Since I can remember, I have always been what you consider “good at sales.” Each time I closed a sale, whether big or small, the customer and I experienced happiness, satisfaction, and excitement. 

Whether it’s selling little trinkets and my decluttered clothes at a flea market as a student, serving drinks at my club in London, or as I do now, charging thousands of Euros for private consultations with me, the person buying from me is happy. 

Here are the 5 reasons why I have always naturally been good at sales, what I think makes someone bad at it, and most of all, what can be done about it. 

When I say “good” versus “bad at sales”, I do not mean to be judgmental or make anyone feel bad about themselves.

I sincerely believe that this can change for anyone, as it all just depends on how you see sales and trade. And of course, if you are contributing value with your product and are honest about its qualities. 

1.) Pressure / don’t be attached to the outcome. 

A desperate, pushy, unpleasant, pressured, inauthentic salesperson trying to scare or scam you into purchasing something is a disgrace to how beautiful sales and trade are actually meant to be.

Usually, whenever I got a whiff of that, I would just walk away and disengage from this type of sales strategy altogether. 

The only time I was really exposed to this type of negativity around sales was when I was looking for a business coach and social media manager/virtual assistant, and some tech. support. 

I found myself in these dreadful generic sales calls by female coaches who so desperately tried to “create scarcity in me”, were clinging on to a follow-up call and read from their notes to implement the steps their probably highly paid and clearly wasted on, sales coach had taught them. 

I felt really bad for them, and at the same time, it was interesting for me to see such a train wreck. I did not have the heart to be rude and just end the call right there. I sat through it, but I never got back to them. 

In my sales experience, it takes only a few minutes to know if you want to work with a coach; it is a gut feeling you should trust. 

Sales, especially when buying personal services, are an emotion-based decision. People then find logical reasons to justify their choice – there is research on this. I learned about this during my degree in psychology. 

The “sales” call, which I refer to as the Initial Call, is simply to clarify specific questions that the coach did not outline on their website. 

In my opinion, there is no need for pressure in sales calls. My sales calls are usually just confirmation calls with women who already know that they want to be my client. 

Given my high fees, it is natural to want to speak in person first, and for me, I need to have a chance to be selective about my clients. 

In less than 5 % we decide not to work together, or I recommend a self-study program first.

The reason I have such a high sales call to client conversion rate is that I have zero interest in creating scarcity or having a woman buy from me out of fear or pressure. 

My consulting and products are a luxury that enhances your life; whether you want to treat yourself to this change is up to you to decide. 

2.) Money – how you see it. 

To me, money has always been just the byproduct of happy sales and having a decent product or being totally transparent about its flaws. 

Money is a symbolic representation of trade, compensating you for the value you have already added. Nothing more, nothing less. 

If you are currently struggling financially, the above statement may seem out of touch with reality. 

If so, it is essential to understand that this article is not advice on how to get out of poverty. I write about how to reframe your perspective on money in the context of sales, and how to improve the approach with which you manage already existing money.

3.) Understand the person and what they need. Enjoy advising them while they choose. 

I could see this play out, especially when sitting behind my carpet, piled on stuff while flea marketing. 

I would literally and regularly look at a person approaching my pile, then pick an object out of it, show the person, and often the sale was already done; they would smile happily and be often surprised, looking at me as if they wanted to say something. 

“How does this girl know I like this?”

And without them asking, I would usually explain how I know, why I think this fits and what they could do with it. 

I would also be transparent about the condition of the object, of course —but more on that in point 5.

To me, guessing what a person wanted had become my favourite pastime while selling at flea markets.  

I did the same when I had my club; I guessed what drink a person would order. I even took bets on this from my barmaids, and I almost always won. These were fun times back then in London.

Using this sense for people, and tuning into their world helps you understand their needs better, and based on that, you can make a solid, sales-ethical recommendation for them. 

Needless to say, that is what I do in my initial call, and the gift of highly trained and refined intuition is a must if you want to be a consultant/coach.

4.) Be in a good mood yourself / you need to feel good.

So personally, I have a rule. If a salesperson “fait la gueule” [French for sulking / being in a bad mood], that is literally the words that come to mind when I notice a bad mood in a salesperson. I am out the door and taking my business elsewhere. 

I never questioned this much, and I won’t do so now. It just doesn’t feel right to buy from a rude or grumpy person. I want to enjoy shopping and spending money. 

There is a Chinese saying that a person who doesn’t smile should not open a shop. 

If you delve into certain cultures, you will learn that it is best not to do business with negative energy or argue while closing a sale.

I agree. 

Being in a good mood in sales has always been easy for me since selling and advising customers cheers me up and is my happy place. 

Here is where I agree with coaches who teach women how to sell, when they say you should work on your emotional state. 

Oftentimes, the best place to start here is to give your idea of money a critical overhaul. 

5.) Have a good product / add value / believe in what you sell. 

Or at least be honest about it, if it is trash 😹

I made hundreds in cash on flea markets and other sellers around would either envy me for it, or come to me and ask for my advice. 

My stand was definitely not pretty, nor was it the most organised, and I didn’t have the best stuff to sell. 

Sometimes I did not even have a table, just a carpet with all my goods on it, and a single chair for me to sit on. But I sold out each time and drove home with an empty trunk and a heavy bag filled with coins. 

I 100% believe in and stand behind everything my consulting service produces, whether it is the tiniest post on social media, the self-study programs ranging from a few Euros to a few hundred (those change your lives, by the way), or the private time with me. 

And, of course, I am always honest if I believe any of my services are not a good match for your needs.