#18 - She Sold $200M Despite Her Childhood | Crystal Ives

$200,000,000. That's how much Crystal Ives has sold in her career against all odds.  Her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent 7 years in and out of mental hospitals starting when she was 5 years old.  Her father murdered two people and served time in prison.  At 7, her grandfather went bankrupt and gave her up for adoption for a month because he couldn't afford to keep her. Read that again. I recently sat down with Crystal for one of the most powerful Fireside Chats we’ve done. And what struck me wasn’t just what she accomplished. It was how she responded to what happened to her. She refused to let her circumstances define her future. Instead, she decided to break the cycle. As Crystal told me: “My children will have the life I did not have.” One of the things I love most about sales is that it’s a true meritocracy. Anybody can succeed at the highest level, despite the hardships or obstacles they may face growing up.  In fact, many top sellers use those hardships as fuel to move away from a life  they don’t want which they experienced firsthand growing up.  A few of my biggest takeaways from our conversation: 1\. Nothing replaces hard work. Pay the price required today for the life you want tomorrow.  2\. Find people who can accelerate your growth. Crystal learned from great sellers, mentors, coaches and executives throughout her career. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.  3\. Your energy is your superpower. Crystal shared that what makes her successful is not sales tactics, but her energy and positivity. The best sellers don’t become someone else. They maximize who they already are. 4\. Make it easy for customers to buy. Her formula for enterprise sales is simple: make the buying process easy, build widespread organizational support, and minimize friction with the customer during the sales process so they enjoy working with you.  But the biggest lesson had nothing to do with sales. It has to do with resilience.  You don’t get to choose the life you are born into. But you absolutely get to decide what you want to build from it.  Crystal chose to build a life of financial security, success, and safety because that’s what she didn’t have growing up.  And because of her choices, her children will never experience the pain she went through.  “It ran in my family until it ran into me…”  If you've ever told yourself your circumstance and background is the reason you can't win, this one’s for you. Connect with Crystal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalives/ Learn more at: https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast