Sales Maven Nikki Rausch

Time is one of our scarcest resources. As entrepreneurs, effectively managing time frees us to focus on strategic activities to grow our sales and business. As part of our Mastering Excellence Series, Nikki is delighted to interview Mike Abramowitz, an expert on scaling businesses through automation and delegation.
Mike has 20 years of experience in direct sales, training over 5,000 reps and generating $19M in sales. He's authored 9 self-help books and founded a charity providing over 100,000 meals to the homeless. Mike's businesses and nonprofit now run independently, allowing him a "Time Rich" lifestyle.
As a father and husband, he helps business owners use AI-powered virtual assistants to focus on high-value tasks. Mike hosts "The Better Than Rich Show" podcast and leads the Automate, Delegate, Systemize community.
Nikki loves the idea of scaling through automation and delegation. In this episode, they dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to scale a business using these strategies, enabling listeners to achieve the freedom to step away from their business and have it run independently.
Mike shares how the team and the tech come after the predictable system. He provides an example of a sales system for a coaching client, focusing on the idea of predictable systems and simple playbooks so the team can be doers rather than experts.
Mike also offers advice on utilizing AI. The technology is quickly evolving, but he suggests finding what works for you and sticking with it. He advocates for committing to your chosen technology instead of constantly switching.
If the idea of building a business and then removing yourself sounds impossible, stay tuned as Mike breaks down the basics of getting a simple system in place to support your team and the technology that makes your team's job easier.
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[02:36] -  Mike shares a little more about himself and his early career, including selling for Cutco Knives. 
[04:01] -  Having to sell and teach people how to sell when Mike was in survival mode taught him much about himself and helped hone his techniques. 
[04:19] -  After attending a Tony Robbins event, he took all of his lessons learned in his twenties and began speaking and crafting his first book.
[05:07] -  His early years were about growing through a challenge then taking that gift and turning it into something to serve the marketplace.
[05:28] -  In 2016, his business coach helped him corporatize his sales operations to operate without him.
[05:55] -  By 2020, the business had $2.5 million in sales and provided 1000 jobs.
[06:12] -  Mike gets personal and talks about the premature birth of his son and how his business ran without him for 254 days. 
[06:30] -  After this success, he wanted to teach people to do the same thing and Better Than Rich was created. 
[08:08] -  Mike talks about how having a team to support him and the technology to support the team is at the core of his technique.
[08:39] -  A more sophisticated approach is to start with the systems and playbook that the team and the tech are following.
[09:14] -  We want to be surrounded by a great team with good tech, but we also want the systems and the playbook to support the team and the tech.
[10:10] -  Having simple systems in place makes it possible to find lower wage workers as opposed to expert workers. AI is changing the game of tech. AI is changing the tech game. 
[11:19] -  Four pillars of business: Attract, Convert, Onboard, and Retain. Each pillar has its individual playbook.
[12:27] -  A playbook for attracting coaching clients.

Nikki is thrilled to share another Sales Success Story from one of her brilliant, amazing, and very talented Sales Maven Society members, Patricia Viscount. In this episode, we dive into Patricia's business and get a before-and-after snapshot of her success since joining the Sales Maven Society.
Patricia's confidence and success have increased dramatically. She explains how she started small with a Small Business Saturday offer, which gave her the confidence to tweak her offers and create even more successful ones. Initially shy about sending offers to her list, she now sends them with confidence.
Once Patricia took the initial plunge, she felt empowered with each new client as she tweaked and grew her offers. She is also steadily growing her email list and even implemented one of our teachings by adding a fun quiz to attract more signups. You can find this quiz in the show notes below.
We also talk about the wonderful support of the Sales Maven Society community. Patricia has made smart and supportive friends in the group, which has helped propel her success and confidence. Having like-minded people to bounce ideas off of has been so much better than going it alone.
Joining the Sales Maven Society has helped Patricia become the CEO she was meant to be. She is now confident enough to send offers to her list, test different strategies, and discover what works best. Her list is also growing, and the supportive community feels like having sisters.
Patricia is the founder and principal of Patricia Viscount Consulting Ltd. (pronounced VY-Count). A lifelong storyteller, she began her journey with bedtime stories to entertain her sisters. Now, she helps service providers like coaches and consultants craft engaging, authentic, on-brand strategies, website content, and email copy to attract their ideal audience.
Before starting her own business, Patricia was an Army Officer and a Communication Specialist in the energy sector. This diverse background has allowed her to translate complex jargon into easy-to-understand content.
Nikki loves how Patricia has conversations with clients, then creates brilliant testimonials for their websites, plus gathers information to craft web copy that truly highlights who they are, what they do, and who they serve, so they can attract more ideal clients.
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[00:58] -  Patricia is a conversion copywriter. She creates copy that is fun, authentic, and true to the client's brand.
[01:18] -  Her proven framework includes interviewing the client and crafting compelling copy to improve rankings, share the clients strengths, and capture testimonials.
[02:13] -  The interview process and testimonials are powerful, because Patricia knows how to pull an amazing testimonial out of people.
[07:43] -  One good testimonial can be repurposed in many different ways and really maximizes your returns.
[08:24] -  Patricia has had her business for eight years. Since she joined Sales Maven Society, she has begun feeling like a CEO. She now has the confidence to stand in her power and send in her offers consistently.
[10:29] -  Patricia sent out her very first Small Business Saturday email offer and got two sales which helped increase her confidence. 
[14:40] -  Her list is now growing, and she has a brand voice quiz which is really helping. 
[16:25] -  Knowing your brand voice is crucial for success.
[18:40] -  Patricia explains how AI emails have made a former client's sales go down. Use it as a tool and make it sound like you. 
[19:44] -  The Sales Maven Society community has made Patricia feel like these wo

