Sales is NOT a Dirty Word

Aleasha Bahr
  • 5.0 (23)
  • Business
  • Semimonthly

Are you a DFY service provider who wants to convert over 50% of your sales conversations without acting like a douchebag? Then this is for you. In this value packed podcast, creator of the Black Sheep Sales Method™, Aleasha Bahr, brings her signature humor and ”keeping it real” sass to deliver a powerful blend of actionable solo sales episodes and expert interviews. In her solo episodes, she shares easy-to-implement sales strategy that will catapult your sales without pressure, pitching or pretending to be someone else. In her expert interviews, she carefully curates only the most bad ass black sheep guests to share their refreshing, unconventional approaches to all things business, mindset and life. Aleasha and her clients regularly convert 80% of their calls and show you how to do the same with the Black Sheep Sales Method™ - ”Because if it’s a fit, it’s a fact and there’s no selling involved.”

  1. 6d ago

    How to Avoid Getting Burned by a Service Provider

    Too many people are burned by service providers - it’s almost like a right of passage at this point.  Many companies are great at the sales process and terrible at the fulfillment part.  This hurts everyone.  So, in this episode of Sales Is NOT a Dirty Word, I’m digging into the part of buying that deserves far more attention: what you need to know before you say yes.  Coaches, consultants, agencies, software providers, and other service businesses are trained to communicate their value. Some can deliver every inch of it. Others have simply become very skilled at focusing only on what you want to hear.  The key to understanding whether something is actually a good investment comes down to good questions that make vague claims harder to hold up.  The strongest offers can withstand scrutiny.  A credible seller should be able to discuss limitations, expectations, ownership, timelines, and the clients who did not get the promised result without falling into polished generalities. This episode can and should change the questions you ask before your next significant investment, especially when everything sounds convincing and you are already halfway to yes. KEY POINTS WE COVER: The questions buyers should ask before signing How persuasive sales language can disguise what you’re actually purchasing The types of evasive answers that are red flags The details that deserve clarity while you still have leverage Why discernment belongs in every buying decision   SELL THE WAY YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN SOLD TO If this episode reminded you of every vague promise and expensive disappointment you have encountered as a buyer, take that standard back to your own sales process. Black Sheep Sales helps businesses build a detailed, repeatable sales system grounded in fit, transparency, and realistic expectations. Your prospects understand what they are buying, your team knows how to sell it, and fewer nightmare clients make it through the door. Build a sales process that remains credible after the contract is signed: https://blacksheepsales.com/   MAKE YOUR SALES PROCESS WORTH SAYING YES TO A strong sales conversation can open the door. What you deliver afterward determines whether people trust you, refer you, and return. In Black Sheep Sales, I share a more honest, human way to sell that respects the buyer’s intelligence and builds a business people feel good choosing. Get your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/blacksheepsalesbook Key Timestamps 02:14 When excellent marketing conceals poor delivery 03:26 The question that forces sellers to discuss failure 04:41 Why generic answers deserve greater scrutiny 05:23 How ethical sellers protect buyers from a bad fit 06:28 What client complaints and cancellations can reveal 07:06 Clarifying the first 30, 60, and 90 days 07:47 Who owns the work, assets, and data when you leave 09:42 The problem hiding inside “everything is included” 10:46 Finding the provider’s genuine area of strength 11:53 What hesitation and evasiveness can tell you 12:22 Trusting your instincts and hiring slowly 13:04 Building a custom, repeatable sales system #BusinessCoaching #BusinessCoach #ConsultingServices #ServiceProvider #BusinessInvestment #DueDiligence #BuyerBeware #SalesTransparency #EthicalSales #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusinessOwner #BlackSheepSales #SalesIsNotADirtyWord

