Amanda Seiss

I attribute my success to grit. That's what I tell myself every day - you can't give up, this is life, and it's hard. I have a lot of mental health issues that I deal with since I was a child, and there were a lot of traumatic experiences I went through growing up, so I just realized you just gotta grit through. And you know, if people don't like it, if people look at you funny, if people judge you, if people give you a hard time and tell you don't do this or don't do that, do what makes you happy, as long as you're doing something good. Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good. My education from high school wasn't just about academics - the athletics played a huge role because I learned a lot about moral structure, discipline, team camaraderie, and the importance of being competitive yet respectful. There's a mutual respect even with your opponents, and that really shaped who I am. I'm really proud of myself that I got this far and I keep going, and I just keep going up and up, even though I didn't finish college. The experience I had at Porsche, working with not just difficult clients but difficult managers, and the very high-end training that I got consistently - that was a blessing because that's how I developed my communication skills and learned the tactics of sales beyond just my heart.

The best career advice I ever received was how to sell expensive things, and it was very simple: give them the price, tell them why they need it and exactly what it is, and don't talk. Don't over-explain - just let them think about it and let them ask the questions they have. I tend to like to explain because I feel like I'm a little misunderstood in the world, so I feel like I have to over-explain. But when I was at Porsche Westwood as a service advisor selling services for vehicles, I learned that you just have to be genuine and down to earth, and know enough about what you're selling. If you don't know something, you just tell the client 'I'm gonna write this down, I'm gonna ask my manager, I'll get right back to you.' It's just simple, very simple. Keep it concise and let them think about it and ask the questions that they need to ask. That's how I sold a lot more services and things - it was just natural. I would even tell clients 'I think you can wait on this. You don't have to get your brakes done right away. You still have enough brake pad life until your next service visit.' I wasn't trying to take advantage of them. I realized I don't need to go into detail if it's something simple - the car obviously needs it, there's a problem, here's your solution, here's how much it costs, that's it.

If you feel your intuition is telling you something's off or you're being mistreated, stand up for yourself. That's how you earn respect. You don't have to be rude, you don't have to be abrasive, but don't forget you have power, and the power is your voice, and your opinion matters. Your perspective matters. So if you feel like you're being mistreated, you say something. I'm very bold because I've been walked over, not just by work but by family members and by friends, because I'm a very trusting person. The biggest thing is: A, stand up for yourself when you feel the need to, and honestly, trust your intuition. That's the best key advice - trust your intuition. If something doesn't feel right, even if you don't feel comfortable standing up for yourself, exit the situation. Something better is on the next door. Trust your intuition.

In the design industry, the biggest challenge I face is that it's a really broad spectrum in terms of what you need to know. You need to know different plumbing fixtures, you need to know different countertops, what is a man-made countertop versus a natural stone - it's a lot of knowledge to hold in your brain. I expedited my knowledge over the course of a year and a half with my cousin, but one struggle I had was that clients, especially the very well-off, well-known clients we worked with in Barrington, Rhode Island who own companies, would question me about what's trending. I wouldn't really know the trends, but that was kind of a blessing and a curse because then I would spin it and say, 'Well, what do you really want? What's your favorite look? What's your favorite this?' I realized if I didn't know something, I would ask the right questions to my boss and then get right back to them. It's all about communication, but then I took advantage of the fact that maybe it's not about all you need to know, it's about what you know about the client. If you know the client well enough, then you can give them what they want.

The biggest value in my work and personal life is just being authentic. Honestly, I just want to be myself. I just want to get to a place where people recognize I'm not trying to take advantage of anybody, I'm not trying to be the best in the world. I just want to make people laugh, make people smile. Even in the professional world, it's very hard to come across someone that's balanced between professionalism as well as charisma and charm. When people look at you and they see that you're put together, they see you're confident, they see you're brave and bold, and you articulate yourself well, but then they're also just very relaxed - that's important to me. You don't ask them surface-level questions about the weather. You ask them, you remember that their favorite song is by Willie Nelson, and you bring up that song. I love strong, genuine connections. Authenticity and genuine connection is what really drives not just a sale, but a relationship and building rapport and longevity with clients. This life is about how you make an impression with people. That's it. That's all it's about. If you brighten someone's day, that makes your day because you know it made them happy.