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Skyrocket Your Sales

Skyrocket Your Sales

Business Development, Mindset

Skyrocket Your Sales

To Sell Is Human

When I say sales, you say…. ?

For many, the word sales conjures images of those pushy “I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty” cold callers. This negative association can lead to deep-seated resistance and limiting beliefs around the concept of selling, significantly impacting your ability to drive revenue in your own business.

But what if you could shift that perception? What more could you accomplish if you believed that to sell is, actually, human?

Historically, the concept of selling has often been associated with manipulation by corrupt corporations, an image perpetuated by media portrayals (who doesn’t love a good “I can’t believe that really happened!” episode of Dirty Money?).

However, the stereotypical snake oil salesman view of sales is outdated and ignores the fundamental purpose of sales… a tool for solving problems and meeting client needs. 

In bestselling author Dan Pink’s book To Sell is Human, Pink argues that everyone works in sales – whether you’re selling a product, an idea, or yourself. 

When you adopt the mentality that sales doesn’t have to be directly related to the “ching” of another Stripe notification, that it really is more about how you solve others’ problems, you become unstoppable.

Before we dive into how to become unstoppable, let’s chat about the two most common resistances to sales.

The Fear of Rejection

One of the most significant psychological hurdles in sales is the fear of rejection. 

This fear can stem from deep-rooted subconscious mechanisms designed to keep your nervous system feeling safe. For online business owners, every sales pitch can feel like a personal risk, with the possibility of hearing “no” feeling like a threat to your identity and self-worth.  

Having a fear of rejection may discourage you from actively marketing and selling your offerings.

The Mismatched Mindset

Does this sound familiar? 

“I absolutely LOVE creating products/services that [solve a specific problem for a specific client]!” or “People keep asking me for advice on [specific problem] and I love being able to help!”

Most entrepreneurs start their business based on a strong passion for solving problems and helping others, not necessarily focused on the bottom line of selling products and services. This mismatch between your self-perception as a problem solver compared to seeing yourself as a salesperson creates a cognitive dissonance – leading to a feeling that your work should speak for itself, resulting in avoidance of implementing any sort of direct sales tactics.

So how can you start to shift your perception of sales to a more healthy outlook that helps fuel your business?

Let’s start by reframing the concept of sales.

Instead of viewing sales as needing to convince or manipulate prospective clients into buying something they don’t want or need, look at sales from the lens of providing a solution to a problem.

 

This ties directly back to the entrepreneurial motivation to help others, alleviating much of the psychological discomfort associated with selling. This shift in perspective turns sales into an act of empathy and understanding, aligning the solutions that you have to the problems that prospective clients express a need to solve.

This leads to the next perspective shift; consultative selling.

Instead of traditional, stereotypical sales tactics, online business owners should focus on building authentic relationships with prospective clients. Invite clients to engage in genuine conversations about their desires – and not just the desires they express on the surface, but the intrinsic needs underlying those desires. Understanding the root cause of your prospective clients’ desires helps you determine whether your products and services can meet their needs.

Approaching the sales conversation as a consultation helps build connection and foster trust, rather than leave you feeling like you’re forcing a transaction.

Understanding your specific limiting beliefs around sales can help you create your own reframes! 

By redefining sales in a more positive light, you’ll be able to integrate authenticity into your sales tactics and show up more confidently — turning sales into a powerful tool for growth and connection.

Love of Money…

Love of Money…

Mindset

Love of Money…

Is the Root of All Evil?

If you grew up anytime between the 1800s and today, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times from well-meaning grandmothers and elementary school teachers : “money is the root of all evil.”

It’s a saying that has echoed through generations, shaping our perception around money, imprinting a sense of guilt or shame around wealth.

“It’s rarely about the money,” Money Breakthrough Coach Sarah McGirr said. “People think [they have] a money problem, but it’s not.”

Sarah went on to tell me that money isn’t the root of all of our problems, after all… our perception of it is. And for women, our perception of money is often more multi-layered than the plot of a Leonardo DiCaprio movie.

But why is this?

“For women, we’re conditioned early on that we’re not enough,” she said.

Think about the ads that you were exposed to as a teenage girl – makeup campaigns that promote whatever standard of beauty is popular at the time and fashion spreads full of barely-there models (don’t even get me started on the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show… why was I so captivated by these women?).

Not to mention all of the gender-norm conditioning both girls and boys are exposed to from an early age.

Society has given us a set of standards and expectations to live by, and when we stray from those standards – say by making double your husband’s salary, for example – we’re looked at as different.

“It’s the fear of leaving the tribe,” Sarah said. “No one wants to be looked at as different from the tribe. It’s the ‘what will my friends think?’ concept.”

Societal pressures. Gender stereotypes. Deeply rooted self-worth issues.

It’s the perfect storm of subconscious conditioning that affects every area of our lives, including manifesting as an extremely toxic relationship with money.

 

Fun fact :
the actual saying

“For the love of money is the root of all evil” is centuries old, originating from the book of Timothy in the Bible, with other variations of this verse found in multiple religious texts… so your grandmother was, in fact, not the first to coin this phrase

But how do we start to repair this relationship?

“Start by writing a letter to money,” advises Sarah. “You’ll often find it helps you uncover your relationship with money. You’ll be surprised at what comes up.”

Identifying your conditioning around money – your “money stories” as they say in the biz – is the first step in changing the narrative.

Understanding and reclaiming our money stories allows us to make more empowered decisions and begin to rewire that old subconscious conditioning.

In the end, money is just a tool. It’s a resource that can provide more freedom, options, and better opportunities. When we learn how to let go of the shame and guilt around money, and stop building it up into this thing bigger than what it is – a tool – we begin to shift our perception of money more positively.

And who doesn’t want a more positive relationship with money?

Money Mindset Activity:

Write your letter to your money; write whatever comes up as you think about what you’d like to say to your money.

+ What would you like to tell it?

+ What would you like to ask it?

+ How are you currently feeling about your relationship?

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Love of Money…

Love of Money…

It’s time to unpack your money story. Money isn’t the root of all of our problems… our perception of it is. And for women, our perception of money is often more multi-layered than the plot of a Leonardo DiCaprio movie.

read more

Money May I?

Money May I?

Mindset

Money May I?

How To Stop Asking Your Bank Account for Permission

In a world where anyone can claim to be a financial guru on TikTok, you’re sure to see a lot of advice flying around; from budgeting techniques like the envelope method to saving spare change in a ‘Treats Jar’ (you won’t catch me paying for my Starbucks in 545 pennies!), it’s easy to feel like your bank account is the boss.

But what if you could shift that narrative?

What if you could move from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance, allowing money to work for you?

Success Advisor Louisa Havers has a few tips for creating a daily practice on how you can stop asking your bank account for permission, and start feeling more empowered when it comes to your money.

Rewrite Your Money Story

“The subconscious has a 100% success rate in delivering our programming,” Louisa said, reiterating what you learned in the last article.

Everyone has a money story – your beliefs around money that have rooted themselves into subconscious programming.

Now, it’s time to rewrite that narrative.

After you’ve identified the limiting beliefs you have around money, replace them with empowering affirmations – such as “I am a magnet for financial abundance” and “money comes to me in unexpected ways.”

When you catch yourself running your old, negative programming around money :

1. Recognize that it’s just a thought that you keep thinking

2. Acknowledge the thought and let it go (I like to picture it as a cloud floating away… don’t knock it until you try it!)

3. Replace the thought with your new empowering affirmations

The more you do this, the easier it becomes until one day you realize those negative beliefs don’t even pop up anymore!

“I am a magnet for financial abundance”

“money comes to me in unexpected ways”

Visualize Financial Success

Visualization is a powerful tool in building a more abundant mindset. Dust off those daydreaming muscles and spend a few minutes each day visualizing what your life would be like after you’ve achieved your goals.

How do you feel? What do you see? What do you hear? How do you show up differently?

For an extra potent punch, Louisa recommends practicing fully embodying the feelings you would have after achieving your goals. This helps to prime your nervous system to feel safe in a new reality, she said.

Let your mind run wild as you meditate in your visualization and let your subconscious start to noodle on how to accomplish these dreams. You may be surprised at the unexpected opportunities that start popping up for you!

Set Bold Financial Goals

Instead of setting safe financial goals that keep you in your comfort zone, why not dream big?

Because you’re worthy, lady!

Whether it’s doubling your monthly income, saving for a dream vacation, or investing in your own business, set goals that excite and motivate you. Bold goals inspire bold actions, and you’ll soon find yourself making financial choices that support your biggest dreams.

Forget about the how, and focus on the specific goal.

One tip from Louisa; “imposter syndrome is a signal you’re going in the right direction,” she said.

Imposter Syndrome is the feeling of self-doubt in a specific situation; it often pops up when you are stretching your comfort zone… which is a given when you’re on a journey of growth!

Cultivate Financial Confidence

Building financial confidence is like flexing a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Begin by educating yourself about finances. Read books, listen to podcasts, and maybe even take a course on personal and/or business finance.

Applied knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in making financial decisions that align with your goals.

You’ll start to step into the identity of someone who makes better decisions around money.

Celebrate Financial Wins

No matter how small, celebrating your victories can help shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance.

Got a new client? Celebrate! Paid off a credit card? Do a happy dance!

Every time you celebrate, you reinforce the belief that you are financially capable and deserving of more success.

Let money work for you.

Adopt these practices today and let money start working for you!

When you stop asking your bank account for permission to live your life, you take control of your money story; you create a more abundant mindset, empowering yourself to make decisions that lead to a more prosperous and fulfilling financial future.

If you enjoyed this article you'll love our digital magazine!

CEO ERA™ – The Magazine is your new secret weapon! Our FREE digital magazine isn’t just a read… it’s an experience. Each issue is carefully crafted for the bold and brilliant entrepreneur ready to take their purpose-driven business to skyscraping heights! Packed with a punch of wit, pop-culture references and (most importantly) actionable insights – it’s like having a business coach, motivational speaker, and business bestie rolled into one. With CEO ERA™ – The Magazine in your inbox, stepping into your CEO ERA isn’t just possible… it’s inevitable.

Subscribe!

Related Articles

Related

Skyrocket Your Sales

Skyrocket Your Sales

,

When I say sales, you say…. ? For many, the word sales conjures images of those pushy “I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty” cold callers. This negative association can lead to deep-seated resistance and limiting beliefs around the concept...

read more
Love of Money…

Love of Money…

If you grew up anytime between the 1800s and today, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times from well-meaning grandmothers and elementary school teachers : “money is the root of all evil." It's a saying that has echoed through generations, shaping our perception...

read more

Get Clear on your Mission and Vision

Get Clear on your Mission and Vision

Business Development, Mindset

Get Clear on your Mission and Vision

One of the most important things you can do for yourself and as the leader of your business is set a compelling mission and vision… and yes, IMO it’s important to have both!

Whether you’re a one-man/woman show (like me!) or oversee a small team, having a strong mission and vision will not only attract potential clients/customers, but also the right employees (if and when you’re ready to scale) that align with what you’re trying to accomplish.

 So what’s the difference between the two?

Your vision statement is the ambitious and inspiring picture that you paint of a future where your product/service has made a difference in the world. It should be descriptive and also tie into your purpose.

A mission statement acts as the roadmap for achieving your vision, by defining what you do and how you do it. It should be concise and include a general statement around your core values 

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”

– George Washington Carver

Together, your mission and vision statement act as a powerful manifestation for what you want to achieve.

The ability to articulate your  mission and vision in a compelling way is crucial for your business’ success. 

Once you’ve nailed down your mission and vision statements, every decision you make in your business should be in the pursuit of that vision. In many ways, this should make decision-making easier for you! 

When you know where you’re going, you’ll know the path to get there…

but the path may not always be clear.

Let’s be real; building a business is hard.

There’s a quote by Joseph Campbell that I’ve been holding on to that goes “if the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”

When I get overwhelmed with my mile-long ‘to do’ list or am unsure of a critical business decision, I’ll look at the post-it note with this quote and remind myself that I left comfortable (my corporate job) to pursue growth through the uncomfortable (starting two of my own businesses).

You can read more about this in my last post, here. 

    Another thing that has kept me focused and motivated to continue when things get tough are my business’ values.
    Much like personal values, business values help potential clients and consumers relate to your business, humanizing your business and building trust with your audience.
    My personal values and business values are similar because I believe your business is an extension of you and your ideas.

My business values for Montgomery Consulting:

+ Lead by Example – “walk the walk, and talk the talk” has always been important to me, this is also a huge personal value of mine. I believe the only way to live authentically is to live in congruence with your beliefs. If you’re not living in congruence with your beliefs, you’re subconsciously telling yourself that you are not worthy.

+ Do More of What You Love – there’s nothing like working and living in your “flow state,” the mental state of working in your Zone of Genius! (Read more about how to lean into your strengths to boost productivity here)

+ FCHWPO – I stole this from my favorite NBA player but tweaked it a bit to fit my mentality; it stands for “focus, commitment, hard work pays off.” This is the mindset that I try to embody and coach my clients to live every. single. day.

The combination of a clear vision and mission, coupled with anchoring to your values will make decision-making sooooo much easier!

Every decision that you make should be in alignment with these three filters. 

 

Create a quick check for yourself — whether it’s while you’re weighing an important business decision or battling with yourself on whether or not to get your butt to the gym — and assess how closely you’re living in alignment to these criteria. 

This will move you from living unintentionally to living an intentional and purposeful life.

Here’s your homework:

1. Write down the vision that you have (in your life and business) for the next six months, 12 months and three years. What does your life look like? How do you feel every day?

2. Next, create your mission statement — reminder, this is what and how you will reach your vision.

3. Identify your values. Think about your highest self, who is she/he? What’s important to them? How do you make people in your life feel?

4. Write all of these down and reflect on them often! ** These don’t have to be set in stone, it’s ok if your vision changes over the years as you and your business grow. Your values may also change depending on major life events or experiences. Embrace it!

 

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CEO Hours

CEO Hours

Business Development, Mindset

CEO Hours

The Easiest Way to Make More Intentional Progress in your Business…

I get it… you’re an extremely busy business owner, maybe even balancing a full time job and/or a family with growing a business that you’re truly passionate about. 

If you’re like me, you have an ever-growing ‘to do’ list and it never feels like there are enough hours in the day. Maybe you’re not the type to sacrifice time spent with your family or doing other things you enjoy (for me, it’s nightly homework time and reading Nancy Drew with my daughter) but you always feel a nagging guilt, like you should be more productive during this down time.

You’re not alone. 

Today’s “hustle culture” has completely warped the way that we view success – it’s unhealthy and unrealistic. 

Yes, there are teenagers making millions off of YouTube or TikTok but those are exceptions and not the norm. The reality is social media perpetuates the “get rich quick” and “earn six figures in passive income” storyline, constantly bombarding us with success stories and curated images of achievement that only leads to comparison and a feeling that you’re behind.  

I’m here to tell you that you CAN be successful without subscribing to hustle culture… but you have to be intentional and disciplined with your time. 

That’s where implementing my ‘CEO Hours’ system into your week can be extremely beneficial. (This works for keeping you organized and on top of your ‘to do’ list in life and business btw)

What are ‘CEO Hours,’ you may be asking?

In its simplest definition, it is an hour of blocked focus time at the beginning and end of each work week.

On Monday morning (or whatever the first day of your work week is), your ‘CEO Hour’ should be used to :

  1. review your monthly and quarterly goals
  2. analyze your progress towards your monthly goals
  3. review the items on your ‘to do’ list that will move you towards accomplishing those goals 
  4. use the remaining time in that hour to block additional focus time throughout your week and schedule when you will be dedicated to completing those ‘to do’ list tasks OR
  5. determining who you will delegate specific tasks to
CEO Hour

On Friday morning (or whatever the last day of your work week is), your ‘CEO Hour’ is dedicated to : 

  1. reviewing the progress you’ve made on the plan you created Monday morning
  2. prioritizing any tasks that remain unfinished for the week that must be completed by the end of the day
  3. reflecting on what did/did not help you accomplish your plan for the week (having a mini “retrospective” session can be hugely beneficial to identify what helps you be successful!)

‘CEO Hours’ are NOT “office hours”…

One thing I want to stress is that ‘CEO Hours’ are NOT “office hours,” when you are available to your employees, partners, service providers etc.

‘CEO Hours’ should be dedicated to you, as the visionary leader of your business. This time is meant to push you to work on your business and not in your business – which is critical for the success and growth of your business. (How many times can I say “business” in this blog post?)

I know it may seem counterproductive and wasteful to block hours for “thinking,” but I promise you that (when done correctly) these hours spent strategizing will ultimately increase your efficiency and accelerate progress made towards accomplishing your goals!

Give this framework a try for the next quarter and see for yourself! Feel free to adapt and create your own version that works best for you and your business. Come back and let me know how it goes!

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Your Future Self is Thanking You

Lifestyle, Mindset

Your Future Self is Thanking You

The amount of times I’ve seen America Ferrera’s Barbie monologue on social media this past week has been astonishing. 

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, in a nutshell, America Ferrera delivers a (what feels like) 10 minute speech on the double standards of being a woman in today’s society. [I’ll copy the full monologue below for those of you that are interested]

Talking to Barbie, it begins with “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”

If you thought Barbie was going to be a two hour, light-hearted comedy that you would walk out of feeling uplifted and cheerful… you are mostly right. However, Greta Girwig, the film’s Director, did a great job of sprinkling in gut-punching satirical parallels to what women experience in today’s day and age.

What resonated the most with me was a line towards the end of the monologue where Ferrera states “I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.”

That got me thinking about all of the ways I may be subconsciously trying to people-please – in business and in life! 

A ‘CEO Mindset’

For context, this past summer I really started working on my self-concept. Self-concept is defined as “an idea of the self, constructed from the beliefs one holds about oneself and the responses of others.” It includes components such as 1. self-esteem, 2. personal identity, 3. body image and 4. your role in society. 

I realized that if I was going to bet on myself and take time “off” from working in corporate to build my businesses, then I also needed to build an extremely strong success mindset – or what I’m referring to as my ‘CEO Mindset!’

‘Be your Future Self Now’

What I learned was that we can literally rewire our brains (through neuroplasticity) to support whatever self-concept we choose. To do so, you need:

  1. Clarity on the self-concept that you desire
  2. Affirmations, habits and routines that support this self-concept
  3. Discipline in affirming and practicing your desired identity in the now

In his book Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation, Benjamin Hardy says “in all instances, humans act as we do based on the future we see for ourselves.” Meaning, the decisions we make every day should be, theoretically, in alignment with the future that we desire to create for ourselves. 

We can’t all be David Goggins…

Hardy goes on to say, “your view of your Future Self is the compass that draws you forward.”

If you read my latest article on LinkedIn [link], you’ll know that I’ve been training for a half marathon this coming November. This will be my third half marathon in the last two years and I wanted to push myself to drop more time. 

Since we can’t all be David Goggins and go from the couch to a 100 mile ultra-race, I’ve been training more for this half marathon than the others. However, the biggest game changer for me this time around has definitely been my mindset. (Which Goggins credits for his amazing physical accomplishments in his book Can’t Hurt Me… seriously, the man has mastered the concept of “mind over matter”)

This time around, I’ve been putting my self-concept practices to the test and have tried to assume the identity of a “runner.” For me, that meant filtering decisions through what I imagined a seasoned runner would do. (If you read my LinkedIn article, you would know that I have never considered myself to be a runner)

For example, “would I eat that if I was a successful marathon runner?” “Would I skip training to go out with friends?” etc 

With repetition and time, these decisions have gotten easier as I’ve rewired my brain to assume that mindset. 

It sounds simple in practice – decide who you want to be and start acting like that person – but the difficulty for me has been the patience and discipline to consistently live and act in alignment to an identity that I hadn’t quite adopted. 

This goes much deeper than “fake it until you make it.” When you’re changing your self-concept to serve you more positively, a lot of resistance, doubt and fear will come up. But when you persist in fully embodying your Future Self, you’ll start to notice that your reality begins to match your mindset. 

Try it out and let me know what you think! If you’re working towards a specific goal or just want to level-up in your life, decide who you need to be (this is your Future Self) and how that person would act. Check out the following questions to give you more clarity ————->

Answer:

  • What would a day-in-the-life of your Future Self look like?
  • How do you feel about yourself?
  • How would others describe you?
  • What healthy habits or routines would you have adopted?
  • What unhealthy habits or routines that no longer serve this version of you would you have let go of?

Next, remind yourself daily that you are this person – you already have everything you need inside of you to be this person. As you start to assume this identity, you’ll notice that your decisions and actions align more naturally with your Future Self. 

The Full Monologue from Barbie :

“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.

But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.

You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”

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