Uncopyable Women in Sales

Grow a Wildly Successful Woman-Owned Business in Spite of Daunting Obstacles - With CEO Shama Hyder

May 22, 2024 Kay MIller Season 1 Episode 57
Grow a Wildly Successful Woman-Owned Business in Spite of Daunting Obstacles - With CEO Shama Hyder
Uncopyable Women in Sales
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Uncopyable Women in Sales
Grow a Wildly Successful Woman-Owned Business in Spite of Daunting Obstacles - With CEO Shama Hyder
May 22, 2024 Season 1 Episode 57
Kay MIller

In this episode, Kay talks with Shama Hyder, CEO of Zen Media. Shama recounts her entrepreneurial journey, starting Zen Media after grad school, and her shift from self-serving motives to serving clients and employees. They discuss the role of confidence, handling rejection in sales, and the impact of Shama's immigrant background on her work ethic. 

Shama has received recognition from the White House, United Nations, Forbes magazine and more. Her motivations have evolved, but she's  remained down-to-earth, likable and generous -  sharing rock solid advice on everything from handling rejection in sales to her best advice on life-work balance. Don't miss this episode! Listen and implement Shama's advice to succeed in sales and beyond.

About Shama:

Shama Hyder is a visionary strategist for the digital age, a web and TV personality, a bestselling author, and the award-winning CEO of Zen Media – a global marketing and digital PR firm. She has been named the “Zen Master of Marketing” by Entrepreneur Magazine and the “Millennial Master of the Universe” by FastCompany.com. Shama has also been honored at both the White House and The United Nations as one of the top 100 young entrepreneurs in the country.

Shama is the bestselling author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing, now in its 4th edition and Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age. An acclaimed keynote speaker, Shama has delivered keynotes in over 20 countries and spoken for recognized brands including Movado, Chase, Tupperware and Inc 5000.

As a result of her success, Shama has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Technology Titan Emerging Company CEO award. She was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25” by Business Week in 2009, one of the “Top 30 Under 30” Entrepreneurs in America in 2014 by Inc. Magazine, and to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list of movers and shakers for 2015. LinkedIn has named Hyder one of their “Top Voices” in Marketing & Social Media for three years in a row. Her online videos were awarded the “Hermes Gold award for Educational Programming in Electronic Media” and most recently she was given the “Global Empowerment award for Marketing and Technology” by Anokhi Media.

As the CEO of Zen Media, she and her team help both B2B and B2C brands to make meaningful connections with the modern-day customer via influencer marketing, experiential and digital storytelling — and then turning those into bottom line results. Notable clients include Chase Business, The US Navy, DFW Airport, MaryKay, and Tupperware.

Contact Shama:
linkedin.com/in/shamahyder.com
zenmedia.com (B2B Tech Marketing & PR Firm)
zenmedia.com/blog (B2B Tech Marketing and PR Blog)

Kay Miller interviews women in sales with proven track records, as they share their experiences, success strategies and tools you can use to crush your sales goals. Kay has a history of sales success, earning the nickname “Muffler Mama” when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone in the world. Kay and her guests deliver actionable insights and real-world tools that will help you overcome obstacles, adopt a winning mindset, and maximize your sales results.

Kay is the author of the book, Uncopyable Sales Secrets – How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell the Competition. Go to Amazon.com and search “Uncopyable Sales Secrets” to order the book, or click the link below.

Contact:
kay@uncopyablesales.com
linkedin.com/in/millerkay
Order Uncopyable Sales Secrets: amzn.to/35dGlYZ








Show Notes Transcript

In this episode, Kay talks with Shama Hyder, CEO of Zen Media. Shama recounts her entrepreneurial journey, starting Zen Media after grad school, and her shift from self-serving motives to serving clients and employees. They discuss the role of confidence, handling rejection in sales, and the impact of Shama's immigrant background on her work ethic. 

Shama has received recognition from the White House, United Nations, Forbes magazine and more. Her motivations have evolved, but she's  remained down-to-earth, likable and generous -  sharing rock solid advice on everything from handling rejection in sales to her best advice on life-work balance. Don't miss this episode! Listen and implement Shama's advice to succeed in sales and beyond.

