The Black Sheep Sales Method: 5 Secrets to Authentic Selling

Most business owners did not start their business because they love selling. So when the sales call comes around, a lot of them reach for the standard playbook: control the conversation, save everything for a big pitch, say the price, and then sit in awkward silence. It feels like a performance, the prospect can feel it too, and the calls end with “let me think about it” far more often than with a yes.

In this episode of The Amanda Kaufman Show, sales and messaging strategist Aleasha Bahr breaks down a different way. Aleasha is the bestselling author of Black Sheep Sales and the founder of the Black Sheep Sales Method, built on a simple philosophy: if it's a fit, it's a fact, and there is no selling involved. With 15 years of experience customizing sales strategy to the seller's offer, audience, and personality, she shares five secrets to selling authentically. Here they are.

Secret 1: Ask Questions Instead of Performing a Pitch

Aleasha's first rule is simple. A sales call should be a collaborative conversation, not a monologue. If the seller catches themselves talking for more than five minutes straight, it is time to stop and ask a question.

• How It Matters: When one person talks for an extended stretch, the other person zones out. The seller learns nothing about the prospect's situation, and the prospect stops feeling heard, which is the very reason they got on a call instead of just buying from the marketing.

• How to Do It: Even a small check-in like “Is this information helpful for you right now?” keeps the exchange alive. The questions that really move a sale forward are ones like “What have you tried before to solve this problem?” and “What was the result?” Those answers show how to position the offer and reveal early whether the person is even a fit. Later in the conversation, “Does this sound different from what you've done before, and does it feel more effective?” tells the seller exactly where they stand.

• Common Mistake: Leaning on “Does that make sense?” Most prospects answer yes on autopilot, which is why so many sellers reach the end of a call where everything “made sense” and discover none of it actually did. The question gives nobody any information.

Secret 2: Weave the Pitch Into the Conversation

Standard sales training separates the call into discovery, where only the prospect talks, and the pitch, where the seller talks at length. Aleasha replaces that structure with something she calls pitch weaving.

• How It Matters: The pitch is the moment when the buyer's guard is up the most. Nobody leans in and hangs on every word of a pitch. Most buyers zone out, wait for it to end, and quietly assume some of it is exaggerated. Discovery is when the guard is down, so that is where the selling actually happens.

• How to Do It: Give feedback on the prospect's answers as they share them. Show empathy (“That's really frustrating when you invest in somebody and they deliver a completely different result than was promised”), then let them know there is a way it could be different, with the implication that this is how Aleasha, or any seller using this method, works. By the time the offer comes up, the prospect already understands how it solves their specific situation.

• Common Mistake: The classic transition: recap everything the prospect said, then ask “Would you like to hear about what we do?” Aleasha calls this a neon sign that says “I'm about to pitch you,” and it puts the guard right back up. Instead, tell them they are a fit: “I don't see any big red flags here. You have an established brand, your offer gets results, and this is where we do our best work.” People like to know they are a fit. Nobody likes to know they are about to be pitched.

Secret 3: Bring Up Objections Before the Buyer Does

Conventional wisdom says to never mention an objection the prospect has not raised, because it might “put the idea in their mind.” Aleasha's take: the objection is going to be there no matter what.

• How It Matters: After the call ends, the brain naturally generates every reason the purchase might be a bad choice. The prospect runs those doubts through their own mental echo chamber, or past someone with none of the context. Better to have that conversation together, where it can actually get resolved.

• How to Do It: Proactively prompt the objections that usually come up. For timing: “Where does this fall in your priorities right now? What else do you have going on?” Tell the prospect openly when the offer does not work, because every buyer is wondering about the fine print anyway. Then ask directly: “Are there any concerns that this wouldn't be a fit right now?” If something still comes up at the end, get curious and explore it together. Aleasha estimates that 95 percent of the time, the person is simply unclear about something, and talking it through lets them untangle it themselves.

• Common Mistake: Saving objections for the end and “overcoming” them. At that point the seller is coming from a defensive place, and to the buyer it sounds like dismissal. Nobody wants their concerns dismissed, even when the rebuttal is completely valid.

