SAMIA: Hello, Salam, Shalom, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Aloha, Holah, Ciao, and Bonjour, and Buna... and Privet!It's really really good to be with you again... And I'm so excited today… I'm a little extra excited today because we have a very special guest and that's Sanae Floyd who is a Business Breakthrough Coach and Sales Mentor... And I'm just so happy you're with us Sanae… besides the exciting things we're gonna be talking about I just wanted to share with everyone who's listening… that I just love you so much Sanae…I just love your energy... so I’m extra happy because of that… that you're joining us today... Welcome… 

SANAE: Thank you so much... Thank you so much and I remember when we first spoke it was… it was like a real soul sistership going on wasn’t there you and I fell in love... So I feel the same for you Samia… it's wonderful to be here… Thank you…

SAMIA: Thank you so much... All right cool… So before we jump into our topic of the day so to speak... would you just tell us more about who you are and what you do…

SANAE: Sure… Okay so my name is Sanae and I live in the UK... And I have been in my online coaching business as a Business Breakthrough Coach and Sales Mentor for coming up for almost eight years now which is like still blows my mind… but my background is sales... So I have been actually 25 years coaching mentoring and training in sales both in the corporate and then coaching entrepreneurs in the online space... And yeah so in a nutshell my job is that I help coaches to sell their coaching and as you say to make it fun and easy because that's what it's supposed to be... So that's what I love… I bring the passion into my client's work so that when they're coming from that energy then the sales is fun and easy because they're just operating from that space of authenticity and passion…

SAMIA: That is so cool... Okay so I'm just going to ask you to share with us like maybe a big problem that you see your clients struggling with because of it they're not able to be in that energy when they first come to you...

SANAE: Yeah... so I think that the biggest thing I mean most people say you know I want to attract clients I want to make more sales and I want to lose the mindset of being feeling out of integrity or the discomfort of talking money... So they might feel greedy... And there's all this kind of ikieness and sleaziness that is loaded into the whole subject of sales and selling... So that's what they come to me wanting... What we do initially is and part of the kind of really the thing that I bring to my clients is alignment... So they come wanting more sales and sales skills and coaching around sales but what they actually go away with is that but also the core fundamental which is alignment... Now when I talk about alignment what I talk… what I mean by that is that absolute crystal clarity in exactly what you're here to do… who you're here to help… your passion your purpose …when you're in alignment with that then you're in that space that energy of alignment which makes you very magnetic and it is what makes you unstoppable... you feel like you can move mountains when you have that energy of passion and purpose kind of driving your business… driving your actions... So that's what I would say is the biggest challenge for people is drilling down... It's a lack of clarity in their true niche and their ideal client... So that's the answer that when you drill it down it's that lack of clarity which is actually a lack of alignment...

SAMIA: Yes… And you know I've worked with so many coaches and business mentors at this point in time... And pretty much everyone give the same advice because it's excellent advice that you know especially when you're a small business person it's really really important that you become super super clear about who your ideal client is and what your niche is going to be …and it would theoretically seem to be like a fairly simple thing to do... But it turns out to be extremely challenging …and I know for me a lot of that had to do with like you know so when a coach said something along those lines to me or if I remember the first time was like... Okay who are you going to serve …who's going to be the niche that you're in what's the niche that you're going to work with or work in... It was like I don't know… I mean I had some vague sort of ideas because I wanted to help everyone...

SANAE: Yes…

SAMIA: And then they gave me some ideas for how I could figure it out... But they were all very like the methodologies were like okay you can look at what identity labels people identify themselves by because it's really good if you can get a group of people that has a strong identity label because that makes marketing fun and easy... And then they give me some other tips for how you could identify you know a niche... But for me I'm getting more confused…

AD HERE

SANAE: Yeah... it's so confusing and all of that it just it kind of it makes me cringe… it makes my toes curl because it is it really is about what these methodologies are showing you or teaching you is the answers are out there... So the answers are out there somewhere you've got to apply this methodology or try this system or answer these questions …and it has us looking externally for our answers... And what the truth is is when you can turn inwards and go in the answers are all inside of you… And what I've come to understand and there's so many reasons …multiple reasons why it's so challenging to kind of tap in …but essentially your niche is a combination of two things... And that when you get this under sort of right that's when you have a very valuable proposition for your ideal client... So the niche comes from two things… it's a combination of your skills your the skills that you've learned through life... your… for me my niche comes from a combination of my skill set of selling so I've been in sales all my life... Many people's skill sets have come from their professional background their experience in life you know they've navigated their own struggles so they've learned and honed this skills they've learned about nutrition… I saw you had a nutrition coach recently and she's learned this knowledge and this wisdom and this skill that is important... That is one factor... So when you combine it with the important piece which is your gift …we're all born with a unique gift and that gift is expressed wholeheartedly in childhood until at some point we get told inadvertently or we learn by mistake that that gift in it in as we express it makes it us too much or not enough... So we swallow the gift …we hide it …we dim the light... And so in my experience and how I help my clients with this topic is you've got to look at the struggles that you've gone through repetitively throughout your life because every one of those struggles is life trying to show you your gift... So you'll notice there are themes and commonalities that weave those experiences those challenging times together …and it may be how you respond or how you show up or how it hurts you …whatever it is there is a theme that connects all of them… when you can drill into that you realize that oh my god all of those challenges all of those struggles all of that pain was life trying to show me where I needed to show up more or heal more or grow... So it's often that final catalytic pain where you then got kind of thrown out the other side awakened enlightened in some way changed... And that's what sets you on a journey to wanting to be a coach for example...

SAMIA: Yeah...

SANAE: When you can wave those things together you hope …you've realized this that was my gift and when I combine it with the skill then I have a very valuable proposition... And your ideal client just to complete this piece is always you from a previous point in your life... So this is why it's not about looking externally like or what are the best bits of all the my favorite clients that I've served… what’s relevant is going in and saying... what are my values …what do I want …what am I …what have been the pains that I have experienced...

SAMIA: Yes...

SANAE: And how do I want people to feel as a result of working with me...

SAMIA: Right…

SANAE: All of the answers come from within... Now that was a huge download but I get very passionate about this and when you can connect all of those dots that's alignment that's when you realize this is my purpose... Everything I've experienced has brought me to this moment...

SAMIA: Yes… And I especially loved what you just said… I mean that everything you were sharing …and one of the …just threads that I would love to sort of lift up in what you said …you said your ideal client is like a previous version of you...

SANAE: Yes…

SAMIA: Because like for me that was a really really important realization... And I actually went through this just like literally a few days ago I was working with another coach... And I was sharing some of the marketing copy for a new ad that I had written up and my coach was like… he knows me really well at this point in time and he was like… Samia you're forgetting your ideal client …you're writing as if you're writing to yourself right now... But your ideal client is not you right now …because you know like in my case I'm a happiness expert … I'm happiness coach happiness coaching right... And so in my case what's happened is that at this point in time my level of happiness and inner peace is just way higher than most people's... And I'm not saying that to show off …it's just …I'm saying that as a factual thing …and I …we actually have you know methodologies for measuring our level of happiness and when people take my courses you know I actually teach them how to measure their own level of happiness and keep track of it over time right …and so there's lots of research that's gone into you know how you create these measurements and you know all that... So there's research that shows that most people …like as a population …are at a certain level or range …within a certain range of happiness... And so at a very simple level of… if I was to explain it …if you think about it as a scale of 1 to 10... One being completely miserable and unhappy and depressed …severely depressed …and 10 being as amazingly happy as you can imagine being... Most people are somewhere in the six to eight range …they're not actually depressed but you know there's room for improvement in their level of happiness... So that's just factually where most people are and...

SANAE: I'm surprised that is so high to be honest

SAMIA: …you know it varies of course …people don't constantly stay there …they have ups and downs …but most of the time most people will fall somewhere between six to eight …and if you actually think about it …six is not a very happy state of mind …like from my perspective now …it's what most people are used to and someone who's at an eight they think they're like really happy because they've mostly never experienced anything more happy than that except in very rare moments and occasions... Like so for most people it's not even realistic to experience happiness let alone sustain happiness at a higher level …but once you actually begin to focus on your happiness and you realize oh my gosh it's something that I can choose and cultivate and grow… you know... And so then it's like now if I'm at an eight I have to ask if there's something wrong… like there's something wrong because of which I've dropped down to an eight... So the point is that now when I'm thinking from my extra happy place I think very differently …I think very differently from most people... And so I have to keep reminding …and thank God my coach was there to remind me that… Samia no… you have to go back to how it used to be for you and write from that place...

SANAE: Yes yeah... And I think that's so important because ultimately that's when you recognize that yeah my ideal client is me from a previous point in my life… that's how you're able to create the communication that will deeply resonate because you've walked in her shoes you've woken up with that feeling in your solar plexus that feels dreadful that constant nagging fear or unhappiness …you've …you literally know how it feels to be her... And so your coach is spot on when you can write from that place... That creates that powerful resonant resonating copy and content that …and that's when people will reach out to you and say Oh my God it's like you're reading my mind... You know and that's so I think yeah I've nailed it because that's what you want to hear …you want to be able to talk to people at that level where they think …it's almost like …one of the things I say a lot to my… to my people is …don't get hung up on the numbers in terms of engagement because your ideal clients they're watching you but they'll never engage on your stuff...

SAMIA: Yeah…

SANAE: Because they're dealing with what's going on... They don't want anyone to know what's going on for them... They're in their own pain… they're dealing with their own stuff… so they're not going to engage on your content but they are watching you... And it's about trusting that...

SAMIA: Yeah...

SANAE: ..and they want they're the ones that will reach out to you out of the blue you'll have never heard of these people and all of a sudden they're reaching out saying thank you so much for that post it really spoke to me today how can I work with you …and that's when you start to attract people because you're talking to that part of them that they're trying to keep secret but you know because you've been there...

SAMIA: Yeah... and you actually just made me think about another case I was recently connecting with another coach... She is a fellow soul sister and you know she made some posts about boundaries… you know having boundaries and what it means from her perspective to have healthy boundaries or not... And you know she's an intensely spiritual person and so she was writing from that very spiritual perspective… and when I read her posts I immediately saw what she was saying …like I understood what she was saying and it made total sense to me... And you know I responded to her and I was like... Oh yes yes and I said you know said some additional things and she was like yes Samia you get me …you're exactly on point... We were totally on the same page …but turns out that the post actually went viral in her circles and actually most of the people who are responding to her … were responding like lashing out …because again most people are not grounded in that highly spiritual perspective... And so what they heard her saying they perceived it as wrong as bad as dangerous and as promoting ideas that are not realistic and you know things like that… and it's just like you know …at some level you know we want our post to go viral and we want lots of people to like respond …but the thing is like you don't just want people in general responding and reacting …you want your ideal clients to be touched and to respond to you when they're ready... When a post goes viral like I've heard so many people talk about this who …like I was watching Hasan Minaj who is you know he's a stand-up comedian and at this point in time he has become really popular and he was talking about how he gets huge engagement on his posts at this point in time because he's so popular now …but a lot of it's like just vicious and people just lashing out... And that's a very normal thing for people who… you know are big and have big people a lot of people...

SANAE: Influencers...

SAMIA: Yeah... So just because you have a lot of engagement doesn't mean it's good engagement …doesn't mean it's irrelevant engagement …doesn't mean isn't going to translate into clients for you let alone ideal clients for you…

SANAE: Yeah absolutely... I mean I've worked with people who have come to me with the opposite problem …like rather than I'm getting no engagement I'm not getting any clients I've had people equally say I get all this engagement but it's as soon as I put an offer out it's crickets you know what's wrong with me that's the you know the question and it's about okay well again that's fine-tuning the message that's fine-tuning your ideal client... But in terms of what you're talking about Samia… that the influencers and the kind of criticism …I think that is just part of that process of as you become more visible you are going to attract that... And it's about how you can hold yourself steady in the face of that... I've recently had some people on Facebook ads like really slamming my work... And it shook me and it really shook me and it took my coach kind of saying this is what you can expect you're putting yourself out there in a really big way and you don't want to be vanilla …you don't want to upset people deliberately but you've got to be authentic...

SAMIA: Right...

SANAE: You've got to own what you stand for and own your truth... And sometimes there are going to be people …sometimes there's just trolls and haters and people that are just intimidated or misogynistic or whatever… it doesn't matter and there are those people… but you are going to get people who are happy to express their completely opposing opinion …and it's just not being triggered by that …because when you are triggered by that… that's the ego trying to reassert her small self and you know defend… there's no need really if you're in that state of like you say that higher state of consciousness... You… there's no self to defend …you're just… speaking your truth …and I think that's when you can stand your ground and be really powerful and not get triggered by this stuff…

SAMIA: Yeah...

SANAE: It's their problem… it's not yours…

SAMIA: Yeah… So that means …I think of especially when we're talking about sales and making sales fun and easy... I know one of the major problems that I experienced and that you just alluded to is this rejection that you have to deal with …and learn to deal with in better …more healthy …healthy ways... Can you share like a tip or two for how you can actually get to that place where you can stand in your power and not feel so triggered every time you get rejected…

SANAE: Yeah... I mean the fact of what I would say whenever you get triggered sales or otherwise but since we're talking about sales... whenever you get triggered that's an opportunity to go in and say oh my God …because you can only get triggered if there's a button to press if there is a sore spot to be pressed and to be triggered then there is something internally that perhaps needs to heal …there's a little girl or a little boy in there that that is acting out by that sense of Oh my God I've just been rejected... So it's worth looking in and thinking about what part of me feels hurt by that…

SAMIA: Yeah...

SANAE: Because it's not a rejection of me as such as this person's made a decision and that's fine... So there's that side of it …it's doing that deep healing to say it's okay it's there not for me …the other thing I would say is you can look at a reframe …here rejection is protection …because in their rejection of your service they could be an absolute nightmare client to work with …and so as they reject you …you get to move on and find that next perfect client who just lights you up to work with and this person clearly is not for you otherwise there'd be a resonance there would not be a rejection...

SAMIA: Right...

SANAE: So again rejection is protection …you can see it in that… those terms... But yeah it's always about looking at okay it's just this one said no… next… you can't never get no …you know you're always gonna just have people that are perhaps tire kickers or time wasters or just you know can't afford you… whatever... So it's about just saying that's okay… it doesn't put me in a different position to before the call it was just you know I'm in the same position whether they said yes or no…

SAMIA: Yeah... that's right that's right... And I just was reminded… like a memory very strongly came up for me right now... I was a relatively new coach having just recently started my happiness coaching work… I think I was maybe two years into it or something… and I had actually made a big mistake at that point in time because I had been doing really well and then I was sort of finished with the amount of time that I had committed to be working with my happiness coach and mentor... And then I was like okay I can… I'm gonna take a break now from working with a coach because I need to save some money and invest it into growing my business and so forth... And so I was doing that... But it was like …it had been …I don't know …like maybe a year or so …since I've been actively getting coached and mentored myself …and I didn't realize it but it was starting to have an impact on me... And in this particular case what was happening I was at a… in-person conference and I was like just talking to people about what I do and so forth which you know it was something that I had gotten fairly used to doing …but I got talking with this like one group of ladies and when I started to talk to them about how oh you can choose to be happy no matter what's going on around you and this is a skill that you can develop …they were like giving me pushback on the idea that you can just choose to be happy no matter what... And I just remember this feeling of something inside of me sort of starting to feel small because of that sort of challenge that I was receiving and not being able to hold ground in that moment and just feeling like I was losing my confidence... And in that moment I mean I got through it... But like later I realized oh what's happening is that I forgot that you know like when it comes to our emotions and emotional states you know there's something I was even teaching other people but not applying… I forgot to apply to myself is that you have to constantly be working on growth because if you're not growing you're dying you become stagnant... And before you know it you're like slipping slipping down the other way and you have to be constantly growing... And I had been …I gotten overconfident in the sense that I was like Oh I'm doing so great I'm so happy I'm doing amazing and I stopped …I sort of stopped working on the growth piece for myself …I mean I was working on growing in other aspects of my life like growing in my skills and my knowledge as a business person and learning to handle my finances better and you know like there are all these other areas that I was working on growing in …but with my own happiness and so forth I had just sort of been maintaining where I was at …but it was actually causing me to slip back and until I had  that experience of feeling not able to stand my ground and my confidence shaking when I got challenged… I didn't realize what was happening... So like you know coming back to what you were saying about when you're triggered there's some button to be push …there's some healing that needs to be done...

SANAE: It's a beautiful thing... It's a beautiful thing... And even just your experience you've described there if you would if everyone could just really own the notion that every external experience is a mirror... and there is nothing in your external experience that is not reflecting back to you what you are putting out there... So it's almost like these women giving you this pushback was a pure reflection of your own internal resistance to your stepping out into power …really owning the fact that you are this incredible happiness expert... And so your self-doubt that was sort of simmering in the background really was being reflected back to you and that was where that kind of pain started to come up... And you took it and you went away and you learned and you grew from that experience... So it's always about owning everything that shows us what is going on internally and especially the painful things… they are just gifts real gifts… it's about noticing and you know on a sales call for example if you are getting lots of no's for example if you're having a run of no's and I have coaches who just say to me you know they'd be working with me everything's on point we know everything's on point the messaging the ideal client the pricing the packaging everything is on point... And then when it comes to the sales calls they say I'm just constantly getting no's... I've no after no after no... And that knocks their confidence and they start saying like maybe I need to reduce my price or maybe my avatar is wrong... And because we've done the work as they know we need to look at what else is going on internally for you …and I have one specific example that I share quite often because this is just this is so peachy it's the perfect example to illustrate this point... This client was in exactly that position... She …everything was on point but she was giving no's constantly and I can't afford us more specifically …I can't afford you folks... And she was hesitant and I'm starting to doubt everything that we had done together... So we looked at right what else is going on in your life …just talk to me about other stuff... And she said oh don't ask... She said the family… they are getting on my nerves …my kids are so lazy they throw the bags on the floor after school they don't help me …my husband is not doing anything around the house …she was feeling flat out burnt out... And when I asked her why don't you ask these guys for help you know they're teenagers they're big people they can help you... she says oh no the women in my family we don't …we do everything …we really believe in serving …and she actually said we're not important in the family structure... So I said that's it …”I am not as important” is a deep core belief that you have …so if “I'm not important”... that equals “I have no value”... So as you've got “I have no value” deeply positioned in your gut and your heart and your energy field of course you're going to attract people that are matching that belief that I have no value... So they're gonna say I can't afford you because they don't see your value... So again it's looking at what are you …what are you getting …your results never lie …they're always the truth …but what's true for that part of you... So if people are getting like resistance on sales calls …they are getting people that don't see the value in spite of them knowing that the message is on point and all of that is good... then it's about …okay what on the inside of me... Yeah… That is being reflected... And you've got to get good at interpreting your results from an energy point of view…

SAMIA: Yes... oh my gosh that is such an excellent point because for sure I have seen that as being a big problem that people struggle with is that interpretation piece... It's like just like you said …whatever you're feeling …whatever struggles you're experiencing …your inner self and even the universe for that matter …the spiritual universe I mean …is in its own way actually trying to give you some really important feedback that it means to be helpful feedback …and the thing I think that trips us up is that we are not able to correctly interpret that feedback… 

SANAE: Yeah yeah yeah... we misread it and it's like people say I've met …look what I've manifested …and they manifest all this good stuff... but then when it's bad stuff they go… what's happening …I didn't ask for this …you've got to learn you can't pick and choose your manifestations… you're manifesting all of it... And so as you say when you get good at interpreting and how you interpret is by dialing into …look at the experience …how does it make you feel... 

SAMIA: Yeah...

SANAE: Because how it makes you feel …when you can verbalize …okay it makes me feel like this …makes me feel slow …it makes me feel left behind …it makes me feel lucky in value... then you're getting closer to the belief that's under the surface... 

SAMIA: Yeah yeah... one of my...

