SAMIA: Hello, Salam, Shalom, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Aloha, Hola, Ciao and Bonjour!

It's really really good to be with you again today and guess what we have a return guest because we had such an awesome time learning with her last time and it's Teresa Paul who is a Business Mentor and Sales Coach so welcome back Teresa...

TERESA: Oh thanks for having me I always enjoy our little chats…

SAMIA: Indeed indeed… and you know last time since you are a Sales Expert and a Sales Coach we sort of talked on a more like big picture level about sales and the sales process and I thought it'd be really cool if we could dig into a more specific aspect of how we can make sales today and I know one of the things that I love to learn about from you is the sales call... will you share more about that with us…

TERESA: Sure... so sales call is just a process that you can use to talk to people about your business basically… the agenda and the intent is to get more clients which we all are trying to do but it's a really great way for people to get to know you… you know that know like and trust factor you can do that in one sales call where you might not be able to with just content or live video because you're answering questions that they really have… and so when I do a sales call now I've had sales training I've been in sales for over 30 years so I know how to do a hardcore sales call but that's not what I bring to my coaching because I don't like that style... so my sales calls are more of a conversation right let's talk about it let's see if we fit and if we fit then maybe we can do business together… so I don't do any hardcore overcoming objections and I don't do any you know make them say no three times I don't use any of those strategies because I really only want to work with people who are excited to work with me…

SAMIA: Yes that makes a lot of sense and I think that also makes like a big difference… I know especially for a lot of women coaches you know we don't really jive with that more aggressive energy and in fact I know like for me the very thought of engaging in a sleazy kind of a sales call is like… it… it just makes me feel horrible and I don't want to do it I don't want to be on the receiving end of it and I certainly don't want to be on the giving end of it… can you talk a little bit more about that…

TERESA: Yeah so our society especially western society has sort of been conditioned to that back and forth… that conflict type of sales call right… so when I was on sales calls you know I had some… I can do whatever I want with the pricing and so customers would push back and say okay I'll do it if you give me a thousand dollars off well then that pushed me to say you know …and so it got you know it got a little I don't know what I'm thinking about… but controversial like right when they're trying to talk and so I think we're conditioned to that I think we're conditioned to really negotiate and that's what a hardcore sales call is it's about negotiation because you want the sale the whole goal is to get the sale right you get the money you get the gold star and you get to eat tonight that's sales… well in coaching and consulting and other expert type services it's not necessarily about that now don't get me wrong I still want the sale I still want the buy but if this is about me my business my role in this and how I want to show up… and how I want to show up is I want to work with people who I believe I can really help… yeah… right old school sales or offline sales is about working with anybody who would give you money right whether you liked them or not whether they were nice or not and I don't intend to ever do that again…

SAMIA: Yeah…

TERESA: And so that's why I structure it as more of a you know I still am going to talk to you about my business and I still am going to tell you why I'm a really good idea for your business but I leave it open for you to say yes or no right… I don't make you feel like you're bad or wrong or stupid if you don't say yes to me right I just let you feel like maybe it's not the right time and if you want to come back I'm here…

SAMIA: I love that and I think another big aspect of that process is how you were telling me earlier that you're really upfront with people about your intentions when you get on that sales call with them that you're clear with them that it is a sales call…

TERESA: Right so I always try to set an agenda with every conversation I'm having but I want to be really clear that they understand that the reason they came to the call was to learn more about me and my business and to see if we're a good fit and so I want to confirm that with them so that once we start talking we're both on the same page because and I'm sure this has happened to you somebody says you know let's do a meet and greet chat or let's do a coffee chat and 10 minutes in they're trying to sell me… right… on their business and number one I'm not even a warm lead so they're wasting their time but number two I haven't given them permission to sell me anything… it's just like in coaching right you have to have permission to coach someone I feel like you need to have permission to sell something right… and selling isn't a bad thing I know it has a bad rep but really how many things would you have in your home if somebody didn't sell it to you right… getting something really cool for money is a really good feeling getting that new car or that new dress or that new haircut you'll gladly trade your money for that feeling that you'll get and you have to remember that other people feel the same way about your services right… I'm a business coach and a sales coach so if I can grow your business if I say you know in in 90 days you'll have three to five new clients isn't that worth saying okay I'll trade my money for three to five new clients because that's going to make me more money… so you have to remember that's the dynamic that's going on not I'm pushing my agenda on someone giving them the opportunity to grow through and transform through your coaching… 

