Episode 291
Why Sales Feels Hard (And How to Fix It) [Ep. 291]
Learn Why Most Sales Plans Fail... and How to Fix it!
Most business owners struggle with sales because they’re doing too much—too many offers, too many strategies, too much second-guessing.
- They don’t need a new offer.
- They don’t need to work harder.
- They just need a clear, focused plan.
That’s exactly what you’ll walk away with in this free workshop.
https://links.michelledenioconsulting.com/TsLB
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Sales doesn't have to be the monster under your bed! If you've ever found yourself asking, "Why is sales so freaking hard?" you're definitely not alone. Most of us are grinding away, doing all the things, yet the sales just aren’t rolling in like we thought they would. But hey, it turns out that we're often overcomplicating things and spreading ourselves way too thin. In this episode, we’re diving into the art of simplification and sharing some solid tips on how to take control of your sales activities. So, buckle up, because we’re about to turn that sales frown upside down!
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Related Episodes:
279: 3 Simple Steps to Convert Leads Into Clients
288: Why Your Audience Size Matters for Client Conversions
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Want to stay connected to Michelle - Join the Sunday Morning Brew Crew! The Sunday Morning Brew is your private invitation to actionable insights that simplify your business, spark new ideas, and help you scale—without the burnout.
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Transcript
If you've ever said, why is sales so freaking hard?
Speaker A:This episode is for you.
Speaker A:Listen, you've got the great offer, you're showing up, you're doing all the things and the sales, you feel like they're just not coming in the way that they should.
Speaker A:Does this sound familiar?
Speaker A:If it does, trust me, you're not alone.
Speaker A:Most business owners are working way too hard for way too little in return when it comes to sales.
Speaker A:And the truth, it doesn't need to feel so complicated.
Speaker A:So what's really going on?
Speaker A:And more importantly, how do you even fix it?
Speaker A:Well, that's what we're going to talk about today in this episode.
Speaker A:So if you're ready, let's dive in.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right, so let's talk about sales.
Speaker A:Sales, and why are things not working?
Speaker A:Why are we not seeing the results that we're looking for and all of that?
Speaker A:All right, and here's the thing.
Speaker A:For the most part, most people are simply just over complicating it.
Speaker A:Over complicating and overthinking.
Speaker A:And you're doing too much.
Speaker A:Because when what happens is, and I know that we've all been there, myself included, what happens is, is the second that we feel like sales are not coming in the way that we think that they should, we start adding on.
Speaker A:Well, let me try this.
Speaker A:Let me try this.
Speaker A:Let me do this.
Speaker A:Let me do this.
Speaker A:Well, what about this?
Speaker A:What if I try this?
Speaker A:Well, what if I throw this out there?
Speaker A:What if I do this?
Speaker A:And next thing you know, you're kind of, like, dabbling and doing all of the things.
Speaker A:And in reality, you're not necessarily doing any of them well or.
Speaker A:And I don't mean, like, you're not doing them well because you're not good at what you're.
Speaker A:You do, but it's that you're spread so thin, you.
Speaker A:You can't quite do any of them, right?
Speaker A:Like, you're just not putting 100% effort into any of them.
Speaker A:And so the other thing is, is then you end up creating all these new offers, and you're.
Speaker A:You're trying, like, to be on all the platforms.
Speaker A:And the reality is, is you just can't.
Speaker A:Like, there's only.
Speaker A:You can only spread yourself so thin, right?
Speaker A:And so first and foremost, if you feel like the sales are.
Speaker A:Are not coming in, then the first thing I would encourage you to look at is simplification, right?
Speaker A:Like, are you promoting too many offers and are you changing your mind too quickly and too fast?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Because remember, you think people are seeing every single thing that you're doing.
Speaker A:But they're not.
Speaker A:They aren't.
Speaker A:I mean, there's algorithms, there's math, there's all the things.
Speaker A:We've seen it all.
Speaker A:But the reality is, is most people are not seeing your content.
Speaker A:They're not your emails, they're not seeing what you're doing.
Speaker A:And so by the time somebody maybe sees and gets a glimpse of what you're doing, you've already moved on, right?
Speaker A:Like, you've already moved on and created something new.
Speaker A:And so now there's no time for it to absorb and to think about it and whatnot.
