INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP

Never Ask for the Sale

Event Details

When the Backup Plan Skips the Line

Jun 08

When the Backup Plan Skips the Line

Just one week ago, I was planning for you to be opening this email or this LinkedIn newsletter today and reading about the fact that I was, at that moment, in surgery to receive a new kidney from a living donor whom I’d never met. This was all via the voucher program and the March 2026 kidney donation by my friend and colleague Liz Nelson. Wanna catch up on that? Read this.

Alas, with my drive to Mayo in Minnesota set for Saturday, June 6, I received a call from my nurse on Thursday, June 4 that my surgery had been canceled. Some issue ostensibly with the detailed matching factors between the blood and cells of the donor and me. Even with the knowledge that I am feeling fine, that I can wait out a new kidney at my current level of health, that I’m better off without a poorly matched kidney (especially since my surgery is removing my polycystic native kidneys), and that this will almost surely work itself out, I was completely…totally…gutted.

I spent two hours after receiving that call sobbing, canceling the flights and hotel plans of five people who had graciously agreed to serve as traveling nurses for me, generating a ton of fears about whether this was the canary in the never-getting-a-kidney-ever coal mine.

Then I got out of bed. Lifted heavy weights for an hour. Cried some more. And I wrote to a couple people whom I had told to wait for my availability for new work that I was, now, available for that new work. Within five hours, I’d closed business worth 20% of my previous forecast for the year. Candidly, this took “passionate ambivalence” to a completely different level. I mean, yes, I was ambivalent, but my book does not recommend this kind of ambivalence!

As I write this, it’s been 10 hours mapping out my “backup plan.” I have new work, plenty of not-new work, a brand new guitar that I’m learning to play, a couple other new hobbies, three new friends my age, and the still-very-new baby of dear friends I won’t be missing during a long time away. I also get to go on a bike trip with two of my favorite people across Prince Edward Island, including seeing Green Gables, the site of a favorite children’s book story. That was the one plan I hated having to give up. And it turns out the tour company couldn’t fill our slots, and I never canceled those flights.

I am okay. I am great. I still feel…lucky.

Yes, perhaps the universe takes care of things. But more than that, I can feel my heart and my mind “taking care of me.” I am finding perspective, resetting myself on the continuum of relative “hardship,” finding places of trust. As much as I am working through this alone, I am receiving messages from dear ones who are not trying to “make it better.” They are simply feeling their own disappointment and being with me in mine. What a gift.

So maybe sometime…soon…you’ll get that other blog.

In the meantime, as I notice a big swath of open time on the calendar that is not occupied by all those side interests, I want to ramp up some effort around live sessions for Never Ask for the Sale. I have learned that putting live, context-specific coaching around the concepts and exercises in this book is the magic alchemy. I’ve seen this in YPO chapter events, company workshops, nonprofit sessions, private self-organized book clubs, engagements with people having nothing to do with the sales function, and remote sessions with solopreneurs around the world.

The focus doesn’t matter. What matters is gathering people who want to grow their influence.

Danielle Dannenberg, Product Leader – AI Commercialization at Atlassian, invited me to speak with the product managers on the company’s AI team. She said:

“We set out with a goal for our product managers to act as the CROs/CMOs of their products. Through Sue’s lightning coaching, real-time feedback, and pragmatic exercises, she helped our product team build a much deeper understanding of how to sell internally and externally. The PM team left with higher confidence in advocating for their products with customers and influencing internal stakeholders.”

KJ McCorry of industry-leading zero-waste nonprofit Eco-Cycle invited me to speak with the Eco-Cycle leaders as well as leaders in other nonprofits in the arts and beyond. Her comments on the effectiveness of the session:

“Thank you! You led such an impactful session last night. I heard wonderful comments from everyone. I loved that we invited other nonprofits to join us, I think it added another layer of depth, context and example. I appreciated your way of making it conversational, encouraging examples and pushing nicely on the barriers and beliefs. I walked away with so many nuggets!”

Now here’s your chance. Join me for the first-ever virtual Never Ask for the Sale immersive workshop. Come yourself, invite a few people on your team who want to strengthen their influence, and tell your friends.

  • What: Never Ask for the Sale: Live, Virtual Workshop
  • When: September 29, 3–6 PM EDT
  • Why: In this fast-paced, highly interactive group coaching session, you’ll:
    • Refine your 30-second bio so it actually lands
    • Identify what’s working — and what’s quietly undermining you
    • Learn how to use passionate ambivalence in real conversations at every stage of the sales or influence funnel
    • Get direct insights on your specific sales or influence challenges
  • How: Space will be limited to ensure a premium experience for attendees, so save your seat early. Reserve Your Spot Now

PS: The other day I received an Amazon copy of Incorruptible, the new bestseller from Eric Ries. The gift note invited me to “Enjoy the book.” It purported to be…from…Eric Ries. I do not know Eric Ries. Like every good entrepreneur, I read his groundbreaking book The Lean Startup. But. That’s it.

Now I have no idea how this worked, how he picked me, how long the list had to be to get to me, how he garnered my snail mail address. Surely a giant project that took AI about seven minutes, but I was still impressed. And grateful.

So I wrote Eric on LinkedIn, and I asked him why he sent me a copy of his book. Of course, Eric proved one of my guiding principles: The most “busy” and “important” people always write back. He wrote back. Something about him thinking I’d like the book, perhaps I’d talk about it, etc.

Awesome.

So I’m talking about it. I haven’t read it yet. I’m not going to read the hardback because I am listening on Audible. I will write a review. I will share my thoughts. I know damned well how much this stuff matters to famous (and way less famous) authors. So, I’m on it Eric. And if you want a beautiful hardcover copy of this doubtless brilliant book, hit me up. I’ve got you.

PPS: If you want to be a living kidney donor, you can do this without knowing anyone who needs a kidney. One (or more) of 100,000 people will be thrilled. Contact www.NKR.org to learn more about the donor program, the voucher system, and all the rest. It’s even better than giving someone you don’t know a book!

Any thoughts, feelings, or blurts? Share them here.