I help organizations create modern learning strategies for their people, partners, and customers | AE @ Docebo | 🎙Host of Stories of Selling Human

Sometimes in your life it feels like you lose everything.  

Like the year I was laid off.  Interviews pushed from COVID 19,  But then the real bomb hit,

My Dad got diagnosed Leukemia.

Just 5 months later, unfortunately my Dad passed away.  Despite losing so much, I'll never lose what my Dad taught me about life.  Things like selflessness, a relentless work ethic, and a thirst for knowledge.

His best lesson was how to create genuine connections with everyone in your life.  I've taken that approach to sales my whole life.  I’m still the 8 yr old kid who loved meeting people so much that he went door to door selling Ham and Cheese out of a catalog.

I got genuine connections out of it and the Sony Boombox I won wasn’t half bad either!

Highlights from 15 years in professional sales:

🔥 I launched a new team where I successfully recruited financial producers for a firm owned by Fran Tarkenton, Hall of Fame QB.

🔥I was named the top sales rep in an office of over 50 media sales people.  Judged not just by sales attainment but also by activity.

🔥At Monster, I sold the biggest partnership contract in the history of our team. $300k ARR, 3 year deal. 

What am I most proud of professionally?

A 15 minute meeting.  I drove 3 hours to Chicago to meet a client I’ve never met in person.  For 15 mins to say hi and drive back.  It wasn’t to close a deal.  It was just a Tuesday. 

Those “Just Tuesday” moments are why I love this gig.

I’ve had success in my career because I genuinely seek to understand people. 

An understanding strategy IS my sales strategy.

My relentlessness isn’t driven by my product or a sales number. I'm motivated by digging deeper to discover the “un-discovered” problem.   Sales is something that happens for and with your buyer not to them.  You're a guide on a discovery together with the intention to help and add value.  ALWAYS.

The best feeling in sales isn’t ringing a bell, (even though that’s always fun). 

The real joy is in being told three simple words.

“I trust you.” 

That’s what really lights me up and what I'm going for.

Finally, my approach in sales is guided by attuning yourself to what someone’s entire world is like, actively listening without any agenda, being genuine, and putting them first.

I call these things, “Selling Human”.  I practice it daily.  I think we can all do it.

I choose to study it.

If you want to learn it with me, listen to my podcast:  Sell By Being Human 
(wherever you get your podcasts)

AND for more,

Follow #sellbybeinghuman

Alex Smith

It’s Wednesday, and instead of putting out a podcast episode, I’m putting out a shout out.

Shout out to my friend Jen Mueller.

I get reached out to by lots of people to be on the Sell By Being Human Podcast  

But I was absolutely giddy when Jen’s team reached out to me to have her on.

Jen is a long time sports reporter in Seattle.

She’s covered the Mariners, Seahawks and many of the famous teams and events in that region for years.

And if that’s not enough, she has an awesome cooking show and is an engaging keynote speaker.

I always say we all can sell things through the lens of human connection.

Jen sells the value of spending time with her to the players on the team.

She’s not just asking questions.

She’s building relationships.

It’s how she sees the players that gets them to want to tell her things most reporters don’t hear.

Take a listen to how she does that effectively in our episode below. 👇 

So it meant so much for me to see this pic this morning of her on the team plane with the Superbowl trophy!

Congrats Jen.  🏆. 

You are the Champion!

#sellbybeinghuman

I help organizations make learning enjoyable across their people, partners, and customers | AE @ Docebo | 🎙Host of Sell By Being Human

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I’m getting on a plane to see my mom this week but I also need your help.

Hoping someone out there has worked with a parent that is searching for assisted living or memory care.

This week we’ll be looking at some places and its a whole journey I’ve bever been a part of before.

So always good to find people that have travelled that same journey.

I also know its big to shout out birthdays on Linkedin recently so shouting out my Mom for turning 79 this past week!

79 has brought a lot of joy and tough realizations.

She’s the same age as my Dad was when he passed away 6 yrs ago.