Today’s episode is part of Nikki’s Mastering Excellence series, and Nikki is happy to be sitting down with Tanya Goodall Smith, author of The Introvert's Guide to Personal Branding: How to Put Yourself Out There Without Changing Who You Are.
Tanya founded WorkStory Creative, an agency that helps introverts who are evolving their business create an elevated brand vision and bring it to life. Her 20+ year career began at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, which led to design jobs with international brands like HP, Disney and GUESS. She has served on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners, was a finalist in Maria Sharipova’s Women’s Entrepreneur Program and is a Brand Builder’s Group Certified Personal Branding Strategist. Beyond work, Tanya balances rowing, ballet and classic film binges with the busy lives of her teenagers.
Tune in as Nikki and Tanya discuss Tanya’s journey, which is especially inspiring, as she reveals how her introverted nature initially posed challenges in networking and self-promotion. She shares how she overcame these obstacles to thrive in her field and discusses the strategic approach she uses to help clients define their brand, including a detailed process that extracts essential information about a business to form the foundation of a compelling personal brand.
Tanya also emphasizes the importance of aligning marketing strategies with one's personality, particularly for introverts, in order to avoid burnout and to maximize productivity. Listen in to hear Tanya’s inspirational story and to discover the key elements of successful branding!
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[00:30] - This episode, part of Nikki’s Mastering Excellence series, interviews Tanya Goodall Smith.
[02:59] - Nikki expresses excitement about Tanya’s upcoming book, relating to the topic of being true to oneself in building a successful brand.
[04:16] - What prompted Tanya to write her book?
[06:42] - Tanya discusses the strategic approach that many introverts thrive on, emphasizing clarity in brand purpose and messaging for success.
[08:52] - Tanya reflects on starting her freelance career despite not having a clear vision for her brand.
[10:40] - It's important for introverts to shift their mindset and focus on identifying areas where introversion might hinder progress.
[13:37] - Nikki agrees and emphasizes the significance of mindset in business, advocating for identifying obstacles.
[16:08] - Nikki realizes that her teaching style aligns with her introverted nature, emphasizing the comfort of being prepared in conversations.
[17:35] - Nikki reflects on a pivotal moment from 2017, having felt out of alignment until finding a mentor.
[19:07] - Tanya focuses on strategy, extracting essential information to help shape her brand identity and attract ideal clients.
[22:51] - Tanya encourages identifying target customers and being unapologetically specific in order to save time and resources.
[25:51] - Nikki enthuses over the importance of having pricing on one’s website.
[27:38] - Tanya advises addressing what's not working to refine branding and messaging to attract the right clients.
[29:22] - Tanya argues that being successful in the world of business is about more than just getting clients 
[32:10] - Effective branding is crucial for business longevity!
[34:24] - Tanya advocates for maintaining a consistent brand identity with minimal changes.
[35:52] - Tanya finds joy and connection in adult ballet classes and benefits from movement as she ages.
[37:52] - What is something about Tanya that ofte

