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Saturday, April 21, 2012

International Bestselling Book Author,Elinor Stutz, Shares Her Story and Her Books

A vision came to me while at Stanford Hospital lying on a stretcher with a broken neck. I had one of those near-death experiences you read about but never happens to you. My life flashed in front of me in the form of a report card. On the left hand side, I had very high marks, but the right hand side was startling – it was blank and entitled Community Service!



I instantly recognized a need to begin giving back to communities at large. I vowed that if I were able to walk out of the hospital, I would begin doing just that. It was on that stretcher while waiting to be admitted, that I wrote my first business plan – to help others near and far understand how to take their natural talents and convert those into sales and grow business. 

Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC authored the International Best-Selling book, Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results.” Community Service work teaching job seekers how to sell themselves on interviews to land their desired job led to the writing of her second best-selling book, HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews.”   

OpenView Labs designated Elinor as one of the worldwide 25 Top Sales Influencers for 2012.  Elinor is known for delivering inspirational keynotes to standing ovations. She provides consultation, team training, private coaching and business retreats to GROW your business.  The Smooth Sale product line complements all she does. Elinor is available upon request for consultation.  

Tell us about the genre of your work.   

My forte is sales through creative business development.  I am an advocate for using all types of media and mediums to build business along with building relationships every step of the way.  Likewise, I use many methods for teaching my clientele such as webinars, tweets, blogs, articles, books, videos, training sessions for teams, coaching individuals and coordinating Business Retreats.   

My style is to commit to continual education and report back what I find to work best.  My mantra is to over-deliver on value. 

Why did you choose this genre? 

Many years ago, I was a stay-at-home Mom.  But realizing I needed to help earn college money for the children, my husband did some research on the best avenue for me.  One night he came home to say, “I’ve got it, you have the personality of a salesperson.”  I turned around somewhat appalled, and quietly asked, “Is that a compliment or an insult?”! 

It turned out my husband was right.  Looking back, as a child I was always selling my parents and everyone else.  My first job in the corporate world did not welcome women and being the only woman, some very nasty tricks were played on me.  Additionally, they refused to train me plus I was given the silent treatment.  Wanting to be a good role model and refusing to quit, I kept on doing my best.  By the 4th month I became the top producer.  My secret technique was being nice to all of my new contacts.  They each called me a breath of fresh air and actually asked permission to buy from me! 

How is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?

I learned to write as if we were sitting in my breakfast room having a cup of coffee together as I share stories about what happened in the field and how I overcame the difficulties. So the reader is drawn into the story, able to picture exactly what happened, how it was resolved, and read the end result so that they may avoid similar difficulties in the future.  Most business books are factual and dry whereas readers describe my books as not only informational but also highly entertaining!



What are some of your books, stories that have been published? 

Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks – became an international best-seller, translated into several languages and appeared in TIME Magazine.

HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press – became an instant best-seller.

I also write weekly articles for PersonalBrandingBlog.com – rated #5 of all the blogs available, and many of my articles are syndicated. 

Can you tell us more about your books? 

 Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks, 2005 

ISBN: 13: 978-1-4022-0744-0

ISBN: 10: 1-4022-0744-1

The theme of this book is to believe in yourself, strive to do what is right and commit to learning to improve situations and your status in the work environment.  On the entertaining side, the book is referred to as a “corporate tell-all” relaying the nasty tricks and shenanigans women often experience when trying to establish themselves.  What the reader derives is how to stand up for oneself, the relationship build and selling techniques that work best and how to build a long-lasting clientele.  There formula is there too for those who wish to become the next top producer of their company.
______ 

HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press, 2010 – became an instant best-seller.
ISBN:  978-1-60163-142-8

ISBN:  978-1-60163-685-0

HIRED! explains the process of the sales cycle and how interviewing follows the same.  The book walks the reader through each step of interviewing explaining the sales techniques that should be applied at the right moment.  Examples through story-telling provide an accurate viewpoint of how it all works together for a greater positive impact.  Years of prior community service led this author to recognize the techniques work well.  When the financial markets dropped worldwide, I knew it was time to write the book.

Where do you get your ideas for writing? 

