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Welcome to Make More Money without Selling Your Soul with me Polly Lavarello, evergreen marketing expert. This podcast is for you if you are an online entrepreneur who is looking to simplify their business to scale.  On this podcast you can expect to hear regular talk about wealth, about selling and about wellbeing. Because I believe these three core fundamental things are pivotal to your growth moving forward.

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Welcome to make more money without selling your soul with myself Polly Lavarello, Evergreen marketing expert and cushy business pioneer.

Today I am so excited to be inviting on Sara Dalrymple, who is a sales expert and business mentor for the small business community specialising in breaking down the steps to increasing sales in just 30 minutes a day. Sara has 20 years of sales and marketing experience ranging from solo founders to multi billion pound companies, and her practical sales advice, strategy and support has helped hundreds of creatives, coaches and consultants achieve long lasting success in their industries. Whatever stage of business you’re at, Sara will show you how to remove the guesswork and achieve consistent sales through confidence Lee’s free promotion. So I’m so excited to have Sara on the show today, listening to learn why you are getting stuck in your business. If you right now are wondering why ourselves inconsistent? Why do I feel like I’m always juggling too many things? What is the difference between where I am now and where I want to be? Then this episode is going to help you really lift the lid off the two areas you need to be focusing on the most to achieve the spacious, sustainable and scalable business that you desire for 2024. This one’s a Colca. Enjoy. I am so excited to have Sara Dalrymple on the podcast with me today, Sara is I mean, I’d say at this stage a dear friend, as well as the sales expert within my mastermind that I run for my evergreen ladies. We’ve also hosted an in person mastermind day together. So at this stage, I’d say we’re borderline business besties. And we wanted to record today’s podcast because she and I were hanging out in the ivy recently talking about the common ways we see business owners getting stuck in their business. And we landed on something that we felt needed to be discussed on a podcast. So here it is. Without further ado, welcome Sara.

Thank you so much, unless of the borderline, if you don’t mind, we’re all unified pearls are unified, bonafide, besties. Very happy to be here.  Thank you for having me on.

So Sara, I will admit has kind of slightly intimidated me in the past, because she is just such a whiz with selling, she makes it look so easy. And it is actually so it has this magic touch which does make selling easy, which is why I’m always so keen to introduce her to my people. And I will admit, I’m the first put my hands up and say, big systems geek over here. And at the same time terrified a selling assessor has been a huge part in helping me feel more comfortable with selling bossa nova, we have very similar values, don’t we, I mean, talk a bit more about your value. So actually, before we get into this, sure,

I mean, we really do and I’m happy to be the equal and opposite. Like I am not a systems geek. So this is why it’s so lovely that we can have like mutual values, but also becoming habit with, you know, complementary skills. But yeah, I think like from a values perspective, it is just so much about I think for a while without going straight into the deep stuff, like for so many reasons, like women often feel like they’ve been pitted against each other, or there’s all this competition or that they somehow got to be guarded around other women and I am just completely the opposite of that I am extremely here for women supporting each other working together sharing knowledge. And I genuinely believe that when we do that, like we have a much bigger impact on you know, everything that we do. So I am so happy that you know always to be in community. I never started a business to work on my own particularly and I just love love love being able to work with people like you were in your community and just you know, we all have different skills, we all have different things that we bring to the party and it’s just so nice that the things that I know how to do get to help you and your people and vice versa.

So yeah, number one value community sharing integrity and just enjoying the process as much as possible. Yeah, you bring so much joy to the work you do. And I think the other word that we have in common is ease I heard talking about you know, how does this get to be easy? And you do you inject a lot of fun into what you do as well and it’s very you and you really encourage your clients to be themselves to which I love and we We’re discussing because obviously, I love talking about systems and scaling. And that’s what I do a lot of in my business. And Sara really helps people get over those blocks around selling. And I was sharing with Sara, it feels like there are phases in my business where people go off, and they spend some time focusing on selling. And then there are other times where they potentially come to me, and they get so in the weeds with systems that they forget to sell, and they get stuck. And we were discussing how this is a really, really intrinsic piece, hence the title of this podcast and in what is the practical thing, keeping business owners stuck. And it is basically a kind of blend between what Sara does, and what I do in terms of understanding how to keep on selling, so that you have a business in the first place.

