Last week as I attended a customer meeting with a coworker of mine, I was reminded of how resourceful women can be. This particular skill is a secret weapon for women in sales.

 On the morning of our meeting, I started out late (not usual for me anymore.) You see, in my mind I thought the meeting started at 10. However, my mind was wrong.  At 8:15 I reviewed my daily calendar and there it was bold and highlighted MEETING 9a.m.   I was thirty minutes away.  Franticly I rushed to the closet, pulling out a new outfit I had planned to wear.   As I grabbed my make up bag (I planned on application between stop lights) I stopped and looked in the mirror.  Something was just not right about my new shirt.  It had two scarf-like ties on the collar.  I liked it in the store, but now I didn’t.   The scarves suddenly reminded me of something my grandmother would wear- they made the shirt, and subsequently me look “frumpy”.  Frumpy for a women in sales, will just not do!   With 3 minutes left I had to solve this dilemma.   No time to cut and sew and I was absolutely not willing to change outfits.  Like the critical moment when the customer throws you a curve ball that can crush the deal, I had to find an immediate solution… think… think…I had it… the glue gun.  Not a long-term fix, but for the moment it would work.   With not a minute to lose I grabbed the scissors and plugged in the glue gun.  With 30 seconds to spare I rushed to the car with my newly designed shirt and one minor burn on my index finger.  Later that morning as my colleague and I debriefed I shared the story of my morning escapade.  She laughed and said, “You have to do what you have to do.  I keep duct tape in my car.  Back home we call it West Virginia Chrome.  Once I was going to an appointment in the middle of nowhere and the heal of my shoe broke.  I had to either cancel the appointment or go barefooted.  Not willing to do either I found the solution.  A little duct tape later and I was ready to go.   I laughed my head off.  The image of a savvy, size six, blond, beauty with silver tape on her Gucci heal was hilarious.  At the end of the day, women do what has to be done.  We think on our feet and find create ways for immediate solutions!

Have a great weekend and HAPPY Selling!

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Being a woman in sales, life moves at warp speed most time.  I feel like a masterful conductor, juggling all the pieces, trying to keep each instrument of my life in perfect rhythm and harmony.  However, there are those times when everything seems to go awry.  Times where the music I hear is not only unharmonious, but absolutely painful to hear.  It is in these moments that I realize everything is out of order.  

 I am a firm believer, that work- life balance is a myth.  It simply does not exist, especially for a woman.  It does not matter what role in life you have chosen, or what season of life you are in, for a woman to separate and balance your personal life from your work life is impossible.  I make this assertion because I believe we are drawn to our profession based on our interests and our correlating strengthens. Women who choose a profession in sales do not do so because it is fun or because it is a lucrative career (although both are true.) We are sales professionals because we possess inherent talents and characteristics that make a good sales person. Character traits such as; competitiveness, problem solving, ambition, creativeness, and so on.  So to achieve work like balance would mean to completely separate your personal life from your work life- but if your work life is who you are- than it would be unnatural, if not impossible to try and separate the two. 

The solution than for me has been not balance, but ORDER. I have learned to focus on my priorities and be absolutely deliberate in keeping my priorities in the proper order.  For me, my order is God, Family, Work, Social Network, Projects. When I am organizing my to-do-list, I try and make sure that first, I have attended to my spirit. I have personal time each day, to keep my spirit fed and healthy.  Second, I make sure I carve out specific time to spend with my family and make sure that all of their needs are met. Family time for me is QUALITY verses quantity.  Sometimes they do not get as much of my time, but the time they have is for them and them alone.  My work is very important and when looking at quantity of time, many times work gets the majority, but I have learned that if I deliberately give the quality time of myself first to my main life priorities, the quality of my work is optimized and correlates directly with my success and my total happiness. Keeping my order, helps me keep my sanity.  I hope everyone is having a fantastic week. I would love comments or feedback on how you keep control of your crazy life.   Jodi Bagwell Professional Sales Woman jodi@salesgravy.com

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As a women in sales- I have the luxury of officing from my home.  Well it sounds like a luxury- except for the fact- that the mom/home caregiver in me gets distracted by all the junk and clutter around me.  You see- with Christmas comes stuff.  Stuff for everyone.  When new stuff is combined with old stuff- I start to drown in CLUTTER.  No surprises- that I find it absolutely critical to next immediate steps to rectify this problem.  I read the following article below and thought it offered helpful hints to this common issue.

Good luck and happy selling!

5 steps to de-junk your house (and life)

by Redbook, on Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:05pm PST

1. Set small goals.
Pick the area of your home that would bring you the most peace if it were organized. Is your closet in disarray? Is your junk drawer overflowing? If the task seems too big, break it down: Instead of tackling the whole kitchen, take it one shelf at a time. The sight of even a small clean space will inspire you to keep going.
2. Make a plan.
Create a vision of how you’d love the area to look. This mental picture will help you develop your action plan. Then, figure out how much time you can devote to the project, and stick to that schedule. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself about how much time you can give to the task and how long it will take.

3. Don’t blame yourself.
You’re not the only one drowning in clutter, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Save your energy for making positive changes. If you catch yourself thinking a negative thought like I’m such a slob, replace it with something positive, like I’m taking control. Give yourself credit for trying.

