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Biography
of Michelle Nichols
From
BusinessWeek to the Business
of Hugs - and Back!
"If
I can sell sophisticated organizations,
like the University of Phoenix
and the Nevada Fire Show, to
pay me to speak to their employees
about the importance of hugging
their families in THIS economic
climate, I can't imagine there's
ANY product or service that
I can't help you sell more,
close faster and for more money!"
Michelle Nichols September
2009
Very
Quick Bio
Sales
Expert
Award-Winner
National and Global Viewpoint
BusinessWeek Celebrity
Quick
Bio
Sales
Expert
In professional sales or sales
speaking since 1981. Sold for
five different companies (hardware,
software, networks, consulting
services and headhunting services.)
Started and ran five of her
own companies (sales coaching,
children's safety products,
sales speaking, publishing,
and work-life balance speaking.)
Started or led four chapters
of the National Association
of Saleswomen 1981-1991. Past
Chair of the Sales speakers
for National Speaker's Association.
Helped
her clients sell more of a W
I D E variety of products and
services, including: industrial
products (Swagelok, pumps,)
professional services (accounting,
legal, marketing, meeting planning,
training, photography,) health
care services (physical therapy,
hypnotherapy,) construction
(water well drilling, signage,
appliances, doors,) financial
(insurance, investment,) technical
(computer services, consulting,)
association memberships (American
Soybean Association.)
Award-Winner
Won the 2008 Nevada Governor's
Award for Start-up of the Year
for her company, Hug Your Kids
LLC.
Had something happening in 28
states! for the 2nd year of
her holiday - National Hug Your
Kids Day on July 20, 2009. Included
ties to Major League Baseball,
nationwide billboards and nationwide
online sites.
Won 2008 Finalist for Best Books
Award for book she wrote and
published, "Hug Your Kids
Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every
Working Parent"
Won 1982 Salesperson of the
Year for the Financial Division
of NCR Corporation.
National
and Global Viewpoint
Has lived and sold on all three
coasts of the U.S.- New Jersey,
Texas, and California / Nevada.
Has had visitors to her website
from over 50 countries. Her
columns have been translated
into Spanish, Portugese and
Hungarian.
BusinessWeek Celebrity
Wrote the Savvy Selling column
for BusinessWeek.com bi-weekly
for 6 years. Created and recorded
45 interview-style podcasts
for BusinessWeek, featuring
a variety of Sales superstars,
starting with Mr. Zig Ziglar.
Bio
for Newsletters - or Your Boss
Sales leaders
throughout corporate America
and major associations read
and respect Michelle Nichols’
Savvy Selling columns
in BusinessWeek.com.
Every two weeks for more than
five years, over 200,000 sales
professionals in over 50 countries
around the world have benefited
from her insights on sales.
Her Savvy Selling podcast
for BusinessWeek.com
currently ranks near the top
20 in the world for sales podcasts.
Michelle is a long-time professional
salesperson and five-time entrepreneur.
Michelle excels
at identifying and solving sales
problems; she's known for being
a deep thinker and a prolific
idea generator. She delivers
her critical thinking through
speaking, writing and consulting.
Michelle is past Chair of the
Sales Group of the National
Speaker's Association and current
leader of the Reno chapter of
NSA.
Michelle speaks to thousands
of salespeople each year, sharing
her insights on what’s
cutting-edge in selling. She
is considered one of the leading
experts in her field. Michelle’s
audiences include Hewlett-Packard,
Hibernia Bank, the National
Association of Business Owners
and the Association of Association
Executives.
Additional
Background Information on Michelle
Nichols
Michelle
Nichols has extensive sales
and entrepreneurial experience.
What's special about Michelle
is she can apply her experience
and explain sales in a way that's
understandable to a general
audience as well as experienced
sales professionals. She speaks
so that anyone who hears her
says "Aha," and then
can put her ideas to use immediately
and start experiencing better
results and higher sales.
Sales
experience
 First and foremost, Michelle Nichols is
a salesperson. She loves to
go "belly to belly" with prospects
and customers. While cracking
open new accounts is her specialty,
she also enjoys long-term relationships
with her valued customers.