Secret 4: Replace the Awkward Price Silence

Almost every sales course teaches the same move at the end: say the price, then go absolutely silent. Aleasha understands why the advice exists, and she still thinks there is a better way.

• How It Matters: The silence rule exists because a lot of sellers get nervous after saying the price and start blabbing, which undermines the number they just quoted. But forced silence feels awkward for the seller and like a pressure tactic to the buyer.

• How to Do It: Say the price, then ask: “Is that investment realistic for you right now?” The question keeps the conversation collaborative, invites an honest answer, and naturally stops the seller from talking, because they just asked a question.

• Common Mistake: Treating the silence itself as the goal. The real goal is to stop nervous rambling, and a good question accomplishes that without the standoff energy.

Secret 5: Sell Like Yourself, Not Like a Pushy Stereotype

The standard way of doing sales was designed for an aggressive, pushy personality. Aleasha's most distinctive insight is that most people are not that person, and pretending to be is exactly what makes selling feel so draining.

• How It Matters: Prospects can feel the energy of someone performing a persona that is out of alignment for them. And a seller who dreads their own process will not commit to it, follow through on it, or sustain it. Every personality has real sales strengths, and every personality, including the aggressive one, has weaknesses.

• How to Do It: Aleasha identifies five sales personalities: the inquisitive educator, the relationship builder, the chatty charmer, the analytical perfectionist, and the enthusiastic persuader. The work is to know which one fits, lean on its strengths, and put structure around its weaknesses. A relationship builder, for example, is great at talking about everything except business, so a few non-salesy questions like “What's your timeline for making a decision on this?” can transform their sales cycle. An inquisitive educator listens and asks great questions but dreads pitching, so a comfortable way to present the offer sets them off to the races.

• Common Mistake: Assuming good selling means becoming the high-energy, smiley, dog-with-a-bone persuader. Even that personality misses important cues and tends to ask too few questions. Mastery means having access to the strengths of all five, starting from the one that is naturally yours.

Conclusion

Authentic selling is not about scripts or pressure. It comes down to five moves: ask real questions instead of monologuing, weave the pitch into the conversation, prompt objections early instead of overcoming them late, follow the price with a collaborative question, and sell from your own personality instead of a borrowed one. Because if it's a fit, it's a fact, and there is no selling involved.

To hear the full conversation with Aleasha Bahr, listen to Episode 331 of The Amanda Kaufman Show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Black Sheep Sales Method?

It is Aleasha Bahr's approach to sales built for people who don't fit the aggressive, pushy mold. Instead of pitching and pressuring, the seller runs a collaborative conversation to find out whether the buyer is a genuine fit. The name comes from her clients, who, like her, were tired of being labeled difficult for refusing to fall in line with how things are “supposed” to be done.

How do I handle objections without being pushy?

Bring them up before the buyer does. Ask where the offer falls in their current priorities, say plainly when the offer does not work, and ask whether they have any concerns about fit. If a concern still surfaces at the end, get curious and explore it together rather than rebutting it. Most of the time the person is just missing clarity and will untangle it themselves.

What should I say after I tell a prospect the price?

Ask, “Is that investment realistic for you right now?” It accomplishes what the old say-the-price-and-go-silent advice was after, without the awkward standoff, and it keeps the conversation collaborative right through the close.

What are the five sales personalities?

The inquisitive educator, the relationship builder, the chatty charmer, the analytical perfectionist, and the enthusiastic persuader. Each one has natural sales strengths and predictable weaknesses, and knowing yours lets you put structure around the weak spots instead of performing a personality that isn't yours.

How can I find out my own sales personality?

Aleasha offers a sales personality assessment that usually comes with an investment, but podcast listeners can get it free. DM her the word “assessment” on LinkedIn and she will send it over. You can also find her podcast, Sales is NOT a Dirty Word, wherever you listen to shows.

Episode Summary

If selling has ever felt like a weird performance that is totally out of alignment with who you are, this episode is for you. It turns out the standard sales playbook was written for one personality type, and there are four others.

