Steph Crowder (0:00)

Foreign welcome to the Courage and Clarity podcast. I'm your host, Steph Crowder. I'm a former sales training director who's helped thousands of entrepreneurs earn a living doing something they love over the past 10 years. On your journey, you'll need the courage to be bold, to take risks, and to do what looks crazy on paper. You'll also need the clarity, the brass tacks, simple strategies that actually work. And on this podcast, we deliver both in equal measure. Oh, and by the way, we've got absolutely no time for bs, gross marketing tactics or get rich quick schemes. Just sustainable business strategies for good humans with big dreams. If that sounds like you, you're in the right place. Let's go. Hello there CNC listeners. Welcome to the podcast. This is episode number 115. We're going to be talking about how to start 2025 strong by focusing on the skill of sales. And in particular we're going to talk about my concept of same day sales. So many different things I could talk about when it comes to one of my very favorite topics, not just sales as an entrepreneur, but the power of same day sales. So no matter how long you've been listening to the show, maybe you're brand new or you've been here a while, you will very quickly learn that one of my two main programs where I coach my clients is called Same Day Sales. And inside of that program I focus on what I believe to be a very foundational skill for all entrepreneurs, which is not only learning to sell, which is my personal background as a director of sales training for a tech company who's trained thousands of people and then trained entrepreneurs as well, but in particular the same day part of same day sales. Like why is that important? The art of the quick sale. So that's what we're going to be talking about today and in particular why I think this is a really worthy place for you to put your time and energy. As 2025 begins, it's no secret that at the start of a new year, I think this is such a double edged sword. The fact that we have this like juicy clean slate feeling right where it's like okay, new year, new chapter, new like everything's blank and that's super exciting. But it can also be pretty darn overwhelming in terms of like all of counters have been set to zero. Like for example, I know I've shared on the show before that I do boot camp style workouts and the app that I use to schedule my classes, it keeps track of how many classes I've done for the year. And at my gym, we celebrate when people hit certain milestones. And I gotta admit, it was a little painful to watch that clock go back down to zero. It's like, okay, time to roll the boulder up the hill again. And while that is exciting, because again, it's like that clean slate energy, it also, again, it's overwhelming because there are, I know there are so many different things you could be working on in your business. A lot of you might be thinking you need to go to a coffee shop and bring your planner and brainstorm and like, just really, like get a handle on things and put your head on straight, whatever turn of phrase you want to use there. But today I'm going to make the case into why same day sales. The concept of Getting sales in 24 hours is the ultimate entrepreneurial reset that you need to kickstart your year. Whether you are a beginner or you're more experienced. We're going to talk about how this will set the tone for everything that comes next this year. This isn't really so much about how to do same day sales, but I want to really dig into why it's the key to unlocking your potential in 2025. I know there are so many different things that you could be working on right now and you're again feeling that pull to like, make your plans and chart things out on your calendar and maybe come up with your dream schedule, et cetera. When really, when it comes down to it, if we get down to brass tacks, I'm going to make the case as to why you should put your energy into making some sales quickly. Okay, so let's get into the first, like, little section of this conversation is we're going to talk about why same day sales are the entrepreneurial reset that you need. Okay, so first things first. What are we even talking about when I say same day sales? In my mind, same day sales is the ability to generate a sale within 24 hours. And sometimes you'll hear me refer to this as scrappy selling. So you know that term scrappy. You're getting scrappy with it. You're kind of, you know, coming up with ideas on the fly. It's messy, it's not super polished, it's not incredibly planned out in advance. It is scrappy. And with that, when we talk about the art of same day sales, it is no complicated funnels, no big audiences, maybe not even a sales page, if you can believe it. Just you and your ability to solve a problem quickly. Let me say that part Again, just you and your ability to solve a problem quickly and seeing yourself get paid for that. So I want to really emphasize that this is a skill in your business. It's not just a tactic, it's not just a strategy. It is actually a skill that you can have in your entrepreneurial tool belt that you can pull out anytime. Again, regardless of how many years or months or decades you've been a business owner. Because here's the deal. It's not just about the sale. Because, you know, I might, you might be thinking to yourself, well, like, I don't know how a couple hundred dollars here or a couple hundred dollars there is going to like, make or break anything for me. Maybe it would for everybody's situation is different. But for a lot of you listening, you're like, that just doesn't feel like the most important thing that I could be doing right now. Here's what I would say to that. It's not just about the sale itself, okay? It's about the confidence and the clarity, both of those things. The confidence and the clarity that you gain when you prove to yourself that you can create revenue on demand. When you have that belief in yourself