SAMIA: Right so that makes me think about there are situations when it might be best to use a sales call and when it's not… so for example you already mentioned that if someone's not a warm lead why are you starting to do sales talk with them… so when… when is it best to use a sales call…

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TERESA: Hey thanks for tuning in to this episode! Hope you’re getting value out of it. For your information, this episode has been sponsored by The Happiness 101 Program. Are you a ChangeMaker, Coach, Trainer or Healer?Are chains of fear holding you back from making the IMPACT and INCOME you desire?Using a unique combination of Positive Psychology and the Spiritual Wisdom of our most effective ChangeMakers, The Happiness 101 Program helps you break through your limiting beliefs and Manifest the Abundance and Success you desire with FUN and EASE.INTERESTED? Book a Free Happiness 101 Exploration Call with me, your Happiness Expert Samia Bano. Just use my online calendar link in the show notes :).

SAMIA: Now back to the show!

TERESA: So I think I've talked about before you've got your cold leads which are people who have the potential to do business with you but don't know who you are… then you have your warm leads and these are people that are getting to know you getting to understand you and deciding if they want to do business with you so it's a very internal process for them… once that process becomes external and they start to ask certain questions you know they're warming up and they're becoming a hot lead… if they start asking about what your program entails if they start asking about pricing if they start asking about you know other client testimonials from you then you know they're in that hot lead… and remember if somebody comes on a sales call with you they're never a no they're a maybe or a yes right so they're yours to lose at that point… so by being timid about it or not showing up fully then… then you give them the option to say no but if you show up fully because they're maybe you're a yes then you stand a better chance of getting the business because they already want on some level to do business with you… 

SAMIA: That makes so much sense and I think that's probably the biggest mistake that I made when I first started to try to use sales calls as you know my strategy for creating sales… was that I would hop on calls with people where I wasn't always clear about the agenda and we had not predetermined that it was in fact a sales call and so I would always you know sort of have this I felt insincere jumping on the call because I was like at the back of my mind I was thinking... oh this might lead to a sale like I didn't intend to force anyone into a sale but I had that hope in my head that this might lead to a sale and at some point maybe I can find an opportunity to bring that up… but because I had that going on in my head in the back end but it wasn't an explicit sales call it sort of messed up my energy and I think people could feel that… 

TERESA: Right so I was talking to a coach the other day and she kept using the word kind of… like kind of I kind of want people to know this and I kind of want to work with this and I looked and I said well you're kind of not going to get any clients because if you're not sure about what you're doing then they're not going to be sure… and so it takes practice for sure you have to do a lot of sales calls but I talk to people the first conversation with them isn't usually a sales call… the first conversation with them is really getting to know them and allowing them to ask me questions to help them with their business because you know they need to feel like they're going to get a value from me …now if it turns to sales I will be very clear they say well how much is your program I said okay great if you're ready to talk about doing business together then here you go... so I make sure that there's that middle agenda piece that says from I'm getting a buying clue from you and so I'm going to tell you about my program… but that takes a lot of practice but it's the same skills you use in coaching if you think about it… you let them take the lead and they will tell you where the conversation is going you just have to ask really great questions right… and so they're to possibly do business with you you just have to ask them some really great questions and you have to give them the time to accept that transformation right… so in the back of their head if they're thinking this is a lot of money and I can't afford it right if you were doing coaching with them you would talk about okay what's going to happen in a year if you don't do this… 

SAMIA: Yeah…

TERESA: What are you going to do that's a coaching question not a sales question and you allow them to think about it... so you can always default to those great coaching techniques in the process to get them thinking about what they really want to do… 

SAMIA: Yeah that's an excellent excellent point and I love that idea of you know like letting them lead the way in terms of where the conversation goes because then I just have to be a great listener ask great questions which I'm awesome at doing as a coach anyway so I can remain in my area of strength and skills that I'm really awesome at and I don't have to feel sleazy or anything... that's awesome I love it… 

TERESA: No it's beautiful and the thing that I would tell you is to practice your close and I use close as a sales term but practice in the mirror talking about your business and asking for the sale because that's part of the process and that's where people get nervous.. that's where they start to either speak faster slower louder or quieter they start to give the price and discount it right away… they get really nervous about that piece of it so practice presenting it and then being quiet and giving them time to think… that's really super hard to do because you're thinking they don't want to do this I need to say something but you really don't… you really just need to give them time to think about it… yes… and sometimes they need a day or two sometimes they need a month or two you know but you put your best foot forward and what you have to offer and when they're ready you have to trust that they'll come back… 

