
Episode 39: 5 Game-Changing Steps to Set Clear Goals that Equal Online Event Success
June 11, 2024
Episode 41: Behind the Scenes: What Really Goes into a 7-Figure Launch
June 25, 2024Episode 40
The Black Sheep Method: Transforming Sales with Aleasha Bahr

Are you tired of sales tactics that feel out of sync with your values and integrity?
In this episode, we’re diving into something absolutely essential for anyone involved in sales or client relationships. I’m thrilled to have seasoned sales strategist and best-selling author, Aleasha Bahr, join me for an insightful conversation on transforming sales strategies with authenticity and integrity.
Join us for this thought-provoking episode as we explore how to transform your sales strategy with authenticity and integrity. Aleasha’s insights are a game-changer for anyone looking to build genuine client relationships and achieve sustainable success.
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Resource Links
Connect with Aleasha:
Follow Aleasha on Instagram: www.instagram.com/aleashabahr
Follow Aleasha on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aleashabahr
Connect with Aleasha on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aleashabahr
Listen to Aleasha’s podcast—Sales Is NOT a Dirty Word: https://sndw.aleashabahr.com/
Connect with Jennie:
Website: https://jenniewright.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennielwright/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniewrightjlw/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjGQCVDgaOGsxrqq-w0Osmw
Want to grow your email list or launch your next product to a ready list of leads? Let’s talk
On This Week’s Episode:
- The Negative Impacts of Misaligned Sales Strategies: Aleasha highlights the pitfalls of using sales tactics that don’t align with your values, leading to burnout and potential business failure.
- The “Black Sheep” Method: We dive into Aleasha’s unique sales approach that champions authenticity over traditional pain-point tactics, fostering genuine connections.
- Embracing Authenticity in Sales: Aleasha shares why trusting yourself and doing things your way can set you apart and attract the right clients.
- Rejecting Cold Calling: We discuss the importance of genuine conversations in sales and why cold calling should be a thing of the past.
- Identifying and Handling Red Flags: Learn how to spot red flags early in client relationships and set boundaries to ensure a smooth working relationship.
- Communicating Boundaries and Expectations: Aleasha provides tips on how to effectively communicate your boundaries and expectations with clients to prevent scope creep.
- Shifts in the Sales Landscape: Explore how the rise of consumer skepticism is making traditional sales tactics obsolete and why authenticity is now more important than ever.
- Connecting Service Features to Client Results: We delve into the challenge of linking your service features to tangible client results and how to articulate this in your sales messaging.
- Understanding Your Niche: Aleasha explains the importance of going beyond demographics to truly understand the unique needs of your target audience.
- Navigating Sales as an Introvert: I share my personal journey of navigating sales conversations as an introvert, highlighting the unique strengths and challenges this brings.

Jennie Wright
Lead generation and online summit queen, the host of the Aquire podcast
Jennie Wright [00:00:02]:
Hey, everybody. This is the Acquire podcast from the Odd Phonic Podcast Network, and I’m Jenny Wright. I’m a marketing specialist and a lead generation strategist, and this is the podcast that delves deep into the world of list building and online events. It’s designed to empower entrepreneurs and marketers with the knowledge and strategies to master these essential business growth tactics. Today, I get to talk to somebody who I recently just met in person and I couldn’t give squishy enough hugs to, is Alicia Barr. Alicia, thank you so much for being here.
Aleasha Bahr [00:00:31]:
Thank you so much for having me, Jenny.
Jennie Wright [00:00:33]:
I’m so glad. And just to preface in this episode, sadly, there is some construction going on in a unit next Door to me, so we might hear the occasional bang. I do apologize for it. There’s really nothing I can do. So occasionally, we might hear that in the background. It’s just, you know, sign of construction. So anyways, I’m gonna tell you a little bit about Alicia. She’s a seasoned sales strategist, speaker, best selling author, and the visionary behind the black sheep sales method.
Jennie Wright [00:01:00]:
Alicia believes in the power of authenticity and the principle that if it’s a fit, it’s a fact, and eliminating the need for high pressure sales tactics. With over 15 years experience, Alicia specializes in crafting personalized sales strategies tailored to your unique personality, your target audience, and your services. And she firmly believes that sales should never be a one size fits all. Alicia innovates power sorry. Alicia’s innovative Methods empower business owners to seamlessly convert up to 80% of their leads. Yes, please. All day long. Thank you.
Jennie Wright [00:01:32]:
Without resorting to aggressive sales pitches or pretending to be somebody they’re Jennie to be somebody they’re not. This sounds amazing, and I do sales too. You are the sales, you know, guru on this. We’re gonna have a really good conversation, and there’s a couple things I wanna get into. Are you are you are you excited?
Aleasha Bahr [00:01:46]:
Yes. Very excited. Yes.
Jennie Wright [00:01:49]:
So we recently both spoke at Capt Chauvians live, and I got to see you speak in person. That was a whole thing. It was amazing. You Got up there and you captivated everybody. Their eyes were glued to you the whole time I was watching the room. It was amazing.
Aleasha Bahr [00:02:07]:
Oh my gosh. Thank you, Jenny. You did an incredible job as well. I mean, people were hearing things for the 1st time and getting lots of epiphanies, And I’m just so glad that I got to meet you in person.
Jennie Wright [00:02:20]:
Thank you. Yeah. And my mic I think I had to turn my mic off, which was so much Fun. I had to, like, start projecting to the whole room. Yes. So it was kinda like, we were having reverb. I I think you were fine, though. I think your mic was okay.
Aleasha Bahr [00:02:32]:
Well, at that point, they just said, okay. You know what? The lapel mic is is let that ship sail. So we’re just gonna have the handheld mic, and we just accepted That that was what was gonna happen.
Jennie Wright [00:02:42]:
Yeah. And you had the handheld and you did great. Yeah. I didn’t get the handheld. I, they just shut me off. I had to I had to I had to, like, Project from my diaphragm, which, I mean, it worked out, but, yeah, it was a lot of fun. And one thing that I noticed that people really liked When you were talking to them during this, like, talk, you actually involved the audience. And one thing that you did that I really thought was really good is you were asking people questions like, What is it that you do? How do you connect with people on a real basis? You know, what is it that your ideal client might wanna hear? And you were, like, kind of, I don’t know, coaching in the moment
Aleasha Bahr [00:03:17]:
Mhmm.
Jennie Wright [00:03:17]:
Which I think is such a special thing. Like, it’s a really special skill if you can do that whilst you’re still running slides and trying to talk to people in the room. Like, that’s That takes some mental juggling to do that. Right?
Aleasha Bahr [00:03:30]:
Yeah. It’s, I love it. It’s kind of my weird superpower talent.
Jennie Wright [00:03:35]:
Yeah. Okay. Cool.
Aleasha Bahr [00:03:36]:
Cool. Blessed with the the ability to, like, just workshop with someone right there live.
Jennie Wright [00:03:42]:
I think and I and I love that you went deep with that because I think it really helps people. And You were talking about your black sheet method, which I think is amazing. I want you to tell people a little bit more about that, and we can talk about it. The other thing that you help people with, which I think is like, Comes before the sales piece is really on that brand messaging, and so I kinda wanna start there. What’s the big challenge that people are kinda having that you see with brand messaging. How do we how do we get that in alignment before we start doing a plethora of sales calls and potentially screwing those up too?
Aleasha Bahr [00:04:14]:
Oh, yeah. Wow. That’s such a good question. So a lot of times, Wiehler there’s a few layers of brand messaging issues, The main issue that I see no matter how experienced somebody is with marketing or brand is that they’re not talking about the result that they’re getting somebody. They’re talking about their thing. So for example, the other day talking to someone who helps people heal through their emotional trauma. And so it’s easy to think, oh, they want healing. But, no, they don’t want the healing.
Aleasha Bahr [00:04:45]:
They want the result of the healing.
Jennie Wright [00:04:47]:
Yes.
Aleasha Bahr [00:04:48]:
So they want a supportive family that loves each other even though that might sound like a fairy tale
Jennie Wright [00:04:54]:
Mhmm.
Aleasha Bahr [00:04:54]:
Or something like that. You know? Or another example is, like, summits. The don’t want summits. They want leads For a
Jennie Wright [00:05:07]:
year. Exactly.
Aleasha Bahr [00:05:08]:
Summit is the way to do it. So a lot of times people are missing that result piece of their message. And then the other thing is they talk a lot about we. So there’s a saying, like, don’t on
Jennie Wright [00:05:21]:
your website. Or your website?
Aleasha Bahr [00:05:24]:
Yeah. Or Oui Oui on other people. Like, nobody cares about you. And it can be really easy to think that they do. But, I I mean, if anybody’s familiar with StoryBrand, which I love, it’s about how your the company is not Luke Or The pro service provider is not Luke. And a lot of times people think it they are. They’re supposed to list all their credentials and their and all of their fancy awards, and that that’s what’s gonna make people wanna work with you. But actually, what’s gonna make them wanna work with you is if they feel seen and understood.
Aleasha Bahr [00:05:57]:
So they are the Luke, and you are the Yoda. So you can guide them to being the hero that they want to be. And and it’s not their fault, right, that they don’t have they’re not empowered with the tools or skills or the knowledge or whatever, and you have that To get them to where they’re trying to go. So those are 2 really big ones that I see a lot that once those shift, it makes everything a lot easier.
Jennie Wright [00:06:22]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I think a lot of people lead with the list of, like, The you know, the not the the results versus the benefits.
Aleasha Bahr [00:06:31]:
Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:06:31]:
And that’s a struggle. I actually, and, again, we have banging in the background. Apologies. I just actually had this conversation last week with somebody that I met at Captcha Bien’s Live, and we talked about their sales page. We looked at it together, and their sales page had, the list of everything that they did, and they listed out, okay. Well, we do this. We do that. We provide this.
Jennie Wright [00:06:53]:
You get x amount of this per month. You get this per month, like, email access, and so on. I’m like, awesome. This is great. What are you doing for them? Oh, I I’m doing this service. I’m like, no. You’re not doing that service. What What are you doing for them? And she’s like, I don’t know what you mean.
Jennie Wright [00:07:07]:
Like, you save them time. You save them money. You save them hassle. You’re keeping them from, you know, having to hire somebody. You’re keeping them from having to do this. You’re solving those problems for them so that they have the time to do the other thing. She’s like, oh my god. Like, why isn’t that on the page? Because that’s what people care about.
Jennie Wright [00:07:25]:
Right?
Aleasha Bahr [00:07:26]:
Yeah. So it’s so easy to assume that they’re connecting the dots. So if they get this many posts, obviously, they understand that that’s going to equal x y z result. No. People don’t connect that dot. If they’re getting healing, obviously, they understand that they’re gonna get more wealth and deeper relationships in their life and what no. Like, connect every dot. So every feature literally connect it to the result of that.
