Leah Neaderthal

Hey ! Quick reminder that TOMORROW is the last day to fill out the Quarterly Review and be entered to win a Proposal Critique with me where I’ll help you supercharge your proposals. Don’t miss out!

So, real talk. You know that when you’re running your own business, selling is personal. So today we’re getting personal.

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I’m about to come face-to-face with my childhood bully.

Today I’m headed back to Nashville, TN for my high school reunion, and she’ll be there. It’ll be the first time we’ve seen each other since graduation.

She came to my school in 5th grade. She was cute and sporty and won over everyone. But for some reason she hated me. 

Within a month, all my friends from the K-4 years had turned against me. Within two months, I was a social outcast. 

The bullying continued through middle school until it reached its peak: One night at a sleepover nearby, she and some other girls snuck out in the middle of the night and came to my front yard. 

Armed with a jar of salt, they sprinkled it in the grass to spell the words: “FUCK LEAH”.

My parents discovered it when the grass died the next day, leaving those words as a billboard across our lawn.

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In those years when I was being bullied, I had to figure out how to protect myself. I learned that it was better to simply be in the background, doing my work. Trying not to be noticed by anyone.

If I drew attention to myself, I’d be open to ridicule.

Without knowing it, I brought that thinking into my corporate career. Like most women, I put my head down and did the best work I could. “The work will speak for itself,” I thought. “And then they’ll know how good I am.”

And I brought it into my first businesses. I let my business partner take the spotlight while I was in the shadows.

I excused it away: “I just don’t like that much attention.” or “I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person.”

But that wasn’t the truth. Feeling more comfortable behind the scenes – it wasn’t a fixed personality trait. It’s something I had learned as a way to protect myself. 

And there it was, showing up in my business, years later. 

—

A couple years ago, I realized that this self-defense mechanism was no longer protecting me. Instead, it was holding me back.

I wasn’t putting myself out there in any meaningful way. I wasn’t building any brand to speak of. So I decided to change my thinking pattern and force myself to be out there.

It’s taken lots of baby steps, but now, I publish every single day on LinkedIn and social media. 
I reach out to you, my badass entrepreneurs, once or twice a week. 
And I’m getting in front of as many people as I can through podcast interviews and videos because I know important it is for women business owners to know how to sell comfortably and confidently. 

And so it’s been a journey. But with practice, I’ve changed the pattern of my thinking. And it’s changed the trajectory of my business. 

My visibility, my influence, and my revenue have all grown. And if you also feel more comfortable behind the scenes, and you don’t like putting yourself out there, you too can make this shift.

—

I want to invite you to take a look at what conditioning YOU are carrying with you from your childhood. 

Start by asking a few questions:

1. Growing up, what messages did you receive about yourself? Your self-worth? Your place in the world?
2. How do you see those playing out anywhere in your business? How do they show themselves in how you approach potential clients?
3. How would like to think/feel/believe/do instead?
4. What is one step you can take today to change this pattern?

If you’d like, write and tell me what you’ve uncovered. What you share is safe with me.

—

So, wish me luck at my high school reunion. And have a great weekend, everyone. 🙂

To your success,

Leah

Can we talk for a second? It’s about that sales call script.

It will get you 10 new clients tomorrow.
It will automate your funnel.
It will let you fly in a private jet (just like the bro in the ad.)

Have you seen it? You might have caught it in Facebook ads. The Script Of All The Promises.

Or its cousins, The Funnel Of Magic, or the Automated System Of Your Dreams.

And you! are! absolutely! in! luck! Because they will solve all your problems.

But here’s one more problem. Sales call scripts don’t work.

(“But why not? Didn’t you see that guy in the ad? He was standing in front of a private jet!”)

I hate to say it, but it’s true.

(“But you haven’t even seen them!”)

Yes I have. I’ve even bought them years ago when I was trying to learn how to sell. But that’s me.

How do YOU know? I’ll give you 2 reasons and a question.

Reason #1: They’re silver bullets, and silver bullets don’t work.

Look. I know it’s so tempting to look for the one thing that will solve All The Problems. When you’re running your business, and juggling all the things, you just want one thing to please for the love of God be simple.

But when you’re talking about selling, you’re not talking about flipping a switch. You’re talking about learning a skill. And learning takes effort.

But when you really learn how, the payoff is so much better. Because YOU become different.

Let’s say you do use The Script Of All The Promises. What if, one day, you don’t have it with you? Or you follow it, but you still feel gross and salesy?

Does it mean you really know how to sell comfortably? Or do you just know how to follow a script?

It’s like the saying I learned when I was training for my first triathlon: “If you focus on change, you will get results. But if you focus on results, you will never change.”

Silver bullets don’t work. That’s why I don’t sell them.

—

Reason #2: It’s called a sales process for a reason.

The Script Of All The Promises is good for a conversation. But what happens before the conversation? What happens if they don’t say yes on the phone? What happens afterward?

The Script Of All The Promises doesn’t help you talk about your business in ways that make clients WANT to work with you.
It doesn’t help you price yourself so you’re not undercharging.
It doesn’t un-stick clients that get stuck or go quiet.
It doesn’t help you write a proposal your clients can say yes to.
And it doesn’t help you negotiate to protect your price.