that you can create revenue when you need it. That is such a strong muscle in your business. Because things will get difficult thing, you know, you will have an unforeseen tax bill that comes up any number of reasons. You want to really have the belief and have proven it to yourself multiple times that if you, like, you want to have the thought, I know how to make money in my business when I need it. Because if you don, if you don't have that thought, it's okay. That's why this is a skill. This is an underdeveloped muscle for you. And you don't need to beat yourself up about that. You don't need to be like, well, I guess I just don't have what it takes. Think about it. If this were. If you were wanting to develop muscles on your body, you wouldn't be like, well, I guess I'm just a person without muscles. You might very well be like, okay, well, I need a plan. I need to get to the gym. I need to start lifting weights. Not thinking about lifting weights. I need to actually start lifting the weights. All right? So I know many of you feel stuck because you're waiting for the quote, unquote, right? Time for the perfect offer or a big audience. And same day sales get helps you get really good at eliminating those barriers. This is a really tricky one, and it's something that I coach clients on every single day. It's a sneaky objection in your brain because your brain wants to you to present yourself as an expert. You want to do this, right? You want to be professional, right? You want to do things in the quote unquote, proper order. And while all of that makes sense logically, many times my clients are able to admit, and maybe you're feeling this way too, dear listener, that if you really get honest with yourself, it's a convenient story that you're telling yourself in order to not have to take the action. So if we go with, like, this gym analogy, which I think is just such an accessible one, and I'm telling you, like, hey, it's time for you to put muscle on your body. And you're like, yeah, no, totally, I want muscles. And you're like. And I'm like, okay, well, what you need to do to get the muscle is go and pick up the weights. And you're like, yeah, yeah, totally. But I need to make sure I have the right clothes. So, like, what day am I going to go to Lululemon? Well, I don't have the money for the Lululemon yet, so let me save that up first. All right? And also. Okay, fine, Now I've got the clothes, but I don't have the shoes. So let me do a bunch of research on what kind of shoes I should be wearing in the gym. And what if it's leg day versus conditioning? Do I need two different kinds of shoes? And then once I have the outfit, what am I actually going to be doing at the gym? I know you said to lift weights, but, like, let me go and research 10 different types of protocols I should be doing, but should I get a trainer? Like, I could literally keep going, right? And again, these. It all feels really logical. It feels like, no, no, no, I'm not procrastinating. I'm not. I'm not holding myself back. I'm just being smart. I'm just trying to be prepared. I'm just trying to make a plan. But if you get super honest with yourself, you know what else is an option? Putting on the clothes you have, putting on the shoes you have, going into the gym, picking up a weight and putting it over your head. Right? And look, I get that, like, if this were a real example, you might want some semblance of a plan. Fine. Maybe what you could do is just learn the five key functional movements that a human being needs to do in order to create body composition changes. Right? You could just take that and do that for the next few weeks, and you would see changes right away without complicating things. And so here are some business examples of where you may be hesitating. So if you've been tweaking your website. Right. Well, I just want to get the website right. I want to make sure the copy is really clear or you're creating content. Creating, create. Or think, even worse, thinking about creating content. Let me outline all my podcast episodes for the next quarter. Okay. And amidst all of this, you feel busy. You're like, I'm working. I'm sitting at the desk and I'm quote, unquote, working. But at the end of the day, what are you really doing, if you're honest, hoping clients will magically appear. If I do these actions, if I do the website tweaking, if I get the perfect words on the podcast, if I make the right plan, is that going to translate to clients? It's not going to translate to clients any more than shopping at Lululem is going to translate to muscles on your body. And that is just my loving, yet kind of brutal honesty for you to help you see that there is another option available. And I know that option can be terrifying because a lot of you are thinking, I don't have what. It's like. I'm not ready. I don't know what I'd even be selling. I don't even know. Like, I. I don't have a structure. I don't have this or that. And the question I want to ask you is, what if you could take action today and see results by tomorrow? Right. I'm telling you that you can. And all of that other stuff doesn't matter when you focus on, truly the only one thing that actually matters at the end of the day in your business, and that is figuring out what problems your people have and solving them. That's it. That's all a business actually is. So this matters anytime. I mean, what I'm saying is so important. But why it matters right now, if you happen to be listening in real time and it's January. Well, what do we know about January? Of course, January sets the tone for the whole year. Starting with a win gives you the momentum that you need to keep going. So I actually have the perfect example of this. I'm recording this on a Monday. And for me, I know a lot of you are experiencing this. If you live in the United States in particular, maybe there are other parts of the world, too, where we just last week, Today is Monday, January 13th. And