And at the same time to have those systems so that you can do that in a sustainable and scalable way. And we really wanted to break that down for you in a more practical way today, to understand what does that actually look like? Because it’s going to look different depending on where you’re at in your business. So let’s say I’m going to kind of pass over to you like what do you see when you see business owners getting stuck? What is that looking like for them? And how does that present in terms of selling and systems? And yeah, give me that, Mike. I think you know, if we really think about what we’re trying to do here, whether you’re brand new in business, whether you’ve been here a long time, like no matter where you are in the journey, there’s two things that you know, we’re all striving for, we want money coming in, we will money coming in sustainably and continuously so that we can continue to kind of fund the things that we need in our businesses in our lives, all the things. So we need the sales to be consistent and stable. So that that money is coming in. We also need and want space and time to grow the business. And also to step out of the business. We don’t want to be in our businesses 24/7. So we think about breaking down the two kind of key elements that we’re always looking at and needing to kind of keep our heads on top of it’s how is the money coming in? And is that looking and feeling useful and doable. And is there enough space and time in our lives in our businesses as supported by the systems and the scaling side of things to allow long term growth in an evil way, because nobody, you know, in our world, nobody’s here for a flash in the pan hot minute and then go off and do something else. We’re trying to build sustainable businesses for the long haul.

That’s really something that I think motivates both of us, and probably everybody listening here, we are here to kind of increase the amount of women that are setting up businesses, but also are making it for the long haul. So we’re going to have our heads on top of both of those things. And I think where there is this feeling of stuckness, it’s usually a case of when we look at these two pieces in isolation, either there has been too much focus on, you know, the sales and the fulfilment and that kind of cycle of getting clients in and delivery. And there isn’t enough support on this sort of system side of things. Or it can be sometimes that the opposite is true. And that fantastic systems have been built. And there’s all this brilliant kind of automation in place. But the actual sales part of the puzzle isn’t completely washing its own face yet. So I would say that normally it’s a case of looking at both of these things and seeing where the gaps are and filling them in.

Yeah, no 100%. I mean, I think on the one hand, if we’re too sales focused, you can end up in a state of burnout if you’re constantly feeling that because it can lead to essentially hustling if you kind of feel like you’re constantly selling, selling but you haven’t got the systems in place to confidently deliver one the common questions I get from clients is I feel I can sell, and I feel I can take care of my clients. But I really struggled to do the two at the same time, I feel like I have a really good selling spell I’ll bring in a few clients are really focused on taking exceptional care of them. And then oh, where’s my next client coming from and que the panic that can lead to a state of disillusion and like I say, potentially burnout. And then the opposite can be true. I find them all kind of introverted business owners who love details.

Those can be the type that like to kind of look at a really shiny infrastructure set up on the back end, a beautiful offer that they ruminated on for like weeks, and then be massively disappointed when nobody’s coming to buy it from them despite the fact that it looks as shiny as a seven figure business owners funnel but looking at it and nobody’s buying it because you’re hiding behind that funnel. And so those to me quite often are the two traps either being the extroverted, kind of impulsive, that sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, oh gosh, but how do I maintain this alongside delivery or the trap of I’ve spent all this time building a beautiful website building a beautiful funnel hypothesising about what makes a good offer. And it’s not selling 100% I mean, it’s exactly as you described. And I think in both cases, there’s an opportunity to say, to revisit what it is that’s holding you back from whichever piece is missing, which I expect, we’ll talk a bit more about here. But I think you’re absolutely right, doing too much trying to do and be everything in your business is a fast track to fatigue, and wanting to lie down for a really long time. And actually, lots of people set up businesses because they were burnt out in their previous job in a previous career.

So the last thing we want to do is create another opportunity to feel burnt out and tired, which is why the ease piece is so important. But equally, it only stacks up if you know your beautiful funnel is only worth the money you’ve spent on it if you’re able to bring in the people to actually enjoy that wonderful experience that you’ve created for them. So it is really a case of both pieces happening at the same time.

Yeah, because I mean, this is the thing, like I’ve seen some people, in fact, recently had discovery calls for people who do an incredible job at selling, and they’re fully booked one to one, but then they’re in that state of I haven’t got the time to build those scalable systems, the people who sat on the kind of periphery of working with me and being like, oh, but how do I create the time to be able to create the infrastructure to be able to scale without my finances suffering? So Sara and I were discussing in this meal, like, it’s just so important to never just be focusing on one or the other, and to look at them side by side so that you don’t fall victim of hypothesising building and creating systems, infrastructures, funnels, spending all that money on the tech stack required to do all of that. And I love that you said then what not? Was it not being able to wash his own face?

What liquidum analogies, we just need to remember, though, to build all of that and for it to feel like it’s for nothing, when actually chances are with some good sales patter, you could actually really make that funnel work for you. And sales strategy will be on the sales patter ops. And you can tell I’m not the selling expert here. But you know, similarly as well, you know, to kind of also when you are good at selling, the amount of people I speak to who are good at selling, we’re like, wow, you could be achieving so much more if you have the systems to make this sustainable and scalable. And like Sara says, to make it that you’re not having to do it all by yourself. I think that’s such an important piece that’s actually played a huge role. Whenever anyone says to me, Polly, have you done what you’ve done in your business, I always say one of the things I really put it down to is I did not hesitate to hire like I hired as soon as I could. And that doesn’t mean like a huge team. But it does mean hiring with confidence. And that’s what systems and strategy support you to have. Right? Totally.

