Sales Maven Nikki Rausch

Are you feeling stuck in endless busy work? Are you pushing your biggest goals aside, only to feel drained at the end of the day? Do you have big dreams and know what you want, but you’re just not moving forward? Today's podcast is going to change all of that.
Nikki is honored and excited to have her good friend and previous guest, Liz Hartke, on the show today in this Mastering Excellence Exclusive. 
Liz has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow their businesses and unlock their God-given potential. She's the founder and CEO of Luminary Leadership Co., where she works alongside her team and husband while homeschooling their four kids.
Her expertise and unconventional wisdom have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and more. She's mentored top business leaders and graced stages worldwide. When Nikki thinks of leadership and how to do it in an authentic, genuine, imperfect yet perfect way, Liz is the shining example.
Liz explains how to transform from a busy entrepreneur to a visionary CEO. It all starts with taking on the identity of the visionary CEO. Many of us have the identity of the busy entrepreneur and need to elevate our identity to the next level.
Her system begins with the seven blocks of a visionary CEO. We learn about two of the most important blocks that, when implemented, set up our schedule for success. She also shares a technique for tackling tedium without draining our energy or time. 
Liz shares examples from her own schedule and breaks down everything in an easy-to-understand way. Tune in to elevate your identity and take your schedule to the next level!
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:
[02:53] - Liz loves working alongside Nikki who has trained her on all things sales and has made Liz more confident in that category. 
[03:35] - Nikki and Liz met on a podcast, and Nikki felt like they were meant to know each other. Nikki is also in the Luminary Leadership incubator program.
[05:49] - What must I do to create a profitable visionary schedule? Who does this well and who do I need to be?
[07:01] - Focusing on the do, not the who. Are you the same person who set previous goals that you didn't achieve?
[08:14] - Making decisions drains our energy. Take on an identity where that decision is made for you.
[09:30] - Your schedule is the easiest thing to leverage whether or not you're going to achieve the things you say you want to achieve.
[10:03] - So many of us consciously embrace the identity of a busy entrepreneur. Success is not going to be accessed as a busy entrepreneur.
[11:01] - The path to more profitability and peace is one of less, not more. It's just getting laser-focused on the right less.
[12:09] - It's about embracing the identity of being the visionary CEO and not the busy entrepreneur. It's about less is more and making that less really count.
[12:42] - Liz explains the first critical CEO block. Not dedicating your precious time to anything but action is the guaranteed one way ticket into perpetual busy entrepreneurship. You can't expect to elevate to a level of success with go go go productivity. 
[15:39] - The first CEO block is the intentional CEO block. This is a dedicated block of stepping into the day being the leader you want to become. 
[19:46] - The opposite of reaction is intentionality. Liz's first few blocks of the day are phone-free.
[20:56] - You're not allowing any stimulus in your block that takes you away from being intentional about how you feel going into your day.
[21:07] - Create block number one or your CEO block in a way that works for you. Liz takes 3 hours to g