even though we're like basically halfway through January, I literally feel like January hasn't started. Because here, where I live in Louisville, Kentucky, we got absolutely slammed by a snowstorm. My kids did not go to school all week. We had an extra week of winter break. And to say that I feel out of my routine would be a total understatement. And so today, when we are finally back and I feel already like I'm behind and all of these, like, feelings wanna come up that I have all these judgments wanna come up. I knew the most important thing I could do for myself today was make sure that I go to my workout class at 7:30 this morning. And the reason for that is because it's the same reason that maybe you've heard the turn of phrase, never miss a Monday. Never miss a Monday. Why? Because the tone with which you start on a Monday can give you the momentum that you need to power through your week. Now, that's not to say that you're totally screwed if you don't do it perfectly on Monday. That's never what I want the message to come across as. But I do think that Monday is an invitation. January is an invitation not to be perfect. Perfection is not part of this conversation. In fact, I would say that scrappy selling and same day sales are like the opposite of perfection. It is messy, it is quick, it is breakneck speed, it is building the parachute as you're jumping out of the plane. 100%. That's actually all part of it. Okay. And in preparation for this podcast episode, I did a little bit of research that I thought was really interesting around what happens when you get good at creating results quickly. And we're gonna get into this research that I did in a little bit here. But one of the things that really stood out to me is this, this evidence that exists over and over again that when we create results quickly, it rewires your brain to believe, I can do this right? Not, I can do this when I'm prepared, Not, I can do this when conditions are perfect. Not, I can do this as long as there's certainty. But literally, I can do this period. I can do this when it's hard, I can do this when it's messy, I can do this when I don't know what I'm doing, et cetera. That belief is everything in business. And if you're more of a beginner, I know you're thinking to yourself, well, surely this is going to get easier when I'm more experienced, when I'm bigger, when I have more money, but My more experienced entrepreneurs who are listening would tell you that it's kind of like whack a mole, right? You're going to hit one problem on the head and three more are going to pop up. I hate to be like the bearer of bad news. It's all, I mean, it's amazing to grow a business, but if you are waiting for certainty in order to build the skill of selling, you're, you're never going to get it off the ground. You are going to need that belief. I can do this when you have customer service problems, when you're trying to scale, when something goes horribly wrong. You want to have had practice with that thought, with that belief. I can do this. I can do this even when it's messy. I can do this when I don't know what I'm doing. I can do this when I don't have a sales page is going to be a bedrock belief, okay, upon which you can build the more sophisticated skills in your business. And so I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I was writing an email for some of my clients who are going to be renewing into my same day sales program. They've been with me for a year and I was telling them all of the reasons why, reminding them of the reasons why we focus on the skill of selling. Because I have been a business coach for 10 years and there are so many skills that I could tell you to work on. And I know you all know that too. When you're thinking about how to invest and where to put your time, energy and resources, you could think about marketing, you could think about accounting, you could think about client delivery. I tell my clients to focus on sales as the number one skill to build in your business. And here's why. There are so many problems in your business, okay? There are so many problems in my business that is going to continue to be true. That is just the, the, you know, cost of doing business is there's going to be problems. But what I was thinking about the other day is that sales can be the broomstick, okay? Sales can be this broom in your business. And it, the question becomes, would you rather have problems or problems? But with money in your pocket, right, like you choose, you don't get to say, I don't want to have any problems. I want to wait until there are no problems. You're going to have problems. And I will be the business coach who will tell you straight that that's not going to change at any level. You're going to have problems. But would you rather have problems or problems, but with money, okay? It is so much easier to clean up problems in your business when you have cash. It is so much easier to clean up any problem in your business when you have cash, when you're not worrying about how the bills are going to get paid, when you have capital to hire more help, when you have a Runway to breathe and be more creative. And I don't think enough people are being honest about this because maybe it comes across as crass or I don't know, like vapid to say, like money's the most important thing. But I don't have a problem being that coach who's going to tell you the truth, that when you have cash in your business, ask anyone, ask any business owner to tell you the truth. Problems feel easier to manage when you have money in the bank. So let's get you some money in the bank so that when the problems come up, you're not also worrying about the problem of running out of money. And that is why we focus on the skill of same day sales. Okay? So the second piece of this that I want to talk about, that I think makes this conversation so relevant for the month of January, for 2025, for a new year, is thinking about the