Nikki is happy to welcome Samantha Irwin to the podcast today! With over 25 years of experience in leadership, Samantha inspires and educates teams to create exceptional customer experiences that foster loyalty and advocacy, driving both financial success and heartfelt service for brick-and-mortar businesses.
Samantha’s dual background in middle school teaching and boutique hotel ownership has uniquely positioned her to empower and educate business leaders and their front-line customer service staff. Organizations and businesses hire Samantha for engaging and inspiring keynote speeches and workshops. As the creator of the Power of People Academy and the Creating A Culture Deck, she equips businesses to provide exceptional customer experiences, fostering thriving enterprises consistently and fulfilling staff!
Samantha's commitment also extends to teaching business owners how to make their establishments preferred workplaces and favored customer destinations. She and Nikki discuss how Samantha’s tools help businesses maintain high customer service standards and improve employee retention, ultimately driving repeat clientele and sustainable growth.
Samantha also shares a compelling success story from a networking event where she used Nikki’s networking strategies to secure a new client. The story highlights the practical applications of Nikki's teachings, showing how being attentive to buying signals and taking immediate action can lead to significant business opportunities.
Nikki encourages listeners to tune in for insights into effective customer service training, the benefits of investing in your team, and practical networking tips that can transform your business relationships. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their customer service approach and achieve long-term business success!
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[00:30] - Nikki interviews Samantha Irwin in this episode.
[00:58] - Samantha explains that she trains hospitality and retail staff to create excellent customer service for sustainable growth.
[02:37] - Samantha offers the Creating A Culture Deck and Power of People Academy for hospitality and retail staff training.
[04:20] - Samantha also offers strategy sessions and six-month coaching packages focused on improving customer experience.
[06:08] - Treating employees well enhances customer satisfaction for small businesses.
[08:44] - Samantha values networking strategies like the "three-two-one" rule for building and deepening relationships.
[10:45] - Hear how recognizing and acting on buying signals immediately led to successful networking and business growth.
[13:07] - Nikki adds that scheduling appointments in advance saves time and reduces mental energy, making business interactions more efficient.
[15:32] - Being proactive and reliable in handling situations sets Samantha apart, earning her trust and credibility.
[17:37] - Clarifying her sense of competitiveness, Samantha highlights the value of networking and fostering connections that lead to unexpected business opportunities.
[19:57] - Nikki cherishes the close connections within the group, offering Samantha, Melissa, and Patricia as an example.
[22:10] - What are the best ways to get in touch with Samantha?
 
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Find Nikki:
Nikki Rausch
nikki@yoursalesmaven.com
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Sales Maven Society
Work With Nikki Discussion
To download free Resources from Nikki: www.yoursalesmaven.com/maven 
 
Find Samantha:
Kaizen Zone
Creating A Culture De

Nikki welcomes Danielle LaFleur to the podcast this week. Danielle is a transformative keynote speaker with 30 years of experience in Marketing, IT, Network Design, and Leadership Training. As the founder of Easy As Pie Design, she excels in strategic planning and AI integration for digital marketing. Danielle holds degrees from the University of Washington and multiple certifications, including Six Sigma and MCSE, and she is also an advocate for continuous improvement and technological innovation. Her talks provide insights and strategies for thriving in the digital and AI-driven business landscape.
Nikki and Danielle discuss the delicate balance between cutting-edge AI tools, the human touch in business, and AI's impact on customer experiences and productivity. They talk about the nuances of AI evolution, from its current capabilities to the aspirations of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
Tune in to learn how businesses can leverage AI to streamline processes, enhance customer interactions, and drive innovation, all while preserving authenticity and connection. Nikki and Danielle explore the concept of "prompt engineering," where precision in input parameters unlocks AI's full potential, and they also talk about the real-world examples of how AI optimizes tasks, from crafting landing pages to managing client interactions!
With the transformative power of AI, listen in to this episode to discover the importance of ensuring personalized connections even with technological advancements. Gain insights into the evolving nature of work in this era of AI, where creativity, collaboration, and adaptability remain what's most important!
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[00:37] - Nikki is interviewing Danielle LaFleur of Easy As Pie Design.

