This Isn’t Just “Off The Cuff”

Do you admire people who can do things “off the cuff?” When someone makes something look easy, many of us assume the person is just naturally talented. We don’t often get a peek behind the curtain to know how much time and effort someone has put into honing their particular skill. I had the very…

Read More

When Clients Dismiss Your Advice For Business

When Clients Dismiss Your Advice For Business, sales maven, sales tips, sales coach

When’s the last time someone hired you for your expertise only to completely dismiss everything you suggested? Maybe you assumed the client was being stubborn or maybe you thought to yourself, “What a jerk.” What should you do when clients dismiss your advice for business? We’ve all been around people that no matter what we…

Read More

Eat Capture Share Podcast

Can you make money doing what you love? For many of us entrepreneurs, this is the dream: Being paid to do something we love and that makes a difference in the world. This week, Kimberly Espinel, food photographer, stylist, teacher, blogger, and host of Eat, Capture, Share Podcast and I discuss this very topic in…

Read More

Content Creation For Revenue Generation

Woman working on content creation for revenue generation

How much content do you create each year? Are you monetizing the content you create? What would happen if you were not able to create anything new for the next 12 months? Continue reading to learn about content creation for revenue generation. A few years back, my brilliant business coach at the time (Mary Bicknell)…

Read More

Go Pitch Yourself Podcast

Podcasts For Sales: Generating Leads With Podcast Interviews Podcasts for sales are certainly turning in to a huge way to generate leads! When’s the last time you were interviewed on a podcast? Or, if you’ve yet to be interviewed, is this something you’d consider doing as a way to generate leads for your business? So,…

Read More

When To Accept Help With Sales

help with sales, sales help, sales maven, sales coach

Have you ever turned down help because you felt you didn’t deserve it? Many of us struggle with accepting help from others. So when should you accept help with sales? Sometimes we criticize ourselves for needing help. Often we feel guilty receiving help because it seems unfair to those that don’t have access to the…

Read More

Biz Women Rock Podcast

how to not suck at sales

How To Not Suck At Sales With These Tips Have you ever said to yourself or someone else, “I suck at sales”? This is one of the most common things women say to Katie Krimitsos, the host of Biz Women Rock Podcast. So, she asked me to come on and walk listeners through the steps…

Read More

Speaking Your Brand Podcast: Speaking Engagements & Selling

Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagements & Selling Do you use speaking as a way to gain more clients? Have you ever struggled with how to sell from the stage in an authentic way so you don’t come off sounding like one big sales pitch? Then you need to hear what we’re talking about today! Speaking engagements continue to…

Read More

What Do You Love About Sales?

Love sales discussion with Nikki Rausch of Sales Maven

Do you love sales? When you think of the word sales, what comes to mind? What do you love about sales or the selling process? Have you found ways to enjoy selling? The Red Carpet Guide to Visibility and Influence DTV Livestream host Joie Gharrity and co-host Super Boomer Caren Glasser chatted with me recently.…

Read More

The Lifestyle Edit Podcast

master authentic and aligned selling

Master Authentic And Aligned Selling It was a great honor to be asked by Naomi Mdudu to be a guest on The Lifestyle Edit Podcast. In episode 72, she digs in to find out what it takes to master authentic and aligned selling. The Lifestyle Edit was created as a space to spark real, candid conversations among…

Read More

One Tip to Make Prospecting Easier

prospecting made easy

When you read the word “prospecting” do you groan or whimper a little? Most entrepreneurs dread prospecting. Even when you schedule it on your calendar, you might find a million and one other things that require your attention. You’ll do just about anything else so you don’t have to do it. Reasons We Dread Prospecting There are…

Read More

She Thinks Big Podcast

she thinks big

She Thinks Big Podcast: The Structure Of Sales Conversations People struggle so much more than they should on how to have effective sales conversations. This struggle often arises when you don’t know where you are in the process. Getting clear on the structure is absolutely imperative to up-leveling your sales. Today we will be discussing the…

Read More

One Way To Improve Your Sales Presentation

When was the last time you found yourself listening to a sales presentation where the person was talking so fast, you couldn’t even follow along? Maybe you tried to stay engaged but ended up feeling frustrated. At some point, you shut down completely and just waited for it to be over. A common misstep people make when giving a…

Read More

Why Pricing Shakes Your Confidence & How To Fix It

pricing, sales maven, confidence

What shakes your confidence when selling? Is there a particular thing that happens between you and a prospective client that causes you to question your offer(s)? Do you know how to fix it? Is it pricing? One of the most common things that shakes people’s confidence in the selling process is receiving any kind of…

Read More

Don’t Be Fooled, This Isn’t Just “Off The Cuff”

Athletic woman doing planks

Do you admire people who can do things, “off the cuff?” When someone makes something look easy, many of us assume the person is just naturally talented. We don’t often get a peek behind the curtain to know how much time and effort someone has put into honing their particular skill. I had the very…

Read More

3 Ways To Say No & Mean It

ways to say no

Do you find it difficult to tell someone no? Have you ever told someone no and had them become aggressive or push back because they want you to buy their product/service? Finding ways to say no and mean it can be difficult. Telling people no can be uncomfortable. Many times people will say things they…

Read More

How to Effectively Communicate a Price Increase

increasing pricing, sales training, price increase, communicating pricing changes

Wondering how to communicate a price increase to your client base? Nikki discusses a few indicators that should tell you it’s time for a price increase in your business. Then, she explains a few different ways you can go about these price increases while keeping your clients happy. We all get nervous to take the…

Read More

How To Sell To Women

How to sell to women

Do you wonder how to sell to women? Does selling to women require a different strategy than selling to men? Do you treat your male clients differently than you treat your female clients? Learning how to sell to women is a vital part of your sales growth. A few weeks ago I attended a conference…

Read More

Giveaway: Things You’re Wasting Money On By Giving Away

giveaway, samples, demo gear, strategic, business building

Are you giving things away (e.g. samples, demo equipment, free sessions) as a means to build your business? Do you ever wonder if you’re wasting money on your giveaway? Would you like to be more effective and get a better return on your investment? There’s certainly a time and place to use a giveaway as…

Read More

Effective Networking: 5 Tips For Success

sweet spot

Networking when done effectively is an excellent way to grow your business. It’s economical (in most cases) and allows you to build strong client relationships. Here are five tips you can immediately implement into your next networking event to help effective networking. Effective Networking Tip 1: Have a plan before you walk into the event. Take…

Read More

Earning Business Even When They’re Already Buying Elsewhere

Woman earning business at her shop

Do you ever struggle with earning someone’s business because they’re already buying elsewhere? It’s unrealistic to think you won’t face competition in your industry. And even though there’s plenty of “fish in the sea,” sometimes our ideal client is buying from our competitor. It’s in these instances where you’ll need a strategy to attract your…

Read More

Bringing Intensity To Relationship Selling

Woman exhibiting relationship selling over a cup of coffee

When’s the last time you wondered if you should bring more intensity into your selling process? Maybe you suspect that your sales would increase if you were more aggressive. Yet bringing intensity may not be your style and therefore is too far outside of your comfort zone to be effective for you. Maybe you should…

Read More

How To Handle Awkward Encounters

awkward situations, business conversations, sales tips, sales maven, sales speaker

Handling awkward encounters is something we’ve all had come up in business. When’s the last time you avoided attending an event because you were worried about running into someone? Did you regret not going after the fact? Maybe there was business to be had and because you weren’t there, you missed out on working with an…

Read More

Successful Prospecting

prospecting, sales tip, mis-steps, sales training, business building

Successful prospecting is something we all want, and yet most of us are terrified of it. The idea of reaching out to people to earn their business can be scary. It’s also one of the things most of us avoid doing at all costs. How successful are you at prospecting? How often do you actually…

Read More

The Shotgun Approach Is Old-School Sales

selling, old school approach, sales tip, consulting,

The shotgun approach to selling is old-school sales  (and not in a good way). How many unsolicited emails/instant messages do you receive every day from someone you’ve never met trying to sell you something? How often do you buy from these people? For those who answer anything other than “never,” you’re definitely the exception to…

Read More

Introductions And Saying Your Name

rapport, introductions, communication skills, selling

When making introductions, do you say your name? For those who had an immediate “Yes, of course, response,” are you sure? When someone you know introduces you, do you say your name to the person you’re being introduced too? It’s shocking how often people don’t tell you their name. It’s common for people to introduce…

Read More

Are You The Exception To The Rule?

When’s the last time you convinced yourself that you are the exception to the rule? And more importantly, when you think of yourself as the exception, is it a positive in your life/business, or is it a negative? It’s almost amusing at this point how many times people explain to me why they are the…

Read More

No Sales: What’s Stopping People From Buying

No sales? Do you ever feel confused as to what’s stopping people from buying from you? Maybe you have the perfect solution to meet their needs and solve their problems, and yet, they still say no. Being told no can be hard to hear. Knowing what to say when you’re told no is an advanced skill…

Read More

Language Patterns: What You Don’t Know

language patterns

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who acted “as if” they already knew your opinion on a subject matter? Do you find being in a conversation with someone who constantly tells you what you know and how you feel annoying? Most of us would probably say, “Heck ya, people like that are annoying.” Language…

Read More

Clear The Field: What It Means In Sales

clear the field

Do you ever get fed up with people who act as if they might buy from you and then never do? Not only is it mildly annoying, but it is wasting your valuable time. This is time you could be spending on potential clients that are actually interested in your product or service.  It may be…

Read More

Techniques In Sales: Are You Overlooking The Gaze?

non-verbal communication, sales technique, sales maven blog, Nikki Rausch, Uncomfortable client interactions

When’s the last time you had an epiphany? Maybe you’d been overlooking something staring you right in the face. Were you pleasantly surprised at your new realization? And did you immediately implement your new awareness of this? Techniques in sales are all over the place. Once you are able to hone in and use them…

Read More

Being Salesy Or Creating Curiosity: What’s The Difference?

being salesy

How good are you at creating curiosity? And do you ever worry about coming off as salesy when sharing about your business? It’s a fine line – the difference between creating curiosity and sounding salesy. Be sure you understand the difference. Creating curiosity attracts people to you. Once they express interest, it’s your job to earn their…

Read More

Are You Maximizing Business Referrals?

business referrals

Do you ever wonder if you’re maximizing your business referrals?  When’s the last time someone sent you a referral? And how long did it take you to follow up with the referral? Check out this week’s tip on how to maximize referrals in your business. You may be diminishing your chances of getting another referral…

Read More

Client Retention Strategies: Clients You Should Focus On

client retention strategies sales maven

Client Retention Strategies: When’s the last time you stumbled upon a sign that made you pause and ponder about a deeper meaning? Maybe the sign was meant to be funny, or maybe it was meant to help you find your way somewhere, and yet it made you think about how else the message applied to…

Read More

Assumptions In Sales: Is Your Bias Costing You Clients?

assumptions in sales

Assumptions in Sales: Have you ever been in a situation where someone says to you, “I have something to tell you, and you’re not going to like it?” Do you instantly go on the defensive or maybe brace yourself for bad news. In certain situations, the person might be right in their assumptions about whether…

Read More

How To Minimize Misunderstanding Communication

woman minimizing misunderstanding communication by not speaking

Is there anything more frustrating than someone misinterpreting what you’ve said and taking offense to your comments? In this day and age, it’s so easy for this to happen. We communicate so much over social media, email, and text messages that we have little chance of correcting a situation before it can get blown out of…

Read More

Why Handing Out Sales Literature Doesn’t Work

Sales Literature: When’s the last time you were walking somewhere, and someone forced a piece of paper into your hand? Did you gladly accept it, take it and throw it away the first chance you got? Or, did you refuse to take it? For those who’ve been to Vegas and walked down the strip you…

Read More

How To Create Curiosity About Your Business

create curiosity

Have you ever noticed the difference between how you call a dog vs. how you call a cat? Many times when people call dogs, there is excitement in their tone and an almost frantic pitch to their voice, “Come here boy, come here boy…” When calling a cat, we tend to take a different approach.…

Read More

Be Flexible: Don’t Be Overly Committed

Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, “Why do they keep making the same mistake over and over?” “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.” -Albert Einstein Maybe there’s been a time in your life where you realized you fell into the above category…

Read More

The Shortcut In Sales: Does It Exist?

