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Steph Crowder
Hey there my friend. I got a quick question for you. Are you making sales way harder than they need to be? If you're anything like my clients and a lot of the listeners I've been talking to, I'm willing to bet the answer is yes. Maybe you've been overthinking your offer, wondering where to find customers, or struggling to actually get people to say yes when you do talk to them. If you resonate with that, I've got something awesome for you. I'm hosting a free live training called 3 Simple Steps to Get a Sale in 24 Hours anytime you want one. During this training, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to stop spinning your wheels and instead just make money fast. It's happening on Wednesday, March 19 at noon Eastern time. No complicated launches, no ads, no audience required. Just a simple, repeatable way to turn your conversations into cash. You just have to go to StephCrowder.com webinar get all signed up again. That's Steph Crowder.com webinar it's going to be awesome and I can't wait to see you there. 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 fast hacks, 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. Hey there my friends. Welcome to the podcast. This is episode number 120 and I am so exc to be walking you through a brand new framework I have for you today. And conveniently, the framework is called Sold S O L D. I'm pretty proud of this one. This is my new four part formula to help you make sales simple. Okay, this is what you want to think about. It's going to be four steps we're going to walk through together to really help you simplify the process of getting people to say yes to working with you so you can actually help them so you can bring your gifts into the world so you can get paid for your work. And I want to help you do that faster.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
So if you've been struggling to sell or you just want to get better at it, the sold method can really help you simplify this. Stop making it so complicated and really make it feel doable from start to finish. So for a lot of the entrepreneurs that I talk to, my clients, my listeners, just, you know, folks that I'm having conversations with, sales can really feel like a struggle, right? And a lot of cases, you might be feeling like you're doing all the things, okay, you're posting, you're emailing, you're making your website, maybe you're even hiring. You know, whether it's for paid marketing or, you know, assistance or outsourcing things, you feel like you're busy. Like, it's not like you're just sitting there doing nothing, but you still feel like you're hearing crickets. Or maybe it's not total crickets, but it's just not the level that you're dreaming of. You really wish you could turn the customer faucet on, so to speak. You could turn the dial up on, like, almost like a volume dial. You wish you could just turn up how many people you're able to work with. You're ready to ramp that up. This episode is definitely gonna be for you. This four part sh. This four part series or four part conversation, I. I should say, is really a shortcut to making sales. Now, if you've been with me a while, you know, I'm not a person who's going to sit here and tell you that there's a lot of shortcuts or a lot of easy buttons or a lot of, you know, phony baloney. Like, that's not what we do around here. But when I say shortcut, what I really mean is I keep using the word simple and simplified. It's really a simplified sales process. So in a way, it is a shortcut because you're shortcutting your own overcomplication, right? It's a way to stop that overcomplication in its tracks and help you just go through this whole process of making more sales more quickly. It's so simple, this process, that you could literally make money today if you wanted to. Like, I'm not even being facetious. I really mean today.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
Like I said, I call it the sold method. And by the end of this episode, you're going to see how effortless selling can really be when you follow the process. Before we get there, though, let me just highlight the real problem. Why sales feels harder than it should.
Listener
Okay.
Steph Crowder
Why is sales so difficult? There's a lot of reasons, but I'm going to name three. I mean, I could keep going, but these are some of the big ones.
Listener
Okay.
Steph Crowder
Most people think sales take weeks or months.
Listener
Okay.
Steph Crowder
You think that, you know, you're going to sort of implement this process. And the truth is there are processes out there, like bigger launch strategies. By the way, whenever I contrast this sort of method against longer methods like launching, I don't have anything against launching. I just want to make it clear. I use launch strategies, I teach launch launch strategies. But I believe that you can't just have launch strategies. You need to know how to have like a shorter tail quicker. I call. I've always called it scrappy selling strategy. And what I what I mean by scrappy selling is like quick, quick and dirty. You know, some people call it a cash. This is really my take on how to create cash injection. In your business. It shouldn't take weeks or months. It should take 24 hours.
