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What you’ll learn in this episode:
Making sales is an integral part of running any business. And it’s not something that you want to be winging.
Having an intentional sales plan is paramount in order to hit the sales numbers you want to hit.
Today’s episode is the last in our special sales series and we break down how to get clear on your sales targets for year end, what you need to do to generate that money, and how to ensure that you will not only hit your sales goals, but that you will be able to create a predictable number of sales that you can calculate for year end and beyond.
Here’s a glance at this episode:
- Why crash landing into your sales numbers is not a good sales strategy
- What questions you need to ask yourself (and answer) in order to pick a sales target you’re truly excited about
- How to calculate the number of sales you need to hit your target
- Why traffic is equally as important as converting clients
- Why predictability and having a powerful and dependable framework is one of the most important things you can create in your business
Mentioned in this episode:
Work/Connect with me:
Consults That Convert FREE Training
[0:01] Well, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the It’s Your Offer Podcast. I’m so excited to be here today to talk to you about intentional sales.
[0:12] So sales is not something that we just crash land into. It is something that we do intentionally. And the more that we can create intention and clarity around what that looks like for us, the more sales we will make, and the more easily we will be able to make those sales that we are targeting.
[0:32] So today, I’m going to share with you the framework that I use, when I think about what sales I want to make, what sales I need to make, and what sales I’m going to put out there as a target for me, for my business, and for the lives that I’m going to impact when I go out into the marketplace. And as we think about this with year-end, things like goals and revenue. And hitting our numbers is something that as business owners, we think about it may be one of these things where we’ve had a special goal for ourselves that we’ve really wanted to attain, and we’re striving for that it might be a goal that we need to hit in order to make sure that we’re making the profits that we want to make sure that we are able to pay the bills that we want to make. But whatever it is having the intentionality around sale, if you are a business owner, is really, really crucial to making the money that you want. And to doing that in a way that is streamlined and feels attainable, rather than crash landing into the sales and having sales just be this byproduct that happens that we don’t know about and isn’t predictable. So I want to share with you how I think about this, and how important it is to really work through a framework and be intentional about your sales.
[1:48] So if you’re listening to this, I want you to grab a piece of paper or grab a pen and work through this with me because I think by the end of it, when you have a plan, you will be moving into these next five or six weeks that are left in the year with more confidence, more clarity and more momentum at being able to create the sales and the money that you want.
[2:09] So the first question that I always asked myself, as I sit here, I’m going to basically be going through this with you. So here we are about to embark on the last month of the year. And we have about six weeks left. And as I’m sitting here, the first question that I asked myself is, what is my sales goal for the next six weeks? So maybe yes, I’ve had a sales goal for the year, maybe I’ve had one for the quarter. I personally work in 90-day years. So I work sort of on quarterly, on a quarterly basis. And so I always have those numbers in my mind. But as we hit these different milestones, and it seems like over the Thanksgiving hump here in the US, that seems to be a milestone. And then it’s almost like we’re on that last mile. And so a lot of people start to think about their sales in this time frame, then this milestone.
[3:00] So for me, I think about okay, with the next six weeks ahead. What do I want my sales to be? What do I want that to look like? That is the first question I asked myself. And what I’m doing in that moment is I’m looking at what sales have I generated for the year in the past? So again, for me, I work in 90 days a year. So I would look back at the last six weeks of my quarter. And I would see okay, what have my sales been like? How has that gone? Have I exceeded my numbers? Where am I to my overall 90 Day goal? And then sort of putting that aside, I asked myself, what kind of sales do I want to make? A lot can change in an entrepreneurial life in six weeks. And to that end, with six weeks left in the year. For entrepreneurs, it’s an eternity. So the question I always ask is, where do I want to go? What do I want to create in these next six weeks? So from a sales perspective? What does that look like? So maybe that’s changed, maybe the number has shifted a little bit from what I decided, you know, six weeks ago, my 90 Day goal would be maybe it’s, you know, gotten a little bit bigger or higher or different or whatever.
[4:14] But I always ask myself, what is it that I want to create in these next six weeks? And I come up with a number. And that number. First of all, I write it down what is my six-week number? And then the second question I asked myself is, how do I feel about that? And this is really important. How do I feel about that? I’ve just picked this number. And I’ve set this sort of mental intention with it. How do I feel about it? Am I excited about it? Does it scare me and my apathetic about it? What is going on with this number and why did I pick it? It is crucial, from my perspective, that if you want to attain a specific number in sales, you have to be psyched about it. You have to be super excited about it. And so it If you’re not excited about it, the question to ask yourself is why? Why did I pick this number? Why do I want it? And why do I feel this way about it? And so if I don’t feel great about it, the question would be, why don’t I feel great about it?