Speaker A:I'll be honest, like, I just purchased something off of somebody on TikTok that I have been following for, I don't know, six months to a year.
Speaker A:And I've seen video after video because, you know, TikTok, it's just constant.
Speaker A:They're content creators over there, they're just churning, pumping content out nonstop.
Speaker A:I must have watched I don't even know how many of her videos and how many hours technically of her content.
Speaker A:Not that I could quantify it before I finally said yes to even purchasing anything from her.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so this is what I'm saying.
Speaker A:Like, people just don't make decisions fast enough.
Speaker A:So if you're switching and changing your, your positioning and changing your messaging and changing your offers and changing your platform too often, then there's a good chance that that's probably why the sales aren't coming in is strictly because you're just not giving people enough time to convert.
Speaker A:So especially if you're looking at conversion from content or something of that sort.
Speaker A:So that's the first thing that I really see when it comes to sales and why it's like I'm feel like I'm doing all the things and I'm not getting any return.
Speaker A:Because you are right, you are doing too many things.
Speaker A:You're doing all the things, but again, you're only doing all of them a little bit instead of going all in with a couple things.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And so that's kind of the message here of sales and simplification and what we're going to be talking about in my upcoming workshop, Sales Simplified.
Speaker A:That is, you can click the link in the show notes.
Speaker A:All the information is there, it's completely free.
Speaker A:And if you're listening to this after the live there, there will be an option that link will still work.
Speaker A:So even if you know the date has passed, don't worry about it.
Speaker A:Click that link.
Speaker A:If you're interested in the, the sales Simplified workshop and you can get access to that.
Speaker A:Okay, so, but here's the other thing is so many people are caught up in the grind that the daily, the everyday grind that they don't even schedule the time to put into the sales activities.
Speaker A:So if you don't have sales activities scheduled into your week and you are relying heavily other people to see what you're doing, or you're relying on your content, or you're relying on, you know, assuming your leads know when and how to find you, and you're assuming all these things I'm here to tell you, like that's not enough either.
Speaker A:Like you have to take control of your sales actions and your sales activities and you've got to schedule them into your calendar.
Speaker A:Like you just have to, they've got to be scheduled in because otherwise too many things, it's like working out, right?
Speaker A:Like if it's not part of your routine and it's not in your calendar every week, find a million other things to do.
Speaker A:I mean most of us, than working out or getting our meals prepped or anything, it's like it's no different than any other, anything else in our life that we want to do.
Speaker A:Like if you really want to do it, you've got to schedule it and make the time for it, right?
Speaker A:And so this, if you don't have the time scheduled in every week that passes, you're just like, oh yeah, they'll come to me, they know I'm available.
Speaker A:Like, they know.
Speaker A:No they don't.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like you need to schedule in and take control of it and also take responsibility for your own sales and stop relying on other people.
Speaker A:Like even this person that I purchased off of from TikTok, like did she reach out to me?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Does she know I was following her?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Have I heard from her since I purchased?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Because it was a DIY offer anyways.
Speaker A:But my point is what she did do is she showed up consistently and she continued to put content out there even though I never once engaged with her content.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And that's what I'm saying is like that was her action is just this constant state of content creation.
Speaker A:Now we just did an episode about this.
Speaker A:So I'm not saying that content creation is the only way to sell, but what I'm saying is, is that it is your job to schedule the actions in.
Speaker A:So you need to schedule in your follow up, you need to schedule in your promotions, you need to schedule in if content is your thing, you need to find the time to update your leads in Your pipeline, right?
Speaker A:Like, and update your notes and know exactly where people are at.
Speaker A:It's up to you to give people a next step.
Speaker A:So, like, if they're not ready to buy into your bigger offer, do you have something in the middle that you can offer them?
Speaker A:Do you have a step down?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, you've got to take control of your sales activities.
Speaker A:And I've been talking about this a lot and you're going to keep me hearing me talk about it because for the most part, this is what most people are struggling with, right?
Speaker A:Like, sales is always the one thing that people feel like I'm not good at this or it feels so hard or it's, you know, I just, I'm.
Speaker A:I don't know what to do and I'm not good at it.
Speaker A:It's not that you're not good at it and it's not that you don't know what to do, it's just that you don't.
