145 – How to Land Corporate Business with Maria Bayer of Irresistible Selling
Maria Bayer is the creator of “Irresistible Selling” – an online group coaching program she designed to help creative entrepreneurs book higher-paying clients, grow their business and design a life they love.
She teaches the authentic selling and mindset strategies that helped her tripled her income in less than a year, and go on to book over $25 Million in sales from companies like Target, Best Buy, Ulta, Office Max and Hyatt.
Maria is a national speaker, and has authored and co-authored several Kindle books.
She resides in the Chicago area with her husband Tim and fur-baby Gia, usually with a cold brew in hand.
Maria Bayer’s Story
How Maria’s career in sales began. [4:31]
The manager who cultivated her natural talent and mindset. [6:19]
Successful Sales Insights
The sales approach of advocate and consultant. [8:11]
It starts with building trust. [11:02]
Consistency and fulfilling expectations is key. [13:26]
The value of just being yourself. [14:49]
The parallels of sales and dating. [15:20]
What to do when you hear “No.” [28:03]
What to do if you are uncomfortable asking questions. [31:57]
Corporate Selling
The first contact with a potential customer. [17:15]
It’s important to have a sales process. [19:45]
Framing the meeting. [23:29]
A breakdown of what should be included in the process. [24:02]
How to stand out from other vendors. [26:11]
Valuable Resource
Acquity – Online appointment scheduling software. Clients schedule appointments, pay, and complete intake forms online 24/7. [34:00]
Contact Links
FB Group – Learn Collaborate Flourish
Join the Gift Biz Breeze Community – it’s private but it’s free!
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Thanks! Sue
Transcript
You're listening to gift biz unwrapped episode 145.
Speaker:I don't want you to feel like you're selling.
Speaker:I want you to feel like you're just a better version
Speaker:of you.
Speaker:Attention gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow your gift.
Speaker:This here is your host gift biz gal Sue Mon height.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and thank you for joining me today on the
Speaker:gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Maria Baier.
Speaker:Maria is the creator of irresistible selling an online group coaching
Speaker:program. She designed to help creative entrepreneurs,
Speaker:book, higher paying clients,
Speaker:grow their business and design a life they love.
Speaker:She teaches the authentic selling and mindset strategies that helped her
Speaker:triple her income in less than a year.
Speaker:And go on to book over 25 million in sales from
Speaker:companies like target best buy Alta office max and Hyatt.
Speaker:Maria is a national speaker and has authored and co-authored several
Speaker:Kindle books.
Speaker:She resides in the Chicago area with her husband,
Speaker:Tim and for baby GI,
Speaker:usually with a cold brew in hand,
Speaker:which makes us friends already Maria,
Speaker:welcome to the show.
Speaker:Thank you so much,
Speaker:Sue. I'm so excited to be here today As an extension
Speaker:of your intro.
Speaker:I like to have people get to know you in a
Speaker:little bit of a creative way,
Speaker:and that is by having you describe for us what would
Speaker:be your ideal motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you could give us a visual of that,
Speaker:what would the color be and what would be the quote
Speaker:on your candle?
Speaker:Well, I think it would be an Aqua color,
Speaker:like the sky or the sea,
Speaker:because that just gives me this visual of infinite possibilities.
Speaker:And I think the quote would be,
Speaker:you are more powerful than,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:because I feel like we do not embrace the power that
Speaker:is inside of us and we play small and we have
Speaker:to constantly remind ourselves that the sky's the limit for us.
Speaker:And we need to put ourselves out there and that we're
Speaker:put here on this earth,
Speaker:not to shrink and hide,
Speaker:but to grow and to expand and to be the most
Speaker:that we can be.
Speaker:I so agree with you.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:why do we always diminish what our skills are?
Speaker:Just because there are,
Speaker:I think it's very common and we have to get out
Speaker:of that,
Speaker:particularly women.
Speaker:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker:I hate to generalize,
Speaker:but I do think at least from my experience,
Speaker:women tend to shrink more and not feel like they can
Speaker:brag about what they've done well,
Speaker:and we should be proud of that because we've worked hard
Speaker:to get where we are and we should be proud of
Speaker:that. Absolutely.
Speaker:And just as men should be too,
Speaker:and the majority of our listeners honestly are women.
Speaker:So just bringing up the truth of it,
Speaker:it seems like when we like to state our accomplishments,
Speaker:but it looks like we're being overly boisterous or something like
Speaker:that. Versus if men do it,
Speaker:it looks like being successful.
Speaker:Or however you want to say that,
Speaker:I think the time is to level up.
Speaker:And the big thing about that is,
Speaker:I guess I'll go a different direction with this is if
Speaker:you're not going to share your successes,
Speaker:how is anyone going to know Exactly?
Speaker:You have to be your biggest cheerleader,
Speaker:because if you're not proud of what you've done,
Speaker:your clients will never see that.
Speaker:Absolutely. So I was so excited to find out about you,
Speaker:Maria, because I'll tell you,
Speaker:I think by far the biggest question I'm always getting from
Speaker:coaching clients,
Speaker:especially people in the creative industry is that whole idea of
Speaker:selling is like the farthest thing from anything that people want
Speaker:to even think about much less have to do.
Speaker:So I'm really excited to talk with you because you can't
Speaker:grow a business,
Speaker:unless someone is going to know about your product and you're
Speaker:going to talk about it and there's going to be an
Speaker:exchange of money.
Speaker:There's going to be a sale.
Speaker:So let's dive into that right away.
Speaker:I think let's just go for it.
Speaker:Let's talk about the stigma behind selling.
Speaker:Yeah. You can't see me nodding,
Speaker:but I hear as you're talking,
Speaker:I'm Italian,
Speaker:so I'll continue to talk with my hands as well.
Speaker:So just imagine that as you're listening,
Speaker:The visual,
Speaker:anytime you need to,
Speaker:that's fine.
Speaker:Air quotes,
Speaker:whatever. Yeah.
Speaker:That is absolutely by far the biggest,
Speaker:I think hurdle that so many of us have to go
Speaker:over to get to the other side.
Speaker:And I struggled with that as well.
Speaker:When I went into sales a long,
Speaker:long time ago,
Speaker:part of the reason I went into it was to get
Speaker:out of my shell actually,
Speaker:because I was so painfully introverted and I wanted to not
Speaker:be so introverted and so scared to like talk to people.
Speaker:I didn't know.
Speaker:So I started in sales.
Speaker:I met somebody that introduced me to somebody who needed to
Speaker:hire a sales person.
Speaker:And he was complaining because he couldn't find somebody that knew
Speaker:the finance world.
Speaker:And that was my background.
Speaker:So I went to school for finance.
Speaker:I was working in that industry.
Speaker:And so he hired me with absolutely zero experience in selling
Speaker:because he said,
Speaker:I can teach you how to sell,
Speaker:but I need someone who understands the people they're selling to
Speaker:who can talk their language,
Speaker:who can understand what they're thinking,
Speaker:what they're struggling with.
Speaker:And in this case I was selling software.
Speaker:This is what the product was.
Speaker:And it was selling software to people in companies too,
Speaker:like CFOs or controllers,
Speaker:people that were handling money.
Speaker:And it was helping them with budgeting and a few other
Speaker:things. So he taught me how to sell.
Speaker:But what he wanted was somebody obviously that knew that industry
Speaker:fast forward.
Speaker:He did that.
Speaker:He taught me how to sell.
Speaker:He left a few months later.
Speaker:So here I am stumbling around in this job and having
Speaker:some of the skills that I needed because he taught me
Speaker:some great things before he left.
Speaker:And then I was floundering because I didn't have a manager
Speaker:at that point.
Speaker:And I wasn't just trying to figure it out and it
Speaker:wasn't working so fast forward,
Speaker:I get laid off because I'm the low man on the
Speaker:totem pole and I'm not producing.
Speaker:So of course they laid me off.
Speaker:I find another job,
Speaker:thank God in the same industry.
Speaker:And they took a chance on me because I really didn't
Speaker:have very much experience,
Speaker:but thankfully there,
Speaker:I had a manager that really understood me and was very,
Speaker:very good at just cultivating what was my natural talents and
Speaker:helping me realize that my mindset about selling that it was
Speaker:not correct.
Speaker:And what was impeding me was that I was thinking,
Speaker:Oh, I've gotta be aggressive.
Speaker:I've got to be this used car salesman,
Speaker:no offense to any car salespeople out there,
Speaker:but I didn't have to be that stereotype.
Speaker:And once he helped me realize that,
Speaker:that that's what I was thinking.
Speaker:And that was not necessarily true,
Speaker:that there are many ways to be successful in selling that
Speaker:I could leverage my natural strengths of people skills and befriending
Speaker:people and really understanding them and being their advocate that I
Speaker:could be successful that way.
Speaker:And so he helped me see that my mindset was in
Speaker:my way,
Speaker:but more importantly than that,
Speaker:that it wasn't the only way to sell.
Speaker:So he gave me a different way to frame what I
Speaker:was thinking.
Speaker:And he helped me align my goals with my mindset.
Speaker:So that really made all the difference in my career.
Speaker:And that's when things skyrocketed for me.
Speaker:So once I was able to figure that out and really
Speaker:look at selling in a different way,
Speaker:my results just completely skyrocketed.
Speaker:I almost think we should change the whole word because selling
Speaker:reminds me of that.
Speaker:And I was in sales for most of my corporate life.
Speaker:And I think you're always in sales.
Speaker:If you're in business,
Speaker:you're always in sales to some level,
Speaker:but the old fashioned word of sales is exactly what you're
Speaker:talking about.
Speaker:Like the car salesman or just that I don't even care
Speaker:if you need it,
Speaker:but you're going to buy it from me type attitude.
Speaker:Exactly. And like I said,
Speaker:I wish there was a whole different word because the approach
Speaker:to having someone purchase what you have for their benefit,
Speaker:doesn't equate to that old image of sales at all.
Speaker:Exactly. And that's the only way I can sell.
Speaker:I don't want to sell you something that you do not
Speaker:have a need for.
Speaker:So that's my approach.
Speaker:And so one of the things that I try to impress
Speaker:upon my students is that the way you think about sales
Speaker:is really going to completely affect the way you talk to
Speaker:your clients the way they feel when they're talking to you
Speaker:and how they respond to you.
Speaker:So my feeling is you are,
Speaker:and after a long,
Speaker:long time in sales,
Speaker:I've been at so many different scenarios.
Speaker:So I've seen it from so many different perspectives,
Speaker:but the best thing for me is really to look at
Speaker:it from the perspective of I'm your advocate,
Speaker:I'm your consultant.
Speaker:I'm somebody that wants the best for you,
Speaker:even if that means that you're going to hire somebody else.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:I want you to make an informed decision and make the
Speaker:best decision for you.
Speaker:So I want to give you the information you need to
Speaker:make a decision one way or the other.
Speaker:Another way to spin it is if a friend comes up
Speaker:to you and says,
Speaker:Hey, a lot of my clients are in the wedding industry.
Speaker:So what I tell them is if a friend comes to
Speaker:you and says,
Speaker:let's say you're a wedding planner and your friend comes to
Speaker:you and says,
Speaker:Hey, I'm getting married,
Speaker:but I can't use you as my planner because let's say
Speaker:you're out of the country,
Speaker:for example.
Speaker:So what advice would you give me in selecting a wedding
Speaker:planner? So when you look at it from that perspective,
Speaker:as you're consulting your friend,
Speaker:how to pick a wedding planner and what questions to ask
Speaker:and what the differences are between different types of wedding planners
Speaker:and why some are priced at this price point and why
Speaker:some are priced at this price point,
Speaker:that's higher.
Speaker:That's the way you should look at it,
Speaker:because then it helps you change your whole dynamic and your
Speaker:perspective. And just the approach that you take when you're talking
Speaker:to somebody and you don't feel like you're selling.