Those are skills you need all along the sales process. Because it IS a process. And winning new clients is the result of doing a lot of things well all along the way.

You wouldn’t buy a hammer and say, “I know how to build a house!” And you wouldn’t buy The Script Of All The Promises and know how to sell.

—

And finally, a question.

Think back to your corporate life when you talked to salespeople. Have you ever been on the phone with someone who was clearly using a script? How did it feel? Did you buy from them?

My point exactly.

If you’re ever tempted to fall for a script, a funnel, or another silver bullet… print out this email and tape it by your desk. And if you need a quick rescue, email me. I’m here to help.

To your success,

Leah

PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you sign the clients you want and increase your revenue:



1. Get sales strategies for creatives (and the rest of us) in a podcast interview I did recently with Suzi Istvan of the How To Create: A Podcast for Professional Creatives. Click here.

2. Join other women entrepreneurs in a supportive learning community
If you’d like to learn a proven methodology for signing new clients from first contact to a successful close, and do it alongside other badass women entrepreneurs in a supportive learning community… just email me with “Community” in the subject line.

3. Work with me privately
If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid bigger numbers, and get the clients you really want… just email me and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details!

Last week I asked about your #1 struggle when it comes to getting new clients. Now, and over the next few weeks, I’m going to tackle the topics you shared with me. Today we’re talking about where to find great leads, and one place you might not have looked.

—

I think I know the answer to this question, but I want to ask anyway.

If I told you that there’s a group of potential clients out there that has a 70% chance of saying yes…

is likely to spend 3x more with you…

And generally sends twice as many people your way…

You’d want to go out and find those clients, right?

Of course you would!

But I’m not going to send you to Linkedin, or to Facebook ads, or to some networking event to find them.

In fact, you don’t have to go out and find them at all.

Why? Because they’re your current clients.

And the stats don’t lie: current clients typically have a 70% close rate, spend 3x more, and generally send you twice as many referrals as clients who only work with you once.

So how are you uncovering new opportunities with your current clients?

I’ll tell you what Amanda Gulino is doing.

—

Amanda started her organizational development business this year with just a couple of clients. But she knew that if her business was going to succeed in its critical first year, she needed to get busy building her revenue.

So she joined SIGNED, and in the first 60 days, she signed two new projects from her current clients.

And the most astounding part? SIGNED has 9 modules, and she’s just scratched the surface with the fisrt 3. Can you imagine how unstoppable she’ll be after the rest of them?

—

So back to my question. How are you uncovering new opportunities with your current clients?

If this is an area where you’d like to focus, here are a few questions to help you get started:

1. How are you packaging your work to provide ongoing value to your clients? Do they have an easy way to continue to get value from you?
2. What type of relationship do you have with your clients? Do you have a peer relationship as a trusted advisor, or are you seen in more a service provider role?
3. How are you making time to talk about your work, vs. doing the work?
4. How are you doing discovery to uncover areas of value your clients need?

I want to hear from you: which one of these areas would make the most difference in your ability to sign additional projects from your current clients?

Write back and let me know!

If you’d like help with this critical area of your business, and you’d like to work with me to learn exactly how to do it, write back with “current clients” in the subject line.

To your success,

Leah

PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you sign the clients you want and increase your revenue this year:



1. Get fluff-free sales strategies in a podcast interview I did recently with two other badass women business owners. Click here.

2. Join other women entrepreneurs learning how to sign new clients


If you’d like to learn how to sign new clients confidently and consistently, and do it alongside other badass women entrepreneurs in a supportive learning community… just reply to this message with “Community” in the subject line.



3. Work with me privately


If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want… just reply to this message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details!

They were the most magnificent peaks I’d ever seen.

We had been hiking up the mountain for 4 hours and scrambling over rocks for another hour after that.

Clothing layers came off and went on again as the scenery changed: windy mountain faces led to wet forests, and finally to a glacial lake where rain turned to snow.

All to see what we had traveled to Patagonia to see: Torres del Paine (pictures below). They were incredible.

And that was just day one.

—

I just got back from trekking in Patagonia (pics at the end of this email) – several days with 35 lb. packs across dozens of kilometers and hundreds of feet of elevation.

10 days away from my computer. It was glorious.

If you’ve traveled too then you know that being in a new environment — and especially being in nature — brings tremendous clarity and focus.

And when you can bring that clarity back to your business, you can be unstoppable.

So this week I wanted to share 5 lessons from the trip that I’m going to apply to my business, and you can too.

1. Create space for a quiet brain

If you’re anything like me, your day-to-day brain is noisy: filled with thoughts about work, family… etc. But when you can create space for a quiet brain, things become clear.

As I was hiking for 7-8 hours each day, I tried not think about work and simply be present.

Of course, work snuck in, but this time it snuck into a quiet mind, not a noisy one, and I had about 8 major epiphanies and amazing ideas (… that I can’t wait to share with you! Stay tuned.)

