HOW I SELL

EP #43

 

“Do I need a life coach?” You’re listening to Episode 43, with Rhiannon Bush

 

Welcome to the Do I need a life coach? Podcast. We’re here to discuss the ins- and outs- of the life coaching industry and give you tools to use, to see for yourself. I’m your host, Rhiannon Bush. Mother, management consultant and a passionate, certified life coach.

 

My goodness has it been an awful tech day for me. Have you ever had one of those? Where just these tiny little technological issues go wrong but they cause serious frustration and they just set you back hours of work that you've done. So it's the second time I’m doing this today. But it’s ok… I think it's a really important episode to bring you and to be honest I probably should have done it sooner but I think I was still working it out for myself which is why I didn't.

 

I really don't like hard selling. I really don't like salesy questions, I don't like pain stacking, or using any of the really salesy techniques that I know.

 

And recently, I had to do one of these calls and I cringed the whole way through it and I did it and it was successful, but I didn't love it, especially because I'm getting clients who are coming through my website because they've listened to the podcast and they're actively reaching out saying “hey can you coach me?” and it's beautiful for a few reasons which I’ll explain in this episode.

 

For those of you who listen to my podcast fairly regularly and closely, you will know a little bit about my background in sales. So I used to work in corporate consulting and still do because I enjoy it.  That role started after I was working overseas in international tennis (yes, I sang Happy Birthday to Richard Gasquet and my photo was on the ATP website… he wasn’t impressed, I should’ve attempted to sing it in French)… anyway.. after living and working in the UK I returned home to do a season with the Australian Open and then wound up in corporate. And corporate was an incredible environment in the beautiful ivory towers of Melbourne.  I was in the Challenger building and then I made it to 101 Collins! For those of you who don’t know Melbourne, 101 Collins has its own tram stop. It’s a significant building and I felt like I’d really made it except for the fact that my position description was an inch deep and a mile wide… and I found that very hard.

 

When you step into a big business, or you’re entry level in your career or your role, you have to be adaptable and flexible, as does your skill set. Because it's really important that you can cover a lot of bases, help out with whatever is needed and a lot of the time the work you're doing is passed down to you by a senior or a specialist who doesn't want to do the generalist type work anymore, and they’ve earned the right not to through experience, results or time.

 

But early in my career, I was getting very sick of it. One day I was calling clients to booking meetings when we came on site. The next day I was pulling together one page strategy documents for the client to be able to communicate information to their staff. The next day I was on site actually implementing change or post-move support and troubleshooting. So for somebody that likes diversity in their work, it was a great environment and it was really plentiful in terms of growth and lessons. But I was very sick of not being able to work my way up the ladder faster, to earn more money, or have any authority in what it was that I was doing. I always had a senior, I always had to make sure that what I was doing complied with what they needed me to do, I wasn't allowed to take ownership of things. And I really found that hard. I wanted autonomy and I wanted some empowerment and I wanted to freedom to try to do things my way, however creatively that may be. What I really wanted, was to be paid for my results, not for my time.

 

So shortly after, I met my awesome partner Damien who is just my human through and through, he lived down in eastern suburbs of Melbourne which is also where I did my coaching qualification. And shortly after we started seeing each other, an opportunity came up for me to work in sales with The Life Coaching College. I spoke to the founder and managing director of the life coaching college, Glen Murdoc, who said to me “if you want your own business, you need to learn to sell”. I believe that to be true.  So.. not only was I excited about having a role where I did one thing, ONE!, I was also extremely excited to be mentored by him because he's amazing.

 

As it turned out I am very good at sales. I got to study it and develop in it and I was very successful at it. Since having that role I’ve sold many different things for many other people and businesses, and for my own little tick of approval I am thrilled to be able to say that yes, I am good at sales in general, not just selling things because I really love and believed in the product, which I thought maybe the case. So that was good.

 

Since then, I have coached small business owners and clients to sell, whether they've been sales reps or they've just wanted to implement a sales processes in their business, KPIs and metrics, and so on it was great, clients got great results and it was fulfilling but I knew I didn't want to stay in sales coaching forever because of this hard selling, push pull persuasive technique and tactics that you learn, you teach, you use and I felt a level of expectation around that given the competitors within the ‘sales coaching’ space.