Speaker:And that's my goal.
Speaker:I don't want you to feel like you're selling.
Speaker:I want you to feel like you're just a better version
Speaker:of you and just more articulately explaining how you can help
Speaker:someone. Yes.
Speaker:And I think for that to happen,
Speaker:you have to have a very clear understanding yourself of what
Speaker:it is you offer and who is right for your product
Speaker:or services and who isn't necessarily right for your product services.
Speaker:In other words,
Speaker:that you would want to then send them on to somebody
Speaker:else. Exactly.
Speaker:So for gift biz listeners,
Speaker:that's one of the things that we talk about is making
Speaker:sure that you really understand who your product best serves and
Speaker:have that grounded,
Speaker:which then falls right into what Maria's talking about.
Speaker:I love when you're saying talk like you're talking to a
Speaker:friend and again,
Speaker:I'm going to just say this as women.
Speaker:I think we do.
Speaker:We really want the best for the people that we're talking
Speaker:to. We're not looking necessarily at making quotas or that type
Speaker:of thing,
Speaker:but before you can have that friendship,
Speaker:you have to have developed some level of trust.
Speaker:Exactly. How do people go about doing that?
Speaker:How do they build trust with someone that they just met?
Speaker:Yeah. I think there's a lot of aspects to that.
Speaker:So there's the things that you can do before they even
Speaker:talk to you that can build trust.
Speaker:So to your point,
Speaker:if you know who your ideal customer or client is the
Speaker:way you talk to that client on your website,
Speaker:because that's usually going to be the first touch point that
Speaker:they have,
Speaker:make sure that you talk to them to that specific person
Speaker:that will help them feel like,
Speaker:Oh, she gets me,
Speaker:like, she really understands what I'm struggling with and what I
Speaker:desire and what I want in my life.
Speaker:So that's like the first touch point and then building it
Speaker:throughout your entire process.
Speaker:That's one of my philosophies is one way to not be
Speaker:salesy, not be pushy,
Speaker:not be a used car salesman is really to structure your
Speaker:process from beginning to end so that all of it reinforces
Speaker:your end result,
Speaker:which is to get them to a decision,
Speaker:whether that's yes or no.
Speaker:So giving them everything that they need to make a decision
Speaker:and make them feel like you understand them,
Speaker:whether that be the questions that you ask them,
Speaker:the process that you take them through,
Speaker:if you are offering services,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:there's usually some automation tools that you're going to need to
Speaker:make that process be smooth and come across very professionally.
Speaker:So all of those little pieces go into building trust.
Speaker:And then some of the just really easy things are a
Speaker:fast response times following through on what you say you're going
Speaker:to do.
Speaker:Like if you're a business owner that has to give somebody
Speaker:a quote,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:don't say you're going to give it to them in an
Speaker:hour and give it to them.
Speaker:Three days later,
Speaker:simple things like that.
Speaker:You can do where most people think,
Speaker:Oh, they have to go through hoops and do something extraordinary.
Speaker:My experience shows me that a lot of people aren't doing
Speaker:even the basic things,
Speaker:right? So if you do those right,
Speaker:you're going to stand out just by doing what you say
Speaker:you're going to do.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:So true.
Speaker:And it seems so obvious if you say you're going to
Speaker:do something,
Speaker:then just follow through and actually do it.
Speaker:Exactly. I think the other thing is consistency.
Speaker:When we were talking about your online presence and you're talking
Speaker:about when they get to the website,
Speaker:make sure that you are speaking to them so that they
Speaker:really feel like you understand your customer,
Speaker:but also you should be doing that across all of your
Speaker:online sites.
Speaker:So if it's on social media,
Speaker:if you're doing live presentations,
Speaker:everything you want to keep consistent.
Speaker:Cause that also develops a level of trust because you're showing
Speaker:up somewhere and you're the same everywhere you show up.
Speaker:You're exactly right.
Speaker:Absolutely. And I think that when you try to be consistent
Speaker:across all platforms and you try to show them what your
Speaker:personality and your philosophy is like,
Speaker:then when they talk to you on the phone or interact
Speaker:with you,
Speaker:you're portraying the same person.
Speaker:There's no disconnect there.
Speaker:Right? So I think that,
Speaker:especially for me,
Speaker:I look at what do I want to portray?
Speaker:What do I want people to know about me in my
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:whether I say it overtly or whether it's just the undertone
Speaker:of what's the tone of what I'm putting out there.
Speaker:So I want people to know that I'm approachable.
Speaker:I want them to know that I am somebody that will
Speaker:encourage you because I think that that's half the battle.
Speaker:And that's my personal philosophy that you should aim for the
Speaker:stars. And I always want to encourage people because they can
Speaker:do so much more than they think Maria is talking about
Speaker:how she is approaching her customers.
Speaker:And she provides the services,
Speaker:the sales coaching,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:If you're an artist with a tangible product,
Speaker:you are still the face behind your whole company because you're
Speaker:the creator of the product.
Speaker:Even if you now have that product produced by others at
Speaker:this point,
Speaker:because you've grown.
Speaker:I think Maria,
Speaker:the interesting thing that you were just talking about now is
Speaker:also the hardest thing for so many people to do in
Speaker:terms of consistency,
Speaker:especially when you're in person,
Speaker:because the real story is to be consistent.
Speaker:You just need to be yourself.
Speaker:And that's also the scariest thing to do.
Speaker:Absolutely. Sometimes we're afraid to be ourselves because we're not sure
Speaker:if people are going to like that or if it's going
Speaker:to resonate with them.
Speaker:But to me it's the best way honesty is in all
Speaker:aspects is the easiest thing,
Speaker:because you don't have to ever remember what you did.
Speaker:You just be yourself and you'll always be consistent.
Speaker:Right. Which brings us to your yes or no.
Speaker:You were just mentioning that you're looking for that end result
Speaker:and the end result should be a yes or no.
Speaker:The worst result is a maybe someone who drags you on.