About Shama:

Shama Hyder is a visionary strategist for the digital age, a web and TV personality, a bestselling author, and the award-winning CEO of Zen Media – a global marketing and digital PR firm. She has been named the “Zen Master of Marketing” by Entrepreneur Magazine and the “Millennial Master of the Universe” by FastCompany.com. Shama has also been honored at both the White House and The United Nations as one of the top 100 young entrepreneurs in the country.

Shama is the bestselling author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing, now in its 4th edition and Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age. An acclaimed keynote speaker, Shama has delivered keynotes in over 20 countries and spoken for recognized brands including Movado, Chase, Tupperware and Inc 5000.

As a result of her success, Shama has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Technology Titan Emerging Company CEO award. She was named one of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25” by Business Week in 2009, one of the “Top 30 Under 30” Entrepreneurs in America in 2014 by Inc. Magazine, and to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list of movers and shakers for 2015. LinkedIn has named Hyder one of their “Top Voices” in Marketing & Social Media for three years in a row. Her online videos were awarded the “Hermes Gold award for Educational Programming in Electronic Media” and most recently she was given the “Global Empowerment award for Marketing and Technology” by Anokhi Media.

As the CEO of Zen Media, she and her team help both B2B and B2C brands to make meaningful connections with the modern-day customer via influencer marketing, experiential and digital storytelling — and then turning those into bottom line results. Notable clients include Chase Business, The US Navy, DFW Airport, MaryKay, and Tupperware.

Contact Shama:
linkedin.com/in/shamahyder.com
zenmedia.com (B2B Tech Marketing & PR Firm)
zenmedia.com/blog (B2B Tech Marketing and PR Blog)

Kay Miller interviews women in sales with proven track records, as they share their experiences, success strategies and tools you can use to crush your sales goals. Kay has a history of sales success, earning the nickname “Muffler Mama” when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone in the world. Kay and her guests deliver actionable insights and real-world tools that will help you overcome obstacles, adopt a winning mindset, and maximize your sales results.

Kay is the author of the book, Uncopyable Sales Secrets – How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell the Competition. Go to Amazon.com and search “Uncopyable Sales Secrets” to order the book, or click the link below.

Contact:
kay@uncopyablesales.com
linkedin.com/in/millerkay
Order Uncopyable Sales Secrets: amzn.to/35dGlYZ








Speaker 1 (00:00:00) - Welcome to Uncopyable women in Sales. If you're looking for actionable insights in real world tools to turbocharge your sales starting tomorrow, well, you're in the right place. Your host, Kay Miller, earned the affectionate nickname Muffler Mama when she sold more automotive mufflers than anyone else in the world. In this podcast, Kay will talk to another superstar women in sales as they reveal unstoppable strategies you can use to rack up more leads, snag dream clients, and take your sales numbers through the roof. Stay tuned and get ready to make more sales. And how about this more money?

Speaker 2 (00:00:39) - My guest today is Shama Hyder. Shama is the founder and CEO of Zen Media, one of the country's leading B2B marketing and PR companies. Sharma is an acclaimed keynote speaker and has delivered keynotes in over 24 countries. She's the author of two best selling books, including The Zen of Social Media marketing, now in its fourth printing. She has won numerous awards and has been called Millennial Master of the Universe by Fast Company. Sharma.

Speaker 2 (00:01:14) - Welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:01:16) - Thank you for having me, Kay. Great subject and a fun audience.

Speaker 2 (00:01:20) - So yes, I and they are really going to appreciate, learn and be inspired by you. So I'm honored that you're on. I met you, of course, through my husband Steve. You had a mutual client, which is my material handling, and he immediately thought you were awesome, which, as soon as I got to learn more about you, I totally understood. I agree, and so I would like to start with talking about this company that you founded when you're, what, 21? Then media, why don't you tell us about your company and what it does. What you do?

