Elinor Stutz, International Best-Selling and Evergreen Author, Top 1% Influencer, and
Inspirational Speaker, is renowned for breaking barriers in sales and leadership. Defying
the notion that “women can’t sell,” she became the top producer at every company she
worked for. Known as “The Walking Miracle” after surviving a broken neck, she leads
Smooth Sale with the empowering motto: “Believe, Become, Empower.” Her book Nice
Girls DO Get the Sale is a global bestseller and timeless classic, while her blog ranks
among the world’s top sales resources.
Here are the key highlights from the interview:
Tell us about the inception story of Smooth Sale. What inspired you to establish the organization, and what vision guided its foundation?
My sales career began with blatant discrimination due to being a female ahead of my time. My first job entailed mind-boggling efforts to get me to quit, but all the while, my clientele referred to me as ‘A breath of fresh air.’ Without training, by the fourth month, I became the top sales producer for the ‘games’ to grow uglier.
At the end of each year, over eleven years, management gave my hard-earned accounts to the men and tripled my quota for the following year. The only good news is that I became aware of ‘How to sell myself on interviews.’
Upon exiting my sales career, I was stopped at a red light when my life changed forever. Slammed into the rear of my car by another, I could feel my brain swaying in my head. No doctor wanted to touch me. For ten years, I was in dreadful pain, needing to put the back of my head in a noose, hanging from a door knob so that I could lie on the floor to relieve some of the pain. Ten years later, as a passenger on a rainy night, we encountered a second accident had me transported by an ambulance to the hospital.
It was while lying on the gurney as I was awaiting admission to the hospital, that a brilliant gold light encased my entire body, and then two visions, one after the other, appeared before me that would change my life forever. The first vision pictured me being a speaker, to which I whole-heartedly agreed. The second vision showed my life report card – high marks on the left-hand side, but completely blank on the right side, entitled ‘Community Service.’ I immediately pledged, in
my mind, to begin giving back to communities any way I could, but (being a sales negotiator), I added: ‘To give my best, I need to walk out of the hospital on my own!’ A blink of a gold light indicated to me that I would recover.
It was in the hospital ICU, upon recovering from surgery due to having endured an ‘irreparable broken neck,’ and being deemed ‘the Walking Miracle,’ that I knew that I was finished with corporate. My near-death experience highly motivated and inspired me to mentally lay out the plan for my third entrepreneurship, Smooth Sale; the definition being, ‘Earning a returning and referring clientele.’’
I have to date enjoyed an extra 23 years of life, and my commitment to serving communities is still alive today—the purpose of the Smooth Sale Blog is to help readers advance their careers and businesses. As a collaborative person, leaders in varying industries contribute content based on their experiences, helping to provide a wider array of insights from their unique experiences. The appreciation and opportunities due to the project are far greater than I could ever have imagined.
Every business has its share of hurdles in the beginning. What were some of the key challenges you faced in building Smooth Sale, and how did you overcome them?
I began with a symbolic ‘blank piece of paper’, not knowing the executives’ willingness to take a chance on a female sales trainer –the possibilities were almost zero. However, I became familiar with and admired the head of the Chamber of Commerce in our town, and I asked her for a meeting. Slowly but surely, the introductions she provided helped me to transform my knowledge into a fun and prosperous sales training program.
My technique is to ask open-ended questions for learning and to realize a better path forward. Accordingly, I created sales training materials for entrepreneurs and sales teams. My style was to ask questions upfront, such as, ‘How do you attract prospects’ attention?’
Another vital element is to share appropriate short stories from experience that produce laughter and the desire to learn more. Glowing testimonials came from both entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley sales teams that I had the privilege of training. I can proudly say that every session concluded with appreciation and applause.
The good and bad news is that the rave reviews did not follow upon moving North. Upon introducing myself as a sales trainer at a new event, the jeers were unimaginable. Thankfully, someone took me aside to say, ‘To establish credibility, you must write a book!’
My phone was silent, so there was nothing to lose with much to gain. All the horrific corporate stories came to mind; my goal was to reveal to readers how I was able to stand my ground and also ‘up the game’ so that they could do the same.
The manuscript broke many records, as did the formal publication of the book: The first publishing house agreed to publish the manuscript. The book was featured in TIME Magazine, and I appeared on ABC-TV News.
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results very quickly became an International Bestseller. The ultimate achievement is that the book is Evergreen – among the classics!
Can you share your personal leadership journey? What experiences and turning points shaped your path as a leader in the business growth and sales transformation space?
