Today, we're joined by Christine Corcoran, a high-ticket sales strategist and business mindset coach. Christine combines her expertise in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and sales psychology to help women sell confidently and authentically. In this episode, we dive into transforming the often daunting sales process into an inviting experience. Christine shares her journey from corporate sales to empowering business owners, emphasizing the importance of mindset and the feminine approach to selling. If you've ever struggled with sales or want to refine your approach, this episode is packed with actionable insights and uplifting inspiration.
Over the course of the last seven transformative years, Christine has guided and coached hundreds of remarkable women, both through personalized 1-1 coaching and engaging events, and masterminds. She has invested in expertise in NLP and other sales related psychologies and applied them to help women feel more confident and authentic while selling
Website: https://christinecorcoran.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinecorcoran_coach/?hl=en
Freebie: https://christine-corcoran-8c76.mykajabi.com/authenticsales-scripts
What you'll hear in this episode:
06:08 Selling with empathy and asking great questions.
07:57 Evaluate clients' behaviors, offer proposal, secure deal.
12:45 Understanding neurolinguistic programming for effective communication and respect.
If you like this episode, check out:
How to Prepare to Sell Your Business
The Framework for the Perfect Offer
Stop Doing This to Your Customers
Want to learn more so you can earn more?
CFO Power Session: https://www.keepwhatyouearn.com/power-sessions
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Visit keepwhatyouearncfo.com to work with Shannon and her team
Watch this episode and more here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMlIuZsrllp1Uc_MlhriLvQ
Connect with Shannon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkweinstein/
The information contained in this podcast is intended for educational purposes only and is not individual tax advice. Please consult a qualified professional before implementing anything you learn.
(upbeat music) - Welcome to Keep What You Earn, your judgment and jargon-free zone for entrepreneurs of all levels. Get ready to learn how to scale your business, save money in taxes, and create a business that grows your wealth. If it feels like the financial side of business is like eating your vegetables, well then think of this podcast as the ranch dressing to make the process a little more enjoyable. My name is Shannon Weinstein. I'm a CPA and business owner on a mission to simplify money and empower others through knowledge. I hope this episode inspires you to take action, but remember that the information we share is for educational purposes only, and is not individual tax advice. Now that we got that out of the way, let's start the show. (upbeat music) As you can probably tell, one of my favorite topics talk about on this show is sales and marketing. It's kind of my secret, separate passion outside of the financial world. I love hearing stories of success about sales, marketing, branding, and really hearing how we can transform the way that we approach these things, and I'm not gonna lie, every time I have a guest on, just like today, I learn a ton and it really makes me rethink how I approach these different processes. This is no exception. I'm so happy to welcome onto the show today, Christine Corcoran. Now over the course of the last seven transformative years, Christine has guided and coached hundreds of remarkable women through personalized one-on-one coaching events and masterminds. She's invested in her expertise in neuro-linguistic programming or NLP, and other sales related psychology is to apply them to help women feel more confident and authentic while they're selling. And this is so important because the confidence, the authenticity, the conviction really does make her break a sales process. In the next couple of episodes, we're gonna talk with Christine about how she approaches selling, how she recommends that you sell in a more comfortable way. Now, I'm not saying you have to be complicit. I'm saying you can be a little bit more comfortable with yourself while selling, which will come across as confidence. So if you're struggling with selling, if you're looking to refine the way you approach your sales process, these episodes are for you. Let's dive in and hear from Christine right now. All right, welcome back to Keep What You Earned. Christine Corcoran, welcome to the show. - Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here with you. - I'm happy to have you here, especially because Christine inhales all the way from Australia. And I love the internet (laughs) because we can connect. People like us can connect. I'm in Costa Rica, she's in Australia. We found a time to podcast together. And also we got to meet in person for the first time this year after knowing each other for a couple of years, which was super fun. - I know, internet's crazy, right? And it was so awesome to be able to meet you in person to be like, you're exactly the way I thought you would be. Like, it was just (laughs) - Same. I was like, it's basically just like the same thing, but from here, what you actually would see the rest of their body. Like, you don't have one-third of their like torso. (laughs) - I know you love my body. - Yeah, exactly. Christine, for those who don't know you, would you mind introducing yourself real quick? - Sure. So my name is Christine Corcoran and I'm a high ticket sales strategist and business mindset coach. And what all of that means is I'm super obsessed with helping people sell effectively and confidently and also unpacking all the belief systems and thought patterns that are preventing them from showing up and succeeding in their business. So I