Listener
Okay.
Steph Crowder
And again, the real reason that you're struggling is probably because you're doing one of these things. You're overcomplicating it. I feel like I've been saying this one a lot lately and you might be thinking, geez, like, is it really, like, is that it? That I'm just overcomplicating it? You would be amazed at how much the overcomplication of selling is keeping you stuck. Okay, that's one another one is waiting for. Perfect. I see a lot of perfectionism in your sales process for many of you, where you want to have the perfect offer, you want to have the perfect words, you want to have every detail pre strategized and pre planned before you go and sell it to someone.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
So we got to work through that. And then another one. Another reason is you might be talking to the wrong people. Or maybe even more accurately, you don't even realize you have people right in front of you who could be a great fit and you're just not talking to them. There's a number of reasons you're not talking to them. You might not know what to say. You might have resistance to it. A lot of people, and you gotta call yourself out on this. A lot of people would rather do anything in their business other than sell.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
You're like, I could tinker for hours. I could learn. I procrastina. Procrastina plan. A lot of times being super busy doing that stuff feels easier than the somewhat difficult work of learning how to sell. Because selling requires talking to people and it requires making yourself uncomfortable.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
But at the same time, a lot of you are telling me you want to make more money in your business. So you really can't have it both ways. You have to learn how to do the hard thing. But the great news is sales can be simple. Okay? The problem is that most people are making critical mistakes that slow them down.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
I'm saying these words on purpose. Critical mistakes that slow them down. I want you to have this thought. Sales loves speed. Sales loves speed, okay? And one of the mistakes you're making is you're going too slow. Sales love speed because it creates momentum, right? You're waiting to make sales. You're waiting until you feel more confident. What that's doing is it's creating sluggishness. It's creating this, like, snaily energy in your business. When the truth is the best thing you can do for your confidence is to go make a sale and to do it quickly, to do it fast, do it messy, get paid, and learn as you go. I know that's going to make a lot of you uncomfortable. I actually coach on this every single day. I make people uncomfortable for a living. Okay? But what I see on the other side, I can promise you is so worth it. It's so worth it because you're like, okay, that was really scary. And it felt really messy. But what if I told you messy is the only way?
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
You want to be confident, you want to get paid. You want to step into the expertise that you're dreaming of and position yourself as the thought leader who's helped so many clients. You gotta be willing to get dirty. You're gonna get dirty, messy. It's gonna be a little gnarly, but you can handle it.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
You gotta stop thinking you can do this without a scratch on you, okay? It's gonna be messy. It's gonna be. You know, I know I'm making it sound a little bit scary, but I'm really just trying to normalize it that it's going to feel like you're not ready. If you feel like you're not ready, you're doing it right. And that's exactly what the SOLD method is gonna help you do.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
So let's break this down. Let's break down our SOLD framework. And by the way, if you want more on this, this is absolutely like a quick and dirty borrowed version of what I teach in my foundational sales training program. We go so much deeper in same day sales. It's a year long. Did you guys know that? A year long coaching program with me where you get all the lessons, the coaching, the scripts. I've been coaching every week, actually. You can get coached by me every single week inside of same day sales. Pretty incredible. Get my feedback, my coaching staff's feedback on your work so that you can get better at this stuff and actually know what to say, who to say it to, and how to say it.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
So just, you know, keep that in mind for same day sales. That is what we do. And if you're listening to this in real time, the doors are opening to same day sales really soon. So you can sign up to come to my webinar where I'm going to get deeper into all of this and tell you a lot more about same day sales. You can do that by going to stephcrowder.com webinar. Okay, so let's break it down. Step one. Step one is our S of the sold framework. S stands for simplify your offer. You had, you had to know that simplify was coming, right? Simplify your offer. Here's the key mindset shift I want you to have on this one. Selling gets easy when you offer something simple and obvious. Selling gets easy when you offer something simple and obvious. If you want selling to feel easier, why are you offering things that are so complicated?