Speaker A:You're.
Speaker A:You're all over the place, right?
Speaker A:And so in reality, sales is very simplistic.
Speaker A:It's a couple key actions, right?
Speaker A:We're going to talk a lot about this in the workshop.
Speaker A:But like, what are those two or three key actions that you need to be taking?
Speaker A:It's really not anything more than that.
Speaker A:And if it, if you are doing more than that, that actually could probably be hurting you.
Speaker A:Again, like I said, because there's too many offers, too many platforms, the messaging is all over the place.
Speaker A:And so that is something else that I would really encourage you is to look at your messaging like, is your messaging been consistent?
Speaker A:Do buyers know what your offers are?
Speaker A:Are you calling in your ideal fit client or are you constantly changing your messaging?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And I know messaging is really super hard to dial in.
Speaker A:I still struggle with this all the time, right?
Speaker A:Like, I think it is so hard sometimes to just get that messaging dialed in.
Speaker A:Especially if you don't have like a super specific niche, right?
Speaker A:Like people who really only deal with one industry, like real estate agents or whatever, like you can.
Speaker A:That's a little bit easier to simplify your messaging because you can get really zoned in and you can speak their language.
Speaker A:But if you're speaking to people like I speak to like service providers, online service providers.
Speaker A:Well, online service providers are all different stages.
Speaker A:They're serving different clients.
Speaker A:But it works because my offer is my niche, right?
Speaker A:Like what I do is my, is the niche.
Speaker A:The focus, Visionary accelerator is my niche.
Speaker A:And it serves a certain.
Speaker A:But getting honed in on that messaging can Be very difficult, right?
Speaker A:So that's another thing to look at is like, are you talking over your audience?
Speaker A:I was just actually having a conversation.
Speaker A:Like, in the comments on a Facebook thread, somebody was asking, saying, like, they were really struggling.
Speaker A:She was like, I don't understand.
Speaker A:I have this, this, and this, and I feel so good about it.
Speaker A:And I know they get results, but it's not selling.
Speaker A:And I don't know what it was, but the reality is it's like the messaging.
Speaker A:When I looked at it, it was like, there was something over here.
Speaker A:Like, one thing they were struggling with, this.
Speaker A:And then inside the program, it gave them this thing, and then it gave them another thing, and it gave them the.
Speaker A:And, like, in her mind, they all worked well together.
Speaker A:And honestly, I could see, like, from a coach perspective, I could see where she was going with it.
Speaker A:But her ideal client, she was speaking way over them, right?
Speaker A:Like, she was diving in, like, to step 10 before they even got in at step one.
Speaker A:Like, she was speaking so far over her audience, and her messaging was so beyond what was going to catch people's attention, and they didn't go together.
Speaker A:Like, her ideal client couldn't figure out.
Speaker A:I can.
Speaker A:Like, I could totally see where her ideal client didn't understand how them struggling with this one issue led to what her program offered.
Speaker A:Even though it makes sense to her, her clients didn't necessarily see that.
Speaker A:And so that's something else to really look at is like, are you talking over your audience?
Speaker A:Like, have you already taken them six layers deep, but you haven't even hit them at stage one yet?
Speaker A:All right, so you've got to really simplify your messaging.
Speaker A:Like, what is the one pain point?
Speaker A:And, like, this is a perfect example.
Speaker A:Sales, right?
Speaker A:Sales is a pain point for a lot of people, especially those of you listening, right?
Speaker A:Like, sales is something that you're all struggling with.
Speaker A:Now, inside this workshop, we're going to talk about a lot of other things that are kind of contributing to sales.
Speaker A:And you might think to yourself, like, why?
Speaker A:Like, how does this all play a role in it?
Speaker A:Like, I don't see how talking about the grind versus the goal and understanding whether or not, like, where I'm spending my time and what do I have that's part of the grind?
Speaker A:Like, how does this have to do with sales?
Speaker A:You told me you were going to teach me about sales, but it goes together because sometimes we just don't take into consideration all of the things that we're already doing, and we're just allowing the grind to take Over.
Speaker A:And that's why the sales aren't coming in, because we don't spend any time on it.
Speaker A:I know that they go together, but if I started talking about them, like, on the forefront, like, even just listening to this, you're probably like, michelle, that doesn't make sense.
