Merit Kahn, CSP, is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and CEO of SELLect Sales Development, specializing in consultative sales and emotional intelligence. As the author of two books, ‘Myth Shift: Challenging The Truths That Sabotage Success’ and ‘Are You Open To: Four Words That Transform Everything,’ Merit is a respected thought leader in the sales industry.

She is also the co-host of The Smarter Sales Show podcast and a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, helping individuals and teams develop stronger relationships and communication skills. With the highest designation in The National Speakers Association as a Certified Speaking Professional, held by less than 12% of professional speakers worldwide, Merit is known for delivering engaging and impactful keynotes at conferences and sales kickoffs.

In addition to her speaking engagements, Merit consults with sales-driven companies to get and grow new business, and provides virtual and on-site training programs for entrepreneurs and sales teams. When she’s not sharing her expertise, Merit is a stand-up comedian who wrote and produced a one-woman inspiring comedy show, a Peloton addict, and a former Gerber baby model.

Key Moments

[03:18] Started sales pro training, expanded to speaking.

[09:16] Adapting entrepreneurial mindset during pandemic challenges.

[11:26] Family history of entrepreneurial sales professionals.

[14:03] Great show! Review us in podcast directory.

Find Merit Online

https://meritkahn.com/

https://meritkahn.com/podcast

https://www.sellectsales.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meritkahn/

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Transcript Provided By CastMagic.io

Seth [00:00:00]:
Entrepreneur’s Enigma is a podcast for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, so the wins and the fails that we all face being entrepreneurs, how we learn from adversity. Every week, I talk to a different entrepreneur with a story to tell. I’m Seth Goldstein. Come with me on the journey. This is Entrepreneur’s Enigma. Let’s get started. Hey, everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Entrepreneur’s Enigma podcast.

Seth [00:00:34]:
As always, I’m your host, Seth. Today, I have Mara Kahn. She is a highly sought after keynote speaker, CEO of Select Sales Development at Select. You know, so sell. Get it. She specializes in consulting of sales and emotional intelligence. She’s wrote wrote 2 books. That’s 2 books, which is, you know, I can’t even get my 1st book done.

Seth [00:01:00]:
So that’s impressive. Myth Myth Shift. Challenge the truth that sabotage success. And are you open to for words that transform everything? And so she is a speaker and an intelligent coach, And and she’s also got the highest designation at the National Speakers Association as certified speaking professional, as only 12% of professional speakers worldwide have that. So it’s really cool. And let’s get her in here and talk about her journey. Hey, Mara. How are you?

Merit [00:01:36]:
Hey. I’m great, Seth. How are you?

Seth [00:01:38]:
Pretty good. It’s been long long for us to get to talk. It’s just been a lot of scheduling, and Either you’re busy or I’m busy, or someone gets to say, it’s it’s it’s just it’s the way life is nowadays. So

Merit [00:01:48]:
Yes. It is.

Seth [00:01:50]:
So how did this all get started? Have you always been on your own, or Did you work at the corporate grind for a little while there?

Merit [00:01:57]:
You know what? I I’ve had my own business since 1998, so I Can’t even remember before that, but even when I was working for, it was I was in the radio advertising business, so I worked for radio stations. And Even during those days, I was a 100% commission salesperson.

Seth [00:02:14]:
So That’s brave.

Merit [00:02:15]:
It’s pretty much I’ve always, You know, had that philosophy of, you know, you eat what you kill, and

Seth [00:02:22]:
I love it.

Merit [00:02:22]:
You just create everything on your own. That’s how it works.

Seth [00:02:25]:
So in in 1998, you started what what business was that that you started? Was it this whole thing, or was it something different?

Merit [00:02:32]:
Yeah. So I had a sales sales management Training, coaching, consulting business. And, with that, I I worked mostly with, entrepreneurs who were very, very good at what they do, but they were frustrated because it should have been easier to get business than they than it was. And so they would have to, you know, kinda Be upset at the guy down the hall who was getting the business even though they were better at executing the business.

Seth [00:02:58]:
Getting the business is kinda key. You gotta be that first part first. So yeah.

Merit [00:03:03]:
Absolutely.

Seth [00:03:04]:
Oh, that’s wild. So then so it’s been a while. We’re not gonna we’re not gonna go back to how we’re not gonna do the math, but it’s been a while. And, and then so when did you start speaking and doing all that stuff? I mean, since you’ve been doing this since 98?

Merit [00:03:18]:
Yeah. Well, when I started my, sales pro training company, I was doing, programs. I was talking you know, doing business programs and, Workshops and things for, different business associations, chambers of commerce, things like that. And and one day somebody Ted, you know, oh, we’d really love to have you speak. We’re not sure we can afford you. I’m like, oh, what do you usually pay? And, you know, they Yeah. They said whatever they said. I’m like, Well, that’s not my usual fee because at that point, I was like, I just wanna speak to anybody.

Merit [00:03:48]:
Right? I just

Seth [00:03:49]:
Exactly. But they give you a starting point. I love when they give you a starting point. They’re like, we’re we’re hoping you’d do this. You’re like

Merit [00:03:55]:
Yeah.

Seth [00:03:55]:
Damn it. I’ve done cheaper. But, sure, I’ll go for that number.

Merit [00:03:58]:
Well, back in those days, yes. Now I have a number, and, and it’s Not cheap. So, you know, if you

Seth [00:04:06]:
videos on American khan.com, you can see why it’s not cheap because it’s really good.

Merit [00:04:11]:
Well, thank you, Seth. I appreciate that. Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, the philosophy is there. The the more relevant your program is, the more People you can connect with, the more, real inspiration, not just that surface level inspiration, but things that people can actually use and Incorporate into their business and their lives. The more the more value you provide to others, the more value you Deserve to earn for yourself for the for the opportunity. So they it’s gone hand in hand.

Seth [00:04:44]:
That’s great. And so, also, You’re a podcaster yourself, not just a podcasting guest.

Merit [00:04:51]:
I have run my own podcast. Yeah. Well, I was a cohost with a pod a partner, And, we’re we’re not currently recording new episodes, but the episodes that we did for now no. We’re taking a little break. This last year, the strategy was be a guest on other people’s podcasts, and then we’ll revisit, resurrecting our podcast, which is called the the Smarter Sales Show. But the Episodes are all still very relevant even though we haven’t recorded for a long while.

Seth [00:05:16]:
A lot of people like to go back and listen to the past episodes. We’re gonna take a quick break, hear from our sponsors, and get right back to the show. Anyhow, so it works out. I mean, I’ve been podcasting since 2010. So

Merit [00:05:26]:
Wow. Okay.

Seth [00:05:27]:
Bunch of different podcasts. As, you know, they they calmly go, this is the the longest one. You I mean, you’re gonna be past episode 200. So, Like, that’s pretty wild. So, you know, I’ve made made that far during the podcast. It was never my intention, but, you know, you know how it goes. So since you’ve been an entrepreneur, pretty much your whole working life, except for that brief stint, because you’re pretty much when you’re thinking about it, all commission, you’re pretty much an entrepreneur anyhow. Yeah.

Seth [00:05:54]:
If you’re entrepreneurial kind of, like, know, eat what you kill kind of mentality. What has been the best thing in your mind about being, like, eat what you kill, essentially? Like, about being on your own and stuff like that?

Merit [00:06:05]:
I think that, you know, being on your own, I mean, it’s got its blessings and its curses. Right? So, you know, I can control my own schedule. I can do whatever I want. Like, There’s a lot of freedom, but I often wonder if I have the freedom of working as working more than I would for anyone else.

Seth [00:06:24]:
It’s so true.

Merit [00:06:26]:
You know, I I spend a lot of, you know, evenings and weekends and but it’s it’s seasonal. Right? And and so I think, you know, there are certainly times in my entrepreneurial journey where I’ve been more inspired. I’ve had, more drive to put in some additional time and effort to to do some Initiative that was important to me and my business at that time.