Listener
Okay.
Steph Crowder
Like, really think about that. The big mistake here is that I see a lot of people creating offers that are too big, too complex, and need a whole funnel to sell. Now, again, psa, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with funnels. I, I have used them in my business. I plan to use them in my business. Again, I use more sophisticated strategies. But if you're trying to, a lot of you are trying to get paid quickly. You're like, I'm ready to make money. I want to, like, have the shortest path to making money in my business. I want a cash injection. You have to make it simple. Here's the solution. The easiest thing to sell is what you can do in your sleep. Does that make some of you uncomfortable? I think sometimes we overcomplicate it because there's like a worthiness thing going on here. We're like, oh, if it feels I can't take money, I can't take easy money. Right? You're like, well, I'm a really good coach. I can sit on zoom and talk to people all day long. But like, I can't take money for that. That's too easy. Let me go and complicate it. So I feel like, you know, this energetic exchange of like, I have to work really Hard for it, okay? The easiest thing to sell is what you can do in your sleep. Like, that's your gift, right? And so why aren't you sharing that gift with the world? It's so easy to talk about the thing that comes to you so naturally. So imagine someone handing you cash today. What's the one thing you could deliver without overthinking it? That's a question you can ask yourself, is like, if you ha. If I made you, I forced you, like, you gotta go get, like, someone's gonna give you money today for a service. What's one thing that you could deliver? You wouldn't really need much prep. You really wouldn't need to, like, do a ton of research. It's your wheelhouse. What is your wheelhouse? That's what your scrappy offer should be. You have to simplify it, okay? Inside of same, same day sales, I teach you how to find this. I have a matrix for really helping it, like, pop out at you. We call it your R U N offer, okay? It stands for right under your nose. And also it's it. It spells run. Remember I said sales love speed, okay? So you want to really think about, like, what could you deliver without overthinking it? That's your S. All right, moving on to step two. Your O. Outreach. Outreach to the right people. Here's your mindset shift for this one. If you drop a fishing line in an empty pond, you won't catch anything. Okay? If you drop a fishing line in an empty pond, why are you thinking you're going to catch something? Right? Or maybe it's a pond that's absolutely full of fish, but it's a.
Listener
It's.
Steph Crowder
It's the ocean and you're throwing out a fishing line and you have no bait on your. On your line. Or, like, really like, the wrong lure or again, no lure at all, right? This is what you're doing when you're just posting and posting and posting on social media and wondering why nobody's buying. It's the ocean, okay? There's a lot of delicious bait on other people's fishing boats, right? There's a lot. And look, I'm not saying you can't catch anything using social media, but really, what if you were to think about the ponds, so to speak, the pond that actually, like, where there's actually plenty of fish that you could just go catch right? Now the big mistake is that people promote in the wrong places. Or post and pray. Post and pray instead of talking directly to the right people.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
What if you would stop posting and praying, being so disappointed, and instead of said, instead, focus on talking directly to the right people. So the solution here is instead of selling to the masses and hearing the crickets, dip a toe in the pools where people are already looking for help. The pools where people are already looking for help inside of same day sales. I teach you where to find these pools. They will amaze you. Some people are listening to this. They're like, I don't have any pools. There's nowhere I can go. I promise you there's. You are not the exception. We will help you find a pool where you can go fishing. We call it the dip a toe method. Okay? And so that's what you want to be thinking about in order to. And again, remember the O, it stands for outreach. You need to go to the people. So here's kind of another example or visual that you can, you know, conjure to mind for this. Think of it like being at a party. If you're a hairstylist and someone just mentioned needing a haircut, wouldn't you say something? Right? Like, if you happen to be at a party and somebody was talking about their hair and the problems with their hair, or they're like, man, I just really need a haircut. I don't know what to do with my hair. And you are a whole hairstylist standing there. Is there any planet where you're not like, well, actually, I cut hair. Like, I don't mind if you pick my brain. Like, you would have a conversation with that person, would you not? So a lot of people feel uncomfortable with online business, like talking to people that they already know. We call this using your network or your sphere. And a lot of you don't want to do that because it might feel uncomfortable to you until. Until you know how to do it. Well, then it becomes really natural. But, like, what if it could feel as authentic and casual and aligned as having this con. This. This fictitious conversation. You're a hair stylist and somebody needs a haircut. Like, why are we overcomplicating that conversation? It's the same thing with the craft that you have to offer. Okay, so so far we have our S. Simplify your offer and your O. Outreach to the right people. Let's get into step three, which is your L. L stands for listen, for buying cues. Okay, so I've been writing a lot of emails. You guys are about to get a lot of emails from me. A lot of amazing emails with really helpful sales tips in them. And one of the big things I've been focusing on is listening. The best salespeople are not the best talkers. Did you know this? They are the best listeners.