  2. Oct 15

    How to Interview and Hire the Right Salesperson

    Sales hires are a different type of role than anything most business owners have hired before.  Unless an owner was previously in sales, it can be difficult to know what to look for.  And many times, confidence is confused for competence.  A history of impressive numbers appears to settle the question. Even arrogance can slip through as evidence that someone possesses the personality required to sell. But what are those signals actually measuring? A candidate may have an extraordinary track record and still be completely wrong for your business. Their results belong to a particular offer, market, company, sales process, and moment in their career. Once those conditions change, the résumé can become far less predictive than it first appeared. In this newest episode of Sales is NOT a Dirty Word, I examine the assumptions that cause business owners to misread sales candidates and make expensive hiring decisions. The traits commonly associated with great salespeople deserve more scrutiny. So do the qualities that rarely sound impressive in an interview, yet may reveal far more about how someone will sell, collaborate, and respond once the easy momentum disappears. Listen in to consider: What a candidate’s previous results can and cannot tell you Which familiar “sales personality” traits deserve closer examination The interview questions that reveal how someone thinks beneath the polished answers What compensation preferences may expose about a candidate’s expectations Hiring a salesperson requires you to see deeper than the performance happening across the interview table or the story on the resume.  If you are preparing to hire a salesperson or your current team is underperforming, book a Grow Your Sales call with me. We’ll examine your sales process, compensation plan, KPIs, and the conditions your team needs to perform consistently: https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup You can also take the free Sales Personality Assessment to uncover your natural sales strengths and learn how to use them instead of forcing tactics that do not fit you: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality   KEY TIMESTAMPS 01:00 | How sales candidates sell business owners during the interview 02:00 | Why previous sales success may not transfer to your offer 03:00 | The revenue consequences of hiring someone motivated only by commission 04:00 | When industry relationships disguise deteriorated sales skills 05:40 | Interview questions that reveal empathy and collaboration 06:20 | Why a lone-wolf salesperson can become a serious liability 08:00 | What a large base salary request may reveal 08:40 | Structuring commissions around the behavior your business needs 10:00 | Why winging your first sales hire becomes painfully expensive 11:00 | Getting support with your sales process, KPIs, and compensation plan #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesHiring #SalesRecruitment #HiringSalespeople #SalesInterview #SalesLeadership #SalesManagement #SalesTeam #SalesCompensation #CommissionStructure #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesCoaching #EntrepreneurPodcast

  3. Oct 1

    The Sales Diva: How Your "Top Performer" Could Be Poisoning Your Sales Team

    Your highest-grossing salesperson may be the most expensive problem on your team. They get the best leads, extra resources, and a different set of rules. Their revenue looks too valuable to risk, so leadership keeps making exceptions. Meanwhile, the rest of the team notices. Talented salespeople stop trying. Good ideas stay buried. Resentment grows. Eventually, people leave while the person causing the damage becomes even more indispensable. In this newest episode of Sales is NOT a Dirty Word, I’m talking about the sales diva: the salesperson whose results give them enough leverage to manipulate opportunities, demand special treatment, and leave business owners feeling trapped. Their numbers may look impressive and they certainly reference them often when asking for exceptions and preferential treatment.  It’s important to take a close look and ask - How much of their success comes from skill? How much comes from receiving better leads, inheriting established relationships, or claiming opportunities developed by someone else? And if one person needs every advantage to remain your top performer, what could the rest of your team accomplish with equal support?   Listen in to discover: How a salesperson gradually gains enough leverage to hold a business hostage The warning signs that special treatment is damaging the rest of your team Why revenue alone cannot tell you who your strongest salesperson is What genuinely skilled salespeople bring to a team beyond closed deals   A sales diva rarely becomes a serious problem overnight. The danger grows every time leadership overlooks harmful behavior to protect the revenue attached to it. So how much damage are you willing to absorb before your “top performer” becomes too expensive to keep?     Book a sales call audit with me, and we’ll uncover where your sales process or team structure may be costing you revenue: https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup   You can also take the Sales Personality Assessment to uncover your natural sales strengths and learn how to use them instead of forcing tactics that don’t fit you: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality     Key Timestamps 01:00 What a sales diva is and how someone grows into one 01:40 When the business owner feels held hostage 02:25 What the rest of the team sees: the favorite child effect 03:15 The poison behind the scenes: lead stealing and office politics 04:00 The plant analogy every sales leader needs to hear 05:00 The long-tenure rep coasting on old relationships 06:00 Hungry vs. entitled: what separates real top performers 06:45 How sales divas drive turnover and silence good people 07:45 The worst reason to favor a salesperson 08:30 Prevention: what actually makes a top-performing salesperson 09:40 How to get support building a win-win sales team   #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesLeadership #SalesManagement #SalesTeam #TopPerformer #SalesCulture #SalesStrategy #SalesPerformance #TeamLeadership #BusinessGrowth #SalesCoaching #EmployeeRetention #RevenueGrowth #EntrepreneurPodcast