worked in corporate sales for a really long time. And one of the key missing pieces back then was mindset. So we would talk how to teach strategy and help business owners implement strategy. And what was the biggest missing piece was the fact that so many business owners that I would work with, some would take the strategy and run with it and be really successful. And then other business owners would do nothing. And I'd see them a month later and nothing has changed. And I was like, what's going on? And I thought it was me, to begin with, to be honest, I thought it was my way of presenting what we were talking about. And then what I actually uncovered was that it was mindset. So I went back and actually studied neuroscience and human behavior and coaching and all these different elements to uncover all of those mindset pieces that are implementing it, saw some really awesome changes. And that's when then the corporate company were like, can you teach everyone else how to do what you're doing? And so I started then implementing the sales piece with the mindset side. And that started to just was an absolute game changer. And then I was like, okay, I'm going to do this on my own because I'm just over corporate, it was time to leave. And so I stepped away. And now I work with service based business owners to support them in leveling up their business. - I love it. And I think most people underappreciate the science that is selling because most people think that, I mean, it's an art and a science, depending on how you look at it. But most people misunderstand selling because they think people are just naturally good at it. And I really do believe that it is kind of like dancing where maybe some people have rhythm, but it does take a shit ton of rehearsal to get it really right. So it's a little bit of an art and a science, but I think that people misconstrued, we'll say sales success with pure raw talent, which I just don't think is the case. - No, not at all, not at all. You've got to learn the process. You've got to understand the decision-making process a person goes through when they're considering an offer. And when you understand that process, it makes it much more enjoyable for their customer as well as for the business owner. And I think as well, like I was saying earlier, like people think that when they get into their business because they're passionate about what it is that they do, that they think that they should be able to sell, they should, they just get their clients really excited and they share all the things about what they do and how they help. And I think that's actually the way to sell, but you're missing the whole point. The whole point is actually focusing on the customer and meeting their needs and serving them through the decision-making process rather than actually telling them what you do. - Yeah, Ben, they're done that a ton of times. And especially for someone in my seat where I'm selling vegetables, basically, like I'm selling like eat your broccoli, eat your carrots. You know, it's like not that fun. And the what's in it for you is so, so, so important and what you're going to experience as a benefit and not what I'm going to do for you. That is hard because when you come from a heart of service, you wanna highlight all the things I'm gonna do for you and I'm gonna take care of for you. But a lot of people don't even know how the sausage is made. They just wanna know how it tastes. They just don't care. They're like, I don't care how you make it. Just like, make me feel this way and I am happy. And I think people overcomplicate it a lot. - 100%, they really do. And I think one of the biggest things is we get so caught up in our own heads about it that we're actually focused on the wrong thing. So we're stuck in our headspace of our about, oh my God, are they gonna say yes? Are they gonna say no? Or what do I say? How do I ask? Like how do I present my offer in the right way? But really, if you're asking really great questions and getting to know your customer in a really in-depth way, it allows it to be more of an invitation rather than it be a sell. So I'm a big believer of teaching people a really feminine way of selling rather than a masculine way because people are done. Like the reason things have changed so much over the last few years in the way that people have been sold to enough that they've gotten to the point where they're like, I don't wanna be shamed or feared into buying. I don't wanna be pushed into buying. I wanna have a great buyer experience. And so all that masculine way of push, push, drive home, urgency, scarcity, like all this harsh way of selling, people are just really exhausted by. And so they run a mile when they see those tactics being used and women in business, it just doesn't work that way because we're so different. Like if we allow it to be more of an invitation and a conversation, we can take the pressure of ourselves to think that you have to get the sale because sometimes you don't actually need to sell if they're the wrong client. So staying in integrity with it too is really key. - Yeah, you've just brought up so many different things. And the last thing that you said was really interesting because I think that we, especially, I'll say me as like an Enneagram three who likes the achiever, likes the dopamine hit of the win, of the done, of the check, of the yes, we did it. Nothing makes me happier than finding out the client signed on. And sometimes, and this actually just happened to me yesterday, which is funny enough, I had a sales call to someone. I knew like gut instinct, I was like, we're not gonna get along. Like this person has weird expectations for what we do, has already kind of indicated that they fired the last person, they're already talking shit about them. And I'm like, it kind of shows some colors, right? And I'm just like, so if we screw up, they're gonna talk that