[5:14] So I want you to do this right now, I want you to think about your next six weeks, I want you to think about ending this year. And I want you to think about what number do you want to hit in the next six weeks? What number do you want to generate in sales for the next six weeks? Then I want you to ask yourself, why did you write that number down? Right? What is the purpose of it? In order for you to hit these numbers, you want to be emotionally attached to them. So you want to be picking a number that elicits an emotional response? So how do you feel about it? And I want you to write that down. And then I want you to ask yourself, why do you feel that way? Right? If it’s a, Is it good? Is it bad? Is it indifferent? Whatever it is, why do you feel that way? And then from there, if what you wrote down is not something super exciting, like, I’m so excited to hit this number, because of XYZ, whatever reason that is, I want you to think about what you would need to think about this number in order to make it exciting for you.
[6:16] So the really, the question is like, are you thinking, do you need to change the way you think about that number? In order to hit that number? Do you need a different number? Do you need to change the purpose of that number, like what is going on there that’s driving these thoughts and emotions around that number are about finishing that number in the year. Because again, what you want is you want to pick a number that you’re so excited about. And what drives you being so excited about it is that you’re being emotionally connected to something that is meaningful to you. And the story that you’re telling yourself around it is powerful, and it is going to compel you forward into creating it.
[6:56] So for instance, if for me, one of my goals for the end of the year, in the next six weeks is to generate another $20,000. What that means is that I want to impact the lives of at least five more people in order to hit my goal. And why do I want to impact them? Why do I, Why is this $20,000 really important for me? Well, number one, there are people out there I know right now that are struggling with their offer, they’re struggling to streamline their offers are struggling to streamline their sales, and they’re sacrificing so many important things in their life. And this becomes exceptionally important. I feel like at the end of the year, when there’s a lot of things that people want to be spending their time doing in their personal life time that they want to be spending, the holidays are coming, people are running themselves ragged, I am on a mission to find those people that are doing that. And to help them they do not have to end their year like that they do not have to sacrifice their time and their health and their sanity with their family and doing the things that they want to do in order to make money in their business and have a business that thrives. And so I am on a mission to find five of those people that I’m going to help work through that and come out on the other side, helping the people they want to help making the money they want to help and streamlining all those pieces of their offer and their sales process in you know, in the process of doing that.
[8:19] So that is number one, why I am so passionate about that. The number $20,000 For me, is when I look at my business, and the impact that I can have on the people that I hire, the amount of work that I put out into the world, some of the cool things that I want to do that I think will help even more people, that number that $20,000 I know will be able to provide for the things that I really want to invest in my business and invest in the people that are connected to my business. Very, very deeply. I feel about supporting the people that I work with treating them well, making sure we have the resources not overworking my team, not overworking myself, I really believe that it starts with investing first. And being whole as a business owner in order for me to help more people. And so that number specifically, I have calculated and I am very emotionally attached to it.
[9:16] So when I put that number on a piece of paper, and I look at it, I feel incredible about it. I feel excited, I feel excited for what it’s going to create. I feel excited for the people that it’s going to impact and the amount of money and impact that they’re going to be able to have in the world. And I’m very attached to it. Okay, very attached to it. And I’m also really excited to go out there and create it. So I want you to ask yourself the same questions so that when you look at the number that you have on your paper, it is crystal clear the feeling that you have the story you’re telling yourself and that you’re excited about it. Total sidenote when I have coached people around this, the biggest issue that I have seen with their number one number they pick is not that it’s too big, it’s often too small. So if you don’t feel great about your number, I want to, I want to offer to you to pick a bigger number to dream bigger, to go farther, to think about your possibilities on a bigger scale. Because what I have found is people are not excited about it, not because it scares them, which is what we often hear out in the entrepreneurial world, like you’re gonna freak yourself out, if you come up with this big number, I actually think it’s the opposite. People are just like ho hum about the idea of hitting this goal and the impact that it will have and playing bigger on that level. And it’s not big enough.
[10:40] So take the time, write this number down, feel in your body, the emotion that is creating, and then ask yourself, what story are you telling yourself about it? And then from there, I want you to pick a number, that you have an awesome story about that you are so excited to go out there and create, because that is what moves the needle. That is what moves the needle. Okay, so that’s the first thing first thing is what’s the number? The second thing is? How do I feel about it? Third thing is What is the story that I’m telling myself about it? The fourth question around intentional sales, is how are you going to make that money? So in other words, what are your offers? What are your income streams in your business? And how can you reverse engineer creating that number with the brass tacks in your business. So if you have a number of $10,000, that you wrote down on your piece of paper as an example, and you sell an offer, that is $1,000, you’re going to need to help 10 people in order to generate that money.