SAMIA: I love that you mentioned the practice part because when I started working with my coach that was one of the most important things that she helped me to do… she was like okay Samia now I want you to practice just telling me how much your program is and then absolutely shut up not a single additional sound should come out of your mouth until I say something… it's hard to do it's hard to do especially if you're in that sales role and you're hoping to get the money and you're hoping to get the buy you have to you have to let them because I can convince you to buy something I have the talent to do that but if you're unhappy with it… now if it's a vacuum cleaner or a bicycle and you go away that doesn't affect me… but if it's my services and you really haven't bought into in the first place that is going to be a miserable relationship right… that is going to be the hardest money you'll ever learn so it's really better to let them come to you and trust that they will when you're open and honest with them… 

TERESA: Yeah that's really awesome advice... And I'm wondering like for people who are not familiar with using sales call as a strategy for creating sales in their business what other options might they be using and and how do you sort of compare the pros and cons… because every any strategy that I might use as part of my sales process or marketing process will have some pros and some cons… and so what are the pros and cons of using the sales process so when I'm trying to make a decision about whether to go with the sales call as my process versus something else… how do I know that in a given situation the sales call would be the better option for me…if that makes sense… 

TERESA: Okay that makes sense... so sort of the other option from a sales call is just a click to buy right you have a program you present you're a really strong writer or communicator or your videos are really strong and people will be convinced from that to click to buy… the pros of that are it doesn't take as much time… sales calls take a lot of time and the closing ratio is probably pretty slim… you'll talk to a lot of people before you get someone to say yes typically… now as you get better and you learn which people to talk to and how to it gets better along the way but there's a big learning curve on that… however on the click to buy you don't get to answer questions and if they have a misunderstanding in any way then you don't get to talk to them about that and and straighten it out for them or to you know fill in the blanks for them… so the kind of the rule of thumb is if your service is less than a thousand dollars you can probably do a click to buy scenario… but if it's more than a thousand you probably want to talk to your prospect and in my rule of thumb is if I'm going to doing group or one-on-one coaching I want to speak to them right because I want to know that there's some sort of energy there that I can work with… now if they're just going to buy a product like a course or something that doesn't matter that's a click to buy scenario… so you have to look at your individual business plan and see how you have decided you're going to make your money from your business and then and try it in there… now you might have two pieces right you may sell a course if you do a click to buy but then you may sell a program with some coaching that you do some sales calls on… so you know and you have to just kind of have to feel it out either one takes a lot of expertise if you are a click to call you have to deliver really strong concise clear messages… 

SAMIA: Yes… 

TERESA: On the phone you have to have that confidence in who you are and what you do and that gets eroded when you think about again like you said in the back of my mind I'm thinking I might get this sale… it erodes your confidence and and the way you talk about it and so either one of those takes a little bit of skill and practice for sure…

SAMIA: For sure I agree with you and you know interestingly even though you do need to build up that sort of sense of confidence and so forth to go through a sales call process I personally found that it was an easier learning curve to go through than getting all the click to buy stuff optimized and to a point where it was actually working… in fact to this day it's like every time I have a new offer that I want to launch and I try to do it through the click to buy it takes me way longer to figure that out than just getting on the phone with people and just starting to talk to them about it… 

TERESA: Well and the other disadvantage of the click to buy is you don't get the opportunity for other things other kinds of collaboration like this… like doing podcasts or doing trainings or doing a workshop together you miss that opportunity plus you miss the opportunity for future growth with this person… if it's a click to buy it's a one and done and you're done with them chances of them coming back are pretty slim but if they've spoken to you on the phone and you've given them value they'll come back… I have people come back all the time and say you know I've done just a whatever a meet and greet call and they come back and they say okay I need a little bit of help on this… great I'm happy to help because at some point my value is going to become to the level that it is actually monetized… 

SAMIA: Right… 

TERESA: And so you have to remember a sale... here's what everybody thinks a sale happens either when you get on the call or you do a click to call no a sale happens when you tap somebody on the shoulder and say hi I'm Teresa and this is what I do… that's when it starts right it's a whole process so you have to manage every step along the way so when you do get them on the phone they say yes I know you I love you I believe you can help me… 