Seth [00:06:52]:
Yeah.

Merit [00:06:52]:
And then there were times when it was like, you know what? I’m gonna I’m gonna pull back a little bit. So I think The the time freedom has been really good, but also the the financial opportunities to, you know, really set your own targets and, to to know that the sky’s the limit, really, in terms of what you you can create. And

Seth [00:07:13]:
Yeah. There’s no ceiling when you’re an entrepreneur. It’s only as much as you can do, which is kinda nice. So now what’s on on the flip side, what keeps you up at night? You know? I mean, how is that so this this is twofold because you’ve been at it for a while. What would catch up at night back in the day versus what keeps you up now?

Merit [00:07:31]:
Well, I think what’s interesting is that I’ve had enough years in business, and I’ve been through enough ups and downs cycles to know that, somehow, I always find a way. Yeah. You know, I may not always knock it out of the park. You know, there have been certain years that were Certainly leaner than others, but I I trust myself that, You know, somehow, it it all just kinda works out. I don’t I mean, I don’t say that in, like, a Pollyanna, You know, the secret kind of way. Like, I’m just standing at my mailbox waiting for the text to roll in. No. I I work my ass off.

Merit [00:08:09]:
But

Seth [00:08:10]:
Yeah.

Merit [00:08:10]:
I I know that, You know, it it’s it’s it’s okay. It’s there are ups and downs. That’s natural.

Seth [00:08:19]:
Mhmm.

Merit [00:08:19]:
I don’t panic about those anymore because I know I’m putting the work in. And I know that when my results don’t show it, it’s not because of the economy or the Mhmm. Market or the Customers, it’s it’s because I didn’t do what I needed to do. And Mhmm.

Seth [00:08:34]:
But when I get back I know. Yeah.

Merit [00:08:36]:
Yeah. You gotta just take personal responsibility.

Seth [00:08:39]:
Yeah. It’s interesting, especially with this economy now. It’s been very up and down and left and right all year, seems for a lot of, you know, entrepreneurs. And because the economy is good in some sectors, it’s horrendous in other sectors, and then it’s kind of like and others. Like, kind of and it it’s a very weird time. I feel like it I think feel like everything’s cyclical too, which is kinda interesting. Like, What goes up goes down, what goes down goes up. Most most of the time it goes back up, you know, and that kind of thing.

Seth [00:09:10]:
So what is the most important thing to carry with you on this journey all the time.

Merit [00:09:16]:
I think that having a a mindset of, You know, like, the entrepreneurial mindset for me is one that is you know, I’m always I I try to stay open minded To some new possibilities. If one thing isn’t working well, you know, can I can I switch gears and go in a different direction? So So I think that’s been an important thing, but, certainly, that was a big lesson during the pandemic. I mean, as a, you know, professional speaker, that That revenue stream was completely shut down, but that was also a very big marketing, you know, stream for me. So in one You know, basically, in one day with all of you know, like, everything was open and then everything was closed, and that lasted obviously for a very long time. So I had to really look and say, okay. Well, some of my professional speaker friends who only had a keynote speaking business We’re really in a pickle. But I had consulting and coaching and training and, you know, some other things that I could do virtually to get me through that period of time. And so I just kinda dialed back on the well, dial you know, completely turned off the dial for, for, like,

Seth [00:10:28]:
the Choice. It was all about 4 years.

Merit [00:10:30]:
It was gone. But then I knew that at some point, things would open up again, and I would dial that back up and dial something else down. And so I think when you when you set up your business as an entrepreneur, you wanna have some different things you can do. Like, You know, seasonal businesses are good examples of that. You know, if you have a landscaping business, you’re either gonna have to go to a different geography to to do that in certain

Seth [00:10:53]:
or go to plowing or something like that.

