Recent posts below or use the links to explore by category.
The third principle of selling authentically is Respect. Yes, Aretha Franklin would be so proud to see you inject some R-E-S-P-E-C-T into your sales conversations! As a reminder, the first principle of Authentic Selling is Trust and the second is Transparency. Respect rounds out the trio.
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 MoreDo you ever wish you were more confident? When you are presenting your ideas? Asking for a sale Saying how much your services or programs are worth? From talking to hundreds of women business owners like yourself, I’ve learned that your answer is probably, “Yes”.
Read MoreIt lurks in the soul of almost every woman I’ve ever talked to.
Tons of research and well-respected books delve into it. There’s much debate on the cause and the cure for it. And yet it continues to plague even the most successful of us. I have a new spin on it. Watch and let me know what you think of my idea about how to remedy this difficult challenge to you and your business.
Read MoreYou will probably say this to another person 100 X faster than you will say it to yourself. It may even feel forbidden to tell yourself this. And that’s a shame. Because you must say it … often.
Read MoreI’d like to talk to you about another habit that can handicap your success. And that is: you don’t say no.I know. Saying no can be difficult. It’s also known as “setting a boundary.” And setting a boundary can be easy. Enforcing it can be harder. So we’re just going to talk a bit today about where you don’t feel like you can say no.
Read MoreToday, I want to talk to you about the habit of not asking. I see this in so many people. I see it in myself, too. And I know that the more we ask, the more we have the opportunity to succeed. We also have more opportunity to be told no. But unless you ask, you don’t know if it’s a yes, no, or a maybe. So how this shows up is that, maybe you’re too shy to ask. Or you don’t think you have the right to ask. Or you’re afraid that somebody’s going to say no. Or worse yet, criticize you. So what this leads to are missed opportunities, that you take less action, and you proceed less quickly—because the next stepping stone may have shown up if you asked for it. And if you don’t, then you’re kind of left where you are.
Read MoreToday, I want to talk to you about one habit that I see that handicaps people’s success. And in particular, women entrepreneurs’ success. And what is a habit? A habit is a repeated practice. And because it’s repeated, it sometimes will go unconscious—and we don’t even think about it. Like, driving to a familiar location, you probably don’t have to think about it very much. But these habits can get in the way of our success. And so, I want to talk to you about it—and what you can do about it to begin to turn it around.
Read MoreThere is an injunction against women being powerful. I wanted to talk to you about a big revelation I had yesterday. On Wednesday, I had a conversation with my coach about why I hold back from being more successful in my business by helping more people and really making more money. And our conversation was challenging, and it also made me want to go deeper into what has been holding me back personally. And I did think it was personal. I thought there was something wrong with me. It's like, "Oh, I'm just built that way." And what I realized is, that's not true. What I realized is, there is an injunction against women being powerful. And that includes being successful and having money of their own making.
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 MoreDo you ever wonder why so many mission-driven entrepreneurs find getting really clear on what they offer and how to talk about it to prospective clients so difficult?FEAR plagues many women entrepreneurs who want to make a difference. Fear has many faces. I’ll talk about several of them here in the next few weeks.
Read MoreDesires drive us through life whether it’s to, get an education and pursue a career, Ffind a mate and have children, run and grow a successful business. Our desires give us the energy, power, and perseverance to follow our dreams and keep at it when the going gets tough. But for many women, our true desires are not supported or even allowed.
Read MoreWhat happens to you when you say, “I am valuable”, to yourself? Do you cringe, want to hide, or think, “That’s just not true!”? If you are like many of us, you’ve had experiences where you were told, either verbally or through behavior, that you are not valuable.
Read MoreI recently listened to an audio class about the ascent of the planet Venus in the evening sky. Each month as Venus meets the new moon, she passes through another “gate” that corresponds to the chakras in the human body. As Venus ascends through each gate, we are given the opportunity and support to strengthen that area of our life. Venus recently passed through the first gate of her ascent so this month is about the Root Chakra, which is located at the base of your body.
Read MoreIf you are new to your own business or come from a corporate or a therapeutic practice background, figuring out the “new rules of business” can be confusing. You want to be pragmatic and have a heart at the same time. You find yourself trying to give away too much. You watch how other people do their business and decide you don’t want to do it the way they do.
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.
Read MoreAs we in the United States celebrate our independence on July 4th, I pause to appreciate all the freedoms we enjoy in this country: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom to pursue our version of happiness to name a few. Compared to many other women throughout the world, we have so much to give thanks for in the freedoms with which we lead our daily lives and pursue our dreams. Yet, I've noticed that many women in business rarely feel free to experience joy and feel fulfilled. We put ourselves last on our To Do List, if we are there at all, and we give much of our time, energy, and talent to others without asking for anything in return.
Read MoreThese days, women have a lot of gripes with men: they don’t communicate their feelings, they don’t help around the house, they let the kids get away with murder or are too hard on them, they don’t appreciate us enough, they’re cranky, they’re not romantic, they only want to watch tv and have sex. You could probably add your own complaints to the list. But here’s the question: Are you letting the men in your life support you? I’m talking about ALL the men in your life, not just your partner, but also your colleagues at work; the guy who mows your lawn; and your brother, father, or son.
Read More
