How To Get From 'Here To There'? Serve.

Over the past year or so, I’ve earned some distinctions that cause people to want to meet with me and pick my brain. 

(Which is still a bit weird for me. Thanks #ImposterSyndrome)

At these meetings, there’s the common question of “Liz, how did you get here?”

I always struggle with this question. 

How do you reverse engineer a life’s path in a few words?

Moreso, because I don’t feel like I’ve yet “arrived”-

I’m always having to pause and ponder, what exactly is the ‘HERE’ they’re referring to?

However, in this morning’s devotion and meditation, I clearly saw the answer to that question:

SERVICE.

I got here through the non-glamorous, rolling up my sleeves, humbling act of service.

I realize when I’m asked this question, people want to hear about lofty titles or stories of massive amounts of revenue creation. 

(And trust, I have some of those in my bag.)

But if I’m being honest, my growth hasn’t come from what I’ve led…

but instead, because of WHO and WHAT I’ve served.

I cut my teeth in sales with door-to-door selling and cold-calling in call centers.

There’s nothing glamorous about those roles,

Very few people respect them (which is unfortunate).

Yet, I am supremely grateful for that foundation.

As a rookie in sales, I was a top performer-

Not because I’d read brilliant sales books at that time.

But because I was so clear that my role was to serve the potential customer.

I was committed to being flexible, nimble and coachable in my approach.

It wasn’t about what I wanted.

It was always about what my prospect needed. 

(I said need, not want. It’s still not order-taking.)

Although I graduated to retail territories, outpatient medical sales, insurance field sales and sales leadership roles-

That foundation set me up for success.

Often times in these “pick my brain” sessions, people want to know how I transitioned from being solely “sales-focused” for over a decade to become a digital strategist.

And again, the answer is SERVICE.

I began dipping my toe in digital marketing when I felt called to create a platform and serve survivors of domestic violence.

I was creating funnels, landing pages, virtual summits, and facebook ads when they were a new thing...

and when it used to only cost PENNIES to convert!

So, my digital prowess was growing.

Yet, my digital hacking skills shifted to another level when I began serving the founder of a multi-million dollar consultancy.

For over 20 years, her name and reputation had been the source of new business for her firm.

She needed someone else to prospect and bring in new business so that the brand could be sustainable long-term.

I believed in her, her vision and wanted to serve…

So I was INHALING every piece of knowledge, tactic & tech platform I could get my hands on.

I saw that traditional sales tactics, alone, weren’t getting me the results I craved for her.

I also quickly learned that the way I had successfully sold for Fortune 50 companies wasn’t going to fly for this smaller company.

I was experimenting, building tons of sequences, trying crazy ‘out of the box’ ideas and building a sales infrastructure…

All because I felt called to serve her needs.

(And being in service to a founder with a significant level of success meant I was learning a TON from her! #BaptismByFire)

Over time, I started seeing patterns-

We started collecting record-breaking wins.

And somewhere along the way, I went from copying what I was reading…

To designing custom sequences and coming up with my own digital strategies that specifically worked for her business.

Once I made the terrifying decision to stop solely serving her and to serve other clients,

I found that my crazy, ‘out of the box’ strategies and style of experimentation…

Was working for countless other businesses of various industries, stages & sizes as well.

I wasn’t trying to be an influencer or a thought-leader…

And to this day, I’m still not sure how I feel about those titles.

But what I have tried to do…

Is radically serve in the pursuit of solutions to my clients’ problems-

To serve the movements that I believe in...

To serve teams, as the leader who wants to give them everything they need to be successful…

And to serve people, 

because I believe that “if good people do good business, the world will be a better place.”

(I don’t care how corny that sounds. I am really motivated by improving human communication and connectedness and inspiring people to stop settling for mediocrity and aspire for self-actualization, if I’m being honest about it.)

Today, I serve by training and pouring into others so that they, too, can be prepared for the future of our modern economy.

However, one of the reasons that I’m non-negotiable about experimenting and selling for my own company and a few grandfathered clients...

Is because I realize that’s where my own growth, insights and success have come from.

The moment I stop selling and experimenting and trying new strategies,

The moment I stop serving...

Is the moment I’m irrelevant, have stopped growing and should stop teaching.

So alas-

Now when someone wants to know “how I got here”, I can send them to this article.

And if you are looking for advice on how to get to your own “here”...

My advice is to serve.

Find a cause you believe in and serve.

Those few clients you have? 

Radically serve them.

Want to land new clients? 

Immerse yourself in your prospect’s world so that you can truly serve and be of value.

To authentically sell, 

you must genuinely be committed to serving.

What say you? Do you agree?

Sound off in the comments below.

Until next time,

Let's do better business!

-Liz

P.S.

For those who are ready to fully leverage LinkedIn and modern digital strategies to win more business, I'm hosting a one-of-a-kind live training in San Antonio, TX on April 1-2nd. From video stations and headshots to optimizing profiles and building playbooks, join us for 2-days to accelerate your performance! More details on the LinkedIn Accelerator here: https://www.stimulyst.com/registration/

About The Author:

Liz J. Simpson has been recognized by LinkedIn as one of 15 sales influencers in the world to follow in 2020.

She has been featured in NBC, CBS, NPR, SXSW, Essence Magazine and San Antonio Business Journal's 40 under 40. She is an advisory board member for Together In Digital and an inaugural lifetime Fellow of INBOUND.

As founder of Stimulyst, Liz has helped clients close millions of dollars in new business through her digitally-driven, account-centric methodology rooted in business acumen, emotional intelligence and high-value relationship-building. 

Stimulyst helps B2B firms win more business with LinkedIn and modern, digital strategies. 

When she's not helping firms become more fluent in #bigmoneytalk, you can find her at home in San Antonio, TX with her husband, toddler and two teenagers.

#sales #b2bsales #linkedin #salestraining #socialselling #linkedintraining #businessdevelopment