Speaker 3 (00:01:57) - Yes. And Steve's just one of those wonderful people who loves to make connections. And, you know, it's it's a rare he's a rare breed, and I and I love people like that. So it's I'm so glad he connected us and thrilled to be here. So yeah, started the company when I was, gosh, maybe 21, 22 years old and it is called Zen Media.

Speaker 3 (00:02:17) - I started it right out of grad school, so I have never had a regular job. I don't know what that's like. I like to joke that I'm unemployable. So hence the self-employed, you know, and so, yeah, look, I had this notion in my head that social media was going to be a big thing. And this is before social media was a big thing. And I did my thesis on it on Twitter, specifically when it had 2000 users, because I was just fascinated by the space. And I was getting my master's at the University of Texas at Austin, in organizational communication and technology. And I had an amazing grad advisor, Doctor Donna Ballard, who was very encouraging of my my fancies because at that time, that's how people saw it. You know, that social media is a fad. I don't really know where this whole there were people who were studying the internet. We don't really know where this internet thing is going. And so, you know, you add social media to the mix and it's just a different beast.

Speaker 3 (00:03:14) - And, for multiple reasons that I'm happy to double click on any of them. I put out my own shingle and started Zen Media, which originally was one of the first social media marketing agencies in the world, arguably because it's so new. And then from that we've evolved, obviously, you know, as to what we are today, and we found our kind of special niche in helping complex industries with discerning audiences. So that's generally the clients that work with us are in complex industries tech, healthcare, manufacturing, B2B, some B2C. But now on the B2C side, it's more sophisticated B2C. So not necessarily lifestyle. But yeah, it's when, you know, clients want to break through the noise and they've got a message and they need to make sure that they're getting in front of their audiences. So that's what we do today. And you know, it's been it's been a really fun journey. It's been really cool to be, I just celebrated a birthday and I looked around and I told my team, I said, no, feels so great to look around and feel like you were doing what you love with people you really respect.

Speaker 3 (00:04:16) - And I'm that's something that makes me very happy.

Speaker 2 (00:04:20) - Well, and you certainly were a visionary because like you said, social media has just exploded. And, I read a couple of things about you. I've, of course, learned a lot about you. one is that you you couldn't find a job after college. So this was your way of getting scrappy and starting your own business. And I also read that you your motivation has kind of changed. In the beginning, it was, like, self-serving. I'm going to get this done. And now you view it differently as serving your client. So how's that evolved?

Speaker 3 (00:04:51) - Yeah. You know, when I started out, it was about it was much more me, right? Like I couldn't get a job. So I was like, I need to create something that helps me do this. And I obviously studied social, believed in it. I actually had 18 companies reject me, and it's just all for multiple reasons. One of the key bases being like, hey, we don't think social has a like we don't know what to do with this thing.

Speaker 3 (00:05:14) - Right. And so we're 0708 is also the Great Recession is a very interesting and tough time to enter the market. And so initially was like, I don't know if I had a chip on my shoulder or I felt like I had something to prove, I don't, I like I, I think one of the things I've always been grateful for is that I have been very like I compete against me and how do I get better. And so but, you know, when you're starting out, it was very different. I thought about it is like, what do I want to do? What do I want to start? What do I want to, what do I want to be able to build? Right. And then as that's shifted as the years have gone past, I really I feel like part of this is just maturing, right? Like who you are in 22. Like, there's not a lot of great leaders, a 22 year old. And I can't say that I'm a that I'm, you know, that I shy away from that moniker even now.

Speaker 3 (00:06:02) - But I will say, I think now my motivation is much more what can we do for the clients we serve and how can we? You know, for me, I always think about I tell people this when you have employees and you people join that you like, I work for them, right? They don't technically, you know, they're on the payroll, but really your job is to work in service of your clients and your people. And one of the things that has brought me great joy that I didn't. I couldn't have told you this when I started the company. That it would bring me so much joy is being able to support people in their livelihoods, right? Because one of the things that's very, special to me and to my husband, who's also an entrepreneur, like it's a shared value for us, is that you really respect what puts food on the table, and so you respect what that is, you know, and I think it's a little maybe it's a little old fashioned. I think it's kind of in vogue right now to punch down on work.