Speaker:Absolutely. In fact,
Speaker:sometimes it helps to look at it like from a dating
Speaker:perspective. Sales to me is a lot like dating.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:I remember a client a long time ago,
Speaker:she posted in our Facebook group.
Speaker:She says,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:I've been using your strategies very effectively in my dating life.
Speaker:Oh, no kidding.
Speaker:Yeah, because there's so many parallels.
Speaker:And I found that if you approach a sales situation,
Speaker:like, and I was there,
Speaker:so I get it.
Speaker:I've been on both sides of it.
Speaker:I was that scared salesperson that didn't want to be pushy
Speaker:and always just wanted to sell somebody and was afraid that
Speaker:if I did the wrong thing,
Speaker:they wouldn't buy it,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:So I get that.
Speaker:But once I was able to look at it from the
Speaker:perspective of it's a two way street,
Speaker:I want them to like me,
Speaker:but I want to like them too.
Speaker:I want to make sure it's a good mutual fit.
Speaker:And so I use that terminology a lot with my clients
Speaker:and I have them use it with their clients to help
Speaker:show their clients that this has to be a mutual fit.
Speaker:I'm not here just to take your money.
Speaker:I might love you,
Speaker:but you may not love me.
Speaker:And it needs to be a two-way street.
Speaker:So when you look at it from that perspective,
Speaker:it really helps kind of relax you and helps you remember
Speaker:that. It's not just you,
Speaker:that's on display here and that you have to give a
Speaker:show or some magic spiel and then they'll hire you.
Speaker:It's really a conversation.
Speaker:It's really more of a friendship,
Speaker:so to speak and it has to be a two-way street.
Speaker:And that tends to relax both sides so that you can
Speaker:have a much more intimate conversation and get to the heart
Speaker:of what they're looking for.
Speaker:Right. So we've talked about the switch in mindset that we
Speaker:should have about sales.
Speaker:We've also talked about how the conversation continues on after you've
Speaker:gotten that initial contact,
Speaker:developing trust,
Speaker:and then you're talking with a friend and just being honest,
Speaker:seeing if it's a fit from both sides,
Speaker:let's back up a little bit and talk about how do
Speaker:you get that first connection point?
Speaker:Do you have any thoughts on that With a potential client
Speaker:that comes to you that inquires?
Speaker:Sure. When someone inquires with you,
Speaker:I think that's a really critical point.
Speaker:And in my sales background,
Speaker:there's different strategies that you use to,
Speaker:I guess,
Speaker:test out the client to see how serious they are.
Speaker:The rule of thumb is in the beginning.
Speaker:You want to make it super easy for people to contact
Speaker:you. So the first step is really looking at,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:if the best way for them to contact you as your
Speaker:website, or maybe you have an Etsy site or something like
Speaker:that, make sure that you have your contact information or the
Speaker:way that you want them to contact you,
Speaker:whether that's your phone,
Speaker:email, or a contact form,
Speaker:make sure that readily accessible,
Speaker:make sure they don't have to click 14 times to get
Speaker:to it or to search and find it.
Speaker:So that's first step is make it super easy for them
Speaker:just to make that first step to reach out.
Speaker:You don't want to give them too many hurdles in the
Speaker:beginning because you don't want to keep them and prevent them
Speaker:from reaching out to you.
Speaker:So it makes sense makes total sense.
Speaker:And I see that as contact numbers on your website,
Speaker:contact forms like you're talking about,
Speaker:it seems so obvious,
Speaker:but if you go and look around,
Speaker:you'll see a lot of people miss this step.
Speaker:So yes,
Speaker:it's super important.
Speaker:I agree with you,
Speaker:Right? Especially if you have a physical location that should be
Speaker:front and center on your website.
Speaker:So don't make people hunt for that and your location should
Speaker:be on every page.
Speaker:In my opinion,
Speaker:just make it super easy because people might come to you
Speaker:in different ways,
Speaker:not necessarily your main page.
Speaker:So that's the most important thing.
Speaker:Next, we're going to move into an important conversation about selling
Speaker:to corporations.
Speaker:But before we do a quick word from our sponsor,
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Speaker:for more information.
Speaker:And I want to just make a point to our listeners
Speaker:here too.
Speaker:I'm thinking of this more in the vein you guys have
Speaker:when you're going after corporate business,
Speaker:because people who are coming in as a customer just right
Speaker:into the store are going to be able to look at
Speaker:your products,
Speaker:talk with you a little bit pretty easily.
Speaker:Yes, no.
Speaker:I think this conversation and selling in particular,
Speaker:we all kind of freeze when we're looking at larger accounts,
Speaker:larger business,
Speaker:either getting your product or your service into corporate or else
Speaker:going the wholesale route,
Speaker:where you want to get products and such into whole foods
Speaker:or other types of locations.
Speaker:So think of this as we continue talking with that in
Speaker:the back of your mind,
Speaker:That's a really good point.
Speaker:And also if you're going after corporate accounts,
Speaker:then it's going to become really important for you to have
Speaker:a tight process and automation systems and things that will alert
Speaker:you as soon as an inquiry comes in.
Speaker:So that those things are handled in a consistent and timely
Speaker:manner because especially with corporate accounts,
Speaker:time is of the essence because they have higher expectations of
Speaker:response times than usually the general public does.
Speaker:So that's going to be really critical to show that you
Speaker:are professional,
Speaker:that you've got the systems in place that you know,
Speaker:your stuff.
Speaker:You know what I mean?
Speaker:Like if you come across as just some independent contractor type
Speaker:of a person that doesn't have any automation,
Speaker:it's not going to come across as professionally,
Speaker:as somebody that has a system down Really,
Speaker:really good point.
Speaker:I think there's a couple of keys we're going to be
Speaker:bringing out here when dealing with corporate,
Speaker:but a thought that you just triggered in my mind also
Speaker:is especially people who have never,
Speaker:maybe worked in corporate before.
Speaker:Couple of things to think about number one,
Speaker:you're probably dealing with a marketing department,
Speaker:a purchasing department,
Speaker:and they are on the line for providing success to their
Speaker:business. There's a lot for them riding on you.