Listener
Okay?
Steph Crowder
If you think you're a good listener, congratulations. You're going to be an incredible salesperson when you figure this out. So here's the mindset shift for you. Selling isn't about convincing. You feel crappy about selling because you think you have to convince people to do stuff that is against our human nature. When you're a good person, you're not out here to convince anybody to do anything that is gross and manipulative. It's not about convincing. It's about uncovering. Listen to that. Let that land. Uncovering. A lot of you are hearing this and you're like, uncovering. I can do that. I don't want to convince people. But uncovering. Now I'm. Now I'm listening, right? The big mistake here is people assume what their audience wants instead of listening to what they're asking for. Let me say this one again. Cause it's like one of the number one mistakes I just see over and over. You are assuming what your audience wants instead of listening to what they're asking for. Here's the solution. You can use the magic question. I have a few magic questions that I teach that makes people tell you exactly what they're eager to buy. You just have to know how to get them talking. You have to ask the right questions. You have to know what to ask in order to get them to give you the insights that you desire, Right? So really think about that. Really think about how in. In. When it comes to selling, it's so much more about the listening. Here's. I've just been sharing, you know, as we go here, I'm trying to give you some examples of things that you can think about that are sort of adjacent to selling, that are not directly selling. Here's one for our link. Imagine that you wanted to get someone a gift, right? You wanted to get somebody a gift instead of. But like, you have no idea what they're into, right? Like you're. They're a new friend or, or whatever for whatever reason. Like, you feel like they have everything. If you really wanted to nail it, wouldn't you just ask them? Wouldn't you just. I mean, like, I know, for example, I go to a lot of kid birthday parties. My parents out there, y'all get it. If you're friends with the parent, wouldn't you send a text to be like, what's your kid into? Why would you Walk yourself to Target or wherever and get your local toy store and get them a monster truck when it turns out they're really into unicorns. Why waste your money, right? Same in sales. Why waste your time being like, oh, it's too embarrassing to ask somebody what they want. I'm just gonna guess and hope that it works out, right? The most thoughtful thing you can do is just ask. So maybe that makes sense to you logically, but you're not sure what to ask. That's the part that you're going to need to really, like, pay attention to, is to start to ask yourself, like, what can I ask? What? How can I get people to open up and really give me the insights that I desire? Again, we teach all of this inside same day sales. I have so many scripts for you to use that really get your buyers talking. So that was L listen for buying cues. Finally, we have step four. Your D D is directly invite ready buyers. Directly invite is what I want you to lock in on here. Directly invite. So many of you are not actually making offers. You're like, I've been out here, like, posting and trying, but then when I really inspect it and really ask you, are you making offers directly? A lot of times I get a sheepish response, which is like, well, you know, I got nervous at that part. I got stage fright. I didn't want to be pushy. Okay, here's the mindset shift I want to give you on this one. People love clarity. They do. Like, you guys love courage and clarity. Y'all love clarity. I've been doing it for 10 years. Trust me, you love clarity. Everybody loves clarity. If they're interested, they want to know how to buy. If they have a problem and you have the solution, I promise you, they want to know what they should do. They want to be invited, but you're not inviting them because you don't want to be pushy. They're like, I've been walking around with this problem for ages and ages and ages. If you could solve it, then by all means, tell me what I need to do, right? So the big