Elinor Stutz
International Best-Selling and Evergreen Author at Smooth Sale
Elinor Stutz broke through barriers long before doing so was popular. Against all the odds, she defied the theme, “women can’t sell” to become the top producer at every company she ever worked, all the while ignoring attempts to get her to quit.
As the CEO of Smooth Sale, Stutz adapted the motto, “Believe, Become, Empower.”
Stutz is a motivational/inspirational speaker, author, sales trainer, and business blogger.
Stutz volunteers her time on the Social Media Committee for Inclusion Allies Coalition devoted to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?
As a pioneer saleswoman on an otherwise all-male staff, sales training was not permitted because I was expected to fail. I’m left-handed and always do the opposite – instead of selling, I asked prospects how they prefer to buy. By the 4th month, knowing nothing about what I was to sell or how to sell, I became the office’s top producer!
Jealousy and the lack of inclusion required me to find a new job every year, making me savvy about how to interview well. A near-death experience due to an ‘irreparable broken neck’ confirmed via two visions that I was to convert my talent to empowering communities. The inspiration motivated me to speak up to the surgeon using sales communication skills. After the surgery, he declared me to be a ‘walking miracle.’
I never forgot my commitment to serving communities. It began with authoring two books; Nice Girls DO Get The Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results is a corporate tell-all with names changed to protect the guilty. It was featured in TIME Magazine to become an International Best-Seller almost immediately. Today, it is Evergreen and among the classics.
Community service began with teaching job seekers how to sell themselves on Interviews. After an economic downfall and the need for people to return to work, I wrote HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On interviews. It’s applicable today, given the pandemic.
What sub-topics are you most passionate about?
Subtopics include motivation, perseverance, inspiration, leadership, branding, personal brand, sales communication strategy via social media, reading the business news daily. “Never give up, but find a better way!”
Most of all: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – the reason is the companies for whom I worked wouldn’t have known how even to spell any of it, let alone do what’s right. Accordingly, I immediately accepted the invitation to the social media committee for Inclusion Allies Coalition devoted to the three topics. I desire to contribute to making the theme a global effort impact.
Who influences you within these topics?
My father influenced my motivation to never cave to anyone, no matter the situation. Every night at the dinner table, he would provide a sports example of how the least favorite team won. The message was to ignore negativity and continue going. It was his saying nightly, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
What do you think the future holds in this space?
What brands are leading the way in this space?
A Google search brings up the following listing in an article via the Social Talent Blog: 9 Companies Around the World That Are Embracing Diversity in a BIG Way: Sodexo, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Accenture, Kaiser Permanente, EY, Coca Cola, Marriott, and Novartis.
If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?
What are your passions outside of work?
What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?
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