Have you ever noticed how many of us tend to want a shortcut in sales? It feels so good to get there sooner. Let’s be honest, if there were some pill you could take or app you could buy to accomplish a goal in a short amount of time, you’d probably pull out your credit…

Read More

Handing Out Business Cards Doesn’t Generate Business

What not to do when selling, handing out business cards, savvy selling, savvy sales tips, rapport breaker, sales,

Have you noticed lately people handing you multiple business cards? Maybe its just me but this is happening more and more. These people say things like, “Here take a few business cards and hand them out to anyone else you know that might want to work with me.”  Oh boy, who told people this is…

Read More

What To Say To People Who Only Talk About Themselves

people who only talk about themselves, networking, sales tips, rapport

When’s the last time you attended a networking event? If you’re like me, you regularly network as a means to build your community and grow your business. At said networking events, have you ever encountered the person who’s only interested in talking “at” you about their business? The person doesn’t seem the least bit interested in…

Read More

The Heart Of Your Business

Sales is the heart of your business, sales feeds business, ROI,

Much like the heart’s job is to pump the life blood throughout your body, sales is what pumps revenue into every area of your business. If some part of you is saying to yourself right now, “I don’t sell anything in my business. I’m a counselor, a coach, a florist, a designer, an accountant, etc.”…

Read More

How To Build Your List Of Stories With These 5 Tips

stories

How many times have you heard or read somewhere how important storytelling is to influence clients?  “The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.”  ~ Mary Catherine Bateson Do you consider yourself a good storyteller?  Do you run into clients months or even years later and they retell the stories they learned from…

Read More

You’ve Got The Look: It’s All In The Eyes

eyes

When’s the last time you heard, “The eyes are the window to the soul?” What would be your guess as to how many songs have been sung about the eyes?  Here’s just a few that come to mind:  “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”  – Franke Valle “I Only Have Eyes For You,” –…

Read More

How To Respond To Questions While Creating Curiosity

Respond to questions

Do you know how to respond to questions while creating curiosity? Where would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 on your level of curiosity? (1 being “not curious by nature,” 10 being “I gotta know more!”)? Year’s ago, I learned a communication technique that involved using the phrase, “I’m curious.” After…

Read More

Client Preference: Take What’s Offered

client preference sales maven

Have you ever had an interaction with someone where you felt compelled to share the story with others afterward? Last week, I was contacted by a salesperson, and the communication between us was so interesting that I’m sharing it in hopes you find some useful tips to apply to your client interactions. It’s such a…

Read More

“Just Kidding”: Is It A Rapport Breaker?

When someone makes a negative comment to you and then follows up with, “Just Kidding,” do you believe them? Do you ever wonder if some part of what they said when they said “just kidding,” they actually meant? I was in the audience at an event recently, and the speaker singled out a person in…

Read More

What Goes Around… Comes Around

what goes around... comes around

How long has it been since you either said or heard said: “What goes around… comes around?” Consider this phrase “what goes around…comes around,” and how you might use it to impact your business/sales in a positive way. For instance, let’s take referrals.  Have you ever given a referral to someone only to have them…

Read More

I’m New: New & You

I'm new

Learning to do something new can be uncomfortable. It requires change.  Most of us internally groan a little when we have to “change” something.  My long time teacher and NLP trainer use to quote, Mark Twain when talking about change, “The only person that likes change is a wet baby.”When we’re in front of a…

Read More

Slinging Mud: Are You Muddying The Water?

Muddying The Water

Are you muddying the water in sales? Many salespeople are. Here is what Nikki Rausch, your sales maven has to say about it. Imagine you’re thirsty. All you can think about is a nice refreshing glass of water.  You’re craving it; you know how good it’s going taste when you get your first sip.  Now…

Read More

What’s The Be Specific Meaning In Sales Conversations

be specific meaning

We’ve all heard the phrase “Be specific” and know what that means in the day to day. So what’s the “Be specific” meaning in a sales conversation? Have you ever noticed that most people talk in general terms? The drawback is when we do this, we make it very hard for the other person to…

Read More

Get Paid Without Asking For Money

get paid

Has this ever happened to you? You’re working with a client, and as you wrap up your time together, you realize it’s time to get paid. You start feeling anxious about asking for money. Then, you worry you’ll come across desperate or that your client will feel like they didn’t get their monies worth, so…

Read More

Stay On Track: Do You Know Where You’re Going?

Stay on track

When driving somewhere new, how are you at finding your final destination? Do you stay on track? Maybe you have a strong sense of direction and stay on track. If so, I admire that quality in you. I describe myself as being “geographically challenged.”  That means I get lost super easy. Back before we had…

Read More

Rapport Building With Clients: Get In-Sync

rapport building with clients

A simple way to build rapport with prospective clients and deepen your rapport with existing clients is to learn how to get in sync. When it takes less energy (when you are in-sync), your client’s ability to pay attention, converse and ask questions increases. Rapport building with clients is a big part of sales and…

Read More