 

Fast forward to now and I have an entirely different approach, and this is why I want to share it with you and it’s also one of the many reasons I started this podcast. The beauty about the clients I'm working with at the moment, is that because of this platform, they know me. I let you into my life, my mind, and the methods to my madness.  By knowing me, they/ you feel a level of comfort. And for some of you, it’s enough to reach out and say “hey, please help me” – which is bold and takes massive courage.

 

The second contributing factor that’s helping this new easy and seamless sales process is that I am in a place in my life where I don't actually need to take on clients. I do it because I choose to, and because I want to. So the clients that approach me, come to me in a way that is a very equally power-balanced opportunity because not only are they sussing me out as their potential coach that could help them get from where they are to where they want to be, I'm sussing them out to see if they are really ready to change and wanting to do the work, and whether I want to coach them. Just because you want coaching doesn't mean you're ready to have coaching and to really make changes to get those things you want.

 

You will know if you're ready, because you'll be sitting here listening to this going “Oh my God I need to get on the website and I need to contact her right now, I didn't know I could do that”. Or you're going to be like “yeah I'm not ready”. And whichever one you are it's OK the way. But know this. It takes a lot of courage for somebody to actively go to my website and make contact with me. There's nothing between you listening to my podcast to persuade you or pull you to go to my website and make contact with me, other than you. Your initiative, your desire, your actions. Which means it's you that instigates it. Which is a beautiful thing because if you’re willing to do that, I know as your coach, you truly want it.

 

It used to be this process of contact after contact, conversation after conversation and I just got tired. In my past selling roles, I have been able to, when necessary, get people to buy in a way that has been me dragging them, kicking and screaming. It has felt very pressured, and in hindsight, it has felt unethical. Let me be clear, nobody I have ever sold for has ever asked me to sell unethically. If anything, everybody I have ever been taught by, mentored by, employed by to sell for has always encouraged me to do the sense cheque. But naturally I'm a fairly competitive person and when I was in the thick of it, it had become about the game to me. The more resistance I got from somebody the more I tried to get them over the line. And the problem with that, was by the time I got them over the line, I was exhausted, and also because they hadn't stepped up and done it of their own accord and their own intrinsic desire to change, they were very difficult clients to work with.

 

So I'm going to take a minute to tell you, how I sell now, my process to take on a client right now and it's super easy and super simple. Clients that I currently work with found me through the podcast as I mentioned earlier. I don’t advertise, I barely post on social media (I hate it) so, clients I currently work with have gone to my website and either filled out the ‘Contact’ form, or they have gone to the ‘Programs’ tab and clicked book a “Meet and Greet”, and to be very clear. That is exactly what it is.

 

There is no coaching that goes on in that conversation, and there is definitely no selling. We don't even discuss price or programs at that time because I don't know you at all, what your experiencing, what you want, what’s going on for you, etc. and I would like to so we have a quick introductory chat for half an hour. Then you go away and have a think about it.  Then, if I believe I can help you and you want to know more, we’ll have a second call. This call has two objectives. One, I actually coach you so you experience it. Kind of important if you’re signing up to a coaching program, I think, and you can then understand the difference between a conversation, and a coaching conversation. Two, we talk about working with me and what the options are. By that time, I've made up my mind and you've had a really good chance to think about what it is that you want. Again, nothing happens at the end of that call.  We sign off and you can choose to sign up, or not.

 

One of my new clients is incredible. She is accountable and she is responsible and she's ambitious, she's just a little stuck. She knows it's a temporary thing, but she has always stepped up to get what she wants and get to where she wants to be.

 

That's another thing I want to mention. I no longer write prescriptive programmes. So with my sales coaching I had a pre-written program that a client would start at the beginning and then continue working their way through and they would get the results along the way. It was a great program and because it was sales coaching, with clear black and white metrics to track and follow, all with clear results, it was very easy to have a prescriptive program that dealt with the hard skills and work output required to get the desired results and then I could work with sales mindset over the top.

 

I used to think selling and coaching were very similar. And there are definite synergies between the two. For instance in both conversations the client requires movement. They start at one place, and by the end of the conversation you want to have them in a different place. The difference between a sales conversation in a true “sales” context, is that as the seller, you're trying to get them to your outcome by the end of the conversation. Whereas in a coaching conversation you're trying to facilitate your client getting to their outcome by the end of the conversation.

