Where We Sabotage Sales
Episode Summary:
I'm so excited to do a two-part episode for you with a story from the start of my business that I don't think I've ever shared with you before, but it was a huge sticking point for me when it came to allowing more massive waves of money and clients in. As heart-centered women, I believe we have the "key to the kingdom" when it comes to marketing and sales — we just have to release the icky feelings we have around sales and make it our own first. I hope it's useful for you!
Topics Discussed:
Using your "soft skills" to become an amazing marketer, networker, and relationship builder.
Blocks you may have that are keeping you from being consistent with your marketing.
Filtering before vs. after the sales call
Increasing your ability to say "no" and ultimately increasing your magnetic marketing
What would make you nervous if you woke up with ten scheduled sales calls?
Marketing your paid AND free work
Episode Resources:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher
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Anna Rapp (00:00):
Hi friends. I'm so excited to do a two part episode for you with a story from the start of my business that I don't think I've ever shared with you before, but it was a huge sticking point for me when it came to allowing more massive waves of money and clients and sales in. So I hope it's useful for you. This one's gonna be a little bit more story based, and then we're gonna get a little more, um, granular in the next episode. But I really wanna talk about, um, first just why I love the online space so much, <laugh>, because I feel like women are able to make massive money on skills that they were never really valued before, right? Soft skills when it comes to coaching and listening and mentoring and helping people with change that high level, um, high level thinking, talking type work, right?
Anna Rapp (00:51):
Also creativity. Um, also even like admin, I think it used to be that, um, like admin work, project management work, uh, VA type work before it was online really wasn't valued. And I really feel like as we become entrepreneurs, the reigns come into our hands with how much we can charge for these skills. So that's just an aside to say I'm so grateful for the online space, which is important. I think, you know, we can see some of the like, downsides of the online space. Maybe there's a person or two that's doing something unethical or, but just remembering that every industry has pros and cons, but I just think ours has so many cons and I'm so grateful to be in here with you, um, in the space where you can get the credit and the high paycheck for your brilliance. Maybe you just wanna take a second and affirm that right now and put your hand on your heart.
Anna Rapp (01:41):
I know I am a brilliant woman. Or fill in the blank. Highly creative, highly organized, highly empathic. Think about that soft skill that you monetize. Is it your creativity? Is it your organization? Right? And I really think how beautiful, thank you, thank you God or thank you universe, whatever you want it to be, that I can make a limitless amount of money with a skill. Maybe it's with coaching or done for you work. Maybe it's by creating an e-course. Maybe it's by writing a book. But I as an entrepreneur get to monetize off of this gift and I am grateful for it. Um, okay, what I wanna talk about is I think it's beautiful that you'd not only get to monetize on that soft skill in the delivery to your clients and what they pay you for, but I actually think we get to monetize off our soft skills in the marketing and sales realm.
Anna Rapp (02:37):
Um, and today I wanna talk about how you use your skills of creativity and listening and organization to be your best employee and be an amazing marketer, networker, relationship builder for yourself, right? I was talking to a client about this last week too, about how, you know, people say that sales and marketing have to be done a certain way, but I actually think heart-centered women, we have the keys to the kingdom when it comes to marketing and sales that work so good once we can release the icky feeling around sales and marketing once we can make it our own, right? I just feel like I've leaned so hard into that and I've really made sales and marketing my own and paid the way for that for you guys too. Just like with that new I shared with you guys last week, I made a 20 minute webinar workshop, right?
Anna Rapp (03:26):
A sales workshop and it's an evergreen workshop. Most times people make theirs 90 minutes, which is fine, right? But I made mine 20 minutes, I made it super value packed and I've just been getting a lot of good feedback because it's really an innovative way to sell, um, an evergreen program. And I just feel like I've been doing this since day one. And just this reminder that like it's safe for you to market and sell in a way that feels authentic to you. 'cause that's what always converts, right? Um, I also wanna talk about like how to make this feel more safe. Because I think a lot of times we're the, you know, so here I'm telling you like your soft skills and your empathy and your creativity in your organization that actually makes you a great saleswoman and a great marketer. But you're like, well, why do I still feel icky selling then?
Anna Rapp (04:09):
Or why am and I consistent with my marketing, right? Because we often have a block. We have a block that comes between our ability to be a good marketer and saleswoman for ourselves. And it's usually, um, some sort of mindset block, right? Feeling like you're afraid to take up space. It's feels scary to self promote. It feels hard to expose yourself to new humans, right? And so that's what I want today's episode to be about really breaking down the walls that will keep you from naturally being a great connector converter marketer saleswoman. Because like, yes, I can teach you good sales and good marketing, blah, blah, blah, but I find for most of my clients in the cell with heart Mastermind, it's less about me teaching them the perfect tools and tricks. Yes, I can give you a buffet and say, this has worked great for me.
Anna Rapp (05:00):
Here's some email swipes here. But at the end of the day, right? You already are good at what you do. And so I find that like removing the blocks that stand in the way of you talking about yourself and your work and selling in it and marketing it completely unleashes this domino effect of you being able to manifest more money, right? So today's gonna be a little less strategic. We're not gonna about talk as much about like sales and marketing tactics. We're gonna talk about the blocks that are gonna keep you from naturally selling and marketing. 'cause here's the truth. Selling and marketing is easy in the sense of like, it just is talking about your work, whether it's on social media, whether it's in person, right? It's just talking to people about what you do. So the biggest thing, and it doesn't matter how you do it, whether you do it on a podcast or do it on Instagram or do it like it doesn't matter the platform, it just matters that you are doing it. So we're gonna talk today about the things that are stopping you from doing that. And maybe you even wanna pause this podcast episode and ask yourself,
Speaker 2 (05:57):
What are my biggest blocks right now when it comes to selling and marketing and getting more visible in my business? And my, I find that my clients hit this at every point in their business, um, and not making it wrong. What is feeling off or sticky or frustrating or challenging about promoting your offer? More, talking about it more, sharing about your offer more. It might be something like, ah, I'm a little bit nervous. 'cause like, what if I make the sales and then I can't deliver to them, right? Or what if I put it out there and no one signs up, right? Or whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Um, okay, I'm gonna tell you a story <laugh> first one more aside. The reason I kind of came to this conclusion that heart-centered women when we remove all of our blocks and mindset stuff behind sales and money that were naturally good at this. Because at the start of my business, I started reading sales and marketing books and I was like, they're telling me to do things that are like, duh. Like after someone asks you about your work and you have a sales call, check in with them the next week. And I'm like, well, I'm a heart center person, of course I'm gonna wanna check in, right? Basically a lot of the book was like, pretend to care, pretend to be interested, pretend to listen. I'm like, well, duh, we, I care and I wanna listen because I really only wanna sign this person as a client if they actually have the problem that I solve.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
And I need to listen for that. Like, and I'm like, this is just bss. Like, we just need to show up and be ourselves and we're gonna be the best marketers and salesmen on the planet. And I found for me that was true. And I actually think that it's true for you two. And that's why so much of the marketing and sales tactics that I teach and sell with heart, 'cause I do teach some really practical tactics, but I find at the end of the day after women do them and try them, they're like, Ooh, actually this felt really good. This felt like something that I would normally or naturally do. Or, oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't think about that because of course I would love, like I just told someone the other day, you know, you know, send a voice memo back to that person for this thing.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
And they were like, oh my gosh, that's right. Like, you know, in my former career I had a more private life, but it makes sense. Of course, I'd wanna send a voice memo and connect, right? Um, okay, so here's the story that shares one of my blocks and I hope that it maybe helps you think through what's one of the ways that you are self-sabotaging and getting in the way of your natural selling and marketing ability. So <laugh>, this is a little embarrassing. My first coach called me out because I was converting so high on my sales calls, <laugh>, and this is not a bad thing, right? I just had a client message me yesterday from the mastermind that was like, oh my gosh, I did the math and my sales are converting at 60% from people that hop on calls with me, right? But it was a little bit different for me because basically my coach called me out and realized I was only getting on the phone on sales calls with people that were already a hundred percent yes to my program, right?