4.Divide and conquer.
Sort your belongings into three piles: “toss,” “keep,” and “donate.” If you’re struggling with whether to keep a sentimental item you don’t use, ask yourself, How will I feel next month if I give it away? And remember, sometimes the meaning is in the memory, not in the memorabilia.

5. Stick with it.
You did it! To stay organized, set rules on how you’ll keep the area clutter-free. Maybe you’ll declare the kitchen counter a sundries-free zone; maybe you’ll vow to toss flyers twice a week. The more you stay organized, the more you’ll feel like you own your space, instead of your space owning you.

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Yesterday my girls and I were at the beach (Surf City, NC) and we saw a pelican flopping around at the edge of the surf. Upon closer inspection- we saw it had a broken wing. They were mortified (so was I) and we stood there trying to figure out what in heaven’s to do. The situation soon appeared to be hopeless as the pelican stopped fighting and lay on his side letting wave’s lap over top of him.  As we began to panic trying to think of a way to help him, an old fisherman walked up and scooped that pelican up, binding his wings and beak.  He then looked at me, and placed the very large wet bird in my arms. “Here ya go, he’s harmless- just like a big puppy.” And with that, he was back to fishing. I stood there stunned and thought- Lord I am holding a pelican… What am I going to do now? My kids were filled with joy and excitement.

The bird- who we named Charlie, was amazingly calm and seemed grateful for the help. Our neighbors called the wildlife rescue center, who later came to fetch Charlie to try and repair his broken wing. As we sat on the beach- for over an hour with Charlie- I told my girls, “God says in his word, for what you do for the least of these, you do unto me… I think God is pleased we are helping one of his special creatures.” They agreed- and thought God must have been very happy that we helped Charlie.

I wanted to share this story for two reasons- First, because I thought it was totally bizarre and cool. I mean- I held a real life pelican. That wasn’t on my 100 things to do before I die- but maybe it should have been… Second, as the holiday season approaches and chaos and pandemonium threaten to take over- remember that it is the unexpected- little moments that really matter. In twenty years, I doubt my girls will remember what we ate for Thanksgiving- who was there or whether or not the house was clean- but this I can promise… They will NEVER forget their mom holding a pelican named Charlie on the beach- and feeling like they were a part of a miracle. That my friend is priceless…

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I am not only a Sales Women- but more specifically- I am a Sales Mom.  I have 2 precious (albeit passionately temperamental)  girls ages 4 and 7.  My 4 year old is in pre-school.  This morning- as I squealed into the parking lot 5 minutes in my 4 door Jeep Wrangler- I realized there were no parking spaces where I normally park.  Every single parking space was filled in perfectly symmetrical line with muted colored mini vans.  I had to absolutely laugh out loud.   I am utterly convinced that the almighty himself- orchestrated this perfect symbol of what I am not- as in inside joke between him and me. 

You see- for as long as I have had kids, I have battled the guilt of being a working mom.  Perhaps what has fueled my self induced torment is the fact- that I work by choice and not by necessity.  Don’t get me wrong- I totally dig being a mom.  My idea of partying with the girls- is popcorn, brownies, Hannah Montana, sparking fingernail polish and my two girls laughing their heads off at some silly joke they created.   I love to spend time with them, but I also feel the need to use the talents and abilities that I have been blessed with.  I literally need to be able to BE all that I am- which includes being a professional business person. Simple put- it is just the way I am wired.   I knew when my first daughter was a month old- I had to go back to work.  I was not cut out to be a stay at home mom.    I would have driven my children and my husband crazy!  I have nothing against stay at home moms.  Some of my very best friends are stay at home moms- and I often envy them so much.  I watch the moms that are so involved at my daughter’s school and feel a crushing wave of inadequacy.   A thousand times- I have questioned if I am somehow cheating my family- sacrificing their well being for my selfish desire to have an identity outside of my family.

While- I imagine I will always deal with this issue- whenever these negative feeling creep into my mind- I am reminded of a message I heard a few years ago at Mothers day.  The message was on Proverbs 31- and was on what a mother should be.  When I saw the title- I shrunk in my chair- feeling a virtual cloak of shame wrap around me- for not living up.  I was expecting the typical things- devoted, selfless, loving, virtuous – blah blah blah…    I was snapped to attention when my pastor said- she was a working mom.   In classic Hannah Montana, I thought “ Travis Pastor, say what – say wut?” (sorry I couldn’t resistJ)  You see he taught on the whole passage of the “perfect women.”  In King Solomon’s definition the perfect women- was devoted- hard working- but she was also a working women.  Hold on for this one- she was not just a working women- but she was a SALES WOMEN.  Yes- that is correct- she made her living dealing in commerce.  That day- I realized my guilt was not based on what my family thought nor on what my faith taught but rather- it was based on some skewed definition created by society.  In truth- we are all different, with our own unique gifts and abilities that we use to serve our families with.  I have come to realize that the issue is not to work, or not to work.  The relevant issue is priorities.  As long as my family comes before work- the universe is as it should be, and life marches on… 

Some of us- drive minivans and are classroom moms.  Others of us drive SUVs and shuttle kids from soccer to ballet.  And some of us drive sports cars and balance PTA with board room meetings.   Day by day we all continue to strive for our own version of perfection…

Proverbs 31: 15- 18

 15 She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 16 She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 17 She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 Happy Monday!

Jodi Bagwell – AKA Sales Mom

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