Communication maven Terri Sjodin joins Moe Abdou to discuss her journey of continually defying odds, learning to play bigger, and mastering the art of connection and communication.
Owning Your Bigger Future
In her book, Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big, Terri Sjodin shared a story featured in the Los Angeles Times about a savvy thirteen year-old girl and her mother who sold 117 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies in just two hours. Danielle Lei opted to bypass the traditional door-to-door approach to selling Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs; and instead decided to display her goodies outside the Green Cross medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco.
With the blessing of the store owners, Lei & her mom greeted people going in and out of the store, and within 45 minutes of their arrival, they had sold out their initial supply. As a result, Danielle not only accomplished in two hours what takes others weeks to achieve; more importantly, she eliminated the inherent challenges that come with door-to-door selling, including the inevitable no-shows, cancellations, and money excuses. “You put it in terms they may understand,” her mom, Carol shared with Mashable. “I’m not condoning it, I’m not saying go out in the streets and take marijuana. It also adds a little bit of cool factor. I can be a cool parent for a little bit.”
As you reflect on the story, certainly many of you will condemn her approach, still the point that Sjodin is demonstrating is simply the level of ingenuity and sharp-wit that so clearly distinguishes those who always seem to defy boundaries. As you listen to my conversation with Terri, you’ll quickly understand why being Scrappy is foremost the mindset that defines her own identity – in addition to being the exact the level of thought that’s absolutely necessary to get ahead in the world today.
Here is a sample of the questions we discuss:
- The inherent traits that most define a Scrappy individual
- Selecting and learning to maximize the mentor relationships
- What Scrappy individuals don’t do
- Learning to deal with fear and doubt
- The 3 essential characteristics that define a memorable presentation
- What one thing more than others creates an emotional connection with an audience
- The fine-line between effective self-promotion and being a complete turnoff
Resources:
Follow Terri Sjodin on Twitter: @terrisjodin
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