Aleasha Bahr is a sales and messaging strategist, speaker, bestselling author of Black Sheep Sales, and founder of the Black Sheep Sales Method, where the philosophy is simple: if it's a fit, it's a fact, and there's no selling involved. With 15 years of experience building sales strategies customized to your offer, your audience, and your personality, she joins Amanda Kaufman to talk about closing more sales by dropping the pressure, the pitching, and the pretending.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why the standard sales playbook only works for the aggressive, pushy personality, and what it costs everyone else to fake it

• The questions that actually move a sale forward, and why “Does that make sense?” tells you nothing

• Pitch weaving: how to weave your offer into the conversation so there is no high-pressure pitch moment

• Why to prompt objections proactively instead of “overcoming” them at the end of the call

• The one question that replaces the awkward say-the-price-and-go-silent routine

• The five sales personalities, and how to sell from your natural strengths instead of pretending to be someone else

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CONNECT WITH ALEASHA BAHR

Website: https://aleashabahr.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleashabahr/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aleashabahr

Podcast: Sales is NOT a Dirty Word: https://sndw.aleashabahr.com

Free Sales Personality Assessment: Aleasha's assessment usually comes with an investment, but if you DM her the word ASSESSMENT on LinkedIn, she will send it to you for free. It is the fastest way to find out which of the five sales personalities you are and how to sell from your strengths.

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Sign up at: https://clairvenu.com/the-quiet-part

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Transcript

Aleasha Bahr (00:00)

the standard way of doing sales is really designed for an aggressive, pushy personality, a lot of people were pretending to be this aggressive, pushy personality and dying inside while they were doing it. Like your prospect can feel

that energy, like, and you dread it because you're having to do some kind of weird performance that's totally out of alignment for you. So you're not going to commit to it. You're not going to follow through on it. You're going to half ass it. And maybe some people will commit to it and they'll just hate it the entire time and find it incredibly draining. So there are strengths to every personality, sales strengths, and there are weaknesses. And the aggressive pushy personality

absolutely has its own weaknesses. And that person would really benefit from, you know, learning how to strengthen their weaknesses too and become an even better salesperson.

Amanda Kaufman (00:54)

Well, hey, hey, welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. And today we are talking sales. I'm super excited to introduce you to my friend and our guest today, Alicia Barr. she's a sales and messaging strategist. She's a speaker. She's a bestselling author of Black Sheep Sales and the founder of Black Sheep Sales Method. Because if it's a fit, it's a fact and there's no selling involved. I love that.

She is one of the only sales experts that has 15 years of experience creating sales strategies and messaging that is customized to your offer, your audience, and your personality. Because of her personality-driven approach, her methods make sales so much faster by providing powerful alternatives to the uncomfortable mainstream sales, AKA icky sales, as a result.

Aleasha Bahr (01:46)

Hmm.

Amanda Kaufman (01:48)

It empowers business owners to effortlessly convert up to 80 % of their leads without the pressure, without the pitching, without pretending to be someone else. In her sales career, she and others have sold tens of millions in offers with her proven personalized approach, the Black Sheep sales method. Alicia, welcome to the show.

Aleasha Bahr (02:10)

I'm so excited to be here, Amanda. Thank you for having me.

Amanda Kaufman (02:14)

Well, I'm excited to talk about sales with someone that has a methodology called the Black Sheep Sales Method. I'm so curious about where Black Sheep comes from.

Aleasha Bahr (02:26)

Yeah, so I mean, you know, anytime that you're establishing a business or a brand, it's a bit of an evolution as you figure out who your target audience is and what to call it so that it's memorable and stands out, especially in sales. There's so much of the same thing. And salespeople are good at sales. So they take a lot of the good phrases. Initially, it was like the subtle art of the secret art of subtle selling.

But everyone was like, what does that mean? And then I shifted to like for introverts, but a lot of people don't realize that being an introvert has nothing to do with being shy. So people really missed that. And then it was a matchmaker sales method, which is closer because it's about fitting, right? But it still kind of feels like little old ladies are doing something. And so...