[11:39] So I want you to pause this podcast right now. And I want you to do the math. What are you selling? What can you sell in the next six weeks, that is going to create the money and the value in the marketplace that is going to result in the number that you wrote down on that piece of paper. And I want you to get really creative about this, let your mind soar. And similar to how you feel about the number that you wrote down, I want you to feel excited about the plan you’re creating to hit that number.
[12:11] So I will just give you an example of this. I just launched a Black Friday offer. We’re going to tell you more about that at the end of this episode. So stay tuned to hear more about that. But I just wanted this offer that I’ve never launched before. And I am thrilled about it. I am so excited. It is called the sales 911. And it is meant to serve people who want to sell in a way that feels good. Feel like they can make money without being salesy. Stop selling to people and instead solve people’s problems. And do it in a way where everybody wins. When I talk about this, it makes me want to jump out of my seat, I just want to go tell everybody about it. Well, when I think about my goal for the end of the year for the six weeks, a huge part of that is about incorporating the sales 911 offer into that equation. And because I am so excited about this offer, and I cannot wait for the people that are coming to me that are going to get so much value from this and they’re going to change so many lives and change their business and change the way they think about selling and all the people that they touch around that like I am on a mission to help people create a hell yes offer, and then learn how to sell it in a way that makes everybody happy.
[13:26] When I think about that, I cannot wait to get out there and help people, I cannot wait to get out there and sell this offer. I cannot wait to welcome people in. I want you all to feel like that about whatever offers, you are going to go out there and share with the world in this next six weeks. Because when you do this, I promise you two things are gonna happen. Number one, you will never feel like you are selling a day in your life. Because the truth is you’re not you created something so awesome. That’s going to help so many people, you just can’t wait to go out there and help them. And number two, the money always follows the money always follows.
[14:04] So when you are in a as I’d love to say you guys have probably heard this on the podcast before, when you are in a full-on Tizzy about your offer about the money that you’re going to create the value you’re putting out into the world. Guess what happens? Everybody wins. And it feels amazing.
[14:20] So I want you to pause this, and I want you to take a moment to think about what things will you have to sell what offers will you need to go out there with how many of those will get you to your sales goal. How? In other words, how many people do you need to help and solve their help them solve their problem. In order for you to generate this result, this impact in the world, this value that gets paid back to you literally in money. That’s what it is the amount of money you make is directly proportionate to the amount of value that you put out there in the marketplace and the amount of people that you help. And when you do that consistently and effectively. You make a lot of sales you make a lot of money. That’s how it works. And I want to say side note, there are some people that go out there, and they’re total scammers, and they make money. I mean, we’ve all seen it. And it’s a horrible thing. But let me tell you this, and I will stand up on my soapbox and defend this to the end, they might make money, but it will not be for very long. Because if you don’t have a quality product, and you’re not helping people, people see right through that. And you might have your short run where you’re making some money, but it’s not going to last very long, because people see through it, then they’re not going to buy from you anymore. So we’re talking about doing this the right way.
[15:31] So calculate how many things do you need to sell in order to hit that amount of money that you put down on that piece of paper? And then the last thing that I asked myself is, how many people do I want to touch? What is my visibility plan? So how many people am I going to go out there and interface with over the next six weeks to tell them about this offer, so that I can convert the number of people that I have calculated, or in other words, I’m going to sell the number of offers that I need to sell in order to hit that number. So we talked about this before on the podcast. But this is a very, very important thing, when it comes to sales, you have to have enough reach, you have to have enough exposure and visibility. In other words, you need to tell enough people and generate enough traffic and momentum around your offers in order to convert the number of people that you want. This is why things like the location of your brick and mortar or the advertising or you know if Oprah shout you out on her podcast or on her newsfeeds, why that’s so powerful, because visibility and traffic matter.
[16:41] And so part of your intentional sales plan needs to be connected to the number of people that you’re going to expose your offer to. And so it’s not just about who is going to convert who is actually going to pay for the offer. In order for you to have the right number of people, you need to expose your offer to enough people so that that conversion rate is at a level where enough people convert. And I always use a very conservative number of 10%. And so again, if you wanted to have one person, for example, convert your offer, you would need to then talk to 10 people about it. Okay, if you use a 10% conversion rate, if you’re somebody who has been selling something for a long time, or you’ve been in business for many years, there’s a really good likelihood that your conversion rates are much higher than 10%. But if you use that as a very conservative amount, a very conservative number, you will always hit your numbers.