Merit [00:10:55]:
You know, transition to winter activities. So it’s, you know, it’s just, the way of looking at your business. So I think an open mind, you know, a sense of optimism, but a balanced sense of reality check is Yeah.

Seth [00:11:09]:
Reality check. Yeah. It happens if you like it or not sometimes. Sometimes it’s like, oh, boy. That’s interesting. So yeah.

Merit [00:11:16]:
Exactly.

Seth [00:11:17]:
And so, I mean, did you come from a long line of Entrepreneurs, are you the 1st are you the 1st one to be entrepreneur, or was it your parents entrepreneurial?

Merit [00:11:26]:
You know, that’s a good question. I I definitely come from a long line of sales professionals. Uh-huh. My grandfather had a used car lot, so I guess that’s entrepreneurial because he started it. My little my little grandma, who I talk about in my 1 woman inspiring comedy show, she was an Avon lady, but she was very entrepreneurial Because in those days, you were just ringing people’s doorbells like, Avon, lady calling. And she was really the pioneer of home parties. So she bought one of everything And then set it up in her basement, and everybody would come to her. And, like, in those days, nobody was doing that.

Merit [00:12:01]:
So that was pretty entrepreneurial. Yeah. My mom, is a real estate broker. She was entrepreneurial. That’s very

Seth [00:12:08]:
brave now too. Yeah.

Merit [00:12:10]:
Yeah. But my dad worked for the same company right out of college through retirement, which Never happens anymore.

Seth [00:12:15]:
Get the gold watch?

Merit [00:12:17]:
Yes. Yes. He did.

Seth [00:12:18]:
Oh, he actually got the gold watch?

Merit [00:12:20]:
Yes. Yes. He did get a a Tiffany gold watch, I believe, for Good time.

Seth [00:12:25]:
You got both sides there, but mostly, it seems like there’s a very long line of entrepreneurs there.

Merit [00:12:31]:
Yeah. I think so. But definitely, everybody was, You know, really in tune to sales. So even though, you know, my dad’s, you know, business with, he worked for the Chicago Tribune, and he was in advertising sales. So Dad.

Seth [00:12:43]:
That sort of the same thing. Yeah.

Merit [00:12:45]:
Yeah. Exactly.

Seth [00:12:46]:
So you got a little bit of dad in the beginning, and then you went the other anyway, they’re like, alright, because he did that sales That’s kinda cool. I like that. Yeah. And I’m sure they’re all proud of you and, you know, that stuff. So that’s great.

Merit [00:12:57]:
Well, of course, Seth. All parents are proud of their kids. Right?

Seth [00:13:02]:
Of course. Of course. So where’s the best place for people to come see you?

Merit [00:13:07]:
Well, I would say that, the main hub of all things is Meritkahn.commeritkahn. And from there, you can Choose to learn more about the 3 different stages that I perform on. So there’s the business keynote conferences stages and the the theater shows that I do and then my comedy club stuff.

Seth [00:13:27]:
I love what you’re saying because it was like at first, it’s like, we have oh, you choose your own story kind of thing. It’s very Yeah. It’s very clever. It’s like, oh, Let me go to theater. Let me click over here. And it’s like, oh, that’s really cool. Because then it’s like, it’s all under, you know, but it’s It’s it’s a neat site. If anyone wants to see a cool site, go check american.com.

Seth [00:13:47]:
And, of course, you’re on LinkedIn. I see you out there on about there as well. So Yes. Mara, this has been so much fun. Like I said, it’s a quick show, but, like, I’m just glad to get you on, finally meet you, pseudo in person kinda thing, so that’s kinda fun.

Merit [00:14:00]:
Well, thank you, Seth. I appreciate the opportunity.

Seth [00:14:03]:
Awesome. And guess what? We’ll see everyone next time. That was a great show. If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please review us in the podcast directory of your choice. Every review helps other podcast listeners find our show. If you’re looking for other podcasts in the marketing space, with no further than the Marketing Podcast Network at marketing podcasts.net. Gold theme gi hopes you have enjoyed this episode.