I was talking to a client one day about how my family wanted me to do something that I didn't want to do and they were all talking about how difficult I was and how tired I was of being labeled the black sheep and it's a bad thing that I won't just fall in line. And my client was like, me too. And then I talked to two more clients that week and they were like, me too. And I realized that they also did something in their industry that was different and kind of.

ruffled feathers because they said that you know could do it this way and I was like I think there's something here. I'm for the black sheep, the people who don't just fall in line without asking questions first at least.

Amanda Kaufman (03:59)

So good. Yeah, it appealed to me as well. And, you know, we've been talking for a while now as we have gotten to know each other just about the nature of business and online marketing and the influence that is out there and how confusing that can be for business owners. know, just like as brief as we can. What are the most important things? Like if somebody just wants to know how

to close sales, what should they keep in mind?

Aleasha Bahr (04:28)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, so it's a big question and you want to customize things to your offer and your audience and your personality. But generally speaking, it is really important to ask questions and to never be the person who is talking alone from like if you catch yourself talking for more than five minutes, stop yourself and ask a question. Even if it's just like. Does this is this information helpful for you right now?

Just even if it's that. So you can understand if the other person is tracking with you. Because a lot of people will say, does that make sense? But I mean, have you ever gone to the end of a conversation where they said it made sense the whole time and they ask a question and it's very clear it did not, in fact, make sense. It's because that question doesn't give anybody any information that they need. It's an automatic yes, they're zoned out. So I mean, the questions that are really important to ask are like, what have you tried before to solve this problem?

and what was the result of it. So you know how to position your offer compared to that. And you also know if your offer is different, like maybe this person already did the stuff that you do and it's not a fit because they're a nightmare client or they don't have something set up that needs to be set up in order to get results or whatever. And then the other questions that are really important to ask are like, does this sound different from what you've done before and does it feel more effective?

Amanda Kaufman (05:55)

Mm.

Aleasha Bahr (05:56)

And then at the end of the conversation, which is a real sticking point for a lot of people because they hear that they're supposed to say the price and then be absolutely silent, which is very awkward for most people. And the reason that mainstream sales says to do this is because a lot of people will say the price and then they'll just blab a bunch of stuff because they're real nervous about it. And you need to stop talking. That is a valid...

a valid piece of advice. However, the less awkward way of doing that is to ask, is that investment realistic for you right now? So it continues this collaborative conversation and you're going to stop talking because you asked a question. So those are some high level.

Amanda Kaufman (06:38)

That's so interesting, yes.

It does make sense. And I think that is easier to remember actually, that the pause, the time to pause is after you ask a question. That's a natural way that we tend, like if we were having coffee, that's exactly what we would do, right? And, know, starting out my business, I remember I wanted to be very good at sales.

Aleasha Bahr (06:51)

natural.

Amanda Kaufman (07:05)

but I had to learn that what are you good at? like when you're teaching sales, when you're showing people how to set up a team or how to be really excellent at sales or more aligned in sales, can you give me a few more of those things that maybe are conventionally taught that you tend to modify or help people pivot away from?

Aleasha Bahr (07:28)

Yeah, totally. So I would say like the more status quo way of doing sales is that the beginning of the conversation, the discovery portion is like, you're not supposed to talk, only the prospect talks. And so if the prospect asks a question, you know, you're like, I'm asking the questions. Like you're supposed to control the call, right? And it starts to feel like an interrogation as a buyer. You're like, when do I get to ask?

ask questions and like also like, can I get some feedback on my answers, you know? And in the standard in sales, you're supposed to like collect all of their answers and then throw them back at them in the pitch when the seller is talking for a long extended period of time. However, whenever a seller gets to this pitch part of their conversation, like do you lean in and hang on every word?