  4. Sep 17

    How to Turn Small Sales Into Six Figure Contracts

    You just got off a great discovery call. You can already see everything you could fix, every opportunity they’re missing, and the massive result you could create together. So you put all of it into a $100,000 or $150,000 proposal, present your big vision, and wait for them to say yes. Instead, they disappear. The problem isn’t necessarily your pricing or the value of your work. A brand-new prospect simply doesn’t know if you’re full of shit yet.  So, asking them to commit to a massive engagement before you’ve delivered anything means asking them to take on a level of risk most buyers aren’t comfortable with. In this newest episode of Sales is NOT a Dirty Word, I’m breaking down why ambitious proposals often stall, why emailing the proposal makes it even easier for prospects to ghost you, and how to create a smaller first offer that gives the client a real result without devaluing your expertise. Because the goal is a long term client and a big proposal - and that’s more likely to happen when you earn trust first.  Listen in to discover:  Why a prospect can believe in your solution and still reject the proposal What buyers are really evaluating when you ask them to approve a large investment How to create a smaller first offer without discounting or diminishing your work The discovery questions you need answered before structuring your proposal Why a well-designed first engagement can lead to longer and more profitable client relationships If your proposals keep stalling after you email them over, you probably don’t need a more persistent follow-up sequence. You need to understand what’s making the initial decision feel too risky.   Book a sales call audit call with me, and we’ll find out where your sales process is losing the deal: https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup You can also take the Sales Personality Assessment to uncover your natural sales strengths and learn how to use them instead of forcing tactics that don’t fit you: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality Key Timestamps 00:00 – Why I don’t email sales proposals 01:40 – The mistake behind $100K and $150K proposals 02:10 – Why new prospects are afraid of getting burned 02:35 – Selling one small win that can stand on its own 03:15 – Why retention and upselling beat constant client acquisition 04:40 – The two definitions of success your proposal must address 06:00 – Why giant proposals keep great service providers from getting hired 06:25 – Making the first investment easier to say yes to 07:00 – What a valuable standalone offer can look like 08:00 – Building an intentional upsell process 08:25 – Why simple proposals convert better than buzzword-heavy decks   #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesProposal #ProposalStrategy #B2BSales #SalesStrategy #SixFigureSales #ClientAcquisition #ClientRetention #Upselling #ConsultativeSelling #SalesConversion #SalesCoaching #ServiceBasedBusiness #EntrepreneurPodcast

  5. Sep 3

    How to Handle "Let Me Think About It" Without Sounding Pushy or Desperate

    “Let me think about it” has probably launched more awkward follow-up emails than any other sentence in sales. You leave the call not even knowing where to go after that because there wasn’t an obvious objection to work through. How do you follow up with that - ask them what they need to think about? How long do they need? Neither.  The answer is to get curious - yes - but in a different, more specific way.  People rarely arrive at hesitation out of nowhere. There’s usually something underneath it: a question they haven’t asked, a concern they haven’t named, a detail that still feels fuzzy, or a very legitimate reason that moving forward today would be the wrong decision. And yes, sometimes that reason is absolutely valid. You don’t know until you do some digging though.  In this episode of Sales Is Not a Dirty Word, I’m pulling apart what can actually be happening when a promising sales conversation ends in “let me think about it” and where you should start looking when you hear it.    Listen in to discover: What signals to spot when a prospect hesitates at the end of a conversation The questions buyers can have without quite knowing how to articulate them Why curiosity gets you further with an objection than trying to convince or overcome How to discern when hesitation deserves more conversation and when someone genuinely needs more time If you’ve ever experienced the paralyzing uncertainty that can happen in the face of this nebulous objection - listen to the full episode before you send another “just checking in” follow-up.   Curious why your own sales conversations are converting less than 50%? Book your sales audit with me and let’s find out what’s happening inside your process: https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup Take the Sales Personality Assessment to leverage your own unique strengths here: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality   01:15 — The real reason it happens: something wasn't uncovered earlier 02:10 — Why prospects don't ask the questions they actually have 03:05 — Client story: when "I need to regroup" was really about the offer, not the price 04:20 — Not a fit yet versus not a fit ever, and why the difference matters 05:10 — What "let me think about it" is really hinting at 06:00 — Why bringing up objections yourself builds trust instead of planting doubt 07:05 — What happens when you skip this question, and why prospects ghost instead of answering 08:00 — Telling prospects exactly when your offer doesn't work 09:00 — The last resort line to use when someone says they'll think about it    #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesObjections #LetMeThinkAboutIt #SalesTraining #SalesTips #SalesStrategy #SalesCoach #SmallBusinessSales #B2BSales #EntrepreneurPodcast #SalesPodcast #ConversionRate #SalesLeadership #AuthenticSelling #SalesSkills #TrustBasedSelling #WomenInSales #BusinessGrowth #SalesMindset