mistake I see over and over is you're hinting and hedging and hesitating, okay? Or like, trying to be subtle, acute with it, cutesy with it, and then you wonder why no one buys. It's like you were trying to kind of drop it in there, like a little clue. Instead, I want you to use really clear language. Like, I'd love to help you with that. Here's how we can get started. Here's what it would look like to work together. Okay, so here's your example for this one. If someone was at a restaurant looking at the menu, okay, they don't need a long speech they don't like. If you're sitting at a restaurant, do you want to hear the waiter go on or the server to go on and on and on and on? They just want the server to ask, what can I get you? What can I hook you up with? Right? Let's get you. Let's get you. Let's get something cooking. Let's get you fed. What if it's no different in your business, you have to be directly inviting. This, my friends, is all it takes to get a sale in the next 24 hours. Simplify your offer, outreach to the right people, listen for buying cues and directly invite your ready buyers. I want to share so much more with you about my system that I teach inside of same day sales. If this is clicking for you and you want to see exactly how to use these steps to make sales today, like literally in the next 24 hours, I want to see you at my free training on March 19th. That's a Wednesday at noon Eastern time. Yes, there'll be a replay, but you got to be signed up. It's called Three Simple Steps to Make a Sale in 24 Hours. We're going to cover the who. Sorry, the what who and how are our three simple steps. What, who and how. I'm going to walk you through this in real time and help you start seeing results fast. I'm also going to invite you to come join us inside of same day sales. You'll learn all about that and you can determine whether or not this could be a really great next step for you to start making the kind of money you dream of making in your business. Helping people the way you dream of. So go to Steph crowder.com webinar to save your spot. If this episode resonated with you, please send me a DM on Instagram. I'm at hey Steph Crowder. You can reply to any of my emails. I would love to hear what you think of the new SOLD framework. And I can't wait to see you at my upcoming training. Until next time, I'm wishing you the courage and the clarity to go after what you love.
Podcast Summary: Courage & Clarity – Episode 120: S.O.L.D.: The 4-Part Formula to Make Sales Simple (and How to Get Paid Faster)
Host: Steph Crowder
Release Date: March 7, 2025
In Episode 120 of Courage & Clarity, host Steph Crowder unveils her innovative framework, S.O.L.D., designed to simplify the sales process and accelerate income generation for female entrepreneurs. This episode is a must-listen for those struggling with sales complexities or seeking to enhance their selling capabilities with actionable strategies. Below is a comprehensive summary of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions presented by Steph.
Steph Crowder begins the episode by addressing a common pain point among entrepreneurs: the struggle to make sales without overcomplicating the process. Recognizing that many listeners find sales daunting—whether due to overthinking offers, uncertain customer acquisition, or fear of rejection—Steph introduces her S.O.L.D. framework as a solution to these challenges.
“This is my new four-part formula to help you make sales simple.”
— Steph Crowder [00:35]
Before delving into the SOLD framework, Steph outlines three primary reasons why sales can be particularly challenging:
Overcomplicating the Sales Process: Many entrepreneurs believe sales should take weeks or months, often getting bogged down by complex strategies and lengthy launch processes.
“The real reason that you're struggling is probably because you're doing one of these things. You're overcomplicating it.”
— Steph Crowder [05:02]
Perfectionism: The desire to craft the perfect offer or meticulously plan every detail before making a sale leads to stagnation and missed opportunities.
“If you have the perfect offer, you’re delaying selling to get every detail just right, which often never happens.”