shit about me. Or one day that's gonna be me they're talking about. And that's kind of a sign that I have in our sales calls to be like, if they're all, if they're really going in on complaining about the former thing, it's kind of like a job interview. I'm going, well, we're the next thing that you're gonna complain about, and I don't like how you're talking about them, and how open you are about sharing that. So these little signs along the way we're pointing at, you actually don't want this client. And I still propose, I'm like, well, okay, here's our offer, if you'd like to book a second call, we can do that, they booked it. And then in between, I said, you know what? It's not even worth my time. And I said, you know what? I'm sorry, but I don't think we're gonna be able to meet your expectations, and I don't want you to waste your time. So, you know, we're gonna decline working with you. Totally fine, there was no response, it was fine. But there was a part of me that was still like, felt like I was a failure by not chasing the sale, chasing the wind, there was a little bit of me that's like, is this a mistake? And I think the bigger mistake would've been carrying on with a sales process where my gut was kind of telling me this is probably not a good fit. And I like to chalk that up to feminine intuition. - Yes, 100% you've got to trust your gut. And what you just explained is that intuition nudge that you're like, you know that this is gonna go bad. Like they're already showing their colors, they're actually showing also a shifting value. So there's a difference of values for you. And so I love to teach my clients like, know what your non-negotiables are with the types of clients that you wanna work with, because you do not have to work with everyone. And if you think that you have to say yes to everyone or present to everyone, because you have to get every single sale, that's usually coming from a lack of mindset. So you wanna work on the money side of things, because that's actually causing scarcity, which is preventing you from actually owning and working with the right people. And so I'm such a big believer that know what your non-negotiables are, that there's something there that you like, the clients will say on a call that you make sure you go, ooh, they're a dream client, I wanna work with them compared to, ooh, no, red flags back away. And there's ways to go about that. Like if you know that they're a red flag and you don't wanna work with them on the call, I actually don't present. There's no point in presenting an offer that you actually don't wanna follow through on. And there is absolutely an integrous way that you can go about doing that. And having referrals that you can refer people onto would be really worthwhile. So then you can just share that, I don't feel like we'd be the right fit. Or our expectations are going to be different in the way that I am my process or the way that I go about things. I feel like is actually not the right fit for what you're looking for, but I can absolutely recommend someone else for you to have a conversation with. - Yeah, and I think that people are fearful that they're going to be offending someone or they're going to be disappointing someone and it's kind of awkward. It's almost like, remember, there was like a story about somebody told me where they just wanted to get up and leave before the dinner even arrived on the first date. They were like, "We're done." And I was like, "It takes some serious cajones to do that because the social norm is like, well, you have to at least see through dinner." And she's like, "Why? I can go home and watch Grey's Anatomy with a glass of wine and I would have much more fun and this is going nowhere. This is a waste of time." And to some extent, you do have to be that bold with your time, bold with your energy and protect it. - Yeah, I 100% agree with you. And I wonder whether there's an element there of conditioning with women that we have to be okay in other people's negative behavior or that we have to just not rock the boat, keep the peace, right, please, or appease people. Like, I wonder if there's that element there as well. And I think it's really knowing like who you are here for and who you're not here for and allowing yourself to stay strong to that because if you take on that negative client that is actually not the right fit for you, you are going to attract more of those clients because they will bring with them and they will refer people that, 'cause you're going to continue to do a great job. Like I know this for sure. So even though that it's maybe not the right fit, you will still probably serve them at a really high level that they maybe have not experienced before. And so they will still send your clients that may be at the right fit. So you'll end up filling your calendar and your business with people that you actually don't want to work with. And so being really conscious of that, it's actually less painful just to say it up front and cut the cord there, then actually go through the long process of it and try to fire a client later. Like that's much harder. - It is. And you're kind of blocking a dream client from entering into the roster in the process because you're going to be so occupied with this one or they're going to be so distracting. And you used a phrase which I really loved when you said sales is an invitation. Can you unpack why you use that terminology and what that means to you and to your clients? - Sure. So a lot of people think that sales is manipulative. They come from that energy of like the masculine way of pushing and so they're like, I have to convince people to buy from me. Whereas at the end of the day, your customers are making their own decision based on the information that you were giving them. So we don't ever, ever, and even though I've learned NLP like so there's a lot of negative connotation around NLP