Aleasha Bahr [00:07:53]:
I mean, yes, the benefit like, I know features and benefits is an old way of saying it, but it’s kind of like even a step beyond that. It’s like, what do you get Ultimately out of it.
Jennie Wright [00:08:04]:
Why do you think people make the mistake of not doing this before they try and figure out their sales piece?
Aleasha Bahr [00:08:11]:
I think that they just like, there’s not enough information out there about it. And a lot of times, people will just imitate what they see someone else doing. So corporate is pretty, bad about Wiehler weeing. Like, everything is wee wee, and it’s all professional, quote unquote, and dry. And so a lot of times people think that they need to sound like that or they think they need to talk about their money if you’re in the coaching space, like much money they’re making and stuff. Nobody cares. Right? So I think that a lot of times they’re imitating what they see, And they’re like, oh, well, this person’s successful, so I guess this is, like, what I’m supposed to do. And then when you start to look into it, there’s just honestly so much conflicting information out there.
Aleasha Bahr [00:08:58]:
And then also, you’re just so close to it that it can be so easy to forget, The having a full audit before they start work is a huge benefit to them. Like, they it’s it’s easy for them to think that Other people can connect those dots, but it’s like kinda when you start using industry terminology in your sales conversations too, and you don’t realize that people don’t know what that Acronym means or Right. Yeah. It’s just kinda
Jennie Wright [00:09:31]:
Yeah. Yeah. People people don’t and I I made this mistake. People don’t Google lead gen. People don’t Google build your build your list. They Google, you know, attracting your ideal client or something like that or even just, you know, emails. Like, Yeah. Like, all those kinds of things, they don’t do the my industry terminology.
Jennie Wright [00:09:55]:
You know what I mean? Do you think that people are getting their niche wrong?
Aleasha Bahr [00:10:01]:
Well, you know, I have a lot of thoughts on niche, actually.
Jennie Wright [00:10:06]:
I
Aleasha Bahr [00:10:06]:
think that people really only think about niche In the way of demographics and revenue and title. So there are ways to think about niche that are much different from that. So a lot of times people are like, woah. You gotta pick someone. So they’re like, I guess I’m gonna pick moms. They’ll just sort of, like, randomly guess it. And it’s like, no. There’s somebody already that you like serving.
Aleasha Bahr [00:10:30]:
So let’s say you like serving somebody who’s not prim and proper or somebody who’s Chaotic and you’re organizing them or somebody who has very little time or somebody who has a ton of time. Those are ways to niche too. So you can call out that person in the same way that you could call out, like, c suite executives making 500,000 plus a year. And actually, I think it’s more effective to call them out by what their particular scenario is, whatever they’re experiencing, and then explaining how you solve that. So the other thing with messaging is a lot of people don’t understand what’s different about them because unconscious unconscious competency is a thing. It’s easy for you to do, so you don’t think it’s cool.
Jennie Wright [00:11:16]:
Is that the whole I, you know, I just do this thing, I don’t think I’m very special sort of feeling
Aleasha Bahr [00:11:22]:
Yeah. They have no idea that that’s what’s special about it. So, for example, if they are able to look at someone whose life is chaos and say, Oh, look. I can see the categories here so that we can easily organize things. And I can see that this is the priority because it should happen before the next Step 2 happens and then step 3, but somebody who lives in chaos can’t see that. Mhmm. And they think the oh, it’s so easy to just look at that and organize it for someone. Can’t everybody do that? It takes me 5 minutes.
Aleasha Bahr [00:11:50]:
A lot of times people do this too. They think that the amount of time it takes them to do something equates to its value, which is not true, Because how much time would it take this chaotic visionary, for example? Never? And the amount of stress that it would, cause to try and do it. So what is that worth to somebody? And so one of the things that’s really one of my Superpowers 2 is talking to somebody about their offer inside and out and then being able to explain how they do it differently And who that exact person is who benefits so much from that. So, like, for example, I have a client who’s in the fitness space. He’s talking about losing weight and gaining strength, but he’s 4,000 a month. Okay. What? Nobody’s gonna pay that to lose weight and gain strength. But after talking to him, His sweet spot is boomers.
Aleasha Bahr [00:12:40]:
Mhmm. And make them injury proof and pain free and living independently and, like, being more active than they were even in their Twenties. And that’s
Jennie Wright [00:12:50]:
That’s huge. Different. Yeah. It’s super different. That’s, like, that’s not gym bro. That’s super different stuff.
Aleasha Bahr [00:12:56]:
Yeah. So it’s like understanding okay. You love working with seniors. Like, let’s focus on that. And guess what? Seniors have money. That’s cool too. Yeah. Exactly.
Aleasha Bahr [00:13:06]:
They’re willing to pay to get out of pain with something that’s not drugs.
Jennie Wright [00:13:11]:
Totally. My gosh. Okay. So that’s really cool. So if you were to take a look at I mean, you did this. You workshopped people right in the room when we saw each other. I mean, if you were to look at what makes you different, Like, I’m just gonna put that light on you for a second. What is the thing that really and I love it because you’re smiling.
Jennie Wright [00:13:26]:
You’re like, yay. Do it. What makes you different than somebody else who teaches about sales who talks about how to close an ideal client.