Childhood was the perfect practice for what was to be. As a child, I was always inquisitive, relying on the question, ‘Why?’ For example, at age 10, I asked to sell Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. My mother told me it was unsafe to do so and to give the issue some thought. Accordingly, I thought of every possibility I could. At dinner, I let it be known that I gave much thought to my request and have one question. If it’s unsafe for me to sell Girl Scout cookies door-to-door, then why is it okay for you to do the same for the March of Dimes?’
The next morning, my very first prospect was an elderly lady. She kindly told me that her doctor gave her strict instructions to omit sugar from her diet; therefore, she was unable to purchase any cookies from me. The woman then politely closed the door.
However, I stood on the porch debating ‘whether to ask a question or not,’ my mother wasn’t certain what was going on with me as she was observing. About ten minutes later, the woman reopened the door to ask if I had a question. I then asked if she had any nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Surprised, she said, “Yes, I do!’ I then asked, ‘Don’t you think they might visit more often if you kept a supply of snacks and treats in your pantry?’
Astonished, the woman looked at my mother while pointing at me to say, ‘Wow, she is good!’ She then purchased ten boxes of the Girl Scout cookies.
On a more disturbing front, growing up among bullies, I learned how to not only defend myself but also turn the tables on them, despite being smaller and not nearly as strong. Our selection of words is vital for standing our ground, plus influencing clientele.
The daily practice gave me the knowledge and the courage to stand up in the corporate arena for what was right. I’m one who took two different employers to court because they were attempting to cheat me out of bonuses that I rightfully earned. Each time, the judge banged the gavel so hard that most people in the courtroom jumped, as they exclaimed, ‘Pay her the money today!’
How have you personally driven innovation and transformation through your vision and leadership at Smooth Sale? Can you share a specific example where your approach created a significant impact?
To date, I have enjoyed an extra 23 years of life. My commitment is always with me to serve communities at large. The purpose of the Smooth Sale Blog is to help readers advance their careers and businesses. As a collaborative person, I have others contributing content, helping to provide a wider array of insights and stories depicting how to advance one’s career and other endeavors. The appreciation and opportunities due to the project are far greater than I could ever have imagined.
How would you describe your personal leadership style, and in what ways do you nurture creativity, resilience, and emotional intelligence in the people you work with?
Long ago, a marketing expert advised that I drop being so highly competitive to become collaborative. The idea was frightening, but I was willing to give it a try. Almost magically, opportunities seemingly began to appear. Incorporating my sales style, I always encourage asking a question upfront to learn ‘why’ someone might want to work with me. The question has the other person speaking first so that I can ask questions as needed for a fuller understanding upfront.
Next, I ask more questions relating to how they see their progression forward and how they potentially view our working together and the benefits we may all derive from the collaborative effort. Finally, I have the necessary information to realize how to frame my experience to their interests and needs for us to find a meeting of the minds.
What does the future roadmap look like for you and Smooth Sale? Are there any upcoming initiatives, goals, or expansions you’d like to highlight?
I’m the creative type, so ideas are always with me. For now, the collaborative effort online, primarily via LinkedIn, is how I meet and connect with people globally, to realize with whom to connect, why others reach out to me for a connection, and ultimately, explore new possibilities.
In your view, what are the most essential skills or qualities leaders will need to thrive and make a meaningful difference in the future?
Our future is rapidly changing for how we will live and work. Curiosity is a critical component as it encourages one to learn about the latest findings concerning business, plus how regulations affect it. Next, one needs to connect the dots from their learning regarding the news, personal conversations, articles, and posts, and the outcomes of one’s efforts.
Moreover, not everyone is technically savvy, making it more critical to collaborate with others as Agentic AI and Robotics are seemingly taking over the workspace environment. More than ever, it is vital to be of a collaborative mindset both in the corporate environment as well as entrepreneurial endeavors to perform and serve others to one’s best.
Is there a personal message or guiding philosophy you’d like to share with our readers that best reflects your vision, values, and purpose as a leader?
One of my sayings is, ‘Our worst experiences can be our gifts in disguise when we are willing to learn from them.’
For example, being bullied daily as I was growing up, pointed me toward speaking to my reflection in the mirror in my room. I would take all the negative commentary directed at me to relay the pros and cons of what was stated, and for ideas to come to mind on how to proceed. And all the while, I would observe my facial expressions, hand gestures, and body language as my reflection, as I carried on the conversation. All of it proved to be outstanding sales training, unbeknownst to me at the time.
And of course, my commitment during my near-death experience to serve communities saved me to save others. Discrimination against women never stopped. Accordingly, the online blogging effort became my method for helping my audience to reach their goals and for me to enjoy my work on an ongoing basis. I feel privileged to be living my second life!
- 📌 Visit Elinor Stutz👉 – LinkedIn Profile
- 🌐 Explore Smooth Sale👉 – Company Website
