Hey Bold Leaders. Welcome to episode 59 of The Bold Leadership Revolution Podcast where we train leaders to have the endurance to make an impact.
Never is leadership more important than your sales process. In this episode I want to take you behind the scenes of what happens when you get on a call with me because you’re interested in working with me.
My goal for this is three fold:
1. You can hear how I run my calls and take away valuable insight
2. If you have ever been nervous about getting on a call with me, you know what you can expect.
3. This will give you key information about how you can be an empowered buyer of anything in the future.
First things first, I want to be VERY clear. I hold sales calls. I call them sales calls because I want to be fully transparent about the container I’m creating for me and another person.
HERE’S WHAT I CONSIDER A SALES CALL:
A person expresses interest in working with me, learning more about how to work with me, or they have been referred to work with me.
We set up a time where I can get a better understanding of who this person is, what they are struggling with, why this is holding them back and if they truly want to take the action required to change or grow or develop themselves as a leader.
This is also an opportunity for them to get to know me better but at the point someone has gotten on the phone with me, I do expect that they KNOW me.
As a company and an individual, we have content going out a number of times a week that help interested parties get to know me well. You can find out my credentials, hear me on almost 100 podcast episodes, and see me daily on Instagram Stories. You’re also welcome to email me and ask me any questions to help you understand if getting on the phone with me is a valuable use of your time (and mine!).
The take away here is be accessible but don’t waste your time by getting on the phone with every person who wants to talk to you. Too many times I’ve gotten on the phone with people who were tire kicking or in a very early exploratory phase or unsure of their budget.
Now, not everyone has to have it all figured out but you need and the person you’re speaking to have to have an accurate gauge of readiness.
If you are the person looking to hire someone, it is really in your best interest to come to the call with research done, budget guidelines and even having started the conversation with key decision makers (business partners, spouse, etc.). Not only does this save everyone time but it puts you in a position of power.
NOW, LET ME TAKE YOU THROUGH MY SALES PROCESS BY OUTLINING THE STEPS.
- Complete an intake form. In the past I have skipped this steps for referrals because they don’t usually come in through my website and every time I skip it, I regret it. At a minimum, the intake form is a commitment to the call you will have. It will also help the person gain clarity on why they want to get on the call with you. Sometimes people will cancel the call or not book because they aren’t ready to answer the questions on the form. My clients get upset when this happens but it’s a GOOD thing.
- The intake form is completed and my team schedules a call with you. I personally don’t use a scheduler for two reasons: 1. Connection is important to us and we want you to have a human experience. The business is currently structured in a way to allow this personal connection. 2. I want complete control of my calendar with no tech snafu’s or elaborate rules to set up. Right from the get go this should signify that I’m leading a company that does things differently for good reasons.
- When we start the call, I’m going to ask YOU how you’re feeling. I do this to acknowledge that getting on a call with me often puts people straight into their feels — nervous, excited, scared because OMG growth and so often so very relieved as this is your first step in getting out of your own way. It’s your moment where you’re declaring enough is enough. You’re claiming growth over staying small and insignificant or stuck. A lot of my clients describe working with me as a coming of age. It was the moment, no matter how old they are, that they decided to grow up in their business. So, yeah, I want to know how you’re feeling so I can acknowledge you.
- Next, I’m going to outline what we’re talking about on the call. I lay out the top 3 objections and will ask you if you want to add anything. We are co-creating this call. When you set the agenda, everyone knows what to expect. There are NO surprises.
- Then we get into the meat of the call. I want to hear what you have going on. This is your opportunity to be heard. I’m often fairly quiet at this point. I’m listening. In this moment, this is my greatest act of service. Hearing what is truly going on for you. I’ll ask some follow up questions that will probably require you to dig a little deeper. I dig deeper because a skilled coach or consultant KNOWS the problem you initially present is most likely not the actual problem. Most people fail to identify what the real problem is for two reasons: 1. They don’t really care what your problem is because they are going to sell you their solution. 2. They aren’t trained in problem solving to know how to discover the root cause. Either way, if you feel the person on the phone doesn’t understand your problem well enough, RUN!
- Once I understand what your problem is, I will ask you if you want to hear my feedback which may or may not include what programs or services I have that can help you. It’s not uncommon for me to connect you to someone else in my network because either I’m not the best person to solve the problem or for whatever reason we aren’t a great fit to work together.
- Then I will open the call up for you to ask me any questions.