As your parents age you start counting experiences you’ll have with them in person on your hands.

Trying to squeeze in more time because you know it’s finite.

I always hear people say, 
I’m not ready for my parents to get there.

But its not about being ready.

You’ll never be ready.

Its about being present.

So value the time you have before it’s too late.

Lucky that we have this week and hopefully more weeks in our future to be present.

Presence is the present at 79.  😊

She wasn’t trying for the Gold.

But she got it.

I love a good comeback story and what it can teach us all.

A skater that won world championships as a 16 year old in 2019.

Her whole life was skating.

Pressure.

But she said she didn’t have the time to know herself so she left the sport.

She found joy on a ski trip.

Instead of chasing medals.
She chased joy.

The medal was a residual of joy.

In practice rounds where others were thinking over every jump.

She was taking pictures on the ice.

So it’s no wonder she skated flawlessly.

Alyssa Liu teaches us all.

Find joy first.

Your goals will follow.

#teamusa #olympics

Hey, I know that guy on the TV!  Props to Keenan for an awesome move this weekend.

Jim Keenan aka Keenan . has been a huge mentor to me from afar with his book Gap Selling.

Excited for his coming book Gap Prospecting.

Anyone who wants to know the essence of sales, I always direct them to his book.

Sales is about finding problems worth solving and he outlines it perfectly in this book.

For Christmas this year, he surprised his family with a trip to The Olympics.

To make it even sweeter, one of his daughters is in serious competition to be an athlete there one day in moguls.

Dual moguls is wild, a race to the finish with tricks in between.

I love it bc you can fall but still win with the difficulty of your tricks.

Congrats to all the medalists but especially Elizabeth Lemley who go on the podium with bronze after a tough fall.

And props to the entire Keenan clan cheering them on.

And also, like your sales skills, your sign game is on another level.

#teamusa #olympics

Today, I'm posting the last episode of my podcast.  Well sort of.  The last episode before a new look.

I've always thought that everyone in the world is in sales.
But the only ones that admit it are those with it in their job description.

So I set out to find people in every profession.
That sell things through the lens of human connection

Nurses
Magicians
Parents
Teachers
Entrepeneurs
Speakers
Marketers
HR Leaders
Learning Professionals

I've interviewed them all.

And some themes emerge when I ask people:

What does it mean to you to Sell By Being Human?

To Be Curious
To Align Yourself
To Care About The Person
To Find Value
To Listen
To Solve Problems

My 153'rd episode is with Amos Balongo.

Amos moved from Africa to America when he was a boy.
Learned English and how to make an impact through relationships.

He's now a keynote speaker and executive communications coach.

Unlikely road, maybe.  But not when you meet him.

I love his approach to speaking below.

There's a difference between:

Speaking At People
Speaking To People
And Speaking Into People

Can't wait for you to see a new look.  

More on this coming!

This year, I'm going hard into this.
Maybe it doesn't grow.  Maybe it does.
Or maybe it's a foundation for something else.

Either way, look to see more as I dig into even more professions that you never thought were in sales but are.  

And contrast them with professional sellers.

And help everyone unlock the human side of sales in your own work.

#sales #sellbybeinghuman

U.S. Center for Advanced Manufacturing 

Fellowship with U.S. Center for Manufacturing (located in Troy, Michigan).

Fellowship

Self-Employed

Asked by the President of U-M to help write his Jan 2023 Video Message. 
*Wrote June 4, 2022 "Psychology Today" piece resulting in over 330K views/ reads in a week (no ads) and came up as a top link in a Google search within this subject matter. 
* Co-author of the book, "A Widow's Guide To Healing: Gentle Support And Advice For The First Five Years". 
* Facilitated major gift of 300K, among others. 
* Contributor to Katie Couric's Newsletter
*Created concept and wrote the Wellness Resource Guide (during the COVID-19 pandemic) for Katie Couric's community.