Aleasha Bahr [00:13:35]:
Well so that’s The thing is that it’s, like, a lot harder for me, but Like, the black sheep sales method everybody, like, can do it for other people, but it’s it’s kinda hard to find yourself. The black sheep sales method is the closest that I’ve gotten to really explaining how I’m different. Okay. But, essentially, every other sales expert It’s like The is what works for me, and so I’m gonna show it to you. And guess what? People are different. And they have different audiences. They have different offers, and they have different personalities. So to say this is what works for me so it will work for you in literally Any scenario, fitness, cooking, parenting.
Aleasha Bahr [00:14:16]:
I don’t know. Name anything. It’s just never gonna work the same. So They can’t they don’t understand your offer inside and out, and so your sales aren’t gonna be as effective. I understand someone’s offer inside and out. And then I pull out the differentiators, and I create a concise and compelling sentence that will Show somebody like, it’s a guide to how to say what you do, when to say it in a way that people understand and wanna buy. And that is different. Most sales experts aren’t understanding what you do first.
Jennie Wright [00:14:49]:
You did it for me. Yeah.
Aleasha Bahr [00:14:52]:
And it’s a difference. Right? Like, you ever looked at other sales Is training or anything? Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:14:58]:
I’ve so I’ve been through I’ve been through quite a few sales trainings in different ways. So I used to do sales for a big box retailer,
Aleasha Bahr [00:15:06]:
and
Jennie Wright [00:15:06]:
I had sales training. And if you can believe it or not, I’m not a natural I wasn’t a natural salesperson. I used to be, my mentor used to say that I was a shark. My I’d see prey. My eyes would roll in the back of my head, and I would just start chomping at them. Like
Aleasha Bahr [00:15:23]:
Oh, no. Mission breath, basically.
Jennie Wright [00:15:26]:
Totally. It was so bad. My 1st sales call ever, my the person I was with, my Jennie, She had to put his hand on my arm, and he had to say, stop, Jenny. Just stop talking. Because I was just like I was like going through it like, would you like this? And these are the benefits, and this and this Wright, and you should do this. And the person was like first of all, the person was an interior designer. Their house was full of gorgeous things. And the first thing I should have done is said, wow.
Jennie Wright [00:15:51]:
I really like those Parsons chairs. Where did you get those? Oh, I got them at such and such. Oh, yeah. You know, blah blah blah conversation. The The place I was working sold Jason shares in a box with, like, 2 I think it was 2 for a box for a total of 4 in a package, And it was a 1000000 times cheaper, and they’re really good quality.
Aleasha Bahr [00:16:09]:
Nice.
Jennie Wright [00:16:10]:
Right? So I should have been having that conversation, but instead, I was like, Benefits of the membership of this, you know, big box retailer and how cool it would be. And this person’s like, I don’t see myself doing this. So my mentor was like, shh, stay quiet. Right? Like, stop talking. And then they were they were having a conversation. But after that, I got really good sales training, And I actually would be I I got you about an 80% close rate, and I was, the one of the top salespeople for that business in Eastern Canada. And it was for me, what I found my little superpower in sales was, I’m really good at judging when I’m tuned in, I’m really good at judging somebody’s mood and perceiving what their next thought is or what The feeling at that moment, you’re kinda dialing in. Right?
Aleasha Bahr [00:17:00]:
So it’s because you’re an introvert, And this is something that a lot of people don’t realize about introverts. They think, oh, I’m introverted and I’m so I’m not gonna be good at sales. And you’re almost set up better for sales because introverts are so in tune with how someone else is feeling. They’re so about the other person’s experience and if they’re having a good experience, which is why I think we get so drained, to be honest. Yep. Because we’re not just thinking about ourselves. There’s, like, a lot of information that we’re taking in and adjusting in the moment, which makes for a sales experience. I mean, as a buyer, all you want to feel like is somebody’s listening to you and trying to give you the information you need specific to you Without the agenda of, like, I’m manipulating you to say yes.
Jennie Wright [00:17:47]:
Exactly. Exactly. I had a chance. I I love talking about sales. And, I mean, first of all, that phrase that you created for me, which was getting all like, I I can’t remember the exact wording, but it was all the leads just from 1 event or something like The.
Aleasha Bahr [00:18:02]:
A year’s worth of leads.
Jennie Wright [00:18:03]:
Thank you. A year’s worth of leads from 1 event. By the way, summits help you get all your leads. A year’s worth in 1 event. Hashtag, you know, contact Jenny. Okay. Yeah. Alright.
Jennie Wright [00:18:15]:
So we’re, I was gonna tell you about the fact that, this company that I was working for actually sent me to a completely different location. It was a couple hours away from where I lived to do sales, selling their memberships for this big box store. The market was completely different. Right?
Aleasha Bahr [00:18:32]:
So I’m from Toronto.
Jennie Wright [00:18:34]:
And working in Toronto and trying to sell it to somebody in Toronto is completely different than selling to somebody who is in a town, 3 or 4 hours away The had completely different values, and so I got a rude awakening. I had to be even more malleable to the fact that these people had a different life experience, grew up differently, had different politics, whatever, you know, name it, and had to do sales. It made me so pliable.
Aleasha Bahr [00:19:00]:
Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:19:01]:
Right? So and and then when you work online, I mean, you’re talking to people all over the world. You gotta be even more Lyle, because those people have a completely different life experience to you than anybody. And and I think other thing. Yeah. And and how do you how do you apply the How do you tell your clients when you’re applying, like, the black sheep method or if you’re talking about their sort of, like, their unique brand statement or whatever, How to make it so that people their ideal client, wherever they are, can see that they’re the real deal.