Speaker 3 (00:07:00) - But for me, it's always been very important. And so now I think about all building something that allows people to put food on their tables, and it pays for soccer lessons. And, you know, so there's one element of our employees, obviously. And then there's the element of, you know, we help our clients and whatever millions if not billions, depending on the scale they're at to their revenue and their and their top line. That's really a great feeling, too, because, you know, that means now you've enabled them to hire more people and create more opportunities. And so I really like that idea creating opportunities. And I think that's the lens with which I view the world now and what motivates me. Right. The idea of like, how do we create more opportunities for people in the world?

Speaker 2 (00:07:46) - That's a great way to look at it. And, you know, I, I've talked to people like you who landed in industries they're so passionate about. It's so exciting. And I started my career in male dominated industries that were frankly, boring hardware and then exhaust products.

Speaker 2 (00:08:03) - And to me, it was really about the people. And like you said, I thought about that. I said, okay, you know, I'm I wasn't in love with the product, but the relationships and thinking about, yeah, the businesses that you're supporting. And you said food on the table, soccer lessons, you know, and there's a ripple effect that impacts the whole world. So, you know I think that's that's really great. You know, you're all about the marketing. And and as I said, I've learned a lot about your company, you know, so cutting edge I mentioned beforehand I follow you on Instagram. And you were even saying Happy holidays. And then you used AI to convert that into all these different languages. So you're always on the cutting edge of marketing, which of course feeds into sales. And so my audience for this podcast is sales. And so and I'd love to hear your advice just about, you know, your drive, ambition, your confidence that you could share with the listeners.

Speaker 3 (00:09:04) - Yeah. Okay. So I would say, you know, especially if you're in sales, you know, like I think confidence is so interesting because I'm like, I don't know if I've ever believed in fake it til you make it that never it always seemed odd to me. Right. Like you're like, it's not authentic.

Speaker 2 (00:09:20) - Maybe. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:09:21) - And you know, when people talk about the imposter syndrome, and I think that's definitely something more women I know struggle with than men. it's rare to find men who suffer from that syndrome, but you certainly find a good amount of women who who feel that, for me, I've always looked at confidence more as like, you know, it's like a muscle, right? With with every rep, you move forward a step. And I think for me, it's that's definitely true in marketing and sales. Right. And sales of like your ability to take no's, your ability to handle rejection. And at the end of the day still be resilient. That's that's what it's really about.

Speaker 3 (00:10:00) - That's what makes you confident. It's not you know, I think it's theory is great. Textbook is fine. And you're fine in your little. But like you have to it's the friction. Right. And when your ideas when you meet the real world and then that friction I think is what great things come out of. And I think we live in a society too, where we try to reduce friction so much like it's a bad thing. But really some of the best things happen when there is that friction, when there is. And so yeah, I would say for confidence specifically, it is a matter of finding those opportunities where there is where there's bound to be friction because you are pitching an idea or you're doing something and someone can say no. And, you know, it's like, I, I have kids now and little ones still, but I think about ways and I'm like, how am I going to help them get their first hundred no's? So they are not scared of a no. I think there's such a fear of anyone wants a failure but rejection, which makes sense as human beings were so wired right to I think, yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:11:06) - And I think background helps in that. I was not a, I was not a popular kid in school.

Speaker 2 (00:11:14) - Really interesting.

Speaker 3 (00:11:16) - But why does that surprise you came such a nerd I am. You're so.

Speaker 2 (00:11:19) - Personable. I mean, when I watched you on Instagram, I feel like you're talking to me and you're so confident. Although I love this story about when you were speaking in was high school or college, and you were so afraid, but you just kept doing it. And yeah, that's really the only way to get through it. but I can't believe that you were not popular. Although some of the most successful people in the world, including you, were not popular.

Speaker 3 (00:11:46) - I was not popular. I, I mean, I, you know, it was an interesting transition because I moved from India when I was nine. And so you're talking about, like, an immigrant family coming into the country. I think there was a lot more understanding and acceptance of that sort of diversity now than was even back in the 90s.