 *Included writing video script (and doing actual video )"Weekly Wellness Guide to Help You With Social Distancing" supported on Katie Couric's You Tube Channel.   
*Created concept for the 31 day gratitude series for Jiyo - Deepak Chopra's wellness website / app
Wrote content for 31 days of creative ways to practice gratitude
Created concept of creating the world's largest gratitude journal
Curated 26 of the 28 videos used for the Jiyo gratitude series
Wrote draft of the Deepak Chopra Gratitude tweet chat
Garnered support from American Greetings, Live Happy magazine, Spirituality & Health magazine and ISHAR to appear on the panel for the Deepak Chopra tweet chat
**Facilitated partnership between a NGO and Whole Foods Foundation/ Whole Planet Foundation, resulting in a 3 year grant to benefit 500 widows in Egypt. The foundation is helping to create a sustainable value chain. Link is listed below as "WPF Funds New Partner in Egypt". 
***Attended the invite only United Nations Conference on the Status of Women in 2019, 2017, 2016. Introduced a speaker at the conference.
****Wrote and executed 1 hour long live Twitter Chat Script for ABC World News Headquarters and secured major sponsors (i.e, Amercian Heart Association, Mayor Clinic, American Greeting Card Company) for the event, resulted in thousands of engaged users.

Author, Media Consultant, Writer, Strategic Communications, Major Gifts Fundraiser 

Kristin Meekhof ,LLC 

Kristin Meekhof speaks about Health & Wellness: Ways To Overcome Any Setback; How to Create More Abundance and Topics Related to  Grief / Loss & Caregiving

Selected Engagements Listed Below: 

Panelist at the Parliament of World Religions; Salt Lake City- October 2015

Speaker - Schuller Books & Music; Grand Rapids, MI - Ticketed Event; January 2016

Guest Speaker- Novi Rotary Club, Novi, MI- Members Only; January 2016 

Introduced Lord Loomba, United Nations, UN CSW60 Conference: New York- March 2016

Guest Speaker- Howell Rotary Club, Howell, MI- Members Only; April 2016
Guest Speaker- Cheasaning Library, Chesaning, MI April 2016
Guest Speaker- Ann Arbor Library Ann Arbor, MI , April 2016

Panelist- University of MI Hospital- Grief  & Gratitude Panel- Hospital Staff Only, Ann Arbor, MI May 2016

Guest Speaker- Dexter Library; Dexter, MI June 2016

Speaker- Fitbloggin' Health & Wellness Conference; Indiana July 2016

Facilitator- University of MI Medical School - August 2016

Keynote Speaker- Business Wealth & Vision Conference- Norfolk, VA- August 2016

Keynote Speaker- Global Fund for Widows Foundation - UN supported; NY, NY-  November 2016


Panelist- Harvard Medical School- March 30, 2017; Boston, MA

September 2021 Video for Elizabeth Dole Foundation "How to Cope With Anxiety Related to  September 11." 

Expert, WXYZ, ABC Detroit /Live November 30, 2022 Interview- How to Cope With the Oxford Highschool Tragedy. 

Expert Speaker, December 2022, West Bloomfield High School, Live Zoom Presentation "How to Cope With Teenage Anxiety."

Wounded Warrior Project/Elizabeth Dole Foundation Speaker Series, January 13, 2022, Live Zoom One Hour Webinar, "Gratitude Journaling", plus Q&A.

Guest Speaker

Live Happy

I'm honored to have my piece about gratitude included in this amazing book by Deborah Heisz. Other contributors include: Arianna Huffington, Jason Mraz, Hoda Kotb, Gretchen Rubin, Alanis Morissette, Laura Benanti, Shane Claiborne, Niki Taylor, Shawn Achor and others. Deborah Heisz  is the Editor-in-Chief of Live Happy Magazine.