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And the sales call was more the formality. And she's like, why the, why are you even doing them then? Right? And we uncovered it was really because I didn't feel safe saying no to people. And it felt like if I got someone on a sales call, I felt obligated to them. And I mean, this is another story for another day of like why I was doing that, right? But I think I was just in a season where I was in survival mode, I felt like my time was so scarce, I felt, you know, I had a hard time trusting people and it felt like I don't wanna take on any more people or liability or pressure. And so I really wanna make sure they're a dream client before they're on the call, right? <laugh>, and why this is a problem is because it really, and at that same time, I was also like, why don't I have as many clients as I want to?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
You know what I mean? And we need to reme for me, I needed the reminder that my sales call was the filter, right? Versus I was trying to filter before the sales call and like trusting. I think for me it was getting, um, comfortable exposing myself to new people and learning how to say no. And I think when we improve and perfect our ability to say no, we're able to increase the volume and we're able to do more magnetic marketing instead of like chasing marketing, right? Okay, here's what I mean by that, right? Like another one of my clients, um, was struggling with a chronic illness and she was like, Anna, I really wanna sign clients, but also like, what if I get a migraine right? And then, you know, I'm not able to support them and then they're disappointed with me, and then they leave me a bad Yelp review.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Like all the things, right? So what we did is we crafted a little letter, um, of what she could send to her clients if she was having a debilitating migraine that basically said like, Hey, I am so sorry, we're gonna have to cancel our session tomorrow. I'm gonna move it to next week. Here are my available appointments to make it up to you. I'm gonna add 10 minutes. Like whatever. Right? And that made her feel so good about signing clients, right? Same thing with me and my coach. And so I really created a plan, a safety plan for like, what happened if I got on a sales call and it was a no, well, number one, I just really didn't sell to them. I was like, thank you so much for sharing your story with me, you know, and I just kind of left it.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
And when I didn't pitch, they really didn't even ask me more about my services. Or if they did, I would let them know. Like, okay, awesome. I actually don't think I'm a fit for you, but here's what I suggest. And I would like either refer them to someone or like, and it was totally fine, right? I even, like, I don't even know if I ever used it, or I think I might have once <laugh>, but I drafted this email of what I would say and follow up with someone. So I think it's like when we feel safe saying no to people or no to things, or having the boundaries, just talking with another client about this, this week about like, so much of growing and scaling your business is boundaries, right? Whether it's raising your prices or changing your containers. And I just think like being comfortable saying no, being comfortable, um, really allows you to open the floodgates on the audience that's attracted to you, right?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
If you're worried about, oh my gosh, like I don't wanna, what if one of my Instagram reels goes viral and then I have 20,000 followers and then people are pulling up my inbox and then I'm having to respond to people. It's like, why are you feeling obligated to respond to people that aren't your paying clients? Whoever said that you owed people in your dms a response, right? Do you see how our lack of boundaries, our lack of ability to say no actually holds us back from being willing to open the floodgates, right? What we need to do is be so locked in on our boundaries that we're okay with the flood waters coming in, whether that's sales calls, right? Whether that's, um, uh, you know, followers online and really setting those boundaries in place, I feel like is everything right? We wanna trust ourselves so that we can really expose ourselves and really trust our fig our filters, otherwise we'll never expand and grow, right?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Um, my, the next podcast episode is gonna be related to this, which is a client told me recently that she was nervous to get on networking calls with people, um, because of the same thing. What if I'm networking with someone and then they end up not being a good future referral partner? Like, I don't want them sending their people to me, right? Like, how do I diplomatically say no? And because she didn't have this figured out, she was having a really hard time figuring out who to network with in the first place, right? So I want you, I know this is like a more vague concept, but it is so important, right? Which is I want you to ask yourself this question. Maybe even write this down in your journal, right? If I had 10 sales calls, 10 people sign up for sales calls tomorrow, obviously you wouldn't have to have them all tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
