604. It Doesn't Have to Be Like That!

Elinor Stutz

Elinor heard all the reasons other girls hear about why they couldn’t do this or why it was dangerous for girls to do that. Early in life, she decided her best reply would be, “It doesn’t have to be like that!”

Elinor Stutz broke through barriers before doing so was popular. She defied the theme, “women can’t sell,” to become the top producer at every company. While on a stretcher with a broken neck predicted to be irreparable, she used mirroring technique, learned through her selling skills, to negotiate 100% healing. The entire medical staff hailed her as “a walking miracle.” Stutz’ motto is, “Believe, Become, Empower.” She created Smooth Sale to teach how to create a returning and referring clientele. Her achievements through ignoring negativity include her international best-selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building that Gets Results.”

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

Like many girls, Elinor heard important people in her life tell her, “It’s a man’s world,” or warn her it was dangerous for a girl to do things like selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. At the same time, she often heard her father exuberantly cheering whenever an underdog won, and he urged her to never give up. Even as a child she often responded to limitations by declaring, “It doesn’t have to be that way!”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

After enduring a string of dreadful corporate jobs and even having a TV network news executive slam a door in her face, Elinor was preparing to re-enter the workforce after raising a family. Her husband came home from work excited one day, telling her, “”I know what you should do! You have the personality of a salesperson.” Elinor stood up, looked him in the face, and asked him very seriously, “Is that a compliment or an insult?” The rest, she says, is history. “I discovered I have the sales gene.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

“Ignore the naysayers. Don’t accept doors being slammed in your face. Learn from your experiences. Your very worst experiences are also your best lessons. Learn to apply what you learn to the next phase of your life.”