3 Steps To Break Through Your Sales Plateau With a Soul-Centered Approach

Written by: Joy Bufalini • April 27, 2023

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/@wocintechchat

For some, selling is easy — they enjoy it. For others, it’s a continuous struggle and one of the most challenging pieces of running a business.

If you fall into the latter, it's likely not because you’re bad at selling… You just don’t enjoy it. At least not compared to other areas of your business.

Maybe it’s not your zone of genius, or you've seen too many sleazy and manipulative tactics.

Whatever your reason is for disliking the sales process, I hear you.

But what you probably already know is, sales are non-negotiable. Especially if you plan on growing your business and increasing your impact.

When I talk to business owners who struggle with sales, I often hear them say things like I'm stuck in a rut… or I can't make over $3K without burning out… or I don't know why people aren't saying yes anymore…

And this, my friend, likely means you've plateaued. Maybe it's your mindset, your sales approach, your income level, your business growth, you name it.

Something's stopping you from building momentum, and you can't figure out what it is.

This is the exact situation I found myself in a few years ago…

And what I did next fundamentally changed how I run business (and forever shifted my mindset).

How To Overcome Your Current Sales Plateau

Today, I work with female entrepreneurs who want to scale to 6-figures (and beyond). Yet back in 2016, I was my exact audience, struggling and only making $20K (tops!), year after year.

This wasn’t sustainable!  I had three teenagers at home, two of them twins, and one twin born with significant brain damage who needed extra care (and there were lots of medical bills). 

Needless to say, I had responsibilities. 

In the beginning, I did find a little success. Yet I quickly plateaued, and couldn’t grow beyond my perceived limitations. And trust me, I tried everything: all the growth strategies, tactics, hacks, methods, you name it… If they existed, I tried them!

And none of them worked for me. To say I was frustrated is an understatement.

On more than a few occasions, I thought about quitting. Go find a job and just be done with it, I thought, over and over again.

I felt like a failure and, at many times, a fraud. I also naively thought it was just me who felt this way… like everyone else knew something I didn’t.

Now I know that wasn’t true. Yet I still meet business owners regularly who feel the same way I did back then. Who have hit a plateau and are floundering, struggling to reach the next level, and feel like they're on their own.

That's exactly why I jumped at the opportunity to speak on the OBO Podcast. 

Because it allowed me to not only share how I personally leveled up and transformed my business and life… 

But to teach entrepreneurs like you how to sell (without the sleaze) and conquer your current plateau (whatever that looks like for you).

In this article, I’ll share 3 practical steps you can take to start transforming your sales process today.

(And if you want the full lowdown, tune into my conversation on the OBO podcast.)

3 Steps To Soul-Centered Sales

Listen carefully. Leveling up doesn't have to be hard. Regardless of the plateau you're currently planted on, or what your relationship with sales looks like.

In fact, much of what I’m about to share centers around the strategies that I myself used to move from 5- to 6-figures (and beyond)...

And the same principles apply, whether you're looking to reach 6-, 7-, 8-figures…

What I've learned is this:

A plateau is a plateau. And the best way to conquer it is to take one step back so you can take three steps forward. Here's how I did this:

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Price Point

When I was stuck earning low to mid 5 figures per year, I sold a few different services….but they all ranged in price from about $500 -  $1,000. 

On the side, I kept testing and experimenting with various low ticket products and live (or virtually live) experiences. 

Sometimes they were provided nice injections of cash and jolts of activity in the sales pipeline. Sometimes they were kind of a dud. 

But no matter the outcome; it was “short lived”. 

The business needed reliable revenue NOW. 

I see this same situation all the time in today’s service, coaching, and expertise business landscape today. 

Brilliant people and business owners who have spread themselves too thin….

Just like I did. 

The inevitable result? You struggle to build any real momentum.

The solution?

Focus in on ONE offer where you deliver a high level of value, and raise the price you charge for it.

For me, this simple shift meant that I no longer offered programs for under $3,000. 

At the time, this was a huge step. 

