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OK, this isn't the kind of resume
you'd publish or I'd send for a job.
However, if you're seriously thinking
about hiring me for some consulting
or a big speech, I thought it'd give
you some insight into who I am and
what I've done so you can better judge
if we would be a good fit for each
other.
Michelle
Nichols
December 1980 - Graduated with Highest
Honors from University of California
at Davis in Agricultural and Business
Economics. Completed my degree 2 quarters
early and earned almost all my expenses
for college. Graduated debt-free with
a paid-for car.
1981 - Started as a sales rep for
NCR Corporation, selling financial
equipment to the Savings and Loan
Industry in the San Francisco Region.
Got involved with launching SF chapter
of the National Association for Professional
Saleswomen (NAPS.) Over the next 10
years, I helped launch chapters in
San Jose, New Jersey and Houston.
1982 - Was #1 Sales Rep Nationwide
for Financial Systems Division. Was
feted at the annual sales conference,
including dinner with the CEO of NCR
I'd come a long way from my life growing
up where my dad taught third grade
and my mom was a children's librarian.
1983 - Got reassigned to a new boss.
I told him I wanted to earn enough
to buy a Mercedes and he told me he'd
make sure I never made enough
to buy one so I resigned. Put my belongings
in storage and took a 2-month, 18-country
tour of Europe.
1983 - Started as a headquarters
marketing rep in Silicon Valley for
Amdahl, which invented an IBM-mainframe
clone. All their sales reps started
as HMR's. During interviews for my
sales rep position, got engaged to
be married and left Amdahl to follow
my husband to New Jersey.
1985 - Started selling technical
consulting services to ATT and Bell
Labs for CGA. Company got bought by
Cap Gemeni Sogeti, a French firm,
as it lauched their American presence.
Was a top sales rep, making over $100K/year
plus expenses at the age of 25. That
was a lot of money back then- and
I bought a Mercedes convertible!
1987 - Got homesick for Silicon Valley
so quit job and moved back to San
Jose. Started selling a hardware/software
solution to network DEC and IBM networks.
Responsible for a 7-state territory
- Northern CA and the Pacific Northwest,
including Boeing and NASA. Discovered
it was a solution to solve a problem
very few customers had. Was reading
a book of business wisdom and found
"If 3 salespeople have worked
the same territory and sales are still
not poor, the problem is not the salespeople."
Left the company.
1989- Started as a technical headhunter
for QCI. One week later, discovered
I was pregnant (yea!) so worked for
8 months then took a leave of absence.
Found motherhood was much more fun
than headhunting so didn't return.
I played my time management and creativity
tapes when I was with the baby, trying
to straddle the two worlds. The baby
thought they were boring.
1990 - Started my first company -
The Sales Coach. After 10 years of
involvement in NAPS, decided to offer
all my experience and knowledge as
a sales coach. Worked with clients
in all industries - from accounting
to hypnotherapy. Sold the company.
1992 - Moved to Houston, Texas for
husband's job. Had baby # 2.
1993 - Started my second company
- FamilySafe Inc. After experimenting
with all the cool-looking safety products
on baby #1, decided to start a home-party
based company offering only the good
products. Wrote the catalong, put
on the home shows, carried about 50
items in inventory. Probably saved
a child or two from accident or injury.
Sold the company.
1995 - Moved to Austin, Texas for
husband's job.
1996 - Moved to Reno, NV for husband's
job and to get us back to the West
Coast.
1998 - Family tragedy - Our 8 1/2
- year old son died suddenly, from
brain cancer. Ouch!
1999 - Moved to Houston, Texas for
husband's job.
October 2001 - Wrote a letter to
the editor of BusinessWeek. Talks
ensued and they created a sales column
for me, called Savvy Selling.
January 2002 - Gave my first paid
sales presentation. A Houston business
owner contacted me after reading a
column and asked me to come train
his sales reps. We agreed on $300
and I was now had a new business title
- professional sales speaker! (A framed
a copy of the check hangs on my office
wall.)
October 2005 -Published my 100th
Savvy Selling column. That's 100,000
words on sales - enough for 2 books.
November 2005 - Moved to Reno, NV
for quality of life. In my husband's
and my first 13 years of marriage,
we had 11 addresses. It was time for
one more move, back to the west coast,
where he and the children can ski
and enjoy the snow and I am close
to my family in California.
Present - Have since spoken all over
the US and once in Canada to organizations
with offerings as varied as insurance,
water well drilling, orthodontics,
and soybeans.
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