So whether it’s going into nature, meditating, or whatever suits you… create space where your brain can be quiet.

—

2. Shed extra weight

Hikers have a saying when it comes to packing for a trek: “Ounces make pounds, and pounds make pain.” That thinking also applies to your business: the extra things you “carry” slow you down and can cause a certain type of pain.

If you’re working on too many projects, spreading yourself too thin, or continuing to put effort into something that’s not working, you’re carrying too much.

Shed the extra weight, and edit down to what’s going to increase your revenue.

—

3. Be like water

Sometimes it can feel like we’re muscling our business: trying to force things, push them ahead, make them go faster, etc. We also worry about finding the right way to do things.

But as I spent time hiking along streams, past waterfalls, and over rivers, I saw that the best guide for moving forward comes from nature: it’s water.

Water always finds the most efficient way. It changes direction if it encounters too much resistance (one might say: if it doesn’t feel right). And when it doesn’t see a natural way, water makes its own way.

So when you feel like you’re muscling your business, instead let it flow. Be like water.

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4. Do a physical challenge

On this trip, as I ended my days physically exhausted, I was reminded that there’s nothing like a physical challenge to inspire and propel you.

In 2008, after I did my first AIDS ride (545 miles from SF to LA), I felt absolutely invincible. I had tremendous clarity on what I wanted to do, and I started my first company the next month. Years later when I was training for triathlons, that was an incredibly productive and innovative time in my business.

If you’re feeling stuck, or just need a boost, try focusing on a physical challenge. Accomplishment is contagious.

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5. Stop and enjoy the view

Oftentimes we’re so “heads down” in our business that we don’t look up to take stock of our achievements, to see how far we’ve come, or simply to take in life around us.

On the trek, even though we were watching our steps, we paused at every turn to simply see what was around us. It was in those moments that we could appreciate the stunning views of where we were.

So while you’re working hard to build your business, don’t forget to look up and take it in.

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Now I want to hear from you: which of these 5 things speaks to you the most? Which could you start to work on first? Write back and let me know.

To your success,

Leah

PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you focus and increase your revenue this year:

1. Get free daily strategies to improve your selling

I’m sharing nuggets of goodness every day on LinkedIn. Click here to connect with me.

2. Join other women entrepreneurs learning how to sign new clients

If you’d like to learn how to sign new clients confidently and consistently, and do it alongside other badass women entrepreneurs in a supportive learning community… just reply to this message with “Community” in the subject line.

3. Work with me privately

If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want… just reply to this message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details!

“Finish your homework, then you can go play outside.”

How many of us heard that growing up?

It’s a simple formula: work first. Then when work is done, you can play.

I’ve thought about that formula a lot recently, especially as I talk to entrepreneurs about their businesses.

—

“Work-before-fun” is a great way to run a household. (Can you imagine if it was the other way around??)

But when you run your own business, that strategy runs into a harsh reality: Your work is never done.

You might finish a project, but as it relates to the work of your business…

… there’s never an end.

And when there’s never an end of work, there’s never a time when it’s OK to play.

—

So what do you do about it?

Well, unlike when it comes to closing sales, I’m not the expert here. This is something I’m constantly working on.

But awareness is the first step toward changing, and I’m fully aware of how “work-before-fun” plays out in my life.

And I’m doing one big thing to flip the script.

Tomorrow I’m leaving for a hiking trip in Patagonia. My wife and I are packing our backpacks, meeting a friend, and hiking “The W” trail. It’s 5 days of hiking, 1 day on a glacier, and 3 days in Buenos Aires.

Totally disconnected. All play.

—

What about you, __? Starting today, how can you bring more play into your life?

Can you…

… give yourself a day or two off after you bring on a new client?

… step away from your computer to take a 10-minute walk outside?

… institute phone-free dinners, or get one of these?

… read a book in the middle of the day, for no reason other than you simply want to?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to try one new thing to flip the work-before-play script.

—

Have a great week and I’ll see you when I’m back!

To your success,

Leah

P.S. If you want to learn some of my best sales strategies, check out the podcast interview I did a couple of weeks ago. In the 35-minute interview I talk about:

• How to conquer your fear of selling

• The “bad math of entrepreneurship” and why most entrepreneurs are under-charging

• How to find the real value you provide your clients/customers

• What cold emailing is actually for

One listener said: “I wish I’d had this conversation a year ago! I recommend this episode for any woman entrepreneur who’s at all intimidated by sales.”

Hey – I know you want to sign more clients this year, so I wanted to share a podcast interview I did recently all about how to make selling feel more natural and comfortable.

It’s a quick listen, around 35 minutes, and I talk about:

• How to conquer your fear of selling
• The “bad math of entrepreneurship” and why most entrepreneurs are under-charging
• How to find the real value you provide your clients/customers
• What cold emailing is actually for

One listener said: “I wish I’d had this conversation a year ago! I recommend this episode for any woman entrepreneur who’s at all intimidated by sales.”

You can find the interview here.

After you listen to it, I’d love to hear which strategy resonated with you the most. Write back and let me know!

To your success,

Leah