— Steph Crowder [06:34]
Targeting the Wrong Audience: Entrepreneurs frequently miss out on potential customers by not engaging with the right people or failing to recognize existing prospects.
“Another reason is you might be talking to the wrong people, or not realizing you have people right in front of you who could be a great fit.”
— Steph Crowder [07:02]
Steph details each component of her SOLD framework, providing practical insights and strategies to streamline the sales process.
Mindset Shift:
Selling becomes effortless when you present something straightforward and obvious to your audience.
“Selling gets easy when you offer something simple and obvious.”
— Steph Crowder [10:57]
Key Points:
Actionable Tip:
Ask yourself, “What is one thing I can deliver today without overthinking it that aligns with my expertise?”
Mindset Shift:
Effective sales require targeting the right audience rather than casting a wide, unfocused net.
“If you drop a fishing line in an empty pond, you won’t catch anything.”
— Steph Crowder [13:38]
Key Points:
Actionable Tip:
Identify specific communities or groups where your ideal customers congregate and engage with them directly.
Mindset Shift:
Effective selling is more about listening than convincing; it's about uncovering the genuine needs of your audience.
“The best salespeople are not the best talkers. They are the best listeners.”
— Steph Crowder [16:59]
Key Points:
Actionable Tip:
Develop a set of questions that encourage your prospects to express their needs and challenges, facilitating a more tailored sales approach.
Mindset Shift:
Clarity in your sales pitch fosters trust and makes it easier for interested customers to take action.
“People love clarity. Everybody loves clarity.”
— Steph Crowder [09:03]
Key Points:
Actionable Tip:
Craft clear and concise invitations for your services or products, outlining the next steps for interested buyers.
Steph wraps up the episode by emphasizing the simplicity and effectiveness of the SOLD framework. She encourages listeners to adopt these four steps to transform their sales approach and achieve faster financial results.
“Simplify your offer, outreach to the right people, listen for buying cues, and directly invite your ready buyers. That’s all it takes to get a sale in the next 24 hours.”
— Steph Crowder [26:15]
Additionally, Steph promotes her upcoming Same Day Sales coaching program, which delves deeper into these strategies, offering scripts, personalized feedback, and ongoing support to ensure entrepreneurs can implement SOLD effectively.
“Inside of SAME DAY SALES, I teach you how to find these pools... you can get coached by me every single week.”
— Steph Crowder [09:22]
Call to Action:
Listeners are invited to attend Steph’s free training webinar on March 19 at noon Eastern Time to learn more about implementing the SOLD framework and to explore the Same Day Sales program.
“This is my new four-part formula to help you make sales simple.”
— Steph Crowder [00:35]
“Selling gets easy when you offer something simple and obvious.”
— Steph Crowder [10:57]
“If you drop a fishing line in an empty pond, you won’t catch anything.”
— Steph Crowder [13:38]
“The best salespeople are not the best talkers. They are the best listeners.”
— Steph Crowder [16:59]
“People love clarity. Everybody loves clarity.”
— Steph Crowder [09:03]
“Simplify your offer, outreach to the right people, listen for buying cues, and directly invite your ready buyers. That’s all it takes to get a sale in the next 24 hours.”
— Steph Crowder [26:15]
Final Thoughts
Episode 120 of Courage & Clarity offers a streamlined approach to sales through the SOLD framework, empowering entrepreneurs to overcome common sales obstacles by simplifying their offers, targeting the right audience, actively listening for buying signals, and making clear invitations to purchase. Steph Crowder’s practical advice and actionable strategies provide listeners with the tools needed to enhance their sales processes and achieve swift financial success.
For those seeking to delve deeper, Steph’s Same Day Sales program presents an opportunity for comprehensive training and personalized coaching, ensuring sustained growth and proficiency in sales.
Connect with Steph Crowder:
This summary aims to encapsulate the essence of Episode 120, providing a clear and comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the full episode.