Aleasha Bahr [00:19:32]:
Yeah. I mean, I think it’s The so the black sheep sales method in understanding somebody’s offer inside and out and their ideal audience, We create questions that will naturally pull out that information for you to know how to customize your conversation. The name of the game, The only agenda is understanding someone’s situation. So clarity is the ultimate goal. And Anytime a sales conversation ends in, like, maybe, let me think about it, it’s a lack of clarity that’s causing that Or confusion, and a confused mind says no. So a lot of times, they may be misunderstood something that you said about what you do, maybe the time investment, maybe If it would work for them, are they an exception for some reason? And so, you know, there are questions that are going to uncover that from the very beginning. Like, what is how what’s the time you have available to invest in this. A lot of people don’t even ask that in the in the sales conversation.
Jennie Wright [00:20:29]:
Nobody asks that.
Aleasha Bahr [00:20:31]:
It’s wildly helpful to because a lot of times, they’ll be like, Oh, I have 5 hours. Oh my god. That’s more than enough. More than enough. All you need is 1 hour. All of a sudden, there’s so much clarity. This person can envision how they’re going to do This moving forward. So crafting questions like that.
Aleasha Bahr [00:20:47]:
And then also, like, at the end of the conversation, asking, you know, is there A concern that you might be an exception. What makes you feel like that? Let’s discuss if you would be an exception because I don’t wanna take on someone who’s an exception either. You know? Like, I wanna take on someone who’s who’s going to get the results. So it’s Really just about digging in and understanding the other person. And you make such a good point about, like, different countries and cultures, And those do absolutely affect the conversation. And it’s okay to not work with some people whose background or culture is so different The you guys aren’t gonna meet on the same page. So, like, for example, is Israelis are very hard negotiators. And the way that they negotiate is to insult your offer.
Aleasha Bahr [00:21:34]:
It’s like a very jarring experience. They’re like, this this piece of shit, What is this? And, you know, like, it should be less. And you’re like, this is offensive, and that’s just like a normal day for them. So it’s like a drastic example, but you don’t Have to apply up in the case of working for a big box retailer, you have to mold yourself no matter what. But if you’re a business owner, I I just wanna, like, put the message out there that, like, you are a if it’s a fit, it’s a fact, and there’s no selling involved, and that includes them being a fit for you. Exactly. Yes. Yes.
Aleasha Bahr [00:22:06]:
Okay. Somebody no.
Jennie Wright [00:22:08]:
No. Totally. And I remember distinctly working when I worked for The. Obviously, it’s a completely different experienced than what I’ve had for the past, like, 12, 15 you know, 12, 14 years. But, yeah, you couldn’t say no. You were trying to close the person. Like, that’s a thing. When I started doing sales for myself, that’s that’s completely different, a 100%.
Jennie Wright [00:22:26]:
And I’ve had you know, I made the mistake because I brought that personality, that that mentality over. Everybody is my client. Man, did I pay for The. I mean, paid, badly. So, yeah, I’ve had some clients that I’ve closed, out of, you know, desire, desperation when money was tight. Those people, and and I was warned. So, you know, the the wrong client takes up 80% of your time. They’re 20% of your roster.
Jennie Wright [00:22:55]:
They take up 80% of your time. Yeah. So, I I couldn’t even believe how much extra time and effort it took to not work with those people, but I’m so glad. Like, I’ve had to shift over the years, and, obviously, you have personal growth. Right? That’s what I love about entrepreneurship. It’s so much personal growth. But, yeah, couldn’t couldn’t believe that I had to change everything, but I’m so glad I did because then you’d have to work with people that aren’t a fit for you anymore.
Aleasha Bahr [00:23:22]:
Yeah. And a lot of times those things that make them not a fit are sometimes the things that aren’t title and demographic related. So getting really clear on what those those niche signs are. Maybe somebody expects you to be at their beck and call. Maybe they expect it to complete be completely done for you, or they expect results in too soon of a timeline. Like, let them know ahead of time. Look. Like, especially I know with the summit, like, it’s enough leads for a year, but it’s so important to explain The leads do not happen immediately.
Aleasha Bahr [00:23:55]:
Like, It’s enough leads for the year, and it’s spread out through the year, which is better, honestly. It’s manageable, so you’re not all of a sudden inundated Mhmm. And trying to onboard everyone and having things, like, fall through the cracks. So being able to say, like, do you need some deluge of business Right away, this is not gonna do that. Is that okay with you? And everybody just feels, like, really transparent and on board. And when they’re like, no. I need I need a huge influx business right Wright. You can say, you know what? I’ve been down this road.
Aleasha Bahr [00:24:28]:
I am not the best fit for you, and I want you to get what you need.
Jennie Wright [00:24:33]:
I I love the idea actually, it’s one idea. I love the premise of saying, look. I do this And having The boundaries, this and this is also part of your development as a person, as a coach, as an entrepreneur. Like, I don’t do this, and I’m not a good fit for you because of it. And having those boundaries as opposed to being what a lot of us are, which is people pleasers and yes people and You know, not wanting to say no because of money is if I could tell younger Jenny, 10 years ago or more, It is better to say no than it is to say yes for all the right reasons, then I probably would have saved myself a ton of money and effort and crying and a whole bunch of other stuff. So, and that’s what I love about the black sheet method. Right? So it feels really authentic and in tune, and I think you’re circumventing this is what I love about you is that you’re you’re getting people through what I’m just describing, what I went through without having them to have the tears and the crazy part. Like, They’re getting right to the right messaging.