  6. Aug 20

    Sales Personalities Series Part 5: Chatty Charmer

    I'm closing out our five part Sales Personalities series with the one I think gets misread the most: the Chatty Charmer. This is the person who has never met a stranger - they’re warm and easy to talk to. I could put a Chatty Charmer on a call with a prospect for forty five minutes and that prospect would walk away saying, "I really like that person." And then never buy. I see this get mistaken for sales talent constantly. Charm and connection do not equal sales - but they can with the right structure added in.    In this episode, I break down: Why being liked and being trusted are two entirely different currencies, and only one of them results in sales The real reason Chatty Charmer calls run long, in multiples, and still stall out The anchor phrases I teach this personality type to gently rein a conversation back in without losing the warmth that makes this personality magnetic in the first place The overlooked skill of asking what's actually behind a prospect's question, instead of just answering it at face value The surface level where sales die, and what going two or three layers deeper actually sounds like The organizational habit most Chatty Charmers skip that costs them never ending follow up    If you've ever finished a sales call feeling like it went beautifully, only to get ghosted, or if you manage someone whose calendar is full of "great conversations" that never convert, this episode will show you  I what's missing and how to fix it without losing the very warmth that makes this personality so good with people to begin with. Every sales personality, including yours, has sales strengths that convert when leveraged correctly. That’s what this series is all about.    Take the Sales Personality Assessment here: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality   Curious why your own sales conversations are converting less than 50%?  Book your sales audit with me here and let's find out how to fix it.   01:35 — Introducing the Chatty Charmer and how it differs from the Passionate Persuader 02:45 — Why likability creates the illusion of sales skill 03:15 — The real symptoms: long calls, rabbit holes, and inconsistent results 04:15 — Likable versus trustworthy, and why only one gets you paid 05:00 — How I build anchor phrases that rein the conversation back in 06:20 — The habit of answering questions without understanding what's behind them 07:45 — A real example from a client's sales rep and what almost got missed 08:45 — Why surface level is where sales die 09:15 — The organizational gap that costs follow up without anyone noticing until it's too late 10:00 — What a Chatty Charmer looks like once these tools are in place #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesPersonality #ChattyCharmer #SalesTraining #SalesTips #SalesStrategy #SalesCoach #SmallBusinessSales #B2BSales #EntrepreneurPodcast #SalesPodcast #ConversionRate #SalesLeadership #AuthenticSelling #SalesSkills #TrustBasedSelling #WomenInSales #BusinessGrowth #SalesMindset

  7. Aug 6

    Sales Personalities Series Part 4: Passionate Persuader

    For decades, the passionate persuader was the only personality sales that most training was built for.  This person is confident, direct and high energy. It’s usually the person everyone pictures the moment they hear the word "salesperson." So naturally, they must be the most successful, right? No. This personality does not always mean an amazing salesperson you should hire.  In part four of our five-part Sales Personalities series, we're unpacking the Passionate Persuader: the type who believes so deeply in what they're selling that they're already three steps ahead, envisioning the prospect's entire transformation before they've actually done any discovery. Many times it isn’t manipulation. It's genuine conviction outpacing genuine discovery. And it creates blind spots that rarely get called out, because everyone assumes that's simply what a salesperson is supposed to be like and it’s a numbers game - some people will say yes and some will say no.  There can be many more people who say yes when this personality becomes aware of their blind spots and improves them.  In this episode, you will discover:  Why this personality skips discovery without even realizing it, and what that costs them The follow-up statistic that should alarm anyone who only chases the sale ("are you going to buy my thing?" energy) Why their natural charm can actually make prospects trust them less The one thing to include that will skyrocket close rates  How "commission breath" happens even to genuinely good people with genuinely good intentions How to slow down and go from a good salesperson to an exceptional one If you've ever been told you're a "natural" at sales and still felt confused when some people didn’t buy - this is for you.  If you manage a high-energy, relentless rep and can't figure out why their numbers aren’t stronger - this episode is for you.   Being the "classic" sales personality doesn't mean there's nothing left to refine. It just means no one has told you what to refine yet. That's precisely what the Black Sheep Sales Method exists for: a system built around who you actually are, not the loudest voice in the sales training room. Take the Sales Personality Assessment here: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality Curious what sales personalities you actually have inside your team, and whether a Passionate Persuader on your team is leaving revenue on the table without realizing it? Book your complimentary sales audit with me. 👉 https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup [01:00] The classic "built for this" sales personality, and why that's a double-edged sword [02:00] The shadow side: transactional, steamrolling, skipping discovery entirely [03:00] The follow-up gap: why 80% of sales happen in the follow-up, and they miss it [04:00] "Are you gonna buy my thing?" Why chase-style follow-up repels instead of converts [05:00] The real strength: unshakeable confidence buyers can borrow [06:00] Why faked charisma backfires, and why theirs is genuine (until it isn't) [07:00] The trust-killer: omitting when it doesn't work, and why buyers sense it anyway [08:00] Pitch-weaving as the fix for skipping rapport entirely [09:00] Turning rapport into smarter, more personalized follow-up [10:00] The plateau: why "good enough" keeps this personality from becoming unstoppable [11:00] Take the assessment, identify your gaps, episode close  #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesPersonalitySeries #PassionatePersuader #SalesTraining #B2BSales #SalesLeadership #FollowUpMatters #SalesMindset #EmpathyInSales #CommissionBreath #SalesTeamBuilding #HighPerformingSales #AuthenticSelling #SalesConversion