[17:36] So ask yourself, how many people do you need to talk to? How much traffic do you need to generate an order to have a 10% conversion rate hit those numbers of people that you’re going to help in order to hit that overall number of revenue and sales that you want to make in the next six weeks? Okay, those are the questions when you work through every single one of those things. Guess what you walk away with, you walk away with intentional sales, you walk away with a plan to hit the sales numbers that you want. If you’re a business owner, that is in business, who wants to have predictable outcomes around your money and around your sales, you need to create an intentional sales plan, you cannot be crash landing into your year, month, six weeks, any of it has to be intentional.
[18:27] And here’s the beauty of this, the more that you create a framework around this, the more that you run these numbers, and figure out how to run the sales calls in a framework that predictably converts people. It because it’s showing them the value, it’s helping them solve their problem. And you’re doing it within an intentional sales plan of how many sales you want to generate, how many people that you want to help, you will be unstoppable. And what you will be creating is freedom in your business. Because when you have a predictable sales flow, and you have predictable money coming into your business, and predictable cash flow, guess what happens? Your business thrives. It here’s what it creates, it creates freedom, it creates whitespace on your calendar, it creates downtime for you, it creates Friday’s off, it creates you not being preoccupied on the weekend with your business, because of all the things that you need to do. You can stop running after the endless amount of social media posts and traffic generating activities and networking events that feel like they never end. Because that number of people that you have to be pulling in just keeps going up and up and up because you have a sales process that is broken.
[19:43] And what happens is when you don’t have those intentional sales and you don’t know what that plan is, and what money you need and how you can predictably generate it, then you don’t have a framework so that you can run your sales calls with ease in a way that feels good, and everybody wins because you’re out there and so service to your potential clients. And they’re coming to you and they’re having their problem solved. If you don’t have a way to have those conversations in a way that feels good and powerful, and most importantly, predictable, you will be constantly chasing your tail. And you will be constantly chasing clients and money in order to create a business that generates cashflow. And no business, no matter how big or small you are, can survive without cashflow. And it’s especially important for small businesses. Because when you’re in that place where you’re growing or scaling, or, you know, if you’re selling offers, and you’re just kind of, you know, going up that curve where you’re starting to gain traction, the amount of cash that you’re generating is super important for you to buy resources and buy that flexibility. And so it’s really important that you have a sales process that is intentional. And that is predictably bringing in cash to your business.
[20:55] So just to go over this again, just to recap, the first thing you want to ask yourself is how much money do you want to be making over the next six weeks until the end of the year? That’s the first thing.
[21:05] Number two is how do you feel about that number? Do you feel good? If not, why not?
[21:12] Number three is what are you telling yourself about that number, you want to be in a full-on Tizzy about the amount of money, the people, and the impact that you’re going to help throughout the end of this year. If you are not in a place that you understand the bigger purpose, you have an incredible feeling, and you are compelled to go and create that money. My advice to you is change the number. And as I mentioned earlier, most of the time when people don’t have a good feeling about it is because they’re not dreaming big enough, they’re not dreaming big enough. So you want to really think about how do you let your mind expand? How do you dream big and really go for it get a number that you’re excited about.
[21:50] Number four is what offers or how many offers and how which also means how many people do you need to help to generate that money. So if you again want to make $10,000 in your business, you have $1,000 offer, you need to sell 10 of those offers, you need to help 10 people in order to generate that sales that you want that number of sales that you want, just as an example. And then last but not least, you want to reverse engineer your visibility and exposure plan, otherwise known as the amount of traffic that you need to drive to your business in order to convert those number of offer those number of clients that you’re going to convert. And so that means think about if you’re using a 10% conversion factor, which I usually use to be conservative, how many people do you need to talk to about this offer? How many people do you need to tell about what you’re doing in order to convert that 10% If you do all of those five steps, you will have created an intentional sales plan, you will be going out there and creating sales intentionally. And when you do that when you have a plan. And then you have a framework that predictably allows you to generate sales by going out there being in service to people and really helping them solve their problems. Everybody wins. And when everybody wins, the result of that. And the byproduct of that, always, always is sales in your business. The more value you put out into the marketplace, the more sales you will generate. It is a universal law. It will happen every single time. So go out there and create an intentional sales plan so that you not only end your year strong, but you will set yourself up for the best year that you have ever had.