 

So now when I am coaching, I have a loose structure that I follow, and then I fill in the blanks as I go because I think it's important to give you what you need, as you need it, right now. And how do I know what you need until we discuss it or you tell me what’s blocking you in a coaching session? I don't know what you need just yet, so now I write my clients’ programs as I go and I love that. I find that far more effective for the client, far more fun for me because I'm being led by the client and in the direction that they want to take, instead of me having a pre-written, predetermined program that guides them from A to B according to how I think it should be instead of how it truly is for them, if that makes sense?

 

A lot of coaches that listen to this may knock on my door being like “Rhi… why did you say that?” and I just want to say that there is absolute validity in pre-established and pre-written coaching programs. It is highly effective and it is a really great way to coach. But because I am in a really luxurious position of being able to select clients that I want to work with, clients who show up and are courageous and willing to step up and ask for help, I can offer 100% bespoke programs. And that to me is the best possible coaching I can do for my client, and for me. It thrills me to be able to offer that, and I haven't been able to offer that before. I can also offer all of the things that I love to do like behavioural profiling, or matrix therapy… but at the end of the day I’m finding I talk to the client about our next step, I explain it to them and the purpose for doing that and then they get to say “yes, let’s do it” or “no, actually I don't want that in my program” then that is absolutely fine with me and I can accommodate that.

 

My business may not look like this forever. I may not always offer bespoke programs but right now, I’m loving it, my clients are loving it and it’s working so well and I’m proud of that.

 

One thing, I really like to instill in my clients when I’m coaching them is that as long as by the end of the day when they put their head on the pillow of an evening they can feel like they’ve made the right choice for them, then I think that’s progress, and that’s winning. I’m not misguided, I do understand that there are times in life where we have to make difficult decisions. And in those situations, I believe it’s important to feel good about the way you’ve handled yourself, that you have pre-thought through all the options, before you’ve actually gone into the situation and had to make the difficult choice. If you can justify it to yourself, that’s the most important thing and considering ecology to you those around you and those in the bigger picture. That’s important.

 

So when it comes to selling, I had fallen in a habit of selling in a way that I wasn’t feeling served me, or the people I was selling to. It felt like I was manipulating them, and while they benefited from buying the thing they bought and I had 100% belief in that, it also felt a little pushy and a little tricky and like if they hadn’t whole-heartedly made the decision for themselves that they wouldn’t make the most of it or even see it as an opportunity. And by the end of the day, I was exhausted, and I didn’t feel like it was entirely my clients choice.

 

So while I know how to teach people how to pain stack, and how to pull and push in a sales conversation, that doesn’t mean it’s something I enjoy doing. There are certain circumstances where it is a good thing to do that. When the client can’t see their own potential but you can, and also if the objection isn’t financial, then have at it. There is complete validity in believing in your prospect more than they do, and with the best of intentions, helping them over the line.

 

But I can’t help it feel that it’s where coaching as an industry has got a little bit of a bad name, because coaches exist who are equally, if not more ambitious business people and entrepreneurs, and they also want to coach. Where you get that combination, you get pushy sales people who sell hard. Selling comes before serving and it’s okay to be pushy provided your client isn’t, in my opinion, financially vulnerable. Especially when they have a family, and they are responsible for other’s.

 

So now you have that information, if you’ve been sitting on the fence or considering reaching out maybe you’ll feel more comfortable in doing so. Believe it or not, I’m just an ordinary girl with a passion for coaching and educating people about what coaching is and what it can do. I’d love to hear from you and at least have a conversation sometime.

 

Regardless, have a great week and keep checking in on whether you’re morally ok with your actions each day. Especially if you’re responsible for others and having to make difficult decisions for the harmony of a larger group.

 

See you next week.

 

 

 

 

Hey! Before you go, I always find reviews really helpful when looking for new information or insights…

 

I you’ve found this podcast valuable, please take a minute to write a quick review about what you’ve found most beneficial for you, so other people can benefit from your insights, and listen in too. I would LOVE that!

Also, if there are any topics you’d like me to cover specifically about life coaching or the life coaching industry, visit rhiannonbush.com to contact me. Thanks for joining and I’ll see you in the next episode of Do I Need A Life Coach?!

 

 

Please note, this transcription may not be exact.