- Finally, we move into decision making. Now, If you have done the pre-work I mentioned above, you will be ready to make your decision on the call which is priceless to DECIDE. Everything you want comes from the energy of decision and commitment. Personally, I think it’s so important to get to the place where you know if this is for you or not right on the call so you can leave feeling amazing and powerful one way or another. For me, I become a different person every time I invest in myself so I do it often. My frequency heightens, I take myself more seriously, I become more focused on my goal, I gain clarity and greater feelings of certainty. It’s a BIG DEAL to me when I make an investment in me.
- If this is a yes for you, we are going to get started right on that call. We are going to talk next steps. If you are signing up for a program that includes 1:1 time with me, we are going to put our first session on the calendar and you will make some kind of financial commitment by either making your first payment or putting down a deposit to hold your spot. If you’re not sure, still need more information to make a decision, we will set up a second call where you can come back and ask additional questions and make your decision. What I want you to take away from this step is we will decide. I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU IN INDECISION. Not because I’m pushy but because as a leader, indecision is your KRYPTONITE. You most likely already have decision fatigue. You’re already overloaded mentally. You already have one too many to do’s on your list. All these things are weighing you down and standing between you and what you really want. I’m committed to stopping this behavior and it starts right from our first connection together.
Now, I want to acknowledge the pink elephant in the room. I said I would ask for your first payment or a deposit on the phone call. Some of you probably threw up in your mouths a little bit. I know I did when I first spoke to a sales coach about this. I had ever “yeah but” in the book but I want to take a few minutes to reduce your blood pressure and quell your anxiety.
When someone asks for your credit card information on the phone it can go two ways: Horribly wrong or the best thing that’s ever happened.
As someone who is committed to mastery with sales, I’ve been in both positions. I’ve had people completely fail to connect with me or build any trust therefore leaving me in indecision and that’s when they asked for the credit card — before they even got a strong yes from me. That’s a high pressure tactic and in my opinion a grave error.
On the flip side, I’ve been a hell yes for a program and the person took my credit card over the phone and I felt a huge sense of relief that I was now committed to taking action and getting started right away. This person was ready to go all in with me and the payment was a mere transaction but it was also so much more than that. It was an energetic commitment. It was DECISION.
Moreover, if you’re working with someone who is credible and offers a fantastic service this person most likely doesn’t have a ton of space on their calendar. I know I don’t. You leaving a deposit to work with me is a very real thing to secure you spot on my calendar. Otherwise, I’m going to have a conversation with the next person in my calendar and sell the spot. This is why I highly encourage everyone to do some research and pre-work before getting on any sales call. Just like you would if you were buying a home. You would get pre-qualified, you would do some comparison online, you would have a conversation with a partner or spouse before buying the house so that when you find the one you want, you’re prepared to take fast action and get what you want. There is no pressure here. By doing this work ahead of time you are more empowered than ever to make a decision.
My sales calls are highly impactful, valuable and bold. That used to make me feel uncomfortable wondering if people would perceive me as pushy. It took me a while to realize, I’m NEVER pushy. Nothing I do comes from pushing, striving or proving (unless I’m in the gym).
Additionally, this process must reflect your brand! And my brand is about being bold, unapologetic, standing for your truth.
If you had a wishy washy or bland sales call with me and then hired me, there would be a strong disconnect and potentially lead to a less than stellar experience for you.
When you approach your sales calls, show up the same way you would while delivering the service or product you offer.
Here’s your action for the week: go write out your sales process or review it if you already have an SOP. Does your sales process convert? Does it feel on brand? Are you in love with it? Does the thought of having sales calls excite you?
The answer to the last two questions MUST BE YES or you will not make sales. Head on over to Instagram and let me know what you’ve learned by sharing your takeaways or popping me a DM. I’m @thetaranewman.
And hey, if you want to hop on a call with me to see how we can work together? Let me know here.
POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS ARE WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE THE BRAVE SOCIETY.
The BRAVE Society was designed for female small business owners who want to be discerning with their dollars or are feeling like their investments have them spread thin. Too often I see women investing in #allthethings to grow their businesses but completely short change their leadership.
The Brave Society is community AND the right leadership development to help you run your business and thrive as an owner, CEO, or founder (whatever you call yourself).
We will keep you focused, help you stay accountable and ask you the challenging questions to help you move through your all the ways you’re blocking your own success.
If you want to join us for our bi weekly CEO Debriefs, monthly panel discussions and quarterly laser coaching sessions, apply today or find me on Instagram @thetaranewman.
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