Speaker 3 (00:12:11) - and so, you know, I came here and I'm like this little girl in a petticoat with an accent and, you know, and that's that's like, I don't even I'm it's so funny because I definitely forget the popular kid. I think by today's standards, people will be like, oh, you were so bullied. But I just never had that lens. I remember in one of my report cards, one of the teachers wrote and sheets, it's all over. Forget this, she said. The other kids are mean to Sharma, but she doesn't seem to care. She just finds other things to do. And I thought that pretty much sums that well. And that is, you know.

Speaker 2 (00:12:48) - Some, you know, some of that you're just born with. I mean, you just and I've talked to some of my guests, they say, you know, I'm just naturally happy. I'm glass half full. Absolutely. Others have to work at it harder, harder.

Speaker 3 (00:13:01) - I'm sure it's one thing I've always been grateful for is the fact that I am.

Speaker 3 (00:13:06) - I like I have a lot of propensity for joy. Actually, this was. I'd never seen this until I took so funny. Sidebar story. When I hired my chief of staff, I worked. I got him through. A recruiting service is amazing and the recruiting service does this test like, you know, to see make sure they match you with the right person? One of the categories they test you for is propensity for joy. And they were like, well, that was.

Speaker 2 (00:13:33) - A category that's fascinating.

Speaker 3 (00:13:35) - It is because it makes sense. I like and it was yeah, I was like, what is this? So but they said that I, I scored off the charts like it was like 99 percentile when it was just funny. So and I think that's true, I think like your propensity for how much joy you have and then you can get out of life is important. But again a muscle. So I do think, well, we are born with certain inclinations right of. Who we are.

Speaker 3 (00:14:05) - I think there's so much we. I think it's it. Well, let me put it this way. I think it's a bad idea to give up your agency to say I was just born this way because you have so much control over who you become as an adult, and you are constantly becoming. So I will say that, like I, you know, certain like I never thought that I'd be in marketing. I never thought that I would be in sales. But then when you grow up and you redefine it and you're like, this is about communicating a message to someone and connecting the dots for someone who needs something that you have to offer, then it's so different. You're like, yeah, of course I like I.

Speaker 1 (00:14:43) - Today's podcast is sponsored by the acclaimed book Unstoppable Sales Secrets How to Create an Unfair Advantage and Outsell Your Competition, by Kay Miller. If you want to make more sales, you need to read this book. We'll even get you started with a free download of the first two chapters.

Speaker 1 (00:15:02) - Go to unstoppable Sales. Com slash chapters to grab this offer right now.

Speaker 2 (00:15:09) - Well, I'm you've always been really intentional though I, I love the stories about you saying I was not going to take help from my parents if I couldn't buy something, or if I couldn't afford something, I wouldn't buy it. So you did have these qualities that serve you. But but of course, you're human. You're going to have times that that you're not confident or you're not, sure of yourself. Whatever. You're not filled with joy. And then. Yes, it is, it's it's something you have to focus on and make it happen.

Speaker 3 (00:15:41) - Yeah. It's funny you should say about intentionality. I would say, you know, being raised in an immigrant household, right? I think I'm allergic to entitlement to love. And I like every day, you know, when we have clients who give us their business or people who work here, I think because of my kind of allergic reaction to entitlement, I never take it for granted.

Speaker 3 (00:16:06) - I'm very grateful for the opportunities that I've been given, that the clients who work with us give us a chance to work with them and do that. And like, I just don't ever take that lightly. And I feel like that really has to be earned, you know? and I think that's so true as a meta point in sales and marketing today, it has to be earned. Like your trust has to be earned. That sale has to be earned. It is so much harder to buy, even to advertising because we see that, right? Trust and advertising. It is an all time low. So you you do you have to earn that business.

Speaker 2 (00:16:43) - Yeah, I heard you talk about the trust. And, you know, sometimes even an inferior product will have more trust. And so that is really the currency that people, you know, or how they judge what they're going to buy. Interesting. Talking about being an immigrant. my niece is married to a young man from Venezuela, and he, you know, he feels so lucky and blessed.

