Chelsea Johnston

I'm a big believer in manifesting things - when I want something or I'm passionate about something, or I see a different vision for myself, I change it and I will go out after that vision or goal. I am very goal-oriented. Do I fail? Absolutely. But you either win or you learn, and that's one of the things I continuously take throughout any position or job I've ever had. If I'm going to be here, I want to be good at it, I want to be the best at it. It's not just because I want the recognition, but because I want to be here and give it my all. I'm constantly training, constantly learning, and doing a lot of personal development to make sure I can be the best. When I started with my first builder, I didn't even know if this was something I'd be good at, but my goal was never to just be a salesperson - I wanted to be in a director or VP seat someday. That drive and passion for what I do, combined with being open to training and feedback, is what has helped me succeed and grow in my career.

One of the things I would recommend to anyone coming into this industry is be a sponge. Be ready, willing, and able to get as much information as possible about your product, about construction, because knowledge is power. Make sure you can answer any of the questions, and if you don't know the answer, know how to find it. Really focus on personal development - it's one thing just to learn sales, it's another to personally develop yourself as an individual, your character, and who you are as a person, because that's where you get confidence. It builds confidence in yourself and your self-worth, so when you do go into these different fields, you can articulate your feelings and opinions professionally. Drink up as much sales books as you can. If you don't have a great training program, make sure you're spending time on that every single day, because you need to train every single day. Role-playing is key when it comes to sales - it's a little awkward, I get it, but it's extremely imperative. Know your industry, your product, your materials, and construction itself, so when you're having conversations with buyers, especially logical buyers, you're able to answer those questions. And if you can't answer them, it's okay to say you don't know the answer, but you will get the answer and get it to them as soon as possible. Personal development is key - you need to be confident in asking for the sale and asking for help, and be open for training every day.

Being honest and trustworthy is very important to me. Communication is key in everything, whether it be in a marriage, with your children, with your coworkers, or even your employees. It's extremely important to communicate and exercise empathy in what it is that they need and what they're seeing. Confidence is something I take very seriously - as a woman in a predominantly male field, you need to be confident, you need to be able to speak your mind with facts. If you're going to offer a suggestion or a pivot, you need to make sure you have all the information you need, and be able to deliver that confidently and professionally. I have girls, so confidence is key for them too - they need to understand their worth, that some friendships are okay to walk away from, and be confident in those decisions. Another big value is being open to training and open to feedback. I don't want people to walk around with resentment - I want them to be able to voice their opinions. Even for me, if I'm about to send off an email or have a hard conversation, I will call counterparts or HR and ask, does this sound professional? Does this get my point across? We don't know everything, so being open to training and feedback is extremely important in my life - at work, with family, and with my own friends and relationships.