We know your calendar is set up, so, or maybe you need to, right? So that you'd only have a few sales calls a week, but like if you had like 10 sales calls in the next month, or you had 10,000 new followers on your email list or Instagram or Facebook group, right? What would you be nervous about that exposes your boundaries right there that you need to put in, right? If you would be, um, nervous about, Hey, all my client's base are full, you know, the boundary you might need to put in place is a system for people to deposit and pay in advance. The system you might need to put in place is a way for people to work with you in a more leveraged way that doesn't require your time, like launching a mastermind or course, right? Um, if you're like, like I said with the thing, what if they all email me back or message me and whatever, right?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Or what if they, you know, leave me in comments on my content? How can you really create a policy where either you're not even looking at the comments 'cause your VA filters it, right? Or just energetically create that better. Some of this is just energetic. So I know this is a more open-ended question, but I want you to journal on this and I want you to email it to me because I really want you to think through where am I, um, holding myself back from being a, a magnet, right? From really standing out, from getting more visible from selling and marketing. And again, you know, I'm a big fan of like not just marketing your paid stuff, but marketing your free stuff, right? We need to be the biggest advocate for, oh my gosh, you've gotta join my Facebook group. It is the best group of heart-centered women online.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
That is truly what I believe about my program, but I'm talking about yours too, right? We want you to be the best advocate for like, oh my gosh, you've gotta grab this freebie. It is so valuable. You've gotta follow me on Instagram. I'm so funny on Instagram stories, right? Whatever you wanna say. Like us advocating our work happens more freely when we have those boundaries in place that know if someone that comes across our work is not aligned, that's okay and we can handle it and we have a system for it, right? And it's safe for us to step out and to be magnetic versus what I was doing before, which was being really controlled and handpick people and or like turning people away. And it just felt a lot slower because it is <laugh> because it was really limited to my time and energy versus using more like attraction based marketing and like letting the floodgates come in, okay?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Tune into the next episode where I break down this just a little bit more, especially the networking part and exposing ourself to in that way. Um, and I cannot wait to hear what comes up for you. If you want my support around growing your business to six figures and beyond, I would love to support you. My mastermind Sell With Heart is for women that are already making $2,000 a month in their business, um, and they wanna grow to six figures and beyond with heart and integrity and in a way that lasts and in a way where they're making quantum leaps on their marketing and sales. We do, I do have lots of money mindset audios. I have specific trainings and worksheets and I teach sales strategy. I look at your offers, all of that. But beyond that, we're making a lot of shifts so that a lot of this happens more naturally and faster.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Um, and really there's, I've seen no program online that really marries private coaching with me. You get, you have small group calls, so I know you personally, I know you in Slack and the support there. So we have our group calls, but we also have our monthly workshops where we do CEO planning and visioning. We do, um, our Dream Day, which is a little bit more like a cozy retreat. You get to tap into your dreams and desires, but it really is the incubator to take you to six figures and beyond. And if you're interested, let me know. I'd be happy to hop on a call with you. Um, or you can complete the application. That's the best way for me to get a good picture of where your business is at and let you know, um, what, uh, if I think it's a fit. And if it's not, I'll absolutely tell you that too. Okay, love, hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
PS: In the midst of this challenging time I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help? One of the #1 ways I support my clients is by helping them simplify their business so that they can increase the flow of money without creating extra work. In this season simplified visibility and sales is needed more than ever.
So if you’re craving personal support as you reposition your free and paid work, I’d love to help you simplify your sales process so that you can produce income in your business even during a challenging time. If you want support you can check out my services and book a free discovery call here, or you can send me a DM on Instagram.