Speaker:If they're going to use your product or your services.
Speaker:So you need to instill,
Speaker:we were talking about trust earlier,
Speaker:but the confidence that what you say you're going to do
Speaker:can actually be done and that you will do.
Speaker:The other thing about corporate is I'll be interested in your
Speaker:thoughts about this.
Speaker:Maria is you don't want to wait for them to tell
Speaker:you how to proceed.
Speaker:You want to have a process.
Speaker:So you want to be guiding a potential corporate customer from,
Speaker:okay, the initial meeting,
Speaker:this is what we're going to talk about.
Speaker:This is what we'll do,
Speaker:gathering information,
Speaker:whatever it is.
Speaker:And then you having the next step so that you are
Speaker:controlling, not in an aggressive way,
Speaker:but where you are very confident.
Speaker:You know what the next steps are,
Speaker:whether it's contracts,
Speaker:whether it's samples,
Speaker:whatever, because if you leave it up to the other person
Speaker:it'll possibly just fall flat.
Speaker:That's a really,
Speaker:really good point.
Speaker:And that's,
Speaker:I think important no matter who you're selling to.
Speaker:It's one of the things that we talk about to my
Speaker:clients in terms of,
Speaker:in order for you to show that you know what you're
Speaker:doing. I mean,
Speaker:part of the reason why people hire you,
Speaker:whether it's corporate or otherwise is that you're the expert.
Speaker:You have something they don't have and that they want.
Speaker:So one of the things that's going to convince them is
Speaker:they want to feel confident that you're competent.
Speaker:They want to know that for you.
Speaker:This is no problem,
Speaker:no brainer.
Speaker:We can do this.
Speaker:We've done this all day long.
Speaker:We can handle this,
Speaker:not a problem.
Speaker:So one of the ways to do that is by gently
Speaker:leading them down your process.
Speaker:The fact that even have a process shows that you're a
Speaker:professional. It shows that you have experienced because people that are
Speaker:brand new,
Speaker:that haven't had a lot of clients under their belt.
Speaker:They're not going to have a process because they're not going
Speaker:to have done it enough.
Speaker:So by virtue of the fact that you actually have a
Speaker:process that shows that you're a professional number one,
Speaker:but number two,
Speaker:to your point,
Speaker:it gently leads them down that path because your goal is
Speaker:to get them to the end point for them to become
Speaker:a client.
Speaker:So you want to know what that process is and be
Speaker:able to gently guide them.
Speaker:Because I even find this myself when I'm talking to somebody,
Speaker:even if it's the smallest thing that I want to hire
Speaker:somebody for or buy from somebody,
Speaker:if they're not asking me the questions,
Speaker:or if they're not framing the conversation and gently leading me
Speaker:down a path,
Speaker:I'll just take over naturally.
Speaker:And that's what happens when you hear that.
Speaker:If you're with a client and the client starts throwing questions
Speaker:at you and starts sort of in the middle,
Speaker:and then you get flustered.
Speaker:The reason why that typically happens is because you're not leading
Speaker:the process.
Speaker:If you frame the call,
Speaker:if you frame the meeting,
Speaker:if you frame whatever that interaction is like,
Speaker:the purpose of this is X.
Speaker:And at the end of it,
Speaker:this is what we hope to get out of it.
Speaker:Then it's going to help you go down that process faster
Speaker:and more smoothly.
Speaker:Perfect. Yes.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And I love that talking a little bit deeper in terms
Speaker:of the process.
Speaker:So people who have absolutely no idea what we're talking about,
Speaker:let's share a little bit about what we think should be
Speaker:certain elements of a process.
Speaker:I know it's different for every single business clearly,
Speaker:but what types of things do you feel would be part
Speaker:of a process?
Speaker:The very first part needs to be the information gathering.
Speaker:So qualifying is another name for that,
Speaker:but it's really arming you with the information you need to
Speaker:determine even the most basic things like can I serve this
Speaker:client, but do I have a solution for them?
Speaker:Are they a good fit for me?
Speaker:And what information do I need to know to be able
Speaker:to determine that?
Speaker:And then depending on what you do for a living and
Speaker:what your area is,
Speaker:then you obviously want to ask more specific questions that will
Speaker:help you do your job better.
Speaker:But in my mind,
Speaker:the most important thing is qualifying them mutually.
Speaker:So being able to get the information you need to see
Speaker:if they're a good fit for you,
Speaker:but then also taking that information and being able to frame
Speaker:for them,
Speaker:what you can do for them.
Speaker:So sales to me is not just you learning a spiel
Speaker:that you just throw stuff at the wall to see what
Speaker:sticks. It's more about listening to a client and finding out
Speaker:what is it that they truly need.
Speaker:And part of that includes asking really smart questions,
Speaker:which in the very beginning,
Speaker:you probably won't know what those questions are,
Speaker:but as you get more of those conversations under your belt,
Speaker:you'll be able to frame and determine what some of those
Speaker:open-ended questions should be like,
Speaker:what is it that you're looking for?
Speaker:Why are you looking for this?
Speaker:What do you think it will do for you?
Speaker:Questions along those veins will help uncover what their ultimate desires
Speaker:are and their needs are.
Speaker:As I'm thinking about people who are listening to when they
Speaker:have a specific product,
Speaker:some of the other questions could be who is your end
Speaker:customer? What of my product line do you think they would
Speaker:be the most interested in?
Speaker:How quickly do you need us to turn inventory?
Speaker:What type of volume are you looking at?
Speaker:Do you want fewer items,
Speaker:but a lot of them,
Speaker:or lots of various items so that you understand what the
Speaker:expectations would be.
Speaker:It's not just,
Speaker:Oh, you come in,
Speaker:do you want to buy my product?
Speaker:And that way,
Speaker:by asking these types of questions and then how it applies
Speaker:to your product,
Speaker:then you can come back with a really custom proposal.
Speaker:That's exactly fitting what they're needing.