No, you're probably kind of zoned out and just waiting for them to finish and definitely thinking that they're exaggerating some things. You also don't remember what all of your answers were. So what's more effective is something that I call pitch weeping, where like in the discovery section, you're going to give somebody feedback on their answer. You can show some empathy for like, yeah, that's really frustrating.

when you invest in somebody and they deliver a completely different result than was promised, and it makes a big difference when there's terms in the contract that allow you to have a choice if it's turning out differently than what was promised, or something like that as an example. So something that lets the person know that there's a way it could be different and it's implied that that's you.

Amanda Kaufman (09:07)

Mm-hmm.

Aleasha Bahr (09:13)

Because in a standard sales conversation, there's so much pressure put on the pitch. And that's when people have their guard up the most. Nobody has their guard up during discovery. So when you're able to weave in this information specific to their answer instead of stacking all of the solutions to their answers in one section, it just mimics a natural sales conversation. It makes the entire thing an exchange, a collaborative conversation.

And then the other thing that is really standard in status quo sales conversations is this transition into the pitch. That's like, okay. so they recap all the things that the person wants. And then they're like, okay, so I think that, you know, this is what we do. Would you like to hear about it? And this is like a neon sign to someone I'm about to pitch you. So they know to have their guard up after this part of the conversation and

Amanda Kaufman (10:00)

Mm-hmm.

Aleasha Bahr (10:05)

Instead, I personally like to let them know that they're a fit. So it's totally fine to say, this is what I'm hearing from you. Is that accurate? Okay, great. Well, I don't see any big red flags here. Like you don't have your marketing dialed in or you don't have some kind of lead flow or you don't have staff that can support you in this. And you actually seem like a great fit because you have an established brand. You have people that get results from your offer. And it's just a matter of

defining your messaging and having a structure that's predictable. And that's where we do our best work.

Amanda Kaufman (10:40)

Mm-hmm.

Aleasha Bahr (10:41)

So it's this fitting idea. Somebody likes to know if they're a fit, you know, rather than like, I'm about to pitch you.

Amanda Kaufman (10:49)

I really love this, as you were describing the things that might deviate from what you might traditionally be, I love that, like status quo sales, know, store standard operating procedure kind of sales. What came up for me is that a lot of people have learned so much about marketing that sometimes they do marketing-y things in the sales conversation. And what I...

I have a little rule internally, which is never go backwards in the relationship. So typically, people will meet you through marketing. And so in a marketing context, that's where you see a value stack and the pancake of all the different features and the benefits, because in one to many sales, that makes sense, because you're speaking to a crowd.

However, if you've moved into an intimate conversation where people are sharing their vulnerabilities, they're sharing their emotional experience, they're sharing like the nitty gritty details, the very reason that they're in that level of conversation with you versus just buying from the marketing is because they do need that additional nuance and they do need to feel heard and understood. So if you slide backwards in...

the relationship, what that would mean is like you bring a pancake of all of the value stack to the sales call. watching some recordings of students over the years, it really does turn into this like stiff robotic interaction. And it's like, well, dude, mean, like, no wonder the person didn't say yes, they were clearly nervous because so were you. Right. And I think it's because

Aleasha Bahr (12:26)

Hahaha

Amanda Kaufman (12:27)

we try to market when it's more appropriate to sell. And I think a lot of people don't even really realize what that distinction is, you know? That's so good. you know, thank you, thank you. And I love talking about this stuff with you, Alicia. Like, you're so, you know, good at what you do and it's just fun to talk about. So I am really curious, like,

Aleasha Bahr (12:39)

That's a powerful insight.

Thanks.

Amanda Kaufman (12:54)

Some entrepreneurs that I've been speaking to lately. I've been hearing this over and over again that They are having a hard time closing that They're finding that people are pushing back at the last minute and they're sharing objections So they're saying things like I think I'm gonna need some more time or we're redoing our budget or you know They're offering some kind of a reason excuse to not commit in that moment

Aleasha Bahr (13:04)

Hmm.

Amanda Kaufman (13:22)

and a lot of the business owners that I've been speaking to, they're just getting frustrated because, you know, and then they're saying, well, it's the economy, well, it's this and that, which, you know, the thing is, like, yeah, the economy is what it is. And you can't control those macro effects. All you can decide to do is show up in the sales call the best way possible. So.