[03:40] - Danielle argues that customer service relies on leveraging tools to prioritize personalized attention, with AI oversight ultimately being essential.
[05:43] - AI evolves from matching human capabilities to surpassing them, ultimately aiming for autonomy.
[07:38] - Nikki reveals that she uses AI in her business to expedite problem-solving and brainstorming during coaching sessions.
[09:12] - Danielle uses AI to enhance client interactions, leveraging insights for tasks such as webpage design.
[12:52] - Danielle argues that prompt engineering in using AI helps ensure quality results.
[14:24] - Danielle adds that prompt engineering is important when it comes to directing AI, similar to onboarding an intern.
[17:00] - Specify ChatGPT's role, client, desired outcomes, context, and criteria, and then prompt for relevant information.
[18:05] - For effective AI guidance, Danielle advocates for defining roles, offering context, setting criteria, giving clear instructions, and including examples.
[21:44] - Integrating AI into high-touch interactions depends on business model and personal capacity.
[24:13] - Danielle touches upon how businesses adopt AI-driven customer service for empathetic, efficient assistance.
[27:05] - Nikki argues that, for solopreneurs or small teams, leveraging AI like ChatGPT requires tailored strategies.
[28:09] - Hume, which is powered by AI emotional recognition, transforms customer interactions by offering personalized assistance without direct involvement.
[31:11] - Danielle explains how automatically organizing calls, noting actions, and facilitating quick information retrieval assists with managing projects.
[34:45] - Embracing creativity as your greatest asset empowers innovation and challenges traditional norms.
[37:17] - Danielle encourages listeners to recognize your uniqueness an

Nikki’s guest today is returning guest Jill Shroyer, the CEO and Lead HR Consultant at Expedition HR. An expert on how to conduct tough conversations. Jill teaches businesses how to have tough conversations without feeling like a jerk! Businesses hire Expedition HR to provide on-demand, on-call expert HR and tough conversation support and guidance through the HR Subscription. It’s like having an HR Director on-call! Most clients find Expedition HR because they need help letting an employee go or because they need to solve an ongoing work performance problem.
Jill has over two decades of HR experience across five industries and is a published author of the book, Conquer Sticky Situations. She lives in Park City, Utah with her husband, two kids, and rescue pets, and she has many passions outside of work including mountain biking, skiing deep powder, and traveling abroad with her family!
Join Nikki as she and Jill discuss Jill’s innovative approach to HR consulting. Jill shares her journey of developing the Expedition HR subscription, a unique service tailored for businesses with 15-50 employees. Learn how Jill's model, which includes one-on-one support, unlimited Voxer access, and a comprehensive resource bank, provides companies with essential HR tools and guidance.
Jill also reveals how she leverages Nikki's sales techniques like using softening phrases and refining consult questions in order to achieve growth and client satisfaction. She highlights the transformative power of asking the right questions, offering immediate purchase links, and the importance of follow-up meetings to close sales effectively. Nikki and Jill also discuss the importance of adjusting communication styles, like modulating one's tone, to enhance clarity during conversations, especially tough ones.
Listen in to hear Jill's insights on navigating tough workplace discussions, her successful sales strategies, and the supportive culture of the Sales Maven Society. This episode is packed with valuable takeaways for anyone looking to improve their sales approach and handle challenging HR scenarios with confidence!
Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity for you and Nikki to work together. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance to boost your confidence. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00!
 
In This Episode:
[00:30] - Today’s guest is Jill Shroyer of Expedition HR.
[01:04] - Jill explains how she specializes in tough workplace conversations through a flexible HR subscription.
[03:11] - Jill points out how very few clients make full use of the unlimited Voxer benefit, but she provides extensive support through it.
[04:53] - Nikki's phrase “Would it be okay to ask?" significantly contributed to Jill's exponential growth last year.
[06:49] - Jill touches upon how listening to Nikki's module on curling her voice down drastically improved her conversational tone.
[08:49] - Jill explains how she has refined her consult questions, looking to shorten calls to 30 minutes while gathering essential information.
[10:59] - Jill reveals how asking questions related to budget and offering immediate purchase options during consults improved her client engagement.
[14:08] - Nikki argues that asking questions, even uncomfortable ones, shows respect, earns business, and elevates you as the expert.
[16:56] - Hear how asking permission to share recommendations and requesting follow-up has positively transformed client interactions for Jill.
[20:16] - Jill feels that the Sales Maven Society fosters genuine connections and attracts sincere individuals for meaningful interactions.
[23:00] - Jill adds that the Sales Maven Society serves as a very important safety net and offers personalized coaching and support.
[23:57] - Where can Jill be reached online?