Speaker A:I know it doesn't.
Speaker A:Like, because there's.
Speaker A:On the surface, they don't go together.
Speaker A:But when you.
Speaker A:Once somebody's inside of a program or a workshop or a masterclass where you can bridge the gap, then you can get them to understand it, right?
Speaker A:But, like, if you lead with that, it's very, very difficult, right?
Speaker A:And so this is something that has been that.
Speaker A:That took me a long time, because I want to dive into the details.
Speaker A:The details is what I love.
Speaker A:Like, I want to dive deep.
Speaker A:I want to, like, talk about all the things and all the different ways and, like, the data and all this stuff, right?
Speaker A:Like, and.
Speaker A:And I still do, but I have to lead with what is immediately the problem here.
Speaker A:Like, what is something that is, like, the immediate struggle.
Speaker A:And I don't necessarily love Pain Point marketing, but even if somebody is really good at sales, like, they can always simplify it, right?
Speaker A:Like, even if they have sales coming in and they feel like I'm doing really well, like, there's always room for improvement.
Speaker A:There's always room to, like, automate it and simplify it.
Speaker A:So maybe their sales process is really long and it's convoluted and takes a ton of their time, right?
Speaker A:So, like, at the end of the day, no matter what, whether they're struggling with sales or they've got sales coming in, but they feel like it's overwhelming, this messaging is going to hit both of those, and we're going to talk about all of the things inside the workshop, right?
Speaker A:So that's what I'm saying is, like, you've got to really be mindful of your messaging, okay?
Speaker A:And then also, too, with sales, is making sure you're giving people the next step, right?
Speaker A:And you're going to start to see me doing this a lot on this podcast, okay?
Speaker A:And I want you guys to use it as a leadership.
Speaker A:Like, I'm trying to lead you to say, like, don't get offended by it.
Speaker A:Like, if I start talking about sales and start talking about my offer and saying, like, here is your next step.
Speaker A:Like, I don't want you to feel like, oh, my gosh, all she does is sell me.
Speaker A:No, I'm just telling you what the next step is.
Speaker A:Like, if you want to take your Business to the next step.
Speaker A:If you want to learn more from me, I've got to give you that next step step.
Speaker A:It's on me to make sure you know what your next step is Right now, listening to this episode.
Speaker A:Your next step is to sign up for the free workshop, right?
Speaker A:That's your next step.
Speaker A:So again, your next step could be free.
Speaker A:It could be a paid offer, it could be a small offer, whatever it is.
Speaker A:But, like, does your buyer know what the next step is?
Speaker A:To move through your journey with them.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Now, of course, you all know there's a work, it's a workshop.
Speaker A:There's probably a next step after that.
Speaker A:Not probably, there is.
Speaker A:That's just part of the journey, Right?
Speaker A:And so stop being annoyed by it.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, we are adults.
Speaker A:We get to say, no, thank you, Michelle, I don't want to sign up for your workshop.
Speaker A:Or, you know, I'm going to sign up for your workshop and no, thank you.
Speaker A:Like, I'm not interested in the next step right now.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, we are adults and that's your job to tell me if and when it's not a good fit.
Speaker A:But it's my job to make sure you know what that next step is.
Speaker A:Because if I don't and you're in, all the while you're wondering, like, Michelle, I don't really know, like, how do I work with you?
Speaker A:Like, what should I do?
Speaker A:I'm feeling stuck.
Speaker A:I'm struggling.
Speaker A:Well, guess what?
Speaker A:Somebody else.
Speaker A:If I don't give it to you, somebody else is.
Speaker A:And you're going to see their content or you're going to hear their go to their workshop and I will have missed out on a sale, right?
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that, like, to sound conceited, but this is what's happening, right?
Speaker A:Like, I guarantee you that you have lost.
Speaker A:We all have.
Speaker A:We have all lost leads simply because we didn't follow up or they didn't know we were how to work with us, or they didn't know what the next step was.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So just make it easy for them.
Speaker A:It's up to you to share that information.
Speaker A:It's up to them to make a decision as to whether or not that next step is the right fit for them, not you.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, it is not up to you to make that decision for me.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:It's up.
Speaker A:It's up to you to tell me what my next step is.