Jennie Wright [00:25:36]:
So you’re helping people you’re alleviating that period of trying to figure it out all your on your own and getting it wrong and having bad clients and having red flags, And you’re getting right to the meat of it and being like, yeah. This is me. This is what I want. This is what I do. And if you’re a really great fit, I wanna work with you.
Aleasha Bahr [00:25:52]:
Yeah. I mean, I I try to help people avoid you know, I even fell into the some money is no money trap really recently too. Mhmm. And it was Clever because she seemed very different beforehand, and it was after the the sale. And then I found out that she’d done it to, like, 4 other service providers where she, like, Presented very differently and then tried to get everything out of them in 30 days and then ask for a refund. So but she was asking for stuff that was, like, way out of scope, and I was just like, Oh, well, if I deliver it anyway, then I’ll have, like, really, you know, overcome a huge challenge, and I’ll be, like, this badass. Right? Because I over delivered. And It’s a trap that’s so easy to get yourself to fall into.
Aleasha Bahr [00:26:33]:
And just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can do those things, Like, you gotta stay in scope and streamline or you will end up. That’s what causes that 80% of The energy and time going to them is The swear you’re doing stuff out of scope.
Jennie Wright [00:26:50]:
Totally. It’s completely out of scope. How do you avoid it though, Alicia? Like, how do you Is there a marker or a red flag that we can see beforehand in the sales process that keeps us from having these these clients that are obviously pushing the boundaries afterwards?
Aleasha Bahr [00:27:05]:
Yes. So you can a lot of people, a lot of sales experts try to pretend like objections aren’t real. Like, Oh, well, if we just don’t talk about them, then they won’t happen. Like, no. They’ll still happen. And why do you wanna take care of all that at the end of the conversation? It sounds exhausting. Everybody’s tired at the end. Okay? I’m not trying to, like, Drag through objections.
Aleasha Bahr [00:27:25]:
And then also, sometimes they don’t even say them. They just think them and go away. So being able to proact for example, Katie, our mutual friend, had people who were coming in to do done for you social media and not showing up for their reporting meetings every Every 30 days. And so she wasn’t able to, like, say, hey. This stuff isn’t working. This is what we need from you. This is what we’re gonna adjust, and then they would leave. And it’s like, okay.
Aleasha Bahr [00:27:52]:
So in the sales meeting, hey. It is incredibly important to meet every 30 days For a reporting meeting, are you able to do that? And it’s like a nonnegotiable. And so people know ahead of time. And since I’ve been through so many client relationships at this point, you know, like, almost 2 decades worth and, have helped a lot of other people, I can help people spot like, you don’t wanna say that. That’s that’s a scope creep. That’s a slippery slope, you know, when you are okay with that. I can kinda help them With what usually the slippery slope situations are, like, any any tight timeline for results in anybody’s service is usually a red flag. Like, you just don’t wanna get into that, like, desperate energy type
Jennie Wright [00:28:37]:
of thing.
Aleasha Bahr [00:28:38]:
Never. Yeah. The person’s coming from a place of fear and scarcity, and it’s gonna put a lot of pressure on you, and you can’t save anyone.
Jennie Wright [00:28:47]:
No. No. And you can’t want it more than they do.
Aleasha Bahr [00:28:51]:
Yeah. So, like, those kinds of things. Like, understanding also, like, The context of what they’ve done before is huge. So there can be red flags with why didn’t it work out with those providers. And they can tell you why, and you can know see a lot there. Like, is this gonna be a good client or somebody who’s gonna turn around and blame me for everything because They can’t get me photos that I need, which happens all the time. That’s just simple Thing. And they can’t get somebody photos, and then they’re like, well, you didn’t get any results.
Aleasha Bahr [00:29:24]:
And it’s like, because I had to use stock images.
Jennie Wright [00:29:28]:
Yes. I know. Yes. Yep. Mhmm. I’ve had this conversation with people about their stuff. Oh my god. Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:29:36]:
I I sometimes feel or I used to feel like you couldn’t avoid it, though, Alicia. Like, I felt I felt like and and this is sort of before going through my own sort of stuff as well. I almost felt like, nope. Couldn’t avoid it. Never saw the red flag. They were awesome. They were the ideal client. They sign on the dotted line, and then it was like, Woah.
Jennie Wright [00:29:56]:
Okay. Personality change. This person’s like you know? And I’m not blaming them. It’s actually my fault. Right? So it’s I didn’t see the right things or I didn’t have the right boundaries or I didn’t do enough due diligence or I didn’t say enough nos in the conversation or Talk about, you know, how we weren’t a fit more than how we were a fit. Right? And this is this this point is moot if you don’t Totally do, like, sales calls and things like that. Like, if you’re just selling a product for $97 and it’s on your sales page, different. Right? Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:30:26]:
Yeah. Although you if I actually love putting right at the top of the page, like, this is for you if Yeah. Right? Just to kinda, like, prequalify people. And, again, that wasn’t my technique. Somebody else taught me that just to keep people from thinking everything is for them and then requesting the refund, which is another big problem. But, yeah, I I it kinda drives me nuts, that it took me so long to get my sales game to the level that it is now. Like, it was really good before, but now it’s more intuitive. And I think that’s I mean, You know, I’ve been paying attention to you over the years.
Jennie Wright [00:31:03]:
I’ve been listening to your Podcast. I’ve been on your things. I I listen.