She was a top-rated salesperson for various
companies for over ten years,
including: NCR Corporation -
Banking equipment; Amdahl Corporation
- Clones of IBM Mainframe and
related equipment; Cap Gemini
America - Technical services;
Interlink - Networking equipment;
and QCI - Technical headhunting
services
Entrepreneurial experience
Michelle
started, ran and sold two of
her own companies:
- The Sales Coach in Mountain View, CA
- FamilySafe Inc. in Houston, TX
Now she runs her own sales
consulting and speaking practice.
- Professional education
Over
her years of selling, Michelle
has participated in many weeks
of professional sales education
provided by her employers.
She has also read or heard
on audio-tape over 100 books
on sales and related subjects.
Michelle founded, led or contributed to
four chapters of the National
Association of Professional
Saleswomen (NAPS) for over a
decade in San Francisco, CA;
San Jose, CA; Central NJ; and
Houston, TX. Their monthly dinner
meetings with a speaker on some
aspect of how to grow your sales
greatly added to her sales education.
Formal education
Michelle graduated with Highest
Honors in 3 1/4 years with a
B.S. in Agricultural and Business
Economics from the University
of California at Davis. She
had internships at a major investment
brokerage and a financial planning
company.
Want
to read her resume? click
here.
For
Introduction and Photos, click
here.
Even More Background
on Michelle Nichols, AKA "the
411"
Who is your hero?
And why?
I have many heroes. Anyone
who achieves extraordinary results
with ordinary resources is a
hero to me. One of my heroes
is Mother Teresa. Even though
I am not Catholic, I admire
how she saw the human dignity
in people under the worst circumstances
and she worked with tremendous
love. I also admire Condoleezza
Rice for being classy, a handful
of college sports coaches for
their leadership, and my Uncle
Al, for showing me that a life
in Sales can be FUN! as well
as rewarding.
What one event
in your childhood had the greatest
effect on what you do today?
My childhood friends tease
me that I was an entrepreneur
since forever - I sold Girl
Scout cookies with a vengence,
had lemonade stands in the summer
and made and sold bread dough
bread baskets too. Almost all
of my extended family works
for the government so I am the
crazy capitalist in our family.
If you weren't doing
what you do today, what other
job would you have?
I love to sell. I'd be selling
products, services, government
programs, ideas, legislation
or experiences - something!
What "lesson
from mom" do you still
live by?
Remember to write thank you
notes. I make my kids write
them for every gift after every
birthday and Christmas.
What's the one thing
you want to accomplish before
you die?
I want to raise my children
to be productive, independent,
contributing members of society.
If you could spend
a week anywhere in the world,
where would it be?
Paris - France, not Texas. My
dad's family is very French
and I'm named "Michelle"
because it's a French name.
Do you have a pet?
If so, what has it taught you?
Oreo, my Old English Sheepdog,
teaches me the value of loyalty.
He is not smart, he can barely
see, hear or smell but he is
extremely loyal and we love
him. Penny, the Golden Retriever,
teaches us unconditional love.
No matter what happens, she
thinks we're all terrific.
What's the craziest
thing you have done?
That I'll admit to? Let's see...I
once had a headhunter get me
a great job. He and his client,
my future boss, had an on-going
joke about eating lobster for
lunch. After I accepted the
job offer, to say "thank
you," I hired a singing
telegram person to get a live
lobster, put a leash on it,
and walk it into my headhunter's
office and sing a song. The
headhunter still laughs about
it, many years later.
Michelle Nichols is MORE ...
than a traditional sales speaker,
trainer and consultant because
while she's been top dog, #1
sales rep and all that, she's
also been through a tragedy
in her personal life - the sudden
death of their 8 1/2 -year old
son, Mark. This life-changing
event gives her compassion and
a perspective you won't find
elsewhere. Check out www.HugYourKidsToday.com
to learn how she turned her
tragedy into a national movement.
Contact
Michelle Nichols. |