Speaker 2 (00:17:10) - In fact, I just interviewed my niece, but, you know, he had nothing. He's just so appreciative of the opportunities. Oh, my gosh, he's such a hard worker. and I'm sorry, the entitlement thing. You know, people bash millennials. Of course, you are a millennial, but, there is that attitude of entitlement. So in in the business that you've created and of course in sales too, what you get out of it is what you put into it. So you definitely can't have that attitude of entitlement.

Speaker 3 (00:17:42) - Yeah, I think there's the idea that the world owes you something. Right? I think that's the thing I've always sort of chafed against. And you're, you know, your your niece's husband was at. It was Venezuelan. Yeah. Like, that's I think you see that a lot from people who come from less. And then when you see that, you so appreciate it. And it's something, you know, very candidly that we struggle to think about, how do we instill that in our children? Because the contrast is what makes you so appreciative.

Speaker 3 (00:18:10) - Right. And you work so hard so they won't have to have the same struggles as you. And at the same time, it's those struggles that really define who you are as a person in your character. So yeah, I mean, just like I think there's interesting challenges for sure around that.

Speaker 2 (00:18:26) - Yeah. I mean, there are I watched an Instagram post where you surprised your kids with a train set, an amazing train set. So yes, they're going to have everything, although they're going to have a couple of super role models. And so you're providing that example for them that something tells me that that that's not going to happen with them. But yeah, we have to you.

Speaker 3 (00:18:51) - One can hope you know, and we do our best. And I think that's really what so much of this boils down to. Is that right? Okay. Like whether it's sales or parenting, you just do your best and like your best. Some days is going to be better than other days. I think that's something I really come to appreciate, except to about balancing motherhood and running a business and all this stuff.

Speaker 3 (00:19:11) - Like some days, like, I'm like an amazing mom. I'm like, someone give this girl an award because, like, I am killing it, you know? And then it's maybe that's not the day where I show up as the best leader or like, the best per, you know, like, maybe my that's just a different side of the brain. And then there's other days where I'm like, man. Like I really dropped the ball here. You know what? Like I yelled at the kids or I did something that I'm not so proud of. But we had a great day at work. I just wanted you, like, you know, again on some rare, magical days, all the stars align and you knock it out of the park with everything. But I think, like, there's so much part of on social. And one of the things I really think is important for when you were trying to get better at sales. Anything is the just the importance of disconnecting just as much as it is connecting, because part of like you saying like, hey, you're always ahead on like you stay ahead of the curve, you know what's going on.

Speaker 3 (00:20:10) - But right now, for example, I don't have social media on my phone. I've taken off all the because what we are, what I find is when I remove all of this, like I'll use it on my computer or my desktop if I need to. But what I find is when I do that, I read a lot more. So I read, you know, two books this week.

Speaker 2 (00:20:30) - Yeah. That's great. Social media does get in the way of that stuff.

Speaker 3 (00:20:34) - You have to balance it out because it's it's important. And, you know, for my field, obviously, you know, we have to keep up, but you have to think about like your mental diet too. We talk so much about our physical diets and our health, but we don't spend a lot of time talking about our mental diets and what we consume. And when you just scroll through stuff that's like, you know, the equivalent of me, you know, binging on popcorn. Which track?

Speaker 2 (00:20:56) - Not that I've ever used crack.

Speaker 2 (00:20:58) - So I'm not a crack user, but know it's addictive. And they want, you know, they want it to be. And like you said, that is also part of what you do. You know, you're helping create, you know, an image and all these different components for brands through social media. So yeah, it's kind of a, you know.

Speaker 3 (00:21:16) - I mean, yeah, it's you have to find the balance. As I'm saying, I'm like, even me, you know, I, I'm very, strategic and mindful of how I'm using these platforms because it's so easy to get stuck in the scroll and to really be able to do good quality work. Sometimes you have to turn that off to be able to actually focus.

Speaker 2 (00:21:38) - And something tells me, though, that you are very good at managing your time and and now you have a team, you have a machine and you're running the machine. But, in the beginning it was just to you, right? Bootstrapping it. And so how are you? Are you a good time manager?

Speaker 3 (00:21:55) - I would say yes.

