family and friends, seeing a movie, reading a book, whatever supports your word and targets. I had a friend visit over the holidays which forced me to drop all of my endless to do lists and take a timeout to focus on entertaining. It was fun being a tourist in my backyard and visit places that I haven’t been to or seen in years. It helped create more balance for me as I was able to zone out for once due to the holidays and being off.

To help prioritize your daily tasks, in addition to hitting your sales targets, of course, having a word that guides you to your success can help you stay on track throughout the year with your overall targets, desires and well-being.

What is your word?

To find your word, simply ask yourself: 1) What’s missing right now that would make a huge difference in your life, where you have your mojo fully, and 2) How you would feel if you were living in that mind space daily?

The word can be a feeling or state of mind and will create the foundation for success inside and outside of you, if you choose to follow your inner guidance/gut feeling moment by moment. Let’s say you’ve lost your mojo, how do you feel when you have your mojo? On top of the world, happy, empowered, confident, etc.?

Pick the word that you feel the strongest pull towards, the state that ultimately is most important to you. What you project and feel affects your ability to close business. Even when it’s not you, your prospect or client could be in that space of feeling like blah.

Ask: “Will this [action/choice] create more [your word] for me? and “Will this [action/choice] create more [your word] for my body?” If your word resonates with both questions, you’ve got the word for you.

Here are some words to get you going: peace, calm, playfulness, focus, empowerment, power, energy, confidence, mojo,…

Now go out there and spread the word 😀 If you’re game, post your word below in the comments.

If you liked this post you may enjoy 10 + 81 Ideas for creating a successful 2020 in sales and life and What to do when sales suck: 3 Actions.

Have a great week!

It’s the holidays – time to celebrate!?

by Pia Jansson | Dec 15, 2019 | General

It’s the time of year when many lose their minds, literally, between closing as many deals as they can before the year ends to preparing for celebrations with friends and/or family, maybe with travels across the country or world.

For others it’s a time of solitude, to check out from the hustle and bustle. Whatever your holiday looks like, I hope it’s a great one, no matter what it looks like. See, there’s no right or wrong way of spending the holidays, so we get to create our own Hallmark version. Yes, your family or friends may or may not agree with how you choose to spend your time yet at the end of the day it is your life and your choice so make it a good one.

I love to spend the holidays without an agenda, connecting with friends with ample time to relax and allow each day to unfold and inspire different actions. It’s a great time to recharge briefly before business gets started at full speed all over again.

Next year feels magical, 2020, I wonder what awesome creations it will bring.

In the spirit of the holiday, I’m keeping this blog short and have 5 tips to keep your holiday season merry.

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Ask open-ended questions

Not to question or to get an answer but rather to clear the energy and get insights on what’s sticking you at the moment. There are so many projections and expectations during the holidays, have you noticed? From Access Consciousness® I learned to ask different questions, like, “How does it get any better” or “What else is possible?”. They work whether you feel great or shitty. Try it.

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Strengths fix

Look at your strengths, which one needs some attention right now? Pick one or two of them and ask yourself what’s required to nurture these talents right now. Is it an action? Is it to connect with someone? Is it to have some me-time away from everyone? Or do you need to be around people and spread cheer?

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Take a timeout

Take a timeout to breathe, meditate in whatever way works for you, listen to something that lifts you up. A few minutes is all it takes at times. Maybe set your timer for hourly reminders??

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Take a gratitude break

Take a gratitude break, think of, maybe even write down, 10 things that you’re grateful for, right now. Go.

I’ll be back in January until then have a happy holiday in whatever way you wish to spend your time. Thank you for reading my blogs. I’d love to hear from you on topics for 2020.

10 + 81 Ideas for Creating a Successful 2020 in Sales and Life

by Pia Jansson | Dec 8, 2019 | Business, General

A new budget year has already started for some of you, and for the rest, there are still a couple of weeks to go. Either way, you’re out hunting and closing as much as you can before the holidays divert your clients’ focus. If you haven’t already made plans for next year, now’s the time.

When you’re in sales there’s not really a full stop from one sales year to another other than looking at whether you hit your annual targets or not and all that comes with that. Maybe you take a day off and then you immediately switch your focus on to the next year. Being flexible is an important trait in sales.

Here are some ideas to make 2020 the year you soar:

1. Assess and reflect

…on the accounts you closed and the prospects you still have on that list. What created success with some and not others? What were your highs and lows, proud moments, and insights that resulted in you tweaking your sales process moving forward? Talk to a friend, co-worker, or create a voice memo and just get it all out of your system.

2. Who’s on your list

…and who do you want to add? Filling your pipeline is part of the game as you know. Asking for referrals, utilizing Google Maps, LinkedIn, and good ole fashioned networking.

3. What is your current closing rate

…and what do you want it to be? How many calls or visits do you normally need to close your targets? Having this number helps you create a numbers game instead of getting caught up in personal defeat.

4. What activities are you planning

…throughout the year to close your accounts and what are you doing to serve and retain existing clients?

5. Has your ideal client changed?

You get to choose who you do business with and add clients that fit your profile while letting go of the ones that are not buying. This is all a part of doing business.

6. What’s your success formula?

Review and tweak your sales process, from questions to pitches. Simply, what’s your formula for success? Look at your strengths lineup — they’re part of that – you being you is one of the keys.

7. What questions are you asking?

It’s so easy to pitch before you’ve actually asked your prospect what they’re looking for. Being interested in what they have to say is part of the success formula. Your product or service will determine the depth of your questions.

Here are some questions to ask: a) What does their current situation look like? b) What do they want to achieve or create that they don’t have now? c) What’s stopping them, and, d) What would their life/biz look like if they achieved their dream/target?

Asking these questions will help you get clear on what solution you can provide your prospect. You know that, do you practice your listening skills?

8. What do you want to get out of the year?

What are your personal targets and achievements? It’s important to incorporate your own desires to stay energized and on point. You can use the questions in this post for yourself too.

9. How are you going to celebrate your successes?

10. Define your version of success

…and create a collage/vision board, or simply select one image that represents what you’re striving for in 2020 on all levels. Then select images from royalty-free sites like Unsplash and use an online collage maker like Canva or go old school and cut out images from magazines and then take a picture of it so that you have it on your phone.

I just saw this article on Hubspot about 81 One-Sentence Sales Tips that offer additional tidbits of value. Check it out.

Blogs mentioned above:

Who do you sell to and how

What’s your sales process?

Defining your version of success

Learn how we can work together HERE.

What to Do When Sales Suck: 3 Actions

by Pia Jansson | Dec 1, 2019 | Business, General, Strengths

When you compare yourself to others it’s easy to get stressed out or overwhelmed. When you’re in sales it’s a natural thing to see where you’re at as your role is all about hitting or exceeding your number. Many thrive on that game, others don’t and are easily thrown off their targets.

While looking back can be a motivator for some, tapping into the now, or future motivates others. This is where your strengths can be a great guide.

When “competition” is a dominant theme within you can’t help but compare yourself to others and that motivates you to achieve more and better. When people challenge you by saying “I don’t think you can do it” you go into “watch me!” mode. You may want to keep a running score on your actions, targets and the people you’re comparing yourself to.

For the dreamers, it’s important to stay connected to your vision, what you know is possible ongoingly. A lot of that can be energy, images, a feeling or a combo of all. Tune into this on a regular basis, daily or weekly, meditate, dream, contemplate in ways that work for you. Take deep breaths and expand throughout the day and then allow things to unfold in random ways.

Others are inspired by the past. Looking at what made you successful in the past to identify what actions you took then vs. now. Use the insights to tweak your daily action list and add items that you know have made a difference to your state of mind and successes in the past.

When you lose your mojo you often give up on parts of your success formula, what makes you special and unique. The “no time or no money” is one of the most common illusions to get hooked into. Who you are has no price tag, you are unique no matter what happens around you and honoring what that gold is that only you bring is one of the keys to getting your mojo back.

Your dominant talents

Depending on your personality and strengths lineup you will need to take the actions needed to energize your dominant talents (normally your top 10-14). When they are all engaged you’re on fire. By looking at what exactly gets these talents firing you get your unique success formula.

The ZONE

What activities get you in flow mode, in the zone, where time seizes to exist? Start there and just write down a list of activities that get you going in an empowered way.

Introspection

What if you compared yourself to where you were let’s say a year ago and acknowledge the achievements you’ve made since then in all areas of life? Look back to powerful moments when you felt on top of the world, professionally and personally. Even during growth years that aren’t flowing as we anticipate there are still moments of “yeah baby, I’ve got this.”

What’s next? Pick the topic(s) above that you connect with and create a simple note on your phone to track insights and events that matter as they happen. Ask yourself what happened, how it made you feel, what worked/didn’t work, who was there, insights and lessons learned. By connecting within into your own awarenesses you access the best teacher of all – You.

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