Aleasha Bahr [00:31:06]:
Good. I mean, one of the things that does apply brand messaging as well as the sales conversation is telling them who’s not a fit. Yeah. So you seem like a great fit of these reasons, and I don’t see any red flags. Like, these are the ones that I’m looking for. Like, you don’t need me to post on social media for you. Like, Who was I talking to that’s like a lot of times people are like, wait. You’re not gonna post it for me? And I was like, cool.
Aleasha Bahr [00:31:29]:
Let’s just head that off right away. Like Like, we’re gonna send something out before the sales call that’s like, look. If you need a done for you marketing agency, I can help you with that by referring you to somebody else.
Jennie Wright [00:31:42]:
Mhmm.
Aleasha Bahr [00:31:43]:
And even, like, some people will be like, I just hate posting. How do you feel about posting? That was a question we started including. Are you okay with posting on social media? Great. Because that’s gonna be necessary for your results. I’m just letting you know now. So you can clearly say you’re not a fit. If you’re like, I hate social and never wanna post on it, then I can’t help you. I’m so sorry.
Aleasha Bahr [00:32:01]:
Like But
Jennie Wright [00:32:01]:
but I still want results. So how what can you do for me?
Aleasha Bahr [00:32:05]:
Yeah. And, I mean, sometimes it’s also having the language After the conversation, when somebody asks you to do something out of scope by saying, hey. Yes. I can do that. The investment would be this much. Let me know.
Jennie Wright [00:32:18]:
Is sales changing, or is it still the same thing and we’re just getting it refined?
Aleasha Bahr [00:32:25]:
I would say that people are more skeptical than ever
Jennie Wright [00:32:29]:
Mhmm.
Aleasha Bahr [00:32:30]:
And savvier than ever. I think it used to be a lot easier, especially, like, in the 1800, like, even the 19 fifties. I think that for a long time, it was only aggressive white men who were in sales positions. And so, actually, if you are an introvert Or a female or Person color. A different kind of background. Yeah. You have an advantage by being a pattern interrupt. People will naturally trust you more because you aren’t the typical salesperson.
Aleasha Bahr [00:33:03]:
So I know a lot of people actually think that it’s, like, a bad thing that they’re not The typical salesperson. They’re not like this charming, you know, extroverted, but people don’t trust that person. I mean, think about you as a buyer. Like, if somebody’s got All the smooth talking, I’m like, The guy is gonna tell me whatever I wanna hear. You know? So
Jennie Wright [00:33:22]:
Is that like the bro Marketing kinda thing. Is that where you’re kinda referencing? Wright, I mean or no?
Aleasha Bahr [00:33:28]:
I wasn’t necessarily. Bro marketing is a whole another thing, and people are getting more, savvy to it. They actually use a strategy that is adapted from life insurance in the fifties when people go door to door and just Scare the shit out of a wife about how horrible her life will be if her husband dies. Oh, okay. So y’all will be living on the street and your kids will be, you know, Taking out garbage because they have no options for their careers. And that’s what they do in the pro sales is they’re like, what’s gonna happen if you don’t do this? Let’s really explore how horrible that’s gonna be. And then if you don’t say yes to me, I’m gonna make you feel ashamed for choosing this Horrible life that we just really dug into together. And it’s luckily, people are more savvy and skeptical to it than ever.
Aleasha Bahr [00:34:19]:
It does still work on some people. It’s going to bring in The type of person I mean, somebody who, like, comes into your Service with their tail in between their legs is definitely not how I like to start a client relationship. Like, I think it really sets a different tone. But, like, these bros aren’t cared about the peep they don’t care about the people getting results. Anybody with a working credit card is a client.
Jennie Wright [00:34:43]:
Yeah. They don’t they’re not looking at the delivery side at all.
Aleasha Bahr [00:34:48]:
They don’t even care. Like, Somebody who uses and it sucks because I see people who really do care trying to use that strategy because it’s so prevalent. And they and they fail at it because it’s so out of alignment and out of integrity with them. And it and it also brings in people who are like, well, you are the one who told me that you’re gonna do all this stuff for me, so come on, dance monkey. And the person who’s, like, You know, not like that, like a bro, is like, oh my gosh. Like, I feel so it’s just enough to make somebody go out of like, Shut their business down. That’s what it says to me so much is when they they work with The sales expert who gives them that strategy, and they’re like this kindhearted person. It’s like Destroys them.
Aleasha Bahr [00:35:35]:
It really does because it’s painful to take somebody through a swamp of how horrible their life is. Like, there’s a saying when they cry, they buy. Like, kindhearted people aren’t trying to make somebody cry and sit there with the you know? I mean, it’s just
Jennie Wright [00:35:51]:
It’s bad.
Aleasha Bahr [00:35:52]:
That that Wright, but It’s the most prevalent. I’m hoping that black sheep can can get as prevalent as that because I feel like the minority of people are successful With that kind of pain strategy.
Jennie Wright [00:36:05]:
Yeah. I think so. I think people are getting savvier, but it is still prevalent. Like, You and I have talked about how we’ve actually seen it even recently. You know, like, the the the marketing stuff. I’m I really want the way that you’re talking about sales to be more prevalent. It will save so many people a heartache. I’ve seen it in practice, and I think it’s important.
Jennie Wright [00:36:28]:
What would you tell somebody as we get ready to sort of wrap this up? What would you tell somebody who is just starting out on Our journey for sales or who already is in sales, and they’re struggling to find that right voice to sell the thing. Like, they wanna sell the you know? Well, it doesn’t matter what it is, really. But, like, they’re trying to sell the thing, and they’re just trying to find that authentic voice. How would you recommend that somebody start doing that to make sure that they’re they’re following more in the black sheep method?
