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The red-carpeted event featured a wine tasting sponsored by Grape Crush Productions, decadent hors d’oeuvres catered by celebrity Chef Delroy Christian, SmartWater, and spirits provided by Savida Sangria, Sinless Margarita, Ultimat Vodka, Tequila Patron.

I would also like to thank our generous event sponsors: Verizon Wireless, Nationwide, Autotrader.com, Tequila Patron, Ultimat Vodka, Mingles (Chef Delroy Christian), SmartWater, Grape Crush Productions, Savida Sangria, Sinless Margarita, EventPro, Ethnic Expressions, and Toni Jackson Photography.

This event garnered a lot of press attention and has been featured in Jezebel Magazine online at http://tinyurl.com/3m5rgvp and Uptown Magazine online at  http://tinyurl.com/3cab9so. You can find additional photos of this great event taken by celebrity photographer Paras Griffin at http://tinyurl.com/3czsr54.

The paintings and figurines at our silent auction were courtesy of Ethnic Expressions, who will be opening a new store soon. Visit http://www.ethnicexpressions.com/ for details.

Thanks again for a wonderful event! We look forward to seeing you in August for the Largest Conference and Career Fair for diverse professionals in Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, HR, etc. with over 43 hiring companies. Visit our website www.nsnatl.org and check out our blog for additional updates http://nsnatl.wordpress.com/. For mobile updates, text NSNATL to 83936.

Sincerely,

Mecca Moore

NSN Atlanta-Chapter President

president@nsnatl.org

twitter: @only1meccamoore

twitter: @nsnatl

770-375-9107

From 8p.m.- midnight on Saturday, June 18^th, 2011, Atlanta’s most notable socialites and African American sales professionals will flock to Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery to mix and mingle, sip fine wines and sample decadent hors d’oeuvres amidst the smooth sounds of live jazz.

Last year’s event was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, ADP, Ceridian, Medtronic, State Farm, Patron Tequila, Ultimat Vodka, Merrill Lynch, Budweiser, Grape Crush Productions, Ligatt Securities, Verizon Wireless, Savida Sangria, Tax and Accounting Solutions, The Dollhouse, Wine Shoe, Event Pro and Celebrity Chef Delroy Christian.  This year the red-carpet event will kick off with complimentary wine tasting and a “meet and greet”, while guest stroll around the gallery’s captivating fine art display.

As the largest organization for diverse sales professionals, NSN will use the wine and charity affair to raise money for its “Tomorrow’s Sales Executives Today” program, which aims to provide scholarships for students attending HBCUs. Also known as T-SET, the program provides black college students the opportunity to further their education, attend the national sales conference, attend monthly NSN meetings and pursue career opportunities in sales/marketing.

“As a graduate of an HBCU, I know the importance of T-SET, especially now, when students are graduating in a struggling economy,” said NSN president, Mecca Moore. “The program provides minority scholars with the chance to network with sponsors/mentors, learn about careers in the field, and interview at the national conference with Fortune 500 companies.”

EVENT LOCATION:

Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery

199 Armour Dr. N.W.

Atlanta, GA 30324

(404) 879-1500

*pictures from last year’s event: http://gparasphotography.net/NSNSips/

For more information or sponsorship for the event, please visit www.nsnatl.org or contact

NSN president, Mecca Moore at:

(770) 375-9107

president@nsnatl.org

Part 3:  Mastering the Art of Sales -Crawling Vs. Sprinting and Not Losing Your Edge

Previously in Part 1 of this series, we discussed how sales is one of the highest paid professions in the world  and although some may not realize it, everyone is in sales. In part 2 we mentioned why it is important to sharpen your sales skills even if your career is not in sales and why a sales career may be a great move to consider.

So you may now be thinking, ‘If everyone is in sales, why do I need to focus on “mastering” my sales skills if I’m not in a sales profession?” Or “I already have strong sales skills. Why do I need to focus on sharpening them?”

