#69 – What is Authenticity in Sales?

You’re listening to the Deals on Heels podcast with business mentor Lotje Euser episode numer 69.

Good morning! It has been a while hah, since I’ve created a podcast. I’ve been crazy busy during the last couple of weeks. And I needed time to recalibrate to the level where I’m at right now. And to be honest I am still in that process.

Maybe you recognize this from your own business and life, that when there have been so many changes, you need to reinvent yourself again and ask yourself: okay so, where am I now? How am I going to find a sense of safety in myself. And where do I want to go?

And lately I’ve been journalling a lot on these topics, to reconnect with myself, my mission and what I’m here for. Also I have this “fuck yeah” list and I looked at what’s on there and what I want to make happen this year. One of the things that is on that list is organizing a live event. And when I read that again I was like: hell yes let’s do this. So I’m very excited to make that happen this year

I also invested in getting more support, to build my business further. As you know, I always work with different mentors. Because you know, everybody has blind spots. And these can be those little devils, that hold you back on a subconscious level. And of course. we all got them. The question is: are you ready to look them in the eye? 

So I invested in a few masterminds, surrounding myself with more like-minded women. I got English tutoring, because I really wanted to uplevel my English and since all my content is in English now I just want to make speaking and writing in English feel more effortless. As effortless as Dutch feels to me.

I have somebody who’s helping me with video and reels editing. And I’ve also hired a copywriter. I create all my own copy for all the social media channels, I have biweekly copywriting training as well, but to make sure I can even post during busy times – I got myself support on copywriting too. And that felt so good!

So those are all good things in progress, I’m making all the steps to grow further and to become even more amazing at sales, growing my business, adopting new strategies – yeaah it all makes me feel really good and that tells me I’m moving in the right direction!

So what do I want to talk about today? I want to discuss how to be authentic in sales and what that means if you ask me. Since we’re all in sales – as entrepreneurs, as marketees, as C-level executives – we all need to sell something at a certain level. Whether it’s your new offer, your ideas, your investment plan, your projects – you need sales skills in order to do this!

And as you know I’m all about empowered sales, feminine sales as I call it and authenticity is key is that.

But what is authenticity? Because I also feel like it’s a buzz word, especially in the coaching industry, but also when it comes to leadership of course.

So here’s what chatgpt told me: 

Authenticity is a concept that refers to being genuine, true, and sincere in one’s thoughts, actions, and expressions. It involves being true to oneself and others, acting in alignment with one’s values and beliefs, and not pretending or putting on a false facade. Authenticity is often associated with honesty, transparency, and integrity.

Authenticity can manifest in various aspects of life, including personal relationships, work, creativity, and self-expression. When a person is authentic, they are comfortable with who they are, and they don’t feel the need to conform to societal expectations or pressures. Instead, they embrace their uniqueness and express themselves honestly, without fear of judgment or rejection.

Being authentic allows individuals to build trust with others, as people tend to appreciate and connect with those who are genuine. It fosters deeper and more meaningful relationships, as authenticity encourages open and honest communication. Moreover, being true to oneself can enhance self-esteem and overall well-being, as it reduces the internal conflict that arises from trying to be someone or something that one is not.

In summary, authenticity is about embracing one’s true self, being honest and sincere, and living in accordance with one’s values and beliefs. It is a valuable quality that promotes genuine connections, personal growth, and a sense of fulfillment.

And this totally matches with the way I explain sales to my clients, I tell my clients: sell in a way that matches who you are, and what you like and love to do. 

Show up like yourself. And stay true to your own values, while you show up and you sell your offer.

I give my clients permission to sell in a way that they love to sell, without pushing any tactics upon them. Or telling them: this is the way, and there is no other way.

Because there is. There are thousands of ways that you can sell yourself, your offer, your ideas, the project you want budget for in your company – and what I’ve been learning from my own decade of sales experience is that all these strategies can work, but not necessarily for everybody. Not necessarily for you.

And that’s the toughest part because we all want to figure out the how. Clients tell me: please show me the how. Well I can show you how it works for me, but that doesn’t mean it will also work for you.

So In this episode, I want to share with you my vision about what’s authenticity in sales and what is not. And let’s start with what’s not authentic, and what is.

