Confessions of slacking

It's been over two weeks since I last updated, so I'm kicking myself for not being persistent. I can't be too hard on myself considering the mega amounts or productivity that has happened in the meantime.

While excuses are lame, I have been quite busy fundraising and preparing for a trip into the desert. This will be my first year ever going to Burning Man, and I'm quite stoked about all the projects our camp has planned.

I have fallen in with the Texas Souk camp, which is a collaboration of other CORE camps within Texas. To give some background on the Souk project, check out http://souk.burningman.com/.

The Texas Souk is themed around the five senses. As mentioned in my last post, my gifts are massage bars made of cocoa butter, shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils. To date, I've made over 300 of them each the size of an ice cube. I'm so excited to share these!

On the fundraising front, our camp threw a benefit Little Black Dress party that performed exceptionally well. I have nothing but deep appreciation for everyone who contributed time, talents, funds, and other donations to the event.

Weekend Successticated Meter

I declare this weekend a 9.5/10 on the succesticated meter.

It started with brews in celebration of our favorite Cajun, Lance Laurent, and continued with a dip in this little bit of paradise known as Krause Springs:

The best news: I didn't get sunburned!

On Sunday, I made 150 massage bars to donate to the Texas Souk project at Burning Man. Oh, and I made a really delicious curry. The only thing that would have made this weekend better would have been a nice, long bike ride. There's always next weekend. :)

8 Words and Phrases That Are Now an Inherent Part of My Vocabulary

Before I became a sales person, these words hardly ever -- or even never -- came out of my mouth:

"Cadence" - Refers to a rhythmical cycle of the sales process. Calls and emails to prospects should happen regularly, and proper cadence can establish a flow for closing deals.

"Follow Up" - Following up refers to the tried and true "just checking in" approach, and it can also be used to set the stage for another conversation. See also "Circle Back" and "Touch Base."

"Next Steps" - One should always be thinking about what the next step will be -- even if it's just a follow up. Ideally, the next step will get you one step closer to that contract.

"Go Forward" - Similar to "Next Steps", this one can be used to push the momentum of a deal.

"Scalability" - This isn't even a real word, but EVERYONE in the C-Suite loves to use it. To use it in a sentence, "Why, yes, our solution can meet scalability requirements to increase your returns on an exponential scale!"

"ROI" - Apparently this is all you need to prove to get a signature.

CATBEARD

I'm having a hard time staying focused this week (yay, post-vacay!). To spread the distraction, here is an adorable picture of my cat with our friend:

Persistance pays.

I had the lovely opportunity of spending this weekend with my father and childhood friend, Kristen.  I get to see these two simultaneously about once a year, and without fail the same conversation always comes up: 

"Emily seriously had a Phoebe run growing up. You should have seen how awkward she was!"

The Friends reference is pretty accurate. I was lanky and uncoordinated well into my twenties -- but I didn't let that stop me from running. Every day I would wake up hellbent on getting my miles in and my speed eventually increased and my runs got longer. 

With four decently-timed marathons under my belt, I must admit it's pretty cool to think how far I've come since my first shuffles around the block. 

My running "career" can also be applied to my actual career. Sure, plenty of people are naturally good at sales, but practice can definitely paid off. I'm at a point right now where I'm determined to stick with selling and hope to see major improvements as my skills mature.

Cheers to persistence, learning, and self-improvement!

Life's not a sprint -- it's a marathon.

Home Sweet Home

Lately I've had a number of conversations center around my home state.

Last night I did my usual thing -- rode my bike downtown to join a few hundred other wildcards in the throngs of the Thursday Night Social Ride. A stranger struck up a conversation and asked me where I grew up. It turned into a guessing game.

"Are you from California?"

"Nope -- think Deep South."

"Florida."

"No, but the state I came from does have beautiful beaches."

"Er...South Carolina?"

"And my hometown is known for NASA and defense contracting."

"Georgia? Louisiana? Mississippi?"

"Roll Tide!"

It still didn't click that I'm from Alabama, but it turns out not everyone follows SEC football.

Just last week, My CEO and I got to talking about how people just don't give Alabama enough credit. Not all of us Alabamians are toothless, incessantly drunk NASCAR fans, and even those who are might night be the nimrods they are made out to be. In fact, the city in which I was born, Huntsville, otherwise known as the "Rocket City", hosts a plethora of rocket scientists, bio-tech researchers, and other engineering types (at one time this included both of my parents. .

I have definitely heard my fair share of negative stigmas about the Heart of Dixie, which seem to be perpetuated by stereotypical representations that reflect a minority who exist in every state. Political controversies and historical injustices aren't to be ignored, but they shouldn't lay claim to Alabama's entire reputation -- nor should the notion that Alabamians are idiots. I can say firsthand that I received an awesome education in Alabama public schools and benefited from good ol' Southern values.

Southern charm should not be mistaken for ignorance, and I wouldn't give it up for the abrasive cultures I've experienced elsewhere. Plus, pecan pie and sweet tea aren't a half-bad combination.

The older I get, the more I appreciate my Alabama roots.

Confidence is key

Six years ago, I was terrified to speak in public. I had also gotten into a bad habit of mumbling and staring at feet whenever I was forced to talk, and I apologized all the time for no real reason. 

Working in Sales has pretty much beaten all of this shyness and timidity out of me. Now I give presentations to groups of people far above my rank. It's pretty cool -- but I would never be able to do it without confidence.

My confidence levels have started to build within the past few years thanks to encouragement by mentors, personal growth, and greater knowledge of my industry. I am by no means where I want to be, but I feel like I am heading in a good direction in terms of being assertive.

Here are some practices that have helped:

• Making eye contact. I look directly at people when speaking to them and make it a point to spread my gaze when among a group.

• Finding a solid tone of voice.  I think back to the few acting lessons I took as a kid. We were told to speak from our diaphragms and project boldly and loudly. This is the tone I strive for in a professional setting, and it does wonders for communicating effectively and captivating the attention of others.

• Knowing my shit. I take pages and pages of notes and seek to have a thorough understanding of any situation with which I am involved. The more research and preparation I do, the more confident I feel.

For more tips on confidence, I'll hand it to WikiHow's How To article.

As a side note, what I never want to be is cocky. There is a song that I keep in my head to remind me to stay off of a high horse: