125: Intuitive Selling with Sarah Walton
Sales: the five-letter word that brings up so many emotions. For today's episode, I'm delighted to be joined by intuitive business coach and sales expert Sarah Walton. Sarah has helped hundreds of women start and grow businesses they love. She hosts her podcast, The Game On Girlfriend Podcast, and she's also known for her weekly YouTube show, Sarah Uncut.
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Show Notes
Sales: the five-letter word that brings up so many emotions.
For today’s episode, I’m delighted to be joined by intuitive business coach and sales expert Sarah Walton. Sarah has helped hundreds of women start and grow businesses they love. She hosts her podcast, The Game On Girlfriend Podcast, and she's also known for her weekly YouTube show, Sarah Uncut. Sarah has become the go-to source of inspiration for no-nonsense teaching and practical integration for women in business. Her mission is ultimately to put more money in the hands of more women.
I’ve known Sarah for a few years, and her perspective on sales is so empowering. In this conversation, she shares her personal experiences with sales and how you can align your gifts, strengths, and talents to create your offers from a place of benefiting your client and yourself. After listening, I think you’ll find sales a bit less scary and recognize that when we engage in a sales process that honors our intuition and comes from a place of integrity, everyone wins.
Topics covered
- How Sarah helps people as an intuitive business coach
- Sarah’s journey to recognizing her calling as a coach
- The decisive moment when Sarah realized she had to choose between her family and herself
- Recognizing the danger of black and white thinking
- Why so many people find sales off-putting
- Redefining what sales means to you
- How intuition can guide you through the sales process
- Sales is a skill that you need to practice
Resources mentioned
- Sarah Walton’s Website & Freedom Calculator
- Sarah Walton’s YouTube Series | Sarah Uncut
- Sarah Walton’s Podcast | The Game On Girlfriend Podcast
- Coach with Clarity Podcast Facebook Group
- Coach with Clarity Collective Waitlist
- Connect with Me on Instagram
- Email Me: info@coachwithclarity.com
Now it’s time for you to show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity! Screenshot this episode and tag me on Instagram @coachwithclarity and let me know what you’re more excited to explore in future podcast episodes!
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TRANSCRIPT
Well, hello, my friend. Welcome to the Coach with Clarity Podcast. My name is Lee Chaix McDonough, I'm your host, and I am thrilled that you are joining me today for my conversation with Intuitive Business Coach Sarah Walton. So I've known Sarah for a few years, I had the great fortune of being on her podcast. Wow, probably about a year or so ago, I can't even believe it's been that long. But the conversation we had on her show was so dynamic. It was one of those experiences where I think we spoke for 30/45 minutes, and it felt like less than five. I just felt so connected to Sarah and her work. And I knew that I needed to have her on my podcast. So I am just so delighted that she agreed to come on and you are about to hear our conversation all about – yes, my friend, it's the dreaded S word again: sales. But I think you are going to find that after listening to Sarah, you're not going to find sales so scary. In fact, my hope is that you even see how sales can support your clients. When we engage in a sales process that honors our intuition and comes from a place of integrity, then everyone wins, including your client. Sarah's perspective on sales is so empowering. And it's really anchored in her own personal experiences, which she talks about in our conversation, coupled with her extensive experience in the corporate world and also as a sales coach. So, Sarah is an intuitive business coach and mentor who has helped hundreds of women start and grow businesses they love. She hosts her own podcast, the Game On Girlfriend Podcast, you definitely want to check it out. We'll pop a link to my interview with her in the show notes. And she's also known for her weekly YouTube show, so you'll definitely want to check that out as well. Sarah really has become the go to source of inspiration of no nonsense teaching and practical integration for women in business. Her mission is ultimately to put more money in the hands of more women. And that includes you. So let's get right to it. I am so excited to share my interview with intuitive business coach and sales expert, Sarah Walton.
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Lee: Well, hello, Sarah! Thank you so much for being a guest on the Coach with Clarity Podcast.
Sarah: Hey Lee! There's nowhere I'd rather be. You know that! I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for having me.
Lee: Oh, my goodness, I have been looking forward to this conversation for quite some time. But before we get into all of that, let's start at the very beginning. Tell us a little bit about yourself and the work that you do for the world.
Sarah: Yes, ma'am. So I am an intuitive business coach, which means I don't have a plan. I mean, I have a lot of plans, right? But like people are like, but what's the process? And I'm like, it depends on you! You know? That people come at different points from their business to come and talk to me about how to grow their business or grow themselves in order to match the growth of their business. And I'm a sales expert. I love love, love teaching women how to sell.
Lee: Oh, we are going to really get into that. Because I'll be honest with you, I think I can count on one hand, the number of people I know who are like, “Oh, I love sales!”
Sarah: Yeah.
Lee: Most people that I work with or come across, sales is the S word. So we're definitely gonna dive into that. But I'm curious if this you know, not just your approach to sales, but really your approach to your work and your career? Has this always been what you've done? Or did you start off doing something a little different?
Sarah: Yeah, I mean, I think like most female entrepreneurs, we know, right, there was like the career path you thought you were gonna have. And then that sucked. And so we do something else that we really love. And I think that that's probably pretty close to what happened to me. But I would say, so I was raised Mormon, in Salt Lake City. And so my upbringing was very patriarchal, very much about how women should never work, that was actually said out loud. Like women should not work outside the home. I think that's changed a little bit in the culture since. And I just wanted to be a mom. And I don't say just, I mean, only, not just like, that's a little thing, but only be a mother. And that was really important to me. And then I was the first woman in my family to get a college degree. I have a boatload of cousins, like a lot, a lot, a lot of cousins. I think it's 65. But I really should sit down and count.
Lee: Oh, wow.
Sarah: Yeah, a lot. Right? When I say a lot, I mean a lot. And I was the first woman to get a college degree out of all those women. That's what I'm saying. Like it was just this culture of, you know, women have children and stay home. And that's the deal, right? And that was sort of interesting to me and I loved the idea. And I always knew I wanted to be a mom. But there were so many other things that really interested me and pulled at my heart and pulled at my brain. And what happened is, after I graduated as I moved to New York City, you know, that little small town where everyone just makes it really easily. Yeah, so I worked there for a long time. And I worked at banks, I worked as a receptionist. I decided in college to major in English. And I decided to do that because I wanted to be able to explain anything, so anyone could understand it. That was really the goal for me. I would just watch people, I always had this intrinsic like, just observing people talk. And I'm like, they are not understanding what the other person is saying. And as this develops in my career, I became in technology, right as the tech boom hit, what's called a product manager inside of technology. And what that means is I was the liaison between tech and business. And these were two groups that could not talk to each other. Like it was like one might as well have been speaking Portuguese and the other one Mandarin. Like there was no way they could talk to each other. And I was the middle person.
Lee: You were the translator.
Sarah: I really was. I was like, I understand the technology does this and you want the business to do that. These two things are going to work this way. And I would write the plans and help them understand and also watch how the consumer consumes technology and what's going to work and what's not. So I kind of call this like, you know, street cred business school. I'd work for startups, I'd watch people pitch for venture capital. I understood where the capital went, and why it was sort of an instinct in me to look and be like, “We're not going to get this round because of the way the founder just said that.” And I would be right. And I'm like, How do I know this? I'm this little scrappy girl from Sandy, Utah. Why do I know that and I still couldn't even really tell you. And that's why I say I'm an intuitive business coach, because I can watch it and look at it and understand what's happening. It's a really exciting thing for me to understand how people are talking to each other and where those gaps are. But my moment came when I had this beautiful job, glass office, fica tree, the whole thing right? Like, and a beautiful staff. And people would come in from other people's teams and talk to me in the mornings and I realized later I didn't have words for this. They were getting coaching. And it was things like “My boss isn't listening to me. I want to ask for a raise and I don't know how. I can't get the team to understand what I'm trying to say here,” and I would work with them. And sometimes in the morning, I kid you not, I'd come in with my little, you know, coffee and my bagel. And there were two or three people waiting, and I'm like, what is happening here? Like, I'm not your boss, you know? My team would come in and do that. But I was like, This? What is happening? And pretty soon I realized I only wanted to be doing that part. And I didn't want to do the rest of my work. Like I was like, “Just give me these people.” Like watching them go out and then they'd give me thank you presents or little plants or things. And I'm like, “Oh my gosh, I think I've screwed up somewhere. This is not my calling.” And I was so miserable, leaving my children so much. I only saw them in their pajamas. I was making a lot of money, but it just was not what I wanted to be doing. And, you know, I was raised very, very poor. My mom was a single mom, it was me and my younger half brother for the majority of my growing up. And there were so many times where I watched her not be able to pay for things. And the moment that really sticks out for me was when I was 16. I had got a job at the mall, because I'd made the local dance team and I was so excited. But we couldn't afford the costumes. And so I got a job. And I was trying to cash that first check for the job to make the deposit for my costumes. And the only place I could get cash was at the grocery store. They had like these service desks you could go in –
Lee: I remember.
Sarah: Yeah, well, good. I'm so happy I'm not that old. So um, so we're walking into the store with my mom and my younger half brother and my check. And she says, “Sarah, the strawberries are on sale, can we get some?” And you know, if you're into therapy, I think your head might have just exploded, but that's another conversation for another time anyway. So we're walking in, I get the check cashed. And I go to find my mom and my younger brother in, you know, like the express checkout lane and they're not there. And I'm looking and looking and looking. And I see them in line with a cart full of groceries. And I know she can't pay for them.
Lee: Yeah.
Sarah: So I'm standing there, and I'm like, [whispers] can you hear that? I was like, I'm standing there and I'm like, I can pay for these groceries or I can pay for the deposit on my costume, but I can't do both. And that was the moment at 16 I decided I could never take care of my family and myself.
Lee: Oh my goodness. That's almost like a Sophie's Choice situation
Sarah: A little, well.
Lee: Literally like, do I choose others in my family? Or do I, do I choose me?
Sarah: Correct.
Lee: What a powerful moment there.
Sarah: It was unbelievable. I mean, it really was one of those moments I knew it was defining as I was going through it. Yeah, I remember thinking, Wow, okay. But it was a decision I made that I could not take care of my family and myself. That was not a possibility.
Lee: Yeah.
Sarah: And so as I'm sitting in my beautiful office with the fica tree and all the people coming in, I'm miserable, miserable. But I'm making a boatload of money and taking care of my family. Right?
Lee: Yep, yep.
Sarah: And I had this moment in my office where I was like, “Oh my God, a 16 year old is running my life.” Like I literally was like, I'm out. Like, it was amazing to be in that situation to understand business at that level to watch how I was the higher up I got, the more I was the only woman in the room, except for the head of HR usually was a woman, right? Looking back, I would hire pregnant women to be on my staff because I was like “FU corporations, we are hiring women who are like growing people. It's cool, right?” And I loved having that power, being able to use my brain that way. But I was miserable. And so in that, that was when I quit. Was in that moment when I understood there was a 16 year old running my life. And in my work now, the reason I love to teach sales, we'll talk about that more I'm sure. Because I know it's an odd love, not everybody loves it the way I do. But that skill set, understanding the beauty of sales and the love behind sales is what allows me to make sure any woman who's in my sphere, any woman I have the privilege of working with, any woman who ever sees a YouTube video or listens to my podcast or hears me speak or works with me directly. They are never in the situation I was in that day. And they're never in the situation my mother was in that day. And that that is really what drives my work, is this BS fallacy that women cannot be able to produce at the highest levels and be filled with joy. That is a lie.
Lee: Sarah, I'm just really sitting here struck by your story. First off, thank you for sharing it and, and it is so fascinating how those seminal moments that we have, whether we're children or adolescents, they really are formative. They shape how we view the world, whether we realize it in the moment or not. And then all of a sudden, 20 years later, you're like, “Oh my god, it's the same story playing over and over and over again.” And I think also, because when we're young, we don't yet have the emotional maturity or the perspective, we do tend to see things in binary, either this or that. Either I do this or that. And then that becomes like, just how we operate, how we function. And it's not until we're older and we see that, that we can say “Maybe there's a third way or a fourth way or a fifth way. Maybe there are other opportunities out there.” And I think that is at the heart of what you've created for yourself, and also, what you help your clients create too because I'm sure many of them have their own binary thought patterns when it comes to money and sales.
Sarah: Absolutely. I mean, I think it's part of the human condition, don't you? I mean, we kind of like, I mean, look at the state of the world, right? This one's right, this one's wrong. There's probably 8 million degrees in between that we don't even look at or talk about, right, because we're so busy on the extremes. And I, I do think that does a lot of harm. I think it does harm to us. And I think it mostly does harm to women, to be completely honest, I think we really take the brunt of the good or bad, this or that right or wrong conversation.
Lee: Absolutely, that black and white thinking is at the heart of patriarchy. And so naturally, it's going to affect people who have not traditionally had access to power – women, people of color, minorities and the like. So all the more reason we need to be empowering those groups to have access to that power. And one way certainly, not the only way, but one way we do have access to power is by controlling our own financial freedom. And how do we do that? We do that through producing revenue and through sales. And so that's where you come in.
Sarah: I hope so.
Lee: So tell me more,
Sarah: I love it. Yeah.
Lee: But I'm curious though, like, what is it about sales that not just women we’re gonna say people, what is it about sales that people tend to find so scary or off putting? Or, you know, it becomes, like I said before, the S word. Why do people find it so hard?
Sarah: Yeah, well, it's the examples that have been set that are really the issue, right? What comes to mind for most people, you guys, those of you listening right now, like if I say sales, so many people picture the dude in like the plaid suit, who's kind of greasy and grimy with the big glasses who comes out when you're trying to buy a car, right? Like,
Lee: Oh, yeah.
Sarah: Yeah. Or like, I don't know, I was a big fan of I Love Lucy growing up and there's this great scene where the door to door vacuum cleaner sales guy like throws dirt on her floor? Like she opens the door and he throws dirt and goes, “Don't worry, I'll clean it up with my handy dandy!” Right? So I think those things come to mind. And I think as women have become more involved in business, right, so you said people and I think that's correct. Except for so long, it was a male dominated part of business was sales, sales, sales, right, the door to door sales guy. And that idea that that's really what drove that biz, that part of the business. And I think as women come in, we tend in everything we do. Remember I mentioned there, the head of HR was usually a woman. And that is because we bring in the human element, literally human resources, we bring in that human element, we bring in a level of care and understanding when combined, right? With that direct, “Let's go towards the goal,” one focus, male energy. When you bring those together, it's actually really extraordinary, right? We can kind of combine those. But I think the reason it gets scary usually is because we've had really bad experiences ourselves with somebody who sold us something that was crappy, that didn't work, we felt taken, we felt bamboozled. Like, whatever those words are, and we're like, I will not be that person. And so we've kind of collapsed our bad experience into how other people will view us.
Lee: Absolutely. I mean, just sitting here listening to you speak. I'm reminded of when I was 25 years old, married, and went to buy a car and it was going to be my car, but my husband was there. And the salesperson shook my husband's hand and winked at me.
Sarah: Gross.
Lee: It was so gross. And I remember even at 25 feeling like, “Are you effing kidding me right now?” Like, and then he kept asking my husband all these questions. And my husband kept saying, “You need to be asking her, this is her car.” And, I just remember feeling so disempowered. And I, and I remember and I'm sure that's still very much present for me. Now, I do not want to make people feel small, disempowered, or unimportant, because that's exactly how I felt when I was being sold to or rather not being sold to because my husband was present. So clearly, he's the one making the decision.
Sarah: Oh my gosh, that hurts my heart. Do you know how many times I hear these stories? Women run up to me and they're like “There was this time!”
Lee: I bet.
Sarah: You know?
Lee: Because we all have them. We all have those experiences.
Sarah: Yeah. And it's painful. It is painful. That it is. The being cut out of is also part of why I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be salesy in any way. And I hear that so often like “I just don't want to be salesy,” or “just don't want to be pushy.” And I'm like, “Then don't be.” But that has nothing to do with sales. Those are traits other people have put on this incredible skill called sales.
Lee: Okay, I really want to pause and highlight what you just said, which is that we have conflated the act of sales with an emotional experience that while has been the case, for many of us in the past, doesn't necessarily have to be the case moving forward. And so I imagine then a lot of the work is in piecing out the act of sales as a neutral thing. And then all of the emotional baggage and the thoughts that we bring into it as well.
Sarah: Absolutely. And I actually take it a step further, and say, I don't even think it's neutral. I think it's really positive. And that is because, you know, probably I would assume anybody listening to your podcast, especially Lee like, most people start businesses to help people. Right? Most of the time, it's like, “Oh my gosh, I have this gift, I have this talent, I have this expertise, I have these ideas. I've gone through something that sucked.” All the way from, like, I didn't have a hair scrunchie to this medical device doesn't work well, to houses aren't being built properly. Like you name it, there are people who are creating businesses to solve problems. That's a really good thing. But if nobody knows that you exist, it doesn't help anybody. And that's why I say I think sales is really positive. And if we can wrap our heads around the idea that all sales is, this is my belief and I mean it with all of my heart, all sales is, is you raising your hand and saying I can help with that. And the scenario I give to people is like imagine you're a doctor, okay, you've studied, you're wonderful, you internal medicine. And you're walking down the street and somebody is on the side of the road bleeding out. You just walk by and go, “I don't want to be salesy. It's fine.” Right? No. You,
Lee: You go offer help.
Sarah: Yes! You would make sure they're okay. And then we deal with the rest of that later. And that's an extreme example, but that is how silly it is. When someone's like, I don't want to, I don't want to talk about what I do. I don't want people to think I'm salesy. It's like, why would you not offer help if you have help to offer? And it's really, as soon as I say to people, “What you're doing in that moment, is actually putting your own ego in front of that person's need.” And they go, “Oh my gosh, well, I don't want to do that.” And I'm like, “Of course you don't. It just hasn't been, you haven't quite seen it for what it is. Like, this isn't even about you.”
Lee: That’s so true.
Sarah: You don't even matter in this conversation. I love you. But yeah.
Lee; No, you're exactly right. I'm just sitting here thinking, wow, that is me prioritizing my discomfort and my need to alleviate my own anxiety and uncomfortable feelings over the other person's potential need to connect with me and benefit from what I have to offer.
Sarah: That's exactly right. And when you see it that way, it gets really easy to sell. All because all of a sudden, you're like, “Oh, I'm not gonna make this about me. This is about the other person getting what they need. And I can actually really help provide that or help facilitate that.”
Lee: That's such a powerful connection to make in terms of viewing sales as something that can serve our potential and existing clients versus it's something that's happening for them, not to them, if that makes sense.
Sarah: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think too, the other part of sales, and I love talking about this – that the kind of the mistakes that we make, as we're going through the sales process is really respecting that person's process. And I don't know that we always do that well, because we start to get nervous. So let's say you share your price for a package, or you talk about your next program, or whatever it is that you're working on at the moment. And the person says, “Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing.” And then you say your price and it goes quiet. And you think they're going “That selfish son of a gun. Who the flip do they – ” That's not what they're thinking. What they're thinking is, “Okay, what do I need to do to afford this?” And what happens is we interrupt their process and make it about us again. And so the reason I love teaching sales is it is such an extraordinary opportunity to dive into personal development, because you have to deal with your ego. You have to deal with your heart. You have to deal with your own fears. And in order to sell with integrity and heart and stand in front of another person and say, “Listen, I can help you.” And then let them have their process and honor that process. It's like one of the best gifts you can give anybody else? It really is.
Lee: Yeah. So I'm curious to go back to something you touched on earlier. You are an intuitive business coach and so intuition naturally is going to be a huge part of your work. I'm curious about the intersection between intuition and sales. How do you see those two things working together?
Sarah: It's everything. It really, really is. So let me start with us as customers first, right? So I don't know if you've ever had the experience Lee, like I've done this. Oh gosh, have you ever read the book, um, You're a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero.
Lee: I have. I've listened to the audiobook as well.
Sarah: So delicious. I try to listen to it once every six months, because it's just so yummy. But she talks about the moment where I think the coaching package she was going for was $80,000, or something like just bananas, and she was making 30. And that all of a sudden, she because she knew this was the best next decision for her. The question wasn't, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is $80,000.” It was “Where do I get $80,000?” And that that flip for her was really important. And that happens when we trust our own intuition and we know this is the best next step for us. Right? So that's us as a customer. And I don't know if you've had that experience too Lee, but I sometimes when I sign up for personal development programs, where I always have a coach, right? So I am looking for a new coach right? Here I'm talking about different things. Sometimes the answer in my gut intuitively is hell no, even if the whole list makes sense. And on paper, it looks like I'm an idiot for saying no to this, I will listen to my intuition, right?
Lee: Absolutely.
Sarah: And then there are times where I'm like, can't believe I just bought that that was really expensive. And it turned out that like quintupled my business, right? There's times it's like, “Oh, God, that's why I felt compelled to do that. I knew it was the right decision.” You've had that experience, yeah?
Lee: Absolutely. There have been times on both sides, actually, where I will be sitting with a decision and I'm like, “There's something about this, I just don't know, it just doesn't feel quite right.” And it's not that there's anything wrong with the person or what they're offering. It's no judgment, no shade on them. It's just there's something inside me that is saying, “Mmm, maybe not.” And interestingly, the times where I have moved forward anyway, and those have happened a few more times than I care to admit. But truth be told, like it happens. I've said yes, for whatever reason, later on, I'm always like, “Ohh okay, this is why this is why my little intuitive nudge was saying this might not be for you.” And again, it doesn't mean it's a problem with the person or the program, it just wasn't the right fit, or it just wasn't the right time. Versus the moments where I just sense kind of in my solar plexus area, it's like something lands and I just know beyond a shadow of a doubt, “Yes, do this.” Even if it's more money than you had budgeted for or more than you thought you were going to do. It's like, my soul knows that this is the next step to take. And then you're right, it becomes not if but how?
Sarah: It's exactly right. Yeah. And we know that as a customer, right? We know that as a consumer, and it's everything from, you know, the little gadget ball, to your new kitchen, I don't know, pans, whatever it is all the way up through really expensive coaching, or maybe home decorating or rearranging things that sort of stuff, is that we just know. And that intuition can guide you through the sales process for someone else as well. And there are times in the middle of a sales conversation, you know, a discovery call or something's happening, I can just look at somebody and say, what, what just happened, right, because I'm with them. And that is so powerful in sales, because if it's not right for them, I don't want them to purchase either. And that intuition, like learning how to lean into that for somebody, is really important. But I think it can also be important when you are clear, and this is where integrity plays a massive role in sales, is when you are crystal clear that this is the solution for them and they're starting to bulk, is to understand what's happening for them, so you can help them make the best decision. And that takes intuition as well. There are times where I'll say to somebody, “Okay, so you do want to be able to take care of your aging mother or buy her homes for her so whatever. But you don't trust yourself to do the work, is that what I'm hearing?” and they'll go, “Oh, God, I really don't.” I'm like, “Awesome. Do you want to start there?” And yes, right. But you have to listen for that. And you have to trust that and that only you only can do that when it's real. Because you know what I say to people in sales and I really believe this is true, if it's the best decision for them it's kind of like you're selling a water heater. Stay with me for a sec. So if your water heater broke tomorrow, right all of you listening whether you're at the gym or you're driving or whatever you're doing just hang on. Your water heater just broke. Are you going to find the money to go get a new water heater by tomorrow? The answer is, of course.
Lee: 100% yes.
Sarah: Of course you are because you're not going without hot water like I don't care how much it costs, get it. We'll call mom and dad, we’ll call the neighbor, we'll call my brother, we'll call somebody, we're getting the money to get this done, right? Because you're not going to not have this thing that makes your life livable. And so in sales, when it is the best next decision for somebody, there are times you have to say, “Are you really willing to go without hot water?” Without saying hot water, whatever it is, are you really ready to do this, and if somebody doesn't see that for themselves, that means our sales skills are lacking, right? And it's not a judgment, it's not a bad thing. It's our job to make sure we are out of the way enough, our ego is not involved in this conversation at all. But it's like, if you see you can help somebody your job is to have them understand. It's as critical as important. And as valuable as that hot water heater.
Lee: That makes so much sense. And I'm also seeing how, there's some nuance there. Because when not done, well, then we go into that pushy territory that so many of us are afraid of.
Sarah: Right? That's exactly right. Yeah.
Lee: So learning to walk that line, learning to do that dance. Well, it's a skill. I imagine it takes practice.
Sarah: Yeah, it does. But it's an internal skill. That's the crazy thing is you think, “Oh, well, I have to have so many practice calls. I got to –” It's not that kind of practice. It's listening to you. It's learning to trust you in that moment as well to go, “Would I ever be slimy with somebody? Would I ever sell somebody something they don't need?” And if you trust yourself, and the answer is, “Oh my God, never, I would never do that.” Then you're going to know in that moment, oh, my gosh, this person's gonna walk away from this. And it could be amazing for them. And then you can just say that, like, “Listen, I'm gonna be really straight with you. I think you're about to walk away from this. And I think that it could really help you. And I think that's going to upset you three months from now. And that's your choice. And I will honor that and be here with you and help you make the best decision. But I've got to be really straight with you about that. I'm watching you do that. And I really want you to know how much I care about that decision for you.” And to follow that up. For those of us that are coaches, if the answer is not me. Awesome. That's cool. I may not be the right coach for you and they may be experiencing something I'm not attune to. Right. And we got to honor that as well. And then I'll say, “Listen, if it's not me, that is, please trust yourself, listen to your own instincts, that's totally fine. Find someone, because this isn't gonna go away at the end of this conversation. And you deserve to have this not be an issue.”
Lee: Yes, I'm just sitting here thinking about how so many of the coaches that I've worked with and clients that I've had have said, “I wish there was just a script, I wish there was just a template, I wish there was just something I could use to make the process easier. So I would know exactly what to say. And I wouldn't screw up,” which is a whole nother issue that we could get into. But really what I'm hearing you say is, while I'm sure it's helpful to have some parameters within which you work, you can't templatize your intuition. You can't script the the nurturing of a relationship with someone, it has to come from within first
Sarah: Correct. And that means we've got to heal for ourselves any times we didn't trust ourselves, right? Anytime we have fractured our relationship with self trust. Anytime we have engaged in self betrayal, that is the extraordinary opportunity that becoming a sales expert provides us. Is we get to go back and clean up all those moments and make ourselves feel so much more whole and grounded and still. You know, and that's a really wonderful thing to do in sales as well is to get super still and recognize that every sales conversation is an opportunity to change someone else's life. And that's why you're in the conversation.
Lee: Yes. And also, maybe it's an opportunity to change your own, you know?
Sarah: Every time
Lee: Yeah, to rewrite those old patterns in those scripts. And I'm just thinking about, yeah, like the 16 year old doesn't have to be in charge of the sales conversation.
Sarah: It would be better if she's not as much as we love her. Yes.
Lee: Oh, my gosh, Sarah, I have so enjoyed this conversation, I have to say, I've been thinking about and talking about sales for quite a long time in the context of my work. But today, you have just brought such new shades to it. Like it's such a nuanced discussion. And what I'm realizing is we talk about mindset work a lot in coaching, and especially money mindset. And really, that is the result of that deeper healing, that you're talking about. That when we embrace that, and we go within and we acknowledge and examine the ways that we haven't shown up how we've wanted. And then we've looked at some of the links that our mind has made between the thought and the behavior and the outcome. This is where we can rewrite those tendencies and it takes work and it takes willingness, but oh my goodness, like the transformation that's possible as a result of that. Like what couldn't you do if you were released from that?
Sarah: That's, I mean, there's the magic right there, right? When you have the confidence, and I do say, especially as a woman, right, because there are conversations we've been left out of, and we've seen it over and over and over. So as a woman, especially to master this skill for ourselves, and all of the self healing that has to come in order to do it well, and with integrity, and heart and love and service. Once this is mastered, it really does become exactly what you just said, Lee, I thought that was gorgeous, is what else could you ever not do after that? Like, it's like, all of your confidence goes through the roof. And it is such a peaceful, fulfilling, joyful confidence because you're helping other people while you're doing what you're here to do. And I don't think it gets much better than that. I just don’t.
Lee: Agreed, agreed. I can see how much this work means to you. I can see how perfectly suited you are. You have, you have found your sweet spot, my friend. And I am sure that people who are listening to our conversation right now are going to want to have their own conversation with you. So what is the best way for people to connect with you and learn more about your work?
Sarah: Well, we have some fun stuff. So over on YouTube, one of my favorites, right, so over on YouTube, I do a weekly show called Sarah Uncut. And it's a little scary you guys, because I just turn my phone on and start talking. And we never know what's going to happen. So that's fun. We love that. That's over on YouTube. But overall, my website is just sarahwalton.com. I love to send people there because right on the front page, if you guys had been scared of sales or money, there's something called the Freedom Calculator that you can snag for free. And it just helps you figure out which number you need to reach yourself in your business to help you feel free. And so I just show you how to calculate that for yourself. And then on the back end of that download are all of the different ways you can start to sell what you offer to hit that number. I love offering that just go just enjoy.
Lee: Yeah, oh my gosh, that sounds like an incredibly valuable tool that you're offering for free. So thank you for that. We will have links to all of your resources in the show notes. And Sarah, I am just so grateful that you've, that we've been able to connect today that you're on the show. Thank you so much for the work that you're doing. Thank you for being present today.
Sarah: We thank you so much. I just, I loved having you on my podcast as well. I've loved getting to know you more and it is just such a joy to get to spend time with you. Thank you so much for having me today.
Lee: Oh my goodness. My pleasure.
Wow, I am sitting here still just absorbing all of the truth bombs that Sarah just shared with us. I really appreciate how her approach to sales truly is anchored in integrity and an intuition. She knows that if it doesn't feel good to you, if you're making the sale, it's not going to feel good to your potential client either. And so she is very much focused on helping you align with your gifts and your strengths and your talents. So that you can make your offer from a place of benefiting all involved your client and yourself. I just really love her perspective. And I'm so grateful that she's on the show this week to share her wisdom with us. So thank you again, Sarah.
And thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Coach with Clarity Podcast. I hope you have found it inspiring and informational and empowering, and I hope you'll stick around for future episodes. If you're not already following or subscribed to the show, go ahead and take five seconds to do that now. Just look for the follow or the subscribe or the little plus sign in whatever podcast player you use. That will ensure that you are subscribed to the show for free, and then all future episodes will show up in your podcast feed automatically. Then you never have to worry about missing an episode of the Coach with Clarity Podcast and we can continue our conversations together. So I will see you next week for a brand new episode of the show. And until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.