Do you have a "Tiny Story"? The kind of story your audience will tune into while becoming your biggest fan. If you're still finding your story or working on improving your story, this episode is for you.
As part of our Mastering Excellence Series, Nikki is delighted to share this conversation with Lindsay Hotmire, an expert strategic storyteller. You’ll learn what makes a compelling "Tiny Story" and how it can be engaging and impactful.
Lindsay is the Founder of Storyhouse Fifteen, where she empowers small businesses and organizations to authentically grow and amplify their impact. With the Habits of Story, she helps clients move past the lie of the BIG story and discover their "Tiny Stories" that turn audiences into loyal fans.
We dive into the question of why a "Tiny Story" as Lindsay shares how to cultivate the habits of storytelling. She introduces the concept of the sacred bundle and the four storylines as a roadmap to develop and uncover authentic and meaningful stories.
Nikki says she has never met a client who hasn't been able to pull out a story. Once you begin practicing the three habits of story - observe, listen, and do - finding the stories and teaching opportunities become much clearer.
Join Nikki and Lindsay to find out how to discover and use your "Tiny Story" to amplify your impact on the world.
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:
[03:26] -  Story has been something that Lindsay has always been enamored with. She's always loved the power of transformational words.
[04:40] -  After realizing she didn't want to be an English teacher, she became a marketer at a small University. She learned to help other people tell their story in a way that would help them grow.
[05:01] -  She began copywriting in 2016. Now, she helps clients with things like one-on-one clarity coaching, story coaching, workshops, and training.
[08:02] -  Lindsay chose a tiny story because you don't have to show up in a big way to make a big impact. 
[10:00] -  The stories that will keep your audience around are ones that level the playing field for the audience. It doesn't have to be a dramatic rags-to-riches story.
[11:23] -  Three habits of story. 1. Become an observer. 2. Listen first. Speak last. 3. Do what you say you believe. Observe, listen, and do.
[15:49] -  Sit down and journal through these habits on a weekly basis. 
[17:22] -  The sacred bundle or how Native Americans would have a collection of items that represented significant pieces of who they were as a culture. Stories reinforce the significance of what these items represent.
[20:03] -  The four storylines that should be in your sacred bundle.1. Belief or non-negotiable values. 2. Legacy or what stories will people share. 3. Calling. What are we doing that no one else can do? 4. Community. Who are we calling and who do we want them to become?
[28:37] -  Use the sacred bundle to activate the habits that will create the output that is your story.
[33:19] -  Advantages of small stories versus a BIG dramatic story. 
[35:26] -  Making trauma part of your brand story may be too private. It doesn't have to be part of your story. 
[44:28] -  Lindsay shares what brings her joy and a couple of surprising facts.
 
For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook.
 
Find Nikki:
Nikki Rausch
nikki@yoursalesmaven.com
Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram
Sales Maven Society
Work With Nikki Discussion
To download free Resources from Nikki: www.yoursalesmaven.com/maven 
 
Find Lindsay:
Storyhouse Fifteen
Lindsay Hotmire LinkedIn
Storyhouse Podcast
Read The

What is your success rate? Would you like it to go up? Today, Nikki shares an approach designed to do exactly that. It's the “less is more” approach. Sometimes we get into a mindset of “more is more.” There are times when we need to pull back a little bit, and that's what today’s show is all about.
From the poet Robert Browning to the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, “less is more” has been used to promote simplicity, restraint, and direct expression. It is also a powerful sales approach. Nikki shares three real-life scenarios where “less is more” is the better strategy.
She talks about why we don’t need to put everything, including the kitchen sink, in our offers and why it’s better not to. We learn the disadvantages of putting too much information in our sales conversations. Finally, this strategy is perfect for those times when a mistake is made, and we need to express concern and make a correction.
Tune in to tighten up your language when selling and interacting with clients, and get inspired to use the “less is more” approach for improved sales and communication.
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:
[01:40] -  Scenario #1. Offers and packages. Nikki recently put together a comprehensive one-on-one coaching package. She wanted to give it all, so she included a bunch of additional features.
[02:29] -  She received feedback from someone who didn't sign up because they didn't have time to take advantage of all the extras she added to the package, even though they actually needed one-on-one coaching.
[03:10] -  Sometimes, we want to throw everything into the offer, yet it can actually slow down the sales process.
[05:45] -  Scenario #2. "Less is more" works in your favor during your sales conversations.
[06:28] -  Educating potential customers about everything you know can overwhelm them and prevent sales.
[07:01] -  More is more will slow people down or overwhelm them, and they'll find someone else who made it easier for them to buy.
[08:02] -  Don't give advice or coach during your consultation calls. Great responses include, "That is a fantastic question. That is definitely something that we will cover in your strategy session."
[10:19] -  What about this would be helpful for you to know? What haven't we covered yet that you would like more information on?
[11:47] -  Scenario #3. When you have to acknowledge or apologize for a misstep.
[13:13]—Be direct and apologize; don't share all of the details. In sales, it's about making things easy for the client and giving them the information they want.
[17:48] -  It's better just to acknowledge and apologize. Don't feel compelled to share all of the information and reasoning behind the mistake.
[20:19] -  When you find yourself in these scenarios, ask whether “less is more.”
 
For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook.
 
Find Nikki:
Nikki Rausch
nikki@yoursalesmaven.com
Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram
Sales Maven Society
Work With Nikki Discussion
To download free Resources from Nikki: www.yoursalesmaven.com/maven 
 
Resources:
Simple Pin Media
 

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