Speaker:Yeah. And I think also to stand out,
Speaker:a lot of my clients will tell me that they're standing
Speaker:out because of merely the questions that they're asking,
Speaker:because now I'm giving them additional questions to ask that no
Speaker:one else is asking them.
Speaker:So when you are asking somebody questions that no one else
Speaker:is asking,
Speaker:you're going to stand out and you're going to make them
Speaker:think about things in a different way.
Speaker:So think about,
Speaker:depending on what you do for a living,
Speaker:try to figure out some deeper questions to ask.
Speaker:Maybe those questions could be,
Speaker:what is it that your clients truly want need?
Speaker:What do they aspire to?
Speaker:Or what are they so challenged with?
Speaker:What solution would you give them?
Speaker:If you could wave a magic wand,
Speaker:help them understand their client better so that you can tailor
Speaker:a solution that not just addresses physical needs.
Speaker:Like I can give you X amount of product in this
Speaker:timeframe. Those are all sort of just facts.
Speaker:What I want to help people do is really get to
Speaker:the bottom of what that end customer truly needs,
Speaker:because that's what they're paying for.
Speaker:They're not paying for a pen or a widget or whatever
Speaker:they're paying for what that will do for them.
Speaker:So the more that you understand what their clients want deep
Speaker:down, the better,
Speaker:you're going to be able to communicate that.
Speaker:And that's when the value of your products and services increases.
Speaker:Absolutely. And that separates you from somebody who sells whatever your
Speaker:product is versus anybody else who's coming in.
Speaker:Exactly. Because those people are order takers.
Speaker:You're not an order taker.
Speaker:Exactly. Maria.
Speaker:I could not agree with you more.
Speaker:So we talk about the fact that you're really trying to
Speaker:get a customer from yes to no,
Speaker:and I think no tells you a lot also,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it tells you that they're not going to buy from you
Speaker:now, but what do you think someone should do if they
Speaker:hear a no,
Speaker:That's a great question.
Speaker:And in fact,
Speaker:I just tested this on my own clients and it's really
Speaker:a great thing to do.
Speaker:And there's lots of different ways that you can do this.
Speaker:But first of all,
Speaker:realize that no doesn't mean no forever.
Speaker:No, it could be just not right now.
Speaker:No could be not today.
Speaker:Maybe tomorrow.
Speaker:No might be not in the way that you're presenting it
Speaker:to me,
Speaker:but maybe in a different form.
Speaker:So I try to dig into that and I'll ask a
Speaker:client that I thought might be a great prospective client for
Speaker:me that didn't,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:enroll in one of my programs,
Speaker:I'll ask them,
Speaker:what could we have done better?
Speaker:Is there any advice that you can give us for the
Speaker:next time we offer this program to better meet your needs
Speaker:and open it up to questions and ask and solicit their
Speaker:feedback, because you'd be surprised at what you get back.
Speaker:And I'm just a big proponent and having that open communication
Speaker:with clients and potential clients and finding out and asking those
Speaker:questions, because sometimes it's just the way you're packaging something.
Speaker:Maybe it could be the fact that maybe you just need
Speaker:to offer a payment plan that you didn't offer before,
Speaker:or it might be something that's doable for you now.
Speaker:It may not be.
Speaker:And that's okay.
Speaker:You need to understand that that's still good information and knowledge
Speaker:for you,
Speaker:but if you don't ask the question,
Speaker:you'll never know.
Speaker:So I think the best way is literally the direct approach
Speaker:and ask them,
Speaker:what could we have done better?
Speaker:Or what do you recommend we do for the next time?
Speaker:What could we do to make you say,
Speaker:Oh my God,
Speaker:yes, I want to work with you or yes,
Speaker:I want to buy your product.
Speaker:And the best advice I've gotten over the years has been
Speaker:from my clients.
Speaker:So I will ask them all the time for feedback,
Speaker:ideas, comments,
Speaker:because that's the only way to get better.
Speaker:And that's the only way that sometimes the very quickest way
Speaker:and best way to get some really creative ideas.
Speaker:I just did that this morning.
Speaker:In fact,
Speaker:with one of my clients,
Speaker:I asked her about what she thought would be a great
Speaker:solution for our new clients.
Speaker:And she gave me some awesome ideas that I never would've
Speaker:thought of myself.
Speaker:Well. And honestly,
Speaker:it's always a process.
Speaker:You're one point you get better.
Speaker:You go through actions and you learn more and then you
Speaker:adjust what you're doing and then you're better the next time.
Speaker:And it just keeps growing.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:it really never ends.
Speaker:Absolutely. If you have a feedback loop,
Speaker:then you'll always be getting that feedback and you'll always be
Speaker:refining what you have and be able to continuously make it
Speaker:better. Right.
Speaker:And I think when you get the,
Speaker:no, you have the feedback,
Speaker:you get all that information.
Speaker:And then sometimes you really know it is a no probably
Speaker:forever, but it might only be a no for six months.
Speaker:Maybe they don't have the budget.
Speaker:Exactly. Maybe there's something underlying that you're not aware of that
Speaker:they're not willing to share.
Speaker:So I think another thing after a no could be,
Speaker:would it be all right if I touch base with you
Speaker:again in six months or so just to see how you're
Speaker:doing or check in on yours.
Speaker:Yeah. I love that.
Speaker:And the other thing to remember,
Speaker:and so many of my clients and just people I know
Speaker:have done this,
Speaker:and it's been super successful.
Speaker:Don't forget that when someone tells you no,
Speaker:if you give them a great experience and you're gracious about
Speaker:it and you leave that door open for them to come
Speaker:back so often they will send referrals to you.
Speaker:Because just because you're not a great fit for them,
Speaker:for whatever reason,
Speaker:if they love the experience of working with you and you
Speaker:were nice about it,
Speaker:they will almost always refer other people to you.
Speaker:I am so glad you said that that is a really,
Speaker:really great point.
Speaker:So one other thing that I'm thinking our listeners might say
Speaker:is, Oh my gosh,
Speaker:am I being too nosy?
Speaker:You're asking me to go in and ask this corporate client
Speaker:all about their company.
