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Today, I want to wrap up my series of how to stop hating marketing and sales. And so I want to offer you the next step in being a transformational entrepreneur – a step that will take you into greater service, more clients, better agility with marketing and sales, and more peace with doing marketing and sales. And getting your work out there. And that is to transform your relationship with getting your work out into the world.
Read MoreToday I want to take our conversation about authentic sales even deeper.So we've talked about our common perception that, if you get good at sales, you're going to be like Lenny the Used Car Salesman. And I'm trying to bust that myth and encourage you to take back sales; take back the definition of sales. And make it suit you. Make it suit who you are, and what you're here to do in the world.
Read MoreIf you get good at sales, do you have to be Lenny the Sleazy Used Car Salesman? Do you have to manipulate people? Do you have to dominate people? Do you have to make them do something that they don't want to do and you don't feel comfortable doing? I say yes, there is an option. There is an alternative to sleazy selling.
Read MoreA big problem I see in the transformational entrepreneur world is that you hate marketing and sales. You just hate it. You won't do it. And your business lags because of that. I know, I've been there. I've heard many, many people say to me, "I would just love my business if I didn't have to market and sell it, sell my services." Yeah. We all want our fairy godmother to come in and tap us on the head and say, "Bing, here are your clients, go and serve them." But what we miss in that fantasy, in that dream world is that, marketing and sales is an extension of our services.
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 business owners I work with have a mission to share their work to help other people enjoy a better life. Whether it's from their own story of struggle that they have turned into a strength and then into a business or a calling to change something they thought was wrong, they have a desire to make something better.
Read MoreWhat was your response to the US Presidential Election on November 8th? Were you elated that people had voted for change? Were you shocked that Trump won? Did you feel fear, uncertainty, or anger? Whatever your response, you know that change is afoot for us all. And your response may still be reverberating through your body and spirit.
Read MoreDo you resist doing things just like everyone else does in your field? Do you lose your creative mojo because you feel you have to conform to your industry norms? Several of my clients struggled with these very issues which stopped them from succeeding in and enjoying their business. As we worked to resolve these conflicts, they began to feel freer to create a business that works for them. As they gathered momentum and clients, projects and programs began to flow for them.
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 More“What Crystal Ball are you talking about?!?”, you say. That Crystal Ball that you consult before, during, and after you talk to someone about working with you. You know, the one that says, “She probably won’t want to work with me”, before you talk to a prospective client.
Read MoreI certainly hope so! I hope you march to your own drummer, make up your own rules, glory in your full creativity, and are richly rewarded for it! But that’s not likely the case. I imagine that you probably cover up your weirdness so that you can fit in, be accepted, and get along.
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 MoreDo you ever say, “I’m not that special”, to yourself when you hear someone give a great intro at a networking event, hear the bio of a successful person in your industry, or read about the accomplishments of a well-known and highly respected person? I know I do. I confess to having “Accomplishment Envy”, and in the past it made me insecure about my own abilities and what I offer to my clients. You can believe this envy negatively impacted my ability to sell with confidence!
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!
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