Speaker 3 (00:21:56) - My husband would say, no, he's not here. I'm not. You know, I like we're always running late this stuff. And so it's so funny. I blame the Indian genes. I'm like, babe, I'm sorry, but I, Yeah. So I will say, I feel very lucky that I started my company when I was young, as I was without any obligations. Because what else are you going to do with that? You know what I mean? All you have is, look, when you're younger, all you have is time. So. And I'm so grateful that I spent a lot of my 20s building this and using that time to do some of these things that I, you know, a are now like grown into trees and whatnot. The other side of that, though, now is as a mom. I'm much more mindful of my time to sew, and more than time, I would say. I think about my energy more than time. So like time is time.

Speaker 3 (00:22:51) - Are you 24 hours? So. And I don't think this gets talked about enough either. Okay. As women our energy varies considerably. Like there are days where I have way more energy than other days, right? It's just the way like. I like biology, I like that. So I for me though, time is time. Like certain things are take longer or less. What whatever I prioritize based on I'm I am intentional about how I spend time with my kids, but I think more of that is energy. Like, what do you spend time thinking about? And I'd say it goes back to like removing social feeds from your post for a while, or what are the relationships you really want to cultivate, what's important to you? So I think those things are things I think about more. and you know what's on my mind rather than just like, what's on the clock, because I think you can be with your kids and not be present. And I'm certainly guilty of it at times, but I try not to be.

Speaker 3 (00:23:51) - So I just try to be a lot more present in the time that I do have, doing whatever I'm doing.

Speaker 2 (00:23:58) - Well. And how many times have you seen a mom with her kids? I shouldn't pick on moms or dads with their kids, and they're scrolling through their phone.

Speaker 3 (00:24:07) - I've been one of those moms. I am on it yet. It's hard. Absolutely. I'm totally been that mom and my husband. So like, it's hard because, you know, like, I'd say there's two types of times. There's times where there's things going on at work. So you're like, all right, we're going walk into the park. I'm going to look at stuff because I need to like, this needs to get out. Right. There's a deadline. Then there's like those lull moments. And this is where I'm trying to get better at. You know, we are such a dopamine hit culture now where like, if the kids are going to bed and like, all right, just go to bed.

Speaker 3 (00:24:38) - And it's so easy to scroll and do something else, just, you know, because it's lull time, you're like, this is they're just trying to get them to climb and tell them that or whatever. And I'm trying not to do that. And it is hard. These are not easy things I think like that's important to acknowledge is that, yeah, these are hard things. And our brains are so wired now for the quick hits for the dopamine. You know, like I, I'm just I'm fascinated to see what research we come out with in ten years to see how it is changing our brains. And, there are certain things that scare me. We'll see them for another podcast, but. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:25:17) - Yeah, well, I mean, I, I'm scared to for this next generation. I don't know what's going to happen with our kids because, I mean, our daughter Kelly had a cell phone at ten because she was a golfer. And she'd walk to the golf course. And, you know, we wanted to know where she was, but and that was when Myspace, which is I'm sure you remember that because you're young.

Speaker 2 (00:25:39) - there was Myspace, and I'd been going on there checking to make sure, you know, she wasn't putting your address in or whatever. but now, I mean, and I don't know what the future holds, what you think about TikTok. And like you said, Twitter's exploded all these media. And in a way, it's great. one thing I was going to say, I'm kind of meandering here, but one thing I really admire about you is that you're so real, you know, you're this super successful woman in business, like you said, immigrant too. but you're not afraid to show your vulnerability and be real. That is so important, I think, in sales and everything. And and you have a brand, you help your companies build a brand. so I just wanted to throw that in there that I really appreciate the fact that you don't say that. You're perfect.

Speaker 3 (00:26:29) - Thank you. I don't know anybody who is. I certainly know people who project that image on social, and I just don't think it does anyone any favors.