And I think it’s a case of not just creating a business that works for you today. But a business, you know, we’re wanting to be building for the longer term for what we’re wanting to achieve long term. And a really important part of that is actually keeping your sort of future focus on and when we think about why we need to get the cash flow in and why I’m always talking to my clients about why we want to ultimately be increasing that cash flow as quickly as possible. Yes, it’s because we want to validate the offer, we want to make sure that you’re getting well paid from day one. But also, it’s because we need to start looking at outsourcing bits and pieces that you’re not the expert in building your team for the future. So the longer it takes you to sell out your offer, the longer it takes you to understand how you’re using sales strategy in your business, the further away those things can feel. And then I think sometimes it does perpetuate into more business owners falling into this trap of like selling, delivering and just staying in this loop of doing too much on their own. So it’s really important that you keep a longer term focus on what you’re doing even from day one, so that you know what your first hire will look like and what they will do for you. Because there’s so many twists and turns you can make along the way that aren’t really necessarily what you needed at the right time, if you don’t have some planning behind this.

Now, I love that reflection, because I do think that is partly the trap that people fall into is what kind of gets you off the ground. And business isn’t the same thing that’s gonna keep you running a sustainable business. And there’s early stages, we do have to kind of be the brains for everything. Because it’s just you to start off with and you know, you’re validating that there’s a demand that people want your offer, how to package up your services. And so I don’t think there’s any denying that the early stages of online business, there is a hustle involved. I call it the push before the curse. You know, there is a time where it does require more of you. And I think anyone who says otherwise, there’s probably sugarcoating it somewhere there is a push. And I think this is a really important piece, which is kind of what we’re talking about today is there needs to be a time where you trust it doesn’t need to be a push anymore, where you’ve validated that people do want your services. People are interested in your offers. Yes, maybe there could be more interested in your office. Yes, maybe there could be more consistency. But once you’ve got evidence that people are having great results working with you and want to buy from you, it’s time to reevaluate what your strategy is and how you go about doing this. So like Sara says that it’s sustainable, and spacious because it does get to be spacious. And honestly, a lot of that is trusting that it gets to be and then building the business around that. A lot of people assume that this spacious business will land in their lap once they’re successful. Well Luckily, I think Sara and I have both seen and obviously live it ourselves that actually hits the decision, you decide to have a spacious business, right 100%. And actually, in both of our cases, we decided to have a spacious business after a burnout. So there we go to you, it will not happen automatically. It is a decision, and it’s a decision that I would love to have known was available from the get go, actually. And so you know, this is why we’re having this conversation. And we’ll probably always be having this conversation, because I think everybody, everybody, probably up and down, the country knows what it’s like to have things feel hard, that it’s less easy to find examples of things looking spacious and sustainable, which is why it’s so important to you know, get in the rooms with people who know how to do that stuff. Because it isn’t always the way things we’ve been role model to us.

100% talking about getting in the rooms with people who are walking that sustainable, spacious talk now seems like a good time to mention that we are hosting a mastermind day in London, on January the 26th.

So looking forward to it after the last one, which was just the best thing ever been absolutely chomping at the bit to get this out there. So yeah, let’s talk about it.

Yeah, I mean, Sara and I are super excited about this. Because as we were making plans together in London about a month ago, you know, this kind of conversation we’re having today is part of what made us recognise what a great opportunity this is for business owners, because we do bring the complete solution in terms of looking at those two integral pieces that allow you to build that sustainable, spacious business, which is looking at systems and sales side by side, and it will look different regarding where you’re at in business. And at the same time, the principles are kind of the same, right?

Yeah, totally. I think this is the thing, like wherever you are in your business journey, this is a really fantastic opportunity to have us have a look at what’s required for your next step. And that’s why I’m just so looking forward to it. Because actually, I haven’t found anything else like this or earlier on in my journey, it’s been very much about, well, you need to do this. But first, and actually systems can feel like a really scary thing. And they’re really not at all. So I think it’s really important and so compelling, actually, as I think about it. So actually, wherever you’re sort of weak spot is or the bit that you feel a little bit you know, less comfortable with, this will be a day to identify what your next step should be in a really unscary simple broken down way. We want everybody to leave with a kind of clear plan of you know, where they’re at, you know, having reviewed what’s going well, but also really clear and intentional about what they’re going to be doing next year. So it couldn’t come at a better time. It really can.

