I have always been a little bit shy and a little bit unsure of myself. So how did I end up in a job that requires me to be in front of people all day long and putting myself out there? Because I didn’t think about what the details of the job I was taking on before I jumped head first into sales.

I had a deep desire to change the current trajectory of my professional life, and I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing. I was given an opportunity, and I jumped at it. Thank God I did! But once I got there, I realized being a wallflower was not going to serve me, so I constantly had to step out of my comfort zone.

Networking is a social thing that I excel at, except when I had to stand up in front of a room of 40 people and talk about myself. Fear, anxiety and self-doubt were my go to’s. But I did it every time it was my turn. Most times my elevator pitch was not good, but I did it, which was a big accomplishment in and of itself.

In 2020, I had started to gain traction in my insurance career and realized I needed to up my game in a few areas. So I started to teach myself ways to network better. In one of the groups I was in, they had Catherine John’s speak, and she spoke about the elevator pitch and why it was important. It never occurred to me before this how or why this particular aspect of networking was imperative to stand out.  I heard everyone say basically the same thing I was saying, so I hadn’t thought much about it.  I learned what to say by listening to what other people did, so I just assumed that was how it worked everywhere!

Let’s be honest, I was just trying to get through the 30-60 seconds of torture and fear. I had very little left to consider that it had to be GOOD, or you had to sound confident. I am an insurance agent! Nothing sexy there to really talk about, right? Wrong! I found value in myself and my way of doing things, as did my clients! I am still very proud of myself for how far I’ve come.