Speaker A:I will then make that decision.
Speaker A:Just like that woman on TikTok.
Speaker A:She, every single one of her videos told.
Speaker A:If you want this Take the next step.
Speaker A:If you want this, take the next step.
Speaker A:That's her job.
Speaker A:And I appreciated it because I knew exactly what to do when I was ready.
Speaker A:Like, it was so much easier, right?
Speaker A:Like, that's where I'm saying, like, you've got to get to a point where you put yourself back into control.
Speaker A:If you are struggling with sales, get yourself back into control, okay?
Speaker A:Stop trying all the new.
Speaker A:Every new thing.
Speaker A:Stop jumping ship too quickly.
Speaker A:Stop trying to do and be in all the places, right?
Speaker A:Take control of that and get yourself honed in one.
Speaker A:Offer a couple of platforms, maybe one, maybe two, right?
Speaker A:Figure out where you're spending your time.
Speaker A:What are you already committed to?
Speaker A:What is getting you wrapped up into the grind where you don't have time to actually schedule in your sales activities.
Speaker A:Get your sales activities on the calendar and scheduled in and part of your daily routine.
Speaker A:Routine.
Speaker A:Get your messaging honed in, super simplified, and make sure your buyers know the next step.
Speaker A:That's as simple as it can get.
Speaker A:And obviously, there's more details.
Speaker A:There's so many more little things.
Speaker A:But from an overall perspective of simplification, those are the things that you need to do if you're struggling with sales.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Simplify.
Speaker A:Stop complicating it and actually simplify.
Speaker A:So every time you think you need to add more to your plate or do more or try one more thing, I want you to actually stop yourself and think, no, what is something I actually need to remove?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:What is that one thing I need to remove from my plate to simplify this?
Speaker A:To make it easier for people to do business with me?
Speaker A:Because that's what it comes down to.
Speaker A:The second something is too hard to deal.
Speaker A:Like, the second we feel like, oh, my gosh, this is too complicated.
Speaker A:I don't understand it.
Speaker A:I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing.
Speaker A:There's too many options.
Speaker A:People shut down and they.
Speaker A:They bail.
Speaker A:All right, so what can you do to simplify and make it easy for people to say yes to you?
Speaker A:Okay, so that's your.
Speaker A:That's your little quick tips for the day.
Speaker A:All right?
Speaker A:Simplify your offers, stop doing too much, and sign up for the workshop.
Speaker A:If you haven't done so already.
Speaker A:The link is in the show notes.
Speaker A:Get on that workshop.
Speaker A:I promise I'm going to simplify.
Speaker A:Like, we are going to simplify this so much more.
Speaker A:And at the end of it, you're going to have a clear plan of action.
Speaker A:Be ready to rock and roll.
Speaker A:You're going to take action.
Speaker A:You're going to know exactly what you need to be doing.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Like it is a workshop.
Speaker A:This is not just a masterclass.
Speaker A:Me talking and selling the whole time.
Speaker A:I've been there, done that.
Speaker A:I just went through that.
Speaker A:It was horrible.
Speaker A:No, this is a workshop.
Speaker A:There's a workbook.
Speaker A:You're going to be any.
Speaker A:If you've ever been at any of my workshops, you know that I'm going to make sure that you're filling the information out and at the end of it, you're walking away with a plan.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:So link in the show notes.
Speaker A:That's your next step, and I'll see you next week.
Speaker A:Oh, and by the way, I love you, I believe in you, and I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker A:Thanks so much for listening today, but remember now it's time to take action.
Speaker A:My goal is to get you results.
Speaker A:So what is one action you can commit to taking this week?
Speaker A:Feel free to share share it with me in my DMs or tag me on your socials.
Speaker A:Not sure what action to take?
Speaker A:Grab the link in the show notes and schedule a strategic power hour.
Speaker A:We can talk through it together and get you a strategic plan of action in just 60 short minutes.
Speaker A:Oh, and one last favor.
Speaker A:As with every podcast, reviews and ratings are what help us continue to show up and grow.
Speaker A:So if you wouldn't mind, please take a quick minute to leave a five star review on Apple or Spotify and share this episode with a friend.
Speaker A:Thanks.
Speaker A:Talk soon.
