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I work with women entrepreneurs who want to make more money, serve more clients, and be confident and authentic while doing it. I also work with innovative teams and companies. I combine sales strategies with good marketing and with energy work – to alleviate any limiters that you might have about putting yourself out into the marketplace with your message.
Read MoreIn the last issue I said the first principle of Authentic Selling is Trust. The second principle is Transparency. Does it surprise you that you can be open and honest and still sell? It’s true! In fact, in our jaded, “I’ve been sold too often” world, it’s what works best, even if it is an approach you don’t experience often. Imagine talking to another person, wanting to help if you can, having a real conversation, and offering your services if they are a fit. All the while being honest, having integrity, and being transparent.
Read MoreWhat do you have to know and do to be able to sell with authenticity and integrity? The first principle of Authentic Selling is TRUST. Trust of yourself. Trust of the other person. Trust of the process. One of the reasons you shy away from learning to sell well is that you don’t trust yourself to be true to your values and to honor the other person. Let’s look at that now.
Read MoreNow here's a secret about sales that you may not know - sales happen because of relationships. The buyer has to answer each of these questions about you with a “yes”. Do I know you? Do I like you? Do I trust you? Without a “yes” to all of those questions, no one is buying from you.
Read MoreMy lovely friend, Diana Needham who does book marketing and publishing consulting, had a great comment about Selling at the first Abundance with Adele workshop. She said, "Sales is a conversation." When she gets on a call, Diana doesn't know where it will go - will she get a new client, will she make a new connection in her network, will she find a new referral partner or someone new to do a project with?
Read MoreYou know about the Gender Pay Gap in US corporations with women getting paid only 67% of what men earn. In small businesses and for minority women, the Gender Pay Gap can be even larger than 67% Many women in service businesses do not enjoy the income they desire and deserve.
Read MoreDo high-pressure sales offend you? Are you sick of being a “target” for a salesperson trying to meet a quota? Do you yearn for a sales professional who “gets” you and what you want and tries her best to deliver that to you? Me too! Many of the service professionals I talk to are just done with old-school sales where what you want and need are not as important as making the sale. Recently I realized that the best approach to selling is not selling. It even goes beyond serving.
Read MoreMany of the coaches, thought leaders, and change agents I speak to think that selling is bad, manipulative and wrong. Does this resonate with you? As I work with clients to improve their sales skills and grow the number of clients in their business, I observe that they've bought into only one side of selling – the dark side.
Read MoreLet's talk about where you are focused in your business and what to do if you aren’t getting the clients you want. You see there's a world of difference between what you THINK you are focusing on and what you are really focusing on. It's easy to tell if there's a difference: it shows up in your results!
Read MoreI’ve said before that the #1 challenge that transformational entrepreneurs and service professionals have in letting their business thrive and making the difference they want to make in the world: They avoid Selling because they think Sales have to be Sleazy. Did you know that YOU can actually sell with authenticity and integrity?
Read MoreI noticed that, like me, many of transformational entrepreneurs - the coaches, creatives, change makers, and service professionals - are stuck in a Purgatory of Frustration. They feel bewildered that all their training, their passion, and good intentions seem stuck in limbo. And they don't know how to free themselves.
Read MoreWhen I lived in Manhattan, I adopted a “don’t mess with me” posture. I made little eye contact, kept my purse near my body, and pretended that I had on body armor so that I appeared stronger and tougher than I felt on the streets and in the subways of New York City. I usually don’t need that posture now that I live in North Carolina, but I know how to adopt it if I’m in a dark alley walking to a parking lot. I get out my mace and put on my “leave me alone armor”. I’ve been thinking about how the energy we project affects us in business.
Read MoreA few years back I worked with collegiate athletes at a well-known university on Mental Peak Performance.The kids were talented and well trained, and many were on scholarship for their sport. If there was a glitch in their performance, I was called in by their coach to help them get their mindset right so they could compete and win. Consistently, when I helped the student athlete erase the mental and emotional blocks that were upsetting his/her competitive performance and apply that to a sensation of winning, s/he began to excel. Some ran their best time in races, others began to win their competitions, and several became team captains and made Dean’s List for the first time in their college career.
Read MoreIn the book Give and Take, Adam Grant takes on the fallacy that generosity is to be feared and discouraged in the work place. He posits that being a Giver is a natural lubricant to business and connections. In his book he sets about testing some theories about Givers, Takers, and Matchers. Givers are generous and like to give, Takers like to receive, and Matchers like to make sure they're getting an equal exchange.
Read MoreMany mission-driven entrepreneurs and service professionals have the misconception that “I will betray my values if I sell well.” They secretly fear that they will turn from mission-driven (wanting to serve others and make a difference) into a money-driven manipulative maniac who will do anything to make a sale.
Read MoreAs we continue to explore the fears that hold you back from serving more clients, making a bigger impact, and enjoying more income, we come to one that threatens so many mission-driven entrepreneurs and service practitioners: The Fear of Standing Out!
Read MoreYou’ve had that experience when someone sold you a product, but it didn’t work the way it was promised. Or you may have felt “pressured” into buying something that you didn’t really need or want, but you did it any way to be nice or pleasing.
Read MoreIn mid-September I visited Southport, NC, a lovely coastal town that was featured in the movie Safe Haven (based on the book by Nicholas Sparks). I have been to Southport several times before because both a good friend and several of my cousins live there. This time was different. I was going to present a talk to the women’s group of the local Chamber of Commerce. I was nervous, I was excited, I was prepared.
Read MoreDo you turn into “Meek Molly” when you talk to a prospective client about working with you?Do you become “Bulldozer Betty” by being overly aggressive and pushy? Do you play “Avoiding Annie” and just skip the whole sales conversation all together? I’ve played each one of these roles in sales, and honestly, none of them have worked very well. It’s just the oddest thing how a confident adult turns into a child, an awkward teen, or a bully when faced with selling her services.
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