There is this trend in the coaching industry but also in other industries where companies offer customized products, and they’re not willing to tell you how must it costs upfront. 

And I think this is complete BS. I think you can always give some kind of indication at what price point you offer your products or services, in order to make the customer aware of what they can expect from working with you.

If you tell your client  I will tell you in the sales calls, that feels to me like super disrespectful. Because if your prices are high-level and your customer doesn’t have the money, you are basically wasting each other’s time – and most important: you’re wasting your clients time.

It’s not part of authenticity to hide your prices in any way. So I always motivate my clients to be very open and honest about this. To me: there is no reason to hide them and this certainly doesn’t help you to serve your client in the best way.

Some people will tell me: yeah but they get wrong ideas if they see my price on my website, I’m scared that I will scare them off. They need to hear from me personally how much value I offer et cetera. Well that’s all BS. And that shows you have a marketing and messaging problem. And you’re willing to attract scared customers – which I think is a bad idea. Why not just filter them out up front? I don’t think you should persuade people to let them pay more than they’re comfortable with.

The second thing is: sending out cold dms. I think we all hate this right? We get overwhelmed by all the emails in our mailbox and why should we add another stream of unwanted dms to this? I get these cold messages all the time and I do not respond to them. Every message I read is a waste of my time. If I want to work with you, I will let you know myself. I’m powerful enough to take that action

The third thing that I want to discuss what I think is totally unauthentic is not laughing in photos to maintain a certain image, because you believes this creates authority. Wow. Do you know the “lawyerish” type of photos? Like on that Netflix series suits? Where all the people stand with their arms crossed, like the powerpose. 

Damn to me, you can be powerful when you’re laughing in your photos / or doing other things, looking another certain way. As long as you are yourself. That is what authenticity is. I show up on my photos exactly as I am, as I dress, as I walk, as I look. It’s just me. And it sells, because authenticity sells. People love to see realness. And I think this is super powerful if you can show up, exactly how you are.

Another thing that feels super unauthentic to me, is to letting people believe they’re losers if they can’t make the investment to work with you. Like daaamn. I’ve been here myself. I wanted to work with this coach, but she was a bit overpriced and it left me with the feeling like: if you don’t believe you will earn this investment back, well then you’re just a loser. It was horrible. I really felt super defeated. And I doubted my self. I was like: daang, if I don’t believe myself I can make this money, wtf am I doing? But later on I realized like: I wasn’t ready to carry that price. To carry that investment. And that was perfectly okay. I want my clients to feel like a full YESS when they decide to work with me. And let them decide upon themselves. That is powerful. And then it’s an authentic decision as well, because they make it. I’m just helping them to make an informed decision. But I’m nowhere persuading them.

And there’s this other thing like: investing should feel challenging. I call that BS as well. Yes, when you close a big deal, it feels challenging perhaps. And you’re super determined to deliver. So that’s good. And it motivates you to make it happen but investing should above anything else just FEEL GOOD!!

And the last one I want to discuss today: telling people your way, product, offer is the only way that works. That is BS. You don’t even know the other thousands of alternatives. When you say: my way is THE way, you put yourself on a pedestal. It’s not empowering at all. And it’s not authentic as well, because you’re not being completely honest. Sometimes when a client or customer is hesitating between my offer or someone else’s I just tell them: I don’t know the other offer – but I know this: if you work with me I’m in for 100% to make this happen with you. And if you feel the same way, then I feel this could be a really great match.

And sometimes, I hesitate. And I don’t know if I’m the best match. And in those cases I tell them that. And that’s where I think honesty and openness plays such a big role. And makes your more authentic if you can get very real and honest with your potential client or customer.

Wow – so I’m curious what kind of thoughts come up with you right now. If you recognize the things I have summed up here. Maybe you even get triggered a bit or you disagree with some things. All good of course, this is really how I feel about these topics. So feel free to share your thoughts with me about this episode through email/ or DM on LinkedIn or Instagram. I love to hear more about what your thoughts are on these topics.

And if you want to know more about working with me, scaling your sales the fun way, you can schedule a call through my website: www.lotjeeuser.com. And I have offers at every level, so don’t hesitate to get in touch to know more.

I want to thank you for listening to this episode! And I wish you an amazing week, filled with closing a LOT of deals!!