Susan Ershler - Conquering the Seven Summits of Sales: From Everest to Every Business, Achieving Peak Performance

To our parents, Roy and Mary Ellerman, and Jack and Roenah Waechter; Johns wife, Marka Brooke, and Sues husband, Phil.

Each instilled a belief that anything is possible and supported us every step of the way!

We did not reach mountaintops alone, or complete this book alone. Throughout Conquering the Seven Summits of Sales, weve emphasized the importance of teamwork in achieving an ambitious goal, and appreciate the work and dedication of the following individuals whose direct involvement was critical in creating this book.

Ilisa Keith, as a collaborator and personal editor, helped shape and polish our prose to a high standard, ensuring that our points were made clearly, consistently, and in a compelling voice. Ilisa is also the principal of KB Communications LLC, a full-service marketing and public relations agency based in Phoenix. Before launching her firm, Ilisa was a senior vice president at Powell Tate in New York City and held senior positions at global public relations agencies, including Golin/Harris Worldwide and Fleishman-Hillard. During this time, she spearheaded the launch of Colecos Cabbage Patch Kids and developed marketing support programs for such international clients as Smith-Kline Beecham, Richardson Vicks, Chesebrough-Ponds, Inc., Grand Marnier, and the Rado Watch Company. Ilisa began her career as a health/beauty writer for Mademoiselle magazine. She has also served as a board member of Women in Communications and is an active member of Phi Beta Kappa and the International Association of Business Communicators.

James Levine and his colleagues at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency helped guide our efforts through the literary industry and were instrumental with feedback and support throughout this process. Jim also worked with Sue on her first book, Together on Top of the World. We truly appreciate his passion for the publishing business and his knowledge of the industry.

Thank you to our editor, Colleen Lawrie, and the entire team at HarperCollins, in making this vision a reality. Beyond being an expert editor, Colleen brought critical and creative thinking and a very positive attitude to our partnership. And we sincerely thank Hollis Heimbouch, publisher at Harper Business; Joanna Pinsker, our publicity manager; and Christine Choe, our marketing professional.

John and Sue had great fortune to have worked with, and continue to work with, many great mentors, coworkers, direct reports, clients, and business partners. Their relationships with these people have yielded lifelong friendships and provided the many lessons and stories recounted in this book. While there are far too many to name, we want to mention the following people for their mentorship, guidance, partnership, and inspiration to get the job done!

Sues speaker bureau partners, who have provided friendship and expertise for over a decade in supporting Sues professional speaking career.

Greg Wilson: Everest mountain guide (2001) and friend, who, with Phil, guided our 2001 Everest expedition and was instrumental in that teams success. Greg also summited Mount Everest as part of the 1991 American North Face Expedition, and is now a middle school teacher in Hailey, Idaho.

Our Everest Sherpas, notably our lead Sherpa, Ang Passang, and Sherpas Dorjee Lama and Danuru Sherpa. The many Sherpa climbers who routinely support Himalayan expeditions are critical to the safety and success of all who venture onto the worlds highest mountains.

John Whetzell, CEO of Northland Communications Corporation: client, friend, boss, and the one who introduced Sue and Phil!

Walt Yeager, former sales manager at GTE (now Verizon): boss, mentor, friend, and person responsible for managing John and Sue at the same time!

Jay Tyler, former district sales manager, Xerox: boss, mentor, and friend who taught John how to manage Attitude and Activities!

Andy Lufkin, partner and portfolio manager, Delafield Hambrecht, Inc.: lifelong friend, business partner, and climbing partner. Two to go!

And finally to our wonderful community of friends and family who have wholeheartedly supported our endeavors and made our lives richer along the way. Most notably, a special thanks to Phil Ershler, Sues husband, our mountain guide and trusted leader throughout our Seven Summits journey, for his inspiration and guidance in helping us achieve our Seven Summits dream. Phil first achieved this feat in 1989 and then again in 2002, this time with Sue at his side. Phil is renowned internationally for his consummate skills as a mountaineer, guide, and climbing instructor. He was the first American to climb the north face of Mount Everest in 1984 and has summited Mount Rainier well over 400 times. Climbing is Phils passion, avocation, and vocation. As cofounder of International Mountain Guides, LLC, a worldwide guiding company, he too has applied lessons from the mountains to success in business.

Thank you.

On May 25, 2001, at 3:00 a.m., we slowly approached the Balcony on the southeast ridge of Mount Everest, battling the frigid fifty-mile-per-hour winds and needles of snow. Both of us had reached the pinnacle of our profession as sales executives and entrepreneurs. Yet here we were, risking our lives and everything we had worked so hard to attain. Exhausted, we lifted our bodies onto the Balconys narrow ledge, removed our oxygen masks, and, huddling together, asked ourselves, Why are we trying to climb this 29,035-foot mountain?

The answer was a simple one. We cherished the deep satisfaction that only comes from attaining a seemingly impossible goal through focus, determination, and perseverance. For us, Everest represented the very pinnacle of achievement and the capstone of our journey to join the elite group of climbers who have conquered the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

Both of us would ultimately achieve this goal, applying the same skills and strategies that helped us climb the corporate ladder and become top sales performers. In the years that followed, we would draw upon our Seven Summits experiences to lead sales organizations and to launch and grow businesses. We would also share these experiences when conducting sales keynotes and presentations for major corporations around the world, inspiring sales and business professionals to overcome their perceived limitations and achieve their own visions of personal and professional success.

As longtime friends, fellow climbers, and business professionals, we shared a unique perspective about the parallels between success in sales and on the mountain. One morning about two years ago, we were having coffee and sharing some recent speaking experiences. Invariably audience members would ask us questions that revolved around two key themes: Do you have to be a born salesperson or can anyone learn to achieve sales success? and How does someone take on a huge challenge like climbing Everest and then go about achieving it?

As we thought about it, we reached the conclusion that both questions could be answered in the same way. We both firmly believe that achievement in any sphere of life is an acquired skill. Its a strategic approach to problem solving that can be learned and perfected over time. In that moment, we knew that we had the basis for an instructive and entertaining how-to book on sales, one that would allow us to share our experiences and apply the metaphors of mountain climbing to success in the business world.

We began by conducting some competitive research. After reading dozens of sales books, we concluded that we could bring a fresh new perspective to a heavily traveled subject. We spoke to hundreds of businesspeople and solicited their feedback and suggestions. We soon realized that the lessons wed learned and the strategies wed honed in business and mountain climbing would be beneficial not only to salespeople, but to a much broader audience as well.