value of bite sized meaningful goals that create momentum. So here's the problem with big overwhelming goals. And I know a lot of you have, you're like, I want to make a hundred thousand dollars this year, I want to have my first million dollar year. And that might feel motivating for you, it might feel exciting. But at the same time, here is a problem that I see play out over and over again in my clients. Many entrepreneurs start the year with huge goals. It might be revenue goals, it might be audience goals, it might be leaving your job. I mean, just really big, big goals. And a lot of folks set those goals and stop there. And the problem is they don't break it down into actionable steps. And that is where the paralysis steps sets in. Right? And so I want to really underscore the fact that research shows that progress, even even small progress fuels motivation and same day sales is all about taking that first step. So this is where I wanted to share some really interesting research with you that I found about the secret to accomplishing big goals. And that secret is actually breaking them into more flexible and bite sized chunks. So I was reading about this study that was done. These behavioral scientists at the University of California in LA and also another researcher at Cornell were looking at savings programs like bank accounts, right? And what they found is that people are four times more likely to save, four times more likely to sign up for a savings program. When the required deposit is $5 a day versus $150 a month. It's actually the same number when you do the math, $5 a day. So it's telling people, hey, you can have this savings program, but you got to put in $5 a day. People were more felt more capable or more willing to commit when it was chunked down versus telling people, you need to come up with $150 a month. So why is that? Well, these scientists theorize that people may find it less painful to make frequent but small payments than the alternative, which was giving up an equivalent but seemingly larger lump sum. And so why is that? This leads into the belief we have that sub goals motivate people. Okay, sub goals motivate people because the focus switches to committing on small bits of time or money to your goal in the near future. So making a near future goal, which is less daunting than making equivalent but larger and longer term commitments. So what this all translates to is this research suggests that whether goals require taking a single action, a single action in order to complete them, or keeping your nose to the grindstone, sub goals can help you. And this goes into, you know, any kind of goal that you might have. So whether you, if you wanted to run 365 miles a year, that's a lot. You'd be like, that is so many miles. But how much more doable does it feel when you think about aiming for seven miles a week? Same numbers, okay. Instead of another part of this research was folks who were giving volunteer hours. Okay? And, and there was this one sort of organization that required that people volunteer for 200 hours in a year in order to re reach this certain certificate. And 200 hours in a year is really overwhelming for people. Versus when they told people, you need to volunteer four hours a week or eight hours every two weeks on your calendar, people were much more likely to achieve the goal. Okay, so how does this all come back to same day sales? It's really the same thought. So instead of thinking, how do I make a hundred thousand dollars this year? Oh my God, that number is so big. My clients will tell me that all the time. Oh, my goals, they feel so big. It doesn't feel doable, I want you to switch to asking yourself, who can I help today? Who can I help today? And how could I make one sale? How could I make one sale today, this week? Right. If you're A coach? Can you offer a mini session? Can you get one new client? Could you put together a quick win workshop? I want you to balance, especially my clients, I want you to balance the quick win type, you know, projects with your longer term goals. I'm not saying to ditch your longer term launches and things like that, but I also want you. I think it's very important and I do this in my business, I will. I am not willing to go too long without making sales in my business. I don't want to go months and months without flexing that muscle, keeping that muscle fresh of reminding myself that I know how to make money in my business. Clarity creates confidence. Right? Clarity is what turns ideas into action. Same day sales is not just a skill. It's a system that forces you to get clear on your value, your audience and your next steps. And so going directly to people and solving their problems is an amazing way to build the belief that 2025 is going to be the year that you are going to be able to smash every one of those big goals. Right. Okay, so kind of getting into the next section, I wanted to touch on when it comes to the value of same day sales is like the hidden value of this topic. Because I know I've talked about same day sales a lot and it's one of the main things I talk about in my business. But there are a few things we haven't discussed at length that I think are really important. That first of all, it's about more than just money. I really want to be clear about that. Sometimes I think I talk a lot about selling and people might be thinking, God, does she think that there's like, does she think about anything other than money? And the truth is, absolutely, I mean, yes, making sales in your business is, is about money. And I already told you that having money in your pocket is going to be make it so much easier for you to clean up problems. But it's also about more than that. Namely, a sale brings in revenue. Yes, but the hidden value is how it changes the way you see yourself. Your ability to bring in revenue changes the way you see yourself. I watch before my eyes, my clients go from I don't know if I can do this, I