SANAE: It's like the example is the broken leg you know... when somebody gets a broken leg they say I don't know how did I attract this broken leg …I wasn't thinking about injury or broken legs or I wasn't… how did I manifest this... Well how does the broken leg make you feel... well it makes me feel slow… makes me feel like I'm slipping behind people… it makes me feel like a burden... Whatever your interpretation of how it makes you feel is… that's it… the universe has given you a match to that belief structure… 

SAMIA: Yeah… 

SANAE: So powerful... and so simple… but we get so knotted up don't we… we don't see it because we're in it… 

SAMIA: Right… 

SANAE: So sometimes it takes time to step back and really take a breath and then you can start to interpret yourself... 

SAMIA: Yes look at things from that bigger picture perspective or get someone else to help you figure out that bigger picture perspective...

SANAE: Yeah... yeah... and that's why we need coaches …we all need coaches... We all have our blind spots... 

SAMIA: Indeed indeed... and for sure I have seen this again and again… like I gave that example of when I stopped getting actively coached mentored for a year or so forth …and then you know what I did it again …like a few years later I did it again I was like okay I'm in a great space and this and that I'm going to take a break from getting coached and mentored …and I did fine for a few months and then before you knew it I was slipping again... But thankfully the second time I did that I caught myself much sooner …okay gotta plug myself back into the system... Because it's just about you know that system of support and accountability that helps you sort of stay on track and just …you just need reminders... It's like one of the most I think important lessons that I learned as a Muslim is you know again and again in our holy scripture the Quran it just says "We created people as forgetful and so you need frequent reminders"... and so the Quran actually repeats a lot …it's very repetitious... but it repeats things and then it says and we're repeating because we made people forgetful… 

SANAE: Yes... it's true and then it's the same thing you know when you fall in love with I don't know a motivational speaker or a particular book …there are books on my shelves that are so well thumbed because I've read them over and over …I've listened to a YouTube video the same one so many times... because every time I hear it I'm hearing it from a different level of consciousness …so I get the new a new message every time or I hear it and it just lands where it didn't land before …and so repetition I think is is absolutely critical for this growth... And you just made me think as well when you talked about sort of that …when you go into that state of complacency or that... it's because we have a paradigm and so it's so real for us to be in that paradigm and can't see beyond it... So it's having yes the accountability and the support but also to be challenged… like you have this belief …is it true …well It's true for me …but is it true really true …oh maybe not …and then you can have a paradigm shift or an expansion of your own level of sort of awareness …I think it's so powerful... I love this work… I love this world... 

SAMIA: Yeah... And I am having so much fun talking to you and we're running out of time... 

SANAE: Oh no... 

SAMIA: So will just gonna have to bring you back so we can keep talking... 

SANAE: Yes... I'd love it… thank you…

SAMIA: ...more amazing aspects of this work... Do you have any last things that you would like to share for right now... 

SANAE: All I would say… if there's coaches out there who are kind of feeling the pain of you know feeling... I know that big big pain points of feeling frustrated feeling overwhelmed or feeling stuck and stagnation and all of that kind of stuff …and all I would say is you know from the cold face it's about staying in your lane …just stay in your lane …trust yourself …you know we get all this shiny shiny object syndrome isn't it where we start to look at courses and the next solution in the next solution you've just got to come back always to self... You are the source to self of everything you need... And so when you can stay in your lane that's going to powerfully serve you… 

SAMIA: Yeah... yeah… And I will just remind everyone that please also stay in your lane and make sure you're surrounded with support and accountability... I think it's really really …like when we're talking about making change fun and easy making sales more fun and easy it's really important to have you know that ongoing support and accountability... So whether it's that you're working with a coach or you know not even necessarily just with the coach but maybe being part of even a larger community that you can feel and get that kind of support from... And yes... So one source of support that you can hook into if you're struggling with sales …you want to make sales more fun and easy …is connect with Sanae... And we're going to be dropping her links in the show notes... so make sure you check out those show note links and get the help and support that you need... 

SANAE: Thank you so much… 

SAMIA: And yeah... so until we connect next time I just wish you lots and lots of peace and joy :)