SAMIA: Yeah that's awesome... talking about a process… is there a process to the sales call itself… 

TERESA: I have a process there's probably as many processes as there are sales people but I've developed a process specifically for coaches and consultants in this type of business and it's more of a conversational method… so the first thing I do is I set the agenda right I tell them okay so we're going to be talking about my program or my coaching in this call as you know because that's why we decided to talk together... and I'm going to find out a little bit more about you and your business because I'm curious and I want to know if there is an opportunity and then I'm going to tell you a little bit about my background just so you know I'm qualified to be your coach you know because that's pretty important and then I'm going to tell you I'll give you an overview of what I do in my program and this is the part where you can you can either do some coaching you can tell them about your program you can do a testimonial but you want to give them some information that hooks them a little bit further in... oh wait let me back up a minute… so when they're telling you about their business the two things you want to find out and this is crucial is… why are they calling what's their big why and why now… what has happened that this thing that has been bothering them now needs to be taken care of because those are the two pieces of information you're going to use at the end when they say oh I don't know then you're going to say remember you said you're calling now because you need to build your business because you have kids going to college in two years and you need to make their college so how are you gonna get your kids to college if you don't do something like… so remember that the why and the why now that's critical…

SAMIA: And then at the end of the part where I talk about my business I say now are you interested in hearing more would you like to continue you know talk about working with me and if they say yes then I go on and that's when I talk about the program and the pricing and what they get by working with me and the guarantee if I have one… and then and then i just be quiet right… I've given it all to you it's like a little buffet if you're ready that's great and if you're not… but here's the key always set a next step even if they say I'm not ready right now I don't have the money right now whatever it is… great can I call you in two weeks can I call you in 30 days can I reach out to you and see how your business is doing you know can I look at your profile page and see how your audience growth is going... always set a next step because you want to keep that conversation going because they may come back to you or they may refer you or they may find a podcast for you or there's so many things that they can do for you… the more people that you are sharing your business with and your energy with the better chance have of more people coming into it… 

TERESA: And is this the point where you're thinking about setting next steps if they choose not to go for the sale in that moment that you can explore other things you can do with them as you were mentioning like a different kind of a collaboration or something like that… 

SAMIA: It depends on where they are going... so for instance I'm working with this gentleman and he said oh I cannot get any clients and I said okay let's look at this a little bit so I went to he's only doing Facebook and he only had like 500 friends on his Facebook page and I said you need more friends right and I'm gonna give you a strategy to build that… and he said okay can I wait till I get more friends and so then I'll work with you right because it doesn't make sense to work with you but I don't have the friends so I said to you great by the end of the month if you have a thousand friends right let's get together and talk about how we can make that work for you… so you have to customize it for them… I have another woman I've been working with for months she just isn't ready but she keeps the conversation going she comes to my workshops and we talk and so I'll continue to talk to her and you know it if it takes another few months I mean that's a few minutes every couple of weeks that I nurture that relationship but I really adore her and I like the relationship that we're building and who knows what might come out of it… 

TERESA: Yeah... that's so true and you know the when you said customize it for them that made me think about another thing that is really awesome about sales calls and I think why there's an easier a learning curve so to speak around them is that you know when you have that click to buy stuff there's no room for customization but when you're on the phone with someone and someone says oh this might not quite work for me or whatever you know you can you have the opportunity to do a little bit of customization whether it's in your offer or offering a different program or you know something like that... Like I remember one of my coaches he would say you could always like create a VIP day for someone… like if you don't have an established program for what they need you could offer them a VIP day where you just get to together with them for a day and you work on with them on whatever their stuff is you know and it's all customized to them… so even if you don't have… yeah... so that's like a huge benefit over that click to buy model…

SAMIA: And you just reminded me another huge benefit even if you don't get the sale is you get data... you get what people are saying of why they're not buying and that gives you information on how to evaluate your program and decide if you need to change it… 

TERESA: So I'm getting ready to do another workshop at the end of march and one of the things I'm doing is I'm redoing the offer that I'm going to have at the end of the workshop and so I looked at my old offer but then I remembered that every time somebody comes into my Facebook group I ask them what their biggest challenge is… so I went back to all those answers and I looked at all of those challenges and then I picked from those as to what to talk about in my workshop because that's what people want not what I think they want and so all of that data is really good information for you to really hone your business and you don't get that with the click to click the buy… 