don't know if I have what it takes. Can I really leave the job? Can I really be the coach? Can I really do this? To proving to themselves that it's actually happening. When you realize that you can create results on demand, I want you to think about the power of that. Creating results on demand that you hold the power. You stop feeling like your business is out of your control. You stop feeling like it's all up to the economy or luck or the algorithm. And you realize that you are the master, master of your own destiny when it comes to your ability to create results. Think about that. Think about the confidence boost. If you want to feel more confident in your business, this is the fast track to confidence. Okay? There's another piece of this too, which is the real world impact. Think about this. Imagine knowing I love I just hinted at this, but just I gotta hit it even harder. Imagine knowing that no matter what happens, the algorithm changes, the economy changes, launches, fail the technologies, whatever, right? You can still make money because you have the skill to sell today. You're not at the mercy of all of these external factors that, yes, play a role, but nobody can take away your skill of selling today. This is freedom. This is freedom. It's the ability to solve problems and create opportunities whenever you need to. So maybe you have goals in your life, right? Like for me, something very timely is we are selling a house and buying a different house. And everybody who knows that when you are moving and buying and selling and have these big transactions and you have money moving around, not all of which is liquid at all times. Having the ability to make more money in my business, to help my family is a skill that I cannot even verbalize the value of that in terms of being able to achieve my family's goals, being able to achieve my personal goals, being able to do things that would be impossible. I mean, if you think about it, the skill of sales and the skill of same day sales is like having a lever of cash flow that you can just know how to pull in your business. I don't mean to make it sound so easy, like it's a slot machine or something, or an atm. I mean, it's not that simple exactly, but. But I mean, I guess it is simple, it's just not. It's not that easy. But it is simple actually, right? Like knowing how to go to people and solve problems so that you can create cash flow for whatever reason, right? It can be personal, it can be a cause you believe in. It can be wanting to help our world. It can be anything. This is freedom that no W2 that no 9 to 5 can ever give you. And I think that is the most amazing thing about entrepreneurship that keeps me coming back over and over again, even when I've been tempted by the quote unquote stability of a job. This is freedom that cannot be replicated in a 9 to 5 job, right? What's possible when you master this skill is. I mean, the sky's the limit, right? It's not just about today. It's not just because you might be thinking like, well, like, who cares if I make $400 in a day or $500 or even $5,000? You're like, okay, that's not going to get me to $100,000. Right, fair point. But think of it this way. What if this one skill is the foundation for everything else that you're going to do? Bigger offers, group programs, scaling 100k, 1 million, whatever your big goals are, they all start with one small win. So I want you to just ask yourself, what is one action, just one that you could take today that might result in a sale by tomorrow? Just one. I'm gonna tell you what mine is. I am doing a sales call. I'm doing a, you know, I call it a next steps call with a previous client of mine who I think would be a great fit for my mastermind. I reached out to this person and I've been thinking of people that I, you know, from like my previous sort of time working with them and inviting them to, to work with me again. I have a call set up with someone who I think could be a great fit. We're gonna see, right? What's just one thing that you could do today? Is there one person you could reach out to? Is there one post that you can make? Is there one idea that you can go to your Facebook group and say, hey, I've been kicking this idea around. Like, what do you think? Right? Here's the deal. It doesn't have to be perfect. And in fact, it shouldn't be perfect. If you're waiting for perfection, you're not doing it right. It just has to be something. Just like walking into the gym on this Monday, January 13, where it feels like a second start to the new year for parents like me. Just going through the doors of the gym like I did this morning, it wasn't pretty. I felt like I was gonna puke my guts up. But you know what? I did it and I ripped that band aid off. Somebody out there I know needs to hear that. You gotta get out there and rip that sales band aid off. Go make your first sale of 20, 25. If you haven't, if this resonates, I want you to know that same day sales is a skill that I teach in depth. In depth. It's not just a program. It's a system. It's scripts. It's a whole strategy to help you create consistent wins and build unshakable confidence in your ability to sell. Same Day Sales is going to be, we're going to be doing, you know, a big, exciting sort of workshop for same day sales very soon. You can head to stephcrowder.com right now to learn more and keep your eyes peeled if you're thinking about it. If you want more support in making 2025 the year that you focus on building the skill of sales, I got you right. I hope this has been helpful. I want to thank you so much for listening to the podcast. You've got this. Just remember that Same Day Sales and scrappy selling is more than a tactic. It's a mindset. It's a skill. And it's the ultimate way to take control of your business, whether it's in January, July or any time of year. All right, my friends, I will see you soon and until then I'm wishing you the courage and the clarity to go after what you love.