Contributor to the Live Happy Book: Ten Practices for Chosing Joy

Psychology Today

I am honored to be writing pieces for Psychology Today. If you have any suggestions for topics, do please send me a message. I've authored over 40 pieces for Psychology Today. Not all pieces are listed on LinkedIn but are a part of my Psychology Today profile

Contributor

Blogger

Maria Shriver

Architect of Change- Writer

The Shriver Report

I write stories about women and issues that impact women and their families. I can be reached at kristin@kristinmeekhof.com

Reporter

Kristin James, LLC

Speaker, Free- Lance Writer, Co-author of the book, "A Widow's Guide To Healing: Gentle Support And Advice For The First Five Years".  The book was released in  November 2015 by Sourcebooks with blurbs from Dr. Deepak Chopra and Maria Shriver. Kristin Meekhof and her co- author James Windell interviewed widows of all ages to learn about their experiences. The book contains stories (from widows) of transformation and practical advice. Kristin Meekhof also shares her own story of being widowed at age 33.

CEO/ Author

University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

▪ Give input, take feedback from the team, and help finalize sponsorship  packages and sponsorship materials as needed for the Positive Business  Conference Amplified. 
▪ Meet with members of the CPO community and the Consortium of Positive  Organizations to discuss the conference and attendance, group ticket sales,  or sponsorships as warranted. 
▪ Meet with potential sponsors and sponsoring organizations and build  relationships that are mutually beneficial for sponsors and CPO. ▪ Realize sponsorship and group ticket revenue for the conference. Increase the number of people and organizations expressing interest in the  Consortium of Positive Organizations and its programs. 
▪ Help plan and arrange public relations for CPO and the Positive Business  Conference Amplifed.  
▪ Speak to members of the public and members of the media to build  awareness of the conference and our broader portfolio of work.

Community Relations Specialist~ Contractual

University of Michigan Health System

Kristin Meekhof is a licensed master's level social worker, author, writer, and speaker.

Kristin A. Meekhof is a fund developer, business and brand strategist, author, and writer.  She earned her M.S.W from the University of Michigan and has more than 20 years of clinical experience. A nationally recognized expert on resiliency and gratitude, her best-selling book, "A Widow’s Guide to Healing", was inspired by her own personal experience with widowhood, grief, and healing. A Korean-American adoptee, she was left on the streets of Korea as an infant. She came to the US in 1974 and became a naturalized citizen. As a confidential advisor, she privately works with some of the most influential people in media and politics and has developed high-level strategic plans and partnerships. Kristin graduated from Kalamazoo College with a B.A.in psychology. 

Kristin has privately supported ultra- high net worth individuals. Also, she found the mission of the Whole Foods / Planet Foundation compelling and helped to facilitate a 300K gift to an NGO. Then, Kristin went on an impact visit in Harlem, and met clients. She joined the Community Engagement Committee and subsequently became a donor. 

In March of 2020, Kristin created a wellness guide for Katie Couric's community to help keep people calm during this time of social distancing. The guide is available on Katie Couric's You Tube Channel and on Kristin's Medium profile.  Also, for Katie, Kristin wrote "8 Ways to Manage Your Corona Virus Related Anxiety" which was featured in CNN's Newsletter as well.  Kristin was interviewed as a wellness expert on CNN's New Day morning show (live) on March 19, 2020. 

Kristin created and curated content for Deepak Chopra's 31- Day Gratitude Journal and was named an "Architect of Change" by Maria Shriver.  Kristin has spoken at Harvard Medical School, the United Nations, the University of Michigan Medical School, and  Parliament of World Religions.

Kristin wrote about the healing power of gratitude for the Live Happy book (Harper Elixir) , and has written for the newsletters of Katie Couric and Maria Shriver.  Kristin's work has appeared in Katie Couric Media,  "Live Happy", and Huffington Post. 
She has been interviewed as a grief expert by CNN (live),  The Chicago Tribune, People (magazine), Detroit Free Press, Today Show (online). Yahoo Health with Katie Couric, among others. 

Kristin's best- selling book "A Widow's Guide to Healing" received support from Dr. Deepak Chopra, Maria Shriver, Katie Couric, Dr. Mark Hyman , Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns- Goodwin, Lord Loomba, CBE, Elizabeth Gilbert, among others.

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