SAMIA: That's right... So it's like when you get on a sales call have some pen or paper or something next to you and be taking notes… 

TERESA: Yes… 

SAMIA: Because it’s such valuable data… 

TERESA: And don't be afraid to ask if somebody says no I can't do it... say okay I respect that… can you tell me why just so I can make it better or I can get better at my sales call… people will give you information and help you to grow but you have to be open to receiving it right you can't get you can't get mad and start to be confrontational then you have to be open to receiving it and then you just thank them and say thank you for that... It might be they just don't fit your personality… like I have a very fast personality and I'm very forward driven and if somebody said no I need somebody slower that that can you know I'm not your coach right because I can't slow down my energy once I have a vision for you now I want to move fast and I'm going to drag you with me... and so sometimes that's really it… it's just not a match with the energy and that's good to know so that when you because if you start to speak to somebody who you know you're not going to match with you can cut the conversation short right you can say you're a lovely person but I can tell our energy is not matching up here so you know I have another coach in mind for you or here are some resources that you can use… I never listen somebody away empty-handed I always give them resources or freebies or links or something to help them move forward but don't waste your time with people who are not going to be a good fit for you because it's just it's not in the end it's really not worth it… 

SAMIA: Yeah... That's another excellent excellent point and another something that you cannot do in the click to buy model… you can't figure out if that person's a good match or not…

TERESA: Right right and it doesn't matter and what if they're a really good match and they're they're destined to be a client forever more right you're never going to know on the click to buy model…

SAMIA: Yeah… 

TERESA: I'm a people person I connect with people I love people I love conversations so sales calls really they make me happy right and so but I've done them for years and years and years and years I didn't like them in the beginning because I was horrible at them right everybody said no because I basically asked them to say no... So it does take practice but I often said I just did a post about this I'm an introvert and you probably can't tell but I am… and so when I started in sales I thought I was crazy… why would I get into sales when I really am scared to talk to people but I have another trait that overrides that is I am stubborn... and if I put my mind to something I make it work and that's what I did… and so for 30 plus years I honed my sales even though I was horrible in the beginning I mean really horrible…

SAMIA: Yeah and you know sometimes it's just about finding that right way for you to engage in any process…I remember this was like another really really amazing life-changing moment actually for me... I was at a sales training and my coach he did this… he has this very outgoing energy as well and so he was demonstrating making the close in his normal way but then he was like for those of you who have that quieter energy or are introverts you can still do this let me show you how… and he just totally completely switched like the… his expression his tone of voice and he started talking in this like really gentle way and he was still saying pretty much the same things but just his manner his tone changed and suddenly I could see myself saying those things and doing that process because suddenly like that energy matched with what I could see for myself you know… ahh that was… right… I still think about that and I so appreciate my coach doing that in that moment… it truly changed my life in terms of opening my eyes to the possibilities for myself… 

TERESA: Right well and a lot of sales people you know it's a job it's an act it's a role for them… well in what we do it can't be… you have to sell authentically… 

SAMIA: Yeah… 

TERESA: Like you have to sell the way you coach because that's what people are expecting right and so if I came on hardcore and sold you and then I coached in a different way it's confusing right …or if I'm a laid back coach and you think okay this person's laid back and then I come at you with like… you can't… it has to be authentic and they have to read that in you… and so if someone says no here's the most important thing… don't take it personally don't think that you're bad or wrong don't think your program's bad or wrong… it may have nothing to do with you… You just have to… in sales we say you know the only thing you can say is next right... who am I going to talk to next because that's the only way that you can move the sale forward… you can't stay and wallow in that space and it's hard because it's very personal what we do right I'm very vested in helping people like I want to make sure that they get everything they can and so when they don't see that you know I kind of get my feelings hurt …but you can't because you have no idea what's going on in their life or their situation and you just have to let them know that you're still available if and when they ever want your support…

SAMIA: Thank you for that… and on that wonderful amazing empowering note I'm going to wrap up for today... but again just so much I want to thank you Teresa for sharing all your wisdom… I for sure love your energy I love your spirit I can feel your heart and really wanting to help people… and for those of you who are listening… we’re going to for sure for sure add Teresa's links in the show notes and make sure you check those out… click on that link get in touch with Teresa... I'll also drop my links in there in case you want to get in touch with me… but yeah that's basically it for now and until we connect next time I wish you lots and lots of peace and joy…

TERESA: Thank you Samia…