Speaker:And that makes me nervous because I'm going to be asking
Speaker:them some in-depth questions potentially.
Speaker:And then also at another point,
Speaker:when they say no,
Speaker:you're asking me to go back and then also make myself
Speaker:vulnerable and ask them all these questions.
Speaker:Are they even going to talk to me about these things?
Speaker:Sure. I think part of it is really just helping them
Speaker:understand why you want to know it.
Speaker:So if you're asking what might seem like a too personal
Speaker:question or too in depth questions,
Speaker:tell them why.
Speaker:Tell them this really helps us understand your client better so
Speaker:that we can come up with better solutions for you.
Speaker:And if you have an example of that,
Speaker:that's even better because your clients don't know what they don't
Speaker:know either.
Speaker:So it helps for you to explain why you want to
Speaker:know that.
Speaker:And then the other part that you were asking,
Speaker:what was the second part of your question?
Speaker:I was asking about how uncomfortable they would be asking those
Speaker:questions both for initially.
Speaker:And then if you said no to understand why the why
Speaker:of the note.
Speaker:I have a great for that.
Speaker:So when Someone says,
Speaker:no, one of the great ways to get feedback back from
Speaker:them is to have someone else in your company,
Speaker:reach out to them.
Speaker:So people just by nature will want to temper what they
Speaker:tell you,
Speaker:because they don't want to hurt your feelings.
Speaker:Especially we,
Speaker:as women do this.
Speaker:But if they're talking to a buffer,
Speaker:in other words,
Speaker:somebody else,
Speaker:that's not you because you're the one that's giving the product
Speaker:or service,
Speaker:they will be much more forthcoming with that other person than
Speaker:they will be for you.
Speaker:Yeah. That's good.
Speaker:That's one of your little side tricks or something.
Speaker:Yeah. It's just one of the things,
Speaker:because one of the things that I want my clients to
Speaker:do is to maximize every client.
Speaker:So even if they lose that client,
Speaker:I want them to maximize it.
Speaker:So find out why and see if there's any way that
Speaker:you can win them back.
Speaker:And sometimes they do.
Speaker:So there's strategies there for that as well.
Speaker:But you need to really maximize all that information because it's
Speaker:all good information for you to know helps make you better
Speaker:the next time.
Speaker:Absolutely. I totally agree.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So I want to spin this a little bit.
Speaker:You have been talking about resources and things that you should
Speaker:have in place,
Speaker:automation tools,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:Can you share with us some of the tools that you
Speaker:think on more of a general basis,
Speaker:given that our audience can be a little different here that
Speaker:you would suggest,
Speaker:or that you're using in your business are referencing for your
Speaker:clients? Sure.
Speaker:My favorite tool is acuity for scheduling and that has saved
Speaker:my life.
Speaker:Any business owner that has to schedule anything with anyone,
Speaker:whether it's team members or it's clients or potential clients.
Speaker:It not only makes you look professional,
Speaker:but acuity is so easy to use and has so many
Speaker:great features.
Speaker:You can set up different types of appointments with different types
Speaker:of questions that you ask,
Speaker:for example.
Speaker:So there's so much power in it.
Speaker:It's super affordable.
Speaker:They have a free version.
Speaker:And when I started implementing it,
Speaker:it made all the difference in my time and going back
Speaker:and forth with people.
Speaker:And today,
Speaker:really, I think consumers expect that level of automation.
Speaker:So you really should have a calendar where people can just
Speaker:go and click and reserve a time with you.
Speaker:If that's something that you want them to be able to
Speaker:do, but you can integrate it into your website.
Speaker:You can just send them the link.
Speaker:You can integrate it into Facebook.
Speaker:There's so many ways that you can use it,
Speaker:but that's a great tool for that.
Speaker:And I know other people use Calendly.
Speaker:So that's another tool that's very similar.
Speaker:I just personally use acuity myself Schedule once,
Speaker:same type of thing.
Speaker:Exactly. There are many out there,
Speaker:but you're recommending this one gift biz listeners.
Speaker:I'm going to put this in the show notes.
Speaker:As you know,
Speaker:there'll be a page connected up with Maria's interview that will
Speaker:give you all of the information.
Speaker:So acuity will be there for sure.
Speaker:Let's talk about sales a little bit more in terms of
Speaker:where your reaching out,
Speaker:either giving or getting more information to continue to grow and
Speaker:perfect. Your in terms of sales consulting,
Speaker:are there any podcasts you listen to conferences you go to,
Speaker:to stay up to date or to mingle within your industry
Speaker:Question. I personally read a lot of books.
Speaker:That's one of my personal favorite things to do,
Speaker:but I also have different masterminds that I belong to for
Speaker:different purposes.
Speaker:So for example,
Speaker:I have one where it's a bunch of educators.
Speaker:So people like myself that are teaching other business owners,
Speaker:whatever the subject may be.
Speaker:So we get together on a regular basis online and talk.
Speaker:We have our own Facebook group.
Speaker:So to me,
Speaker:having those types of groups of experts that you can go
Speaker:to are so helpful,
Speaker:especially as business owners,
Speaker:because so many of us work by ourselves or in very
Speaker:small teams and you really don't have access to a lot
Speaker:of outside people like you do in a corporation,
Speaker:you can go to your manager or to a different department,
Speaker:and you're constantly learning.
Speaker:But as business owners,
Speaker:you have to take control of that yourself.
Speaker:So for me,
Speaker:one of my favorite ways is to have a mastermind that
Speaker:I can go to,
Speaker:that I can lean on them.
Speaker:I can be honest with them,
Speaker:open with them,
Speaker:transparent, and really talk about how to do something or maybe
Speaker:something isn't going well,
Speaker:what have you done that works?
Speaker:What could I be doing wrong?
Speaker:That sort of conversation you need that comradery.
Speaker:Number one,
Speaker:but you also need that advice.
Speaker:It's sort of like your board of directors.
Speaker:That's the way I look at it.