Speaker 3 (00:26:36) - You know, I've been on I like I try to be very candid when people ask me things, I'm not a morning person. People are like, oh, you know, all these success things will tell. You wake up at 5 a.m. and I know I would be miserable. Like that's just not so. I think so much of this, you have to do what's right for you, right. Like you have to find the things that work for you and that makes you happy. And that's the life that you get to create. And I think one of the things that I hope that this generation, coming generation and my kids and be able to see that is that you have a lot of agency to do that and you have technology gives you a lot of opportunities and a lot of options to create the life you want, as long as you can sort of keep those demons at bay and not be so sucked in, because it's very easy to get pulled into, here's the right way to do things, and here's the wrong way to do things.

Speaker 3 (00:27:30) - And I you know, I hope that we teach them that they can do things their own way, like even in sales, you know, think there's the data is important. Meaning maybe you have a closing style that works. That's great. Like, I think you've got to use your strengths and what works for you.

Speaker 2 (00:27:49) - Yeah. And I've been amazed at all the different women I talked to who are extremely successful in sales. And they're all different. The way they sell is different. And really, you know, being authentic is huge because people can they can smell a rat, right? They know if you're not being intentional. so, so.

Speaker 3 (00:28:09) - Much more discerning as an audience and so much less gullible than we were. Right? Like generation ago. Like, you put a label on people, but it's just not the case today. I mean, look at the influencing trend, which runs on social, with people saying the opposite of influencing. It's like, here's why this is bad. It's literally called influencing people about something.

Speaker 3 (00:28:30) - So yeah, I think in general we are a lot more skeptical. I mean, that's what we see with our clients and their customers and prospects across the board. They are way more skeptical of stuff than they ever were. you know, it just which means you need that's where marketing comes to play to. And you just you have to spend. So much more time, I think, before you ever get on the phone with them to build that trust. And the faster you build trust, the easier it is to close, right? You're going to close faster because people feel like they know you. A lot of what I put out there, when people come to us and then because of so much info that we put out there, they're coming to us more like, hey, how can you help us? Not, you know, who are you? What can you do? Can you help us? That's we rarely get those questions. It's much more often. We've seen your stuff. We like your approach.

Speaker 3 (00:29:21) - Here's what we're dealing with. How does this work? And that's really the ideal situation in sales is you want that. You want people to be able to come to you and say, how can you help me? Right. That's a difference that people say, like versus who are you and why are we talking?

Speaker 2 (00:29:37) - Right. And and as you pointed out, you don't buy anything anymore without going online. but yeah, you're building that presence for companies that, you know, allows the salespeople to have that advantage. And, you know, marketing, of course, I don't know. It's it leads to the sales. And of course, sales is what makes a business go. But yeah, that marketing piece obviously is just essential. And it it builds that relationship with the customer right first. So. Sharma. Do you have any closing thoughts? Because we're almost out of time. We've already given some really valuable stuff. Do you have anything to close with.

Speaker 3 (00:30:19) - A little recap and just send me really mindful of what you consume? You know, like we're listening to this podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:30:24) - Good for you. Like you're consuming something. Hopefully that helps you in life, in business, and be careful who you take advice from. you know, everyone's got a platform. Doesn't mean they should. So they would say, find what works for you in sales. It's important. Everyone's going to have their own methodology and resilience, like build that muscle, you know, which means, get get your 100 no's. Get your thousand no's because you don't need that many yeses. You just need the right yeses.

Speaker 2 (00:30:56) - I love that you don't need. Yeah, you just need the right yeses. You can't sell to everyone. You shouldn't sell to everyone. Really great advice. I want to encourage people to go to your website. sharma.com. I'll put the links in the show notes because you have some really awesome giveaways. one I noticed is the five day MBA on modern day PR and earned media. And so that's just one of the things that you can take advantage of and learn from. Sharma. So Sharma, thank you so much for spending this time with me.

Speaker 2 (00:31:32) - I've really enjoyed it.

Speaker 3 (00:31:34) - I treasure K.

Speaker 1 (00:31:37) - Thanks for listening to this episode of Unstoppable Women in Sales, your source for secrets you can use to make more sales. Check the show notes for links and contact information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, please spread the word by subscribing, sharing and leaving a five star review. You can always learn more by going to UN Copyable sales competition last. Until next time, go out and supercharge your sales like a true unstoppable rockstar.