sometimes in the coaching space about using it in the medical way. - Can you define what that is for those who don't know? - Yes, neuro-linguistic programming which is understanding the conditioning that we have around language and what that creates for the brain. So how it activates the brain to actually respond in a different way. And so we understand or utilize neuro-linguistic programming to understand the way that our brain works, but we don't use it in a manipulative way. We wanna be conscious of the fact that a client is there in their own entity, they're their own person and they get to make their own decisions based on what's right for them. So as the salesperson, we're not convincing them, pushing them, making them make a decision, right? And I think that sometimes a lot of women have that concept of like, oh, selling is convincing, selling is like pushing people into buying. Whereas really at the end of the day, they're still making their own decision for themselves. And so if you actually support that and let it be a two-way conversation, let it be an invitation, if they're the right fit, you can allow them and you can share all the information that they need to make the right decision for themselves and then allow it to be their decision. Because ideally you want someone to be making the decision from a place of, yes, I really wanna do this and I'm excited to do this, rather from a perspective of, oh, I have to do this now, but this is pushing me into it, right? It's a completely different energy to start a relationship. And so I am such a big believer of like, allow it to be an invitation, you're inviting people into your business to receive the solution or to achieve the outcome that you offer. And if they wanna be a part of that, it's amazing, but let it be their decision. - Yeah, you have to open the door for them, but now push them in. And that's a huge part of it. I've been on the other side of pushy sales and this is part of why it gets a bad reputation because I've gotten the sense of people who just really pressure you in and they'll say, you know, you should do it now, here's why. And yes, you can resist that and keep saying no, but eventually it just becomes like, and maybe it is a feminine thing, like a woman thing because I feel like after a while I just go, fine. Like, I give up because I'm just like, I don't wanna push anymore, I'm tired. I'm sick of saying no, I'm like fine, will it get you to stop talking to me? People will get you to stop asking and it erodes you down. And I'm like, that's no way to get someone to become a customer, right? And then that's not an enjoyable place for you to start as a customer either. Like, you're not gonna forget, that's not a nice way to experience it. And I think that then where they may, another way to flip that would be, is if they actually had flipped that and born instead of telling and asking, and that's where I think about it from an invitation, everything should be permission-based, everything should be asking to see if they're ready for the next stage, right? So rather than saying like, this is the right time for you, push, push, masculine, energy, would it be like, hey Shannon, why is now the right time for you? So then you can actually come back and decide for yourself whether it is the right time for you, because whenever I ask that question, clients are like, oh, it's the right time for me because I am really frustrated with my inconsistent income, I know it's time to make a change, I'm ready to make this move, like I'm ready to do the work, I've got the space to do that. Or there's sometimes the opposite where they're like, actually, I don't know if I can invest my time and energy in this work right now, maybe I'll do it in a few months' time because I need to just get this finished. And then you could be like, great, amazing, well, let's chat in a month or two, let's put something on the calendar so we can touch base again in a couple of months and we'll then see if it's the right time. It's a much more enjoyable experience for the customer and for the seller rather than pushing from that place. So you've just got to learn to ask much more, much better questions to support the decision-making process. (upbeat music) - I want to tell you about an entrepreneur that I know who is struggling to cross beyond 300,000 in revenue. And it felt like she was always hitting this ceiling and couldn't break free from it. She knew she had to make more, but also had to hire more people. And she was way too scared to hire and spend all her money investing in that team. Almost everybody struggles with these types of decisions, but not everybody has access to a fractional CFO to create the plan and the projections that show the path to your next stage of business. I understand that a fractional CFO can be an intimidating investment for some, which is why we offer one-on-one intensives called power sessions. These sessions are two mornings in a row with me, focused on just you and your business and getting you the tailored advice that you need to reach a goal. Whether it's creating your goals and projections for the year, forecasting your cash flow, or developing a compensation plan for your team, a CFO power session can help you get clarity on those burning questions holding you back from making the decisions that you need to make. Spots are limited as I typically take on only two per month. So click the link in the show notes now to schedule a free call with me and learn more. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review on your podcast platform. This small action goes a long way for podcasters to get our message heard by more business owners, just like you. Be sure to check out the show notes for links to information about our guests and ways to get in touch with me. We'll see you on the next episode. (gentle music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