It’s such a nice way to start the year. And I mean just the magic of being around other business owners I just find it’s powerful on so many levels, whether it’s through collaborative opportunities, or even just in the moment, sometimes I just find it normalises the concerns, we have the concerns we assume other established business owners don’t have being able to just dream bigger actually. And to have that moment away from your business, to really reconnect to that mission and vision that you have. And make some promises to yourself really about how you want your business to look in the year ahead with the ultimate hype squad. And alongside being the hype Scott also a useful squad in that like I said, Sara and I are really determined to help you walk away with a really clear, simple plan to support you to get there no, this doesn’t need to be really complicated. This doesn’t need to feel heavy or overwhelming. The majority of business owners I would say a to close their business to kind of see the wood for the trees. And this is the power of mastermind is you get to step back. And you get obviously not just Sara and I but the kind of communal wisdom of the other attendees who are there too. Yeah, share more sorry about what you felt about the last one that we hosted. Yeah, I think exactly like we were saying it’s just making that decision that it gets to be easier. It gets to be easy. And actually just by virtue of setting that intention that you are going to be in a room with people who are like minded in that sense, who are not there for like the long term hustle and grind. We are here to make sure this gets to be easy. This gets to be long term successful and this gets to be sustainable. And what was so nice about the last one we ran was that it was almost like the moment everybody walked into the room. People didn’t know it. It’s not like we all knew each other, you know, in real life. But it felt immediately just that wonderful sense that I think we’ve kind of forgotten through the pandemic era of actually how important it is to be in real life with people like we are not just here to be like 100% online business owners. And actually so much of the magic is what happens in those rooms. In person. You can’t necessarily always put your finger it’s not always something so tangible although there will be plenty of tangible actions and practical elements to the day. It’s so much more than that. It’s like the 365 feeling that you get from sitting in a room with just lovely like minded people on the same journey as you? So yeah, it’s that lovely kind of, as I say just all the senses, getting involved getting off those screens and just putting pen to paper.

I love that. And who would you say is, if someone’s listening right now thinking is this for me, huh? Here’s it for, it’s less about where you’re at right now and more about the intention that you’re setting for your the future of your business. So I would say it’s for anybody who is either looking to achieve more ease in their sales, or, and or looking to achieve or knows that they need more support from the kind of systems angle and more looking to expand their capacity in terms of spaciousness and time available that they have in their business. So I think we all kind of know, don’t worry, when we’re tipping over into the edge of I’m doing a bit too much like there’s a little bit too much on my plate. And that’s always a good indication of it being a decent time to review your systems and your processes. But the most important thing that it’s here to do is to ensure that the relationship piece in your business is well taken care of, because so much about business is about looking after your clients and your audience and making sure that they’re having a really good experience with you. So what a good sales experience and a good systems and process experience can do is make sure that your clients are getting a really lovely, high quality, ongoing relationship with you. So we’re going to be looking at all the different pieces that go into making sure that experience is tip top, and that their relationship with you is a really positive experience for all I love that I love that. I love that.

And I will say by the way, one of the most common things I’ve heard from people who’ve been hesitant about attending one of my events is a concern that they may be the most behind in the room. And I just want to let you know that every single person, that’s how that concern has arrived. And that fear has dissipated almost immediately, because there’s no such thing as being behind, there really isn’t. And you’ll be amazed to see how regardless as to where people are at in their business, we’re all just humans. And that’s the power of these days connecting human to human heartbeat, heartbeat, you know, really recognising that those fears, those dreams, we all have them and they all present differently for us. But it’s a beautiful, inspiring, wonderful day. And we’d love to see that. And if you have any questions, I’m gonna be dropping links under the show. So you can check out more information about the day and if you just want to drop into either mine or Sara’s DMS with any questions you have, I’d be more than happy to answer them. And that’s it. Really that’s it from me. Have you got anything else you’d like to share? Sara,

just that really, in terms of the mastermind day itself? It is going to be in London. And it could be for anybody. Like don’t be thinking just to your point fully about am I too early in the jet like don’t be thinking any of that. It’s more about where you’re going and where you are right now. So if you’re ready to set some intentions for yourself and where your business is going, then this mastermind Day is right for you. No matter how much selling and how much scaling you’ve done in the past is what I’d round off with there.

Yeah, no 100% If you prioritise relationships, love you know really, really care about how you look after your clients. If you want a sustainable and spacious business, if you like the idea of looking at how things get to be easy for you. And like Sara said, if you want to be removing a few things off that CEO plate of yours, or even if it’s not a CEO plate if you want to start building that CEO plate of yours, then this is going to be the perfect day to set you up for a really powerful 2024 We will help get you there.