Speaker:It's sort of like my higher level people that I go
Speaker:to to help me vet out some of the ideas that
Speaker:I'm thinking of for my business and the direction I'm thinking
Speaker:of taking it.
Speaker:And they're not all local.
Speaker:No, they're all over the country.
Speaker:So gift is listeners.
Speaker:One way that you could do this.
Speaker:If you're don't have access or don't know how to put
Speaker:together, a mastermind is go into some of your industry,
Speaker:specific Facebook groups,
Speaker:some of those private groups that you're in and see if
Speaker:there are a few people that you really resonate with that
Speaker:you're sharing information,
Speaker:that's helpful to them,
Speaker:vice versa.
Speaker:And you may even be able to build yourself a small
Speaker:group, just like Maria is talking about within your industry.
Speaker:That would be one way to do it.
Speaker:Another way would be locally.
Speaker:If you want to get different types of functions in like,
Speaker:you may want some accounting people,
Speaker:if you're a product person,
Speaker:whatever the different genres are and get a group of people
Speaker:together. But masterminding is a fabulous way to get new ideas
Speaker:about your business because you're getting new eyes on your business
Speaker:with us as business owners.
Speaker:It's so easy to get so zeroed in that you don't
Speaker:really see your business as well as you could.
Speaker:If you are taking a little bit of a higher level,
Speaker:I guess I'd say,
Speaker:all right.
Speaker:So Maria,
Speaker:at this point,
Speaker:I would like to invite you to dare to dream.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:Well, thank you for the gift.
Speaker:First of all,
Speaker:you're What am I giving you?
Speaker:You're giving me this most fabulous gift.
Speaker:That's wrapped beautifully,
Speaker:by the way.
Speaker:It's a gift of being independently wealthy of living life on
Speaker:my terms,
Speaker:meaning being able to make the decisions I want to make.
Speaker:And if I want to get up and get out an
Speaker:airplane with my husband,
Speaker:we can do that.
Speaker:I've always felt like I want to travel more and see
Speaker:more of the world.
Speaker:And I've been so busy working most of my life that
Speaker:I really want to explore that because I feel travel gives
Speaker:you so much insight and expands your mind,
Speaker:like nothing else in the world on a business level.
Speaker:I want to have a thriving business where I'm really impacting
Speaker:the most business owners I can because I feel like we
Speaker:really need to change the conversation.
Speaker:And we're at a really important juncture in our world.
Speaker:And I think women are poised to make amazing leaps right
Speaker:now. And I'd like to help them do that and really
Speaker:change the face of what it means to not just sell,
Speaker:but interact with other people on a personal and professional level
Speaker:and really change the conversation and how people interact with one
Speaker:another and how people sell to one another.
Speaker:And I think we can really change the game and empower
Speaker:people. And so I'd love to do that and also be
Speaker:a motivational speaker for the younger generation so that we can
Speaker:instill in them at a really young age that they can
Speaker:do anything and they can be,
Speaker:do, and have whatever they want.
Speaker:And they just have to believe it.
Speaker:And that's part of the first thing that they need to
Speaker:do. And if we do that,
Speaker:when they're young,
Speaker:they'll grow up believing it and not have to struggle as
Speaker:much as we've had.
Speaker:Oh, that's beautiful.
Speaker:You don't see me over here,
Speaker:but I'm smiling about that.
Speaker:Just beautiful.
Speaker:How can our listeners get in touch with you or see
Speaker:what's going on with irresistible Sally or whatever else you'd like
Speaker:to share.
Speaker:Awesome. Thank you.
Speaker:So I have a Facebook group for creative business owners,
Speaker:so they can join me there.
Speaker:It's called learn,
Speaker:collaborate flourish.
Speaker:So you could just search on that term in Facebook and
Speaker:I'd love for you to join us if you join,
Speaker:introduce yourself.
Speaker:So I know who you are and that you came from
Speaker:here. So I can give you a special shout out.
Speaker:But for those of you that are interested in my irresistible
Speaker:selling program,
Speaker:you can go to,
Speaker:and I'll give you a Bitly link and I'm sure you'll
Speaker:put it in the show notes,
Speaker:but it's Bitly forward slash irresistible selling all lower case.
Speaker:And if you want free sales tips delivered right to your
Speaker:inbox, you can just go to Maria bayer.com
Speaker:and just give me your email address and you'll get free
Speaker:sales tips.
Speaker:That is really great because I think that everybody listening here
Speaker:is like,
Speaker:okay, so what Maria is saying,
Speaker:doesn't sound so hard.
Speaker:This is something that I could do.
Speaker:I can reframe my mindset.
Speaker:I could actually do this,
Speaker:but you know what happens later this afternoon or tomorrow,
Speaker:or when they get in a position of selling,
Speaker:then it goes back to being freaked out about it and
Speaker:nervous and anxious.
Speaker:Again, I encourage all of you to sign up and get
Speaker:these tips.
Speaker:Maria, thank you so much.
Speaker:I really appreciate you taking the time.
Speaker:You've shared some great tips,
Speaker:leveled out this whole scary thing about Saleen for us.
Speaker:I think it empowers us as women now to go out.
Speaker:Cause we can talk to anybody as a friend and we
Speaker:can definitely do this.
Speaker:And this is a way to get more business,
Speaker:grow your business in a much more comfortable way.
Speaker:So for sharing all of that,
Speaker:Marie, I thank you so much.
Speaker:I absolutely loved your dare to dream answer.
Speaker:And our wish for you of course,
Speaker:is that your candle in terms of empowering and all of
Speaker:that, not playing small,
Speaker:that your candle always burns bright.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:That's so sweet.
Speaker:And it's been my pleasure to be here.
Speaker:Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker:This episode is all wrapped up,
Speaker:but fortunately,
Speaker:your gift biz journey continues.
Speaker:Are you eager to learn more?
Speaker:Our gift biz gal has a free download just for you.
Speaker:Head over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com/twelve steps to get your copy of the 12 steps to
Speaker:starting a profitable gift biz don't delay,
Speaker:head over to gift biz on wrapped.com/twelve
Speaker:steps today,