  8. Jul 23

    Sales Personalities Series Part. 3: Analytical Perfectionist

    A DISC profile test looked my husband in the eye (well, on paper) and told him: you can never be in sales. Too quiet. Too detailed. Too precise. Too introverted. Not the loud, aggressive, "natural" closer type the test was built to reward. He ignored it. Fifteen years later, he's been the top performing salesperson at every single company he's worked for, selling air compressors and steel to engineers and skeptics who smell a slick pitch from a mile away and shut down the second they feel rushed. Here's the thing mainstream sales training will never admit: there is no one right way to sell. There's only the way that's actually you, and the buyers who've been waiting for exactly that. In part three of our five part sales personality series, we're breaking down the Analytical Perfectionist, the detail obsessed, thorough, "I'd rather say nothing than say it wrong" personality that gets written off as "not cut out for sales" more than any other type. And they couldn’t be more wrong! Because when this person slows down and gets specific instead of smooth and high level, it's a total pattern interruption for a buyer who's been burned before. They expect pushy. They get taken seriously instead. That builds trust and no sales happen without trust.  But this personality has a kryptonite, and if you're managing (or being) one without knowing it, you're setting up your best people to flounder in a system built for someone else entirely. In this episode, you'll hear: Why "you're not cut out for sales" might be the most expensive lie in sales hiring The exact moment this personality freezes up and how to fix that  Which buyers will ghost a smooth talker but lean in for someone thorough Why mirroring your prospect's pace beats any script  What the "star" aggressive closer could actually learn from the quiet one If you've ever been told you're not "sales material" because you're not the loudest voice in the room, or you're leading a team and wondering why your most careful, detail driven person isn't hitting numbers, this episode is for you.  You're not broken. You just haven't been given a system built for who you actually are. That's the whole point of Black Sheep Sales: it's built for your offer, your personality, and the people you were meant to sell to. Take the assessment test here: https://assessment.aleashabahr.com/salespersonality Curious what's actually happening inside your sales team's personality mix, and where the mismatch is costing you deals? Book your complimentary sales audit with me. 👉 https://calendly.com/aleasha/salesteam-levelup   [01:00] Why silence and structure matter more to this person than charm [01:30] The DISC test that said "you can never be in sales" [02:00] How he became a top rep selling air compressors anyway [02:45] Why engineer minded, skeptical buyers distrust the "typical" salesperson [03:15] The pattern interrupt: thoroughness as a trust building superpower [03:45] The kryptonite: no structure equals no confidence [05:00] Where this personality dominates (finance, high stakes, high detail sales) [05:30] Cautionary tale: the "dog with a bone" rep who doesn't work [06:00] Mirror your buyer's pace instead of forcing your process [06:45] What the aggressive extrovert could learn from the quiet closer [07:45] The must ask questions this personality needs to feel confident [09:00] Recap and next up: The Passionate Persuader #SalesIsNotADirtyWord #BlackSheepSales #SalesPersonalitySeries #IntrovertSales #AnalyticalPerfectionist #DISCProfile #SalesTraining #B2BSales #SalesLeadership #HiringSalespeople #SalesTeamBuilding #QuietConfidence #SalesMindset #EmpathyInSales

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About

Are you a DFY service provider who wants to convert over 50% of your sales conversations without acting like a douchebag? Then this is for you. In this value packed podcast, creator of the Black Sheep Sales Method™, Aleasha Bahr, brings her signature humor and ”keeping it real” sass to deliver a powerful blend of actionable solo sales episodes and expert interviews. In her solo episodes, she shares easy-to-implement sales strategy that will catapult your sales without pressure, pitching or pretending to be someone else. In her expert interviews, she carefully curates only the most bad ass black sheep guests to share their refreshing, unconventional approaches to all things business, mindset and life. Aleasha and her clients regularly convert 80% of their calls and show you how to do the same with the Black Sheep Sales Method™ - ”Because if it’s a fit, it’s a fact and there’s no selling involved.”

Information

  • Creator
    Aleasha Bahr
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Sales is NOT a Dirty Word

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