Aleasha Bahr [00:36:55]:
Yeah. Well, obviously, check out my podcast because I’m gonna lay it out in detail there. Sales is not a dirty word. The one thing that I really like to leave people with is You don’t have to do anything that feels out of alignment for you. And if it feels out of alignment for you, it’s not gonna work because you’re not gonna be confident implementing it. So really trust yourself on that. And a black sheep is somebody who does something different from mainstream, and mainstream tells you you have to do it this way. And they get uncomfortable that somebody’s doing it differently.
Aleasha Bahr [00:37:32]:
And the world literally needs people who think and approach things differently for there to be progress and innovation and inspiration. And so Do it for yourself and also do it for everyone else. Say no To things that do not feel right to you or do not get you results. It’s not a matter of you needing to do it a couple 150 more times. When I work with somebody and create something for them, it works from the 1st call. It does not need to be Rejection filled. Like, I have a friend who’s working with a sales coach, and they’re telling her she needs to cold call to build resilience and get rejected A lot of times, and it’s just a lie. Yeah.
Jennie Wright [00:38:19]:
I heard that too, and it’s ridiculous. It’s like you gotta build up your muscle, your rejection muscle. Really?
Aleasha Bahr [00:38:25]:
I just like, resilience is important. I think there are a lot of other ways you can do it than something that just crushes your confidence at the same time. Like, You know, like, go go participate in a Tough Mudder contest or something. I don’t know. Like, you don’t need to, like, go through just Getting step like, oh, yeah. I’m gonna go and have all these people just make me feel like a desperate idiot. Like, no. Mhmm.
Aleasha Bahr [00:38:51]:
That’s The more harm than good In my experience, I don’t full call. I don’t tell anyone The call. So, anyway, if somebody’s telling you something and you have resistance to it, I know that the mainstream message is do it Jennie. It is. Please don’t. Please don’t. You will have better results when you don’t.
Jennie Wright [00:39:13]:
That’s a you know what? You’re saying it, and I believe it, but I also Like, I come from the cold calling background, and, you know, you’re conditioned. You’re conditioned just to do it. You’re conditioned to follow it, and I think that’s the problem like you’re talking about. And I think people should really sort of tune in to what feels better. Because if you’re trying to do something, if you’re trying to follow a script I’m definitely one of those people that tried. If you’re following a script and it’s not working for you and you’re not getting sales, it’s because you’re doing it wrong.
Aleasha Bahr [00:39:43]:
Yes.
Jennie Wright [00:39:44]:
Like, drop the script. Get rid of it, and just talk authentically. I mean, sales is a conversation, And I love I, I my best sales is when I’m not selling.
Aleasha Bahr [00:39:57]:
Always.
Jennie Wright [00:39:57]:
Like, Stop I I I tell people, stop selling. Actually, I tell telemarketers who call me The stop selling.
Aleasha Bahr [00:40:06]:
Well, it’s just about understanding. Stop selling and seek to understand. And if you have something that’s actually in the other person’s best interest, The The it. Fantastic.
Jennie Wright [00:40:16]:
Yeah. Absolutely. Get ex
Aleasha Bahr [00:40:18]:
get excited. The whole if it’s a fit is having Wright, And if that person needs these results, has these things in place, is ready for this, has this timeline, it all matches up, then it’s very easy to say, Let’s do it.
Jennie Wright [00:40:32]:
Yes. And it becomes a really simple, like, if hell yeah. And then you just move forward naturally, and I like that. Alicia. Okay. We can keep talking, but, I gotta wrap this up. Darn it. We’ll have to do this again soon and have another conversation about sales and brand strategy and niching because you’ve got opinions, and I like your opinions there.
Jennie Wright [00:40:52]:
And, you know, my partner talks a lot about niche, so I have a good time sort of having these conversations. Where Where can everybody find you, get in touch with you, get to know you better?
Aleasha Bahr [00:41:01]:
Yeah. So I would say my podcast sales is not a dirty word. And if this Seemed like it might be aligned with you. I would check out the episode about selling like a natural.
Jennie Wright [00:41:12]:
I like that you reference an actual episode.
Aleasha Bahr [00:41:14]:
Mhmm.
Jennie Wright [00:41:15]:
That’s smart. Okay. Cool. And for everybody that’s listening, go and check out Alicia. We’re gonna have everything that you need to contact her on our show notes, so you can go and do that. And we’ll reference the episode that she’s talking about as Wiehler. So it’s just some easy clicks. You can just open it up and start listening to it right away.
Jennie Wright [00:41:30]:
Her podcast is amazing, And I’m excited because I get to be a guest on it really soon, and I’m super excited about that. So if you’re listening to this podcast and you’ve enjoyed it, Thank you so much. This is The Acquire podcast, and it’s produced as always by Jason Wheeler. If you found today’s episode to be valuable, please don’t forget to subscribe, Wright rate. Leave me a review. Let me know what you think. I’m dying to hear your thoughts and also your, you know, ideas for future episodes. Don’t forget to share.
Jennie Wright [00:41:57]:
And if you like being part of my community, I’m so glad. Make sure that you check out my Facebook group. The link for that is in the show notes, and I’d love to hear from you on that. And as always, the acquire podcast is brought to you by the Odd Phonic Podcast Network. Thanks so much.