There is a difference in simply knowing how to swim or using that ability sparingly vs. being an Olympic Champion at it.  Sales professionals would fall in the Olympic Champion category.  They have mastered the art of selling. A baby who crawls and a person who sprints both get to their destination. One gets there faster.  Both may have intentions on getting through an open doorway, but the key is to get there before the door shuts. When a spur of the moment opportunity arises and an unexpected door opens, one may stumble slightly trying to get to it and take too long and get there right as it shuts. The other will sprint right through it. While it is mentioned that everyone is in sales, the skill of selling is a great skill to “master”. Mastering your sales skills will put you in a position to effortlessly capitalize on opportunities that are presented to you.  It could mean the difference between getting to only the second round of a job interview vs. actually receiving the offer, or the difference between receiving the minimum salary offered vs. negotiating a $5,000-$10,000 increase. 

If you feel that your sales skills are already strong, that’s fantastic! However, let’s remember that it is best to not get “too comfortable”.  Sometimes we may get a little rusty and can always use some polishing. Athletic champions continue to train even after winning trophies or gold medals and proving to be leaders of their craft. 

Regardless of your profession, everyone is involved in sales in some way.  It is important to sharpen your sales skills so you can be prepared and confident at selling yourself, your product, your service or idea at any point when necessary.  Don’t miss out on an opportunity of sharing something with someone due to fear of being “pushy” or pass up on an opportunity because you think you don’t have the personality or that you’re “not good at selling”. Let’s not delay the opportunity to further develop sales skills and/or take advantage of sales business opportunities or careers that may benefit you and take you to the next level, whatever that level may be.

Remember, “Opportunity shows up two times: When you’re prepared, and when you’re not.”

Part 2: Why Sharpening Your Sales Skills and Considering a Sales Career May Be Just What the Doctor Ordered

In our last discussion of this series we talked about how sales is one of the highest paid professions in the world, although some people may have objections about sales or sales careers, the reality is everyone is in sales and being in sales does not require you to be pushy or have  a certain personality type.

So you may be thinking, “All of this sounds great, but why is it important for me to sharpen my sales skills if my career is not in sales?” Or, “Why should I consider a career in sales even though I now know I don’t need a certain personality to do so?” There are numerous reasons but here are a few you should keep at the forefront of your mind.

Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, points out that every business including writing books, depends on selling. He notes he is recognized as best-selling author, not a best writing author. One pays a lot more than the other. People buy you before they buy what you are selling.  Also, in this economy, it is important to know how to sell yourself.  You may not have been affected by today’s economy yet, however, we all know preparation is key. So it is important to be prepared to sell yourself when the scenario arises.  People who are in sales have a certain confidence, are able to network and communicate with people on a variety of levels and are great at delivering results. All of which are key attributes to have in various aspects of life, especially in sales.

Thinking of it from a career perspective, most companies hire you to deliver results.  The goal of any business or corporation is to stay in business and be profitable.  This is another reason during a time that layoffs occur, sales professionals are less likely to be let go than those in other positions.  They bring in the revenue.  Also, many sales career opportunities do not have a cap on income.  They may be completely commission based or provide a base salary with commissions. What does this mean for you? T. Harv Eker states, “Sales gives you the opportunity to get paid what you are worth.  There’s nothing wrong with getting a steady paycheck, unless it interferes with your ability to earn what you’re worth.  There’s the rub, it usually does.”  In a sales career, the more results you produce, the more income you have the potential to earn. If you receive the same steady paycheck, you may have produced millions of dollars for a company because of results you delivered, but you are not cashing in on the wealth from those particular results.  It may not be your passion to have unlimited earnings and extreme wealth.  However, let’s look at it this way: It is amazing when you know you have unlimited possibilities for yourself and your family.

In our final part of this series, we will discuss why you should consider mastering the art of sales.

Sincerely,

Mecca Moore

NSN Atlanta Chapter President