Lynn Whitbeck is the Founder and CEO of Petite2Queen and Future Forward Sales. She helps the world by providing sales and leadership programs to achieve more, faster. Lynn is the catalyst for businesses to turn their sales teams into revenue generating champions.
With her crew, Lynn’s strategic sales programs help organizations achieve the expanded revenue and business growth that happens when their sales team learn to capitalize on every lead. The powerful live programs deliver immediate results in easy shifts, shortens the sales cycle, builds stronger relationships, and closes more sales.
Lynn Whitbeck is the co-author of the highly regarded book, Practical Wisdoms @ Work. This quick-read guide provides insights to navigate situations, challenges, and opportunities that arise every day in business. Teaching you how to broaden your career with skills that will set you apart.
You may have seen Lynn Whitbeck in USA Today, HuffPost, Chicago Tribune, and more!
Podcast Highlights
Who is Lynn Whitbeck?
Lynn is the proverbial girl next door. She grew up in small town America and after graduate school she needed a job, where she became the company’s first outside sales person. Within the first two years of sales, Lynn outsold both owners of the business and decided that she was never going to look back.
As leaders, when we are working with our team it’s vital to have people you can rely on. People who can take a project and run with it, or bring back solutions to problems instead of just asking for more direction. This has been Lynn’s approach to working with clients and it empowers your team members to take ownership and think outside the box.
Even if you don’t work in sales, take a sales training course because you learn a huge number of life skills in the process. Sales and leadership are closely intertwined.
Sales Wisdom and Leadership
There are things that you do not learn in college and have to earn through sometimes painful experiences. Lynn literally wrote the book on how to implement sales skills into your workplace so that you can resolve conflicts more effectively, stand in your own power, and take ownership for your ideas.
“People don’t remember what you did or said, but they always remember how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Sales is really about building relationships. As a leader, the foundation of the relationships with people in your team is worthy intent, where you genuinely care about the other person. You can find common ground with almost everyone, and that’s what you use to build the rapport for that relationship.
Another important thing to note as a leader is that just because someone has a different opinion from you, that doesn’t mean they are wrong. They are just coming at it from a different perspective. The sales mindset is about trying to take both perspectives to find the win/win solution.
You have to shift away from the corporate political mindset and leave your ego at the door. If you can do that you can create an organization that can achieve some great things.
Applying The Sales Mindset To Your Boss
Managing up is crucial to your career advancement. If you have a question for them, ask them to tell you more. This avoids making them defensive.
When something isn’t quite working right, think like your boss and what is going to be important to that person. That could be time, money, resources, or a bigger goal. Frame your solution with those things in mind and speak in their language. When you present it that way, you’re going to get more opportunities to take the lead on things and a reputation as a problem solver.
Don’t waste your bosses time with something that you could figure out yourself. Do the heavy lifting and come back with solutions instead of problems. When you come to the table with a solution, you also retain control of the outcome.
As a leader, have a conversation with your team and tell them how you want to operate. Transparent communication is very important, sometimes you have to pick up the phone and talk to them and tell them exactly what would be the most helpful to you. Give them the opportunity to shine and show them how to do it. Show your team members how they can help you grow and people will jump on the chance.
Self Doubt and Confidence
Overcoming self doubt requires recognizing your thought distortions and identifying your negative thoughts that are breaking you down. The average person has way more negative thoughts than positive, affirming thoughts that it’s shocking, and correcting those limiting beliefs requires putting in the work.
You have to give yourself permission to stumble and pick yourself back up. It’s okay to fail, because you’re not really failing, you’re learning. What can you do to get some exposure to the things you are scared of that’s low risk and allows you to get some experience? We learn best by doing.
If you hold yourself back from fear of failure, you will never win the game because you are not even giving yourself a chance.
Give yourself an affirmation and frame your day. Pretty soon you will own it and be ready for the next level.
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