Upon attending my very first networking event as an entrepreneur, I experienced one of two reactions:  The men laughed thinking a woman couldn’t possibly know enough to be a sales trainer and the women ran away hearing I was a sales trainer.  I went home to read marketing materials, as my message was obviously way off the mark.  The common theme was, “write a book”.  Since no one was talking to me, I had all the time to do so. 

What is your favorite thing about your book? 

I believe the Nice Girls book is classic in that etiquette is included in the sales know-how.  It’s appropriate even with the advance of social media.  Good manners will never go out of style or be unappreciated.  The book brings acclaim from around the world and puts a smile on everyone’s face who reads it.

Likewise, much about HIRED! will remain in fashion.  Everything I write about is based upon building relationships, understanding the needs of others and working to solve their problems.  So no matter the new technology, the principles will always be the same.  My favorite thing about HIRED! is that it has helped many people land their desired job.  It’s community service at its best because it teaches the reader from their point of reading forward to become strong in their field.  Additional opportunities arise due to the goodwill the book produced. 

Why and when did you begin writing?  Is there any one person who had a big influence on you or encouraged you to write?   

Nice Girls was my first attempt at writing.  It was the marketing materials that encouraged me.  If I didn’t try writing, I would never know if I could succeed.  The first publisher said yes and it became an instant success. It’s a remarkable record, and that is why I wrote the second book to make certain it wasn’t just “luck” as some said but that I was actually good at what I did. 

What is your writing schedule?  What atmosphere do you need to write?  

Being goal-driven, I set the number of pages per day that I expect to write but include an overall number of pages for the week.  Therefore, if one day I fall short, I make it up on Saturday to fulfill the weekly goal.  My first book was written in 3 months; being highly competitive with myself, I wrote the second book in two months.  A third book is in the works and that goal is six weeks to completion. 

What projects are you working on now, or plan for the future? 

Speaking programs are being planned now and should begin in the Spring.  I’m working with another who is an outstanding fundraiser.  This will be a community effort to help people land the job they desire and to give a portion of the proceeds to medical research. 

What kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write and be published? 

My expertise is in the non-fiction area based upon my personal experience.  In this realm, write what you know well.  What were your experiences?  What difficulties did you have to overcome to do well?  How did you overcome those difficulties and what was the outcome?  How did all of this further your endeavors?  Are there stories you may share to make the book more personal and engage the reader?  Before you begin writing, mentally review the highlights of what you wish to share.  Perhaps these topics will become the chapter headers and then the rest of the information will be easier to fill in. 

Final word here is do not doubt yourself.  Write what you believe helped you and will serve to help others.  Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.

Are there any other comments, advice or tips that you would give to beginning writers? 

Many people belong to writing groups while others agonize over every paragraph and title.  Some I know took ten years to write their book and it became outdated before ever going into print.  My advice is to commit to writing your book without second guessing yourself.  When you ask opinions, each person will give you a different one serving only to confuse.  Find quiet time to write and answer only to yourself.  Most likely your answer will be the right one. 

What do you do when you are not writing?  

Monday through Friday I work on my business and that invariably involves writing in the form of email or posts.  But on Friday afternoon through Sunday, I enjoy time with family and friends.  Travel has always been a passion and I get away as often as possible. 

Include anything else you may wish to add. 

In today’s world, your book is now a business card.  The book establishes your credibility.  People know who you are and where to find you.  The Resource Section in the back of your book may point readers to other events with which you are involved.  You will find the book is a springboard into other activities such as speaking, guest appearances on shows, and requests for collaboration.

What “Made It” moments have you experienced in life? 

The book made all the difference in my business.  It was more than worth the effort.  I have enjoyed the following due to becoming a credible author: 

Delivered Keynotes: in Paris, France and at large conventions across the U.S

Honored by OpenView Labs of Boston MA, listed in their “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012”

The “Global Leadership Award” will be received by Powerful Women Int’l. on International Women’s Day 2012


Note from Sylvia: You can visit my other blog at: http://love-faith-and-guts.blogspot.com/that features a preview to my new book, Traveling a Rocky Road with Love, Faith and Guts.

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