Self-doubt ran rampant, as I struggled with questions like: Am I worth this? Is this too much? Will anyone work with me for this amount?

As you might have guessed… Taking this step won’t feel comfortable.

You'll likely resist and have doubts too. But you need to step up and push beyond them.

Because I'm a living testament to say… It’s totally worth it. Not only to break through your plateau, but to revolutionize your sales approach. 

To get started, get crystal clear on who your ideal customer is. 

If you haven't done this, you need to go deep and keep asking yourself two things:

1. How can I understand this “person” or market segment better? What do they value?

2. How can I offer them more of what they value (while honoring my expertise)? 

Start with the best answers you have for these questions today. But commit to an explorer’s mindset to stay on the path to refind and upgrade those answers over time.  

Step 2: Show Up Consistently

If you only remember two words from this section, let them be: consistency and intention.

For a long time, I didn’t commit to either of these. I’d show up on social media sporadically when I found time or felt inspired to do so, but I didn't have a plan. As you can imagine, it led to very little success.

But think about how challenging this was for me when you consider:

1. the number of offers I had at the time, and 

2. the lack of clarity I had around what I offered and who I helped.

I was scattered in what to talk about, let alone the motivation to show up day in and day out.

Once I had a single, clear offer, I found that showing up consistently on social media — and with my marketing overall — was so much easier.

Not only did I have clarity and motivation, but also content, because I could break my one offer down into videos, blog posts, shorter posts, you name it…

It’s amazing what happens when you stay top of mind for one problem.

Now it won't always produce amazing results straight away, but you'll quickly become relevant to your audience and start to build trust. This. is. everything! Once you build momentum, it’s hard to stop.

And again, I’ve seen this happen with so many clients. Once they show up each day with a clear message, they build a snowball of success AND start to have fun with it.

If you're struggling with sales right now, remember the two words I mentioned above. Showing up with intention and consistency is a great way to kickstart the process again. And before long, it won't feel like you’re selling at all.

Step 3: Talk About Your Offer

Looking back, I remember assuming that everyone knew and understood what I did and how I could help them. So I didn’t talk about my program or services — at least not by name.

Because they knew, right?

I assumed that when I said something like schedule an exploration call with me…

… that this would be enough, and it would entice them to take action.

So many business owners make this same mistake. Maybe you're one of them, and that's ok! I couldn’t see the problem for a long time either.

If this is you, it’s an easy fix. Because all you have to do is:

1. Talk about your offer (consistently and with intention — see above)

2. Mention it by name!

Do not presume your audience knows what you’re talking about, basically ever. If anything, assume they need clear action steps on what they need to do next. 

This creates educated prospects, which at the very least makes the whole selling process easier. Now they know who you are, what you do, and whether you're the right fit before they book a call or land on your site.

Yet this doesn't happen unless you talk about your offer.

Or if you don’t mention it by name.

Or if you're constantly jumping from one offer to another and another and another…

Make it clear what you do, what you have to offer, WHO it's for, and how it works. The more often you do this, and the more intentional you are, the more success you’ll have.

Ready to Make the Magic Happen?

If you’re like most of my clients, you likely agree with the above and feel excited about the possibilities. BUT, I imagine you also thinking…. this is easier said than done.

— What if I choose the wrong offer?
— What about my other offers?
— What if I can help people in more than one way?

I get it. I do. And I hear you!

You don't have to remove all of your offers and ideas from existence. If the right opportunity arises, you can always customize your offer when speaking to the prospect.

Likewise, you can always add new offers (and reintroduce old ones) in the future.

But the point is… you've hit a plateau and this is the best way to break free from it. 

It’s also the easiest way to sell without it feeling like you're selling. 

Remember, none of it’s set in stone. You can and will evolve, now and in the future. Yet right now, you need clarity to take the next step.

I go into this further in my conversation on OBO Podcast: PODCAST TITLE. Where I also share valuable insights into overcoming the anxiety that inevitably pops up during this whole process.

If you're ready to take the next step, apply for my Quantum Leap program. I'll show you how to implement what we've discussed here, and many other pieces to this business-building puzzle…

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