For those entrepreneurs who maybe have historically had it easier with selling, which I do find a little dubious. like, don't know. I don't know if it's ever like easy, easy. But I am hearing a lot more complaining from entrepreneurs about the end of the sales call. From your experience, what do you think might be going on? And more importantly, how can they overcome objections more easily?

Aleasha Bahr (14:10)

Yeah, so this is important and yes, the economy is uncertain and that means that you have to have an even better sales process. So if things were like easy before, sure, it could have been that people had extra money to play with and they didn't care if it worked or not. It could also mean that you were priced too cheaply before. A lot of times people will be like, you know, this is enough money that I don't care about losing it on this risk. If you have something that is

a bigger investment during a time of unpredictability, then you need to have a process that makes the other person feel really clear and confident. And when it comes to objections, the standard way of approaching objections is to overcome them at the end of the conversation and to not talk about them before that, because you don't want to, quote unquote, put an objection in someone's mind. Here's the thing. The objection is going to be there no matter what.

It is very natural to leave a sales conversation and think your brain to think of all the reasons why this is a bad choice to keep you safe from making a bad choice. And they're in their own mental echo chamber when they're doing that, or they're gonna be talking to somebody who has no idea and they're not gonna have all the context they need to help this person make a good decision. So you wanna have that conversation with them. And you wanna...

proactively prompt objections. So if you have things that often come up, like timing, for example, you would want to ask, so where does this fall in your priorities right now? What else do you have going on? And see if there's a way that your offer can complement whatever they have going on. Okay, that's actually a really great time because this will facilitate and accelerate those results. And so you can have that conversation upfront.

Because when you're just overcoming things at the end of the conversation, you're coming from a defensive place. And it's also really invalidating to the person because, and like think about yourself as a buyer. When someone's like, well, actually that's not an issue because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Of course you're going to say that, you know? And they might be saying something super valid, but you're just like, whatever, you're trying to sell me and you're not going to hear it as well. But if you have it in throughout the conversation or in the beginning, they're able to hear you more.

And it's a collaborative conversational exchange. So another really important question and thing to do is to let somebody know when it doesn't work, because everyone in a sales conversation is like, my God, like, what's the fine print here? Who are the exceptions? What are you not telling me? Just tell them. So the only time it doesn't work is when somebody doesn't have someone who can manage the project side of this. Or if you don't talk to me.

If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going to check in with you a couple of times. I'm not going to babysit you. You know, whatever it is. And then you ask, are there any concerns that this wouldn't be a fit right now? Again, because you want to prompt that early, like let's talk it through ahead of time. Now, that doesn't mean that things won't come up at the end of the conversation. So if they do.

Amanda Kaufman (17:06)

Mm-hmm.

Aleasha Bahr (17:18)

You want to get curious because when you are just overcoming someone's objection, you're basically dismissing it. And if I have concerns, I don't want my concerns dismissed. It's not going to help me. Let's explore it together. Well, maybe that does make you not a fit. Let's talk about it. Like they say, I don't know. Time's really tight right now. Okay. What's your schedule look like? Like what time do you have? And if it's not a fit, that's okay. However,

I would say 95 % of the time the person's just confused or has a lack of clarity and you guys talk about it together and they untangle it themselves.

Amanda Kaufman (17:55)

Yeah, that's so good. mean, getting away from fearing no, I think is a really big mindset shift that a lot of entrepreneurs, especially if you maybe are newer to entrepreneurship, you haven't been through a hard cycle season just yet, you know, like a lot of, I think it can be very comforting to know that this is not the first time in history that the economy has felt disruption, right?

And you know, it may be your first time in this season, but it's not the first time. you know, being OK with hearing no maybe more often or another one is like not right now. So if you've got that rapport.

then it's so much easier to re-engage the person because sometimes like that really is like legit. They do have a lot of things going on and this is super top of their mind. Otherwise they wouldn't be on the sales call with you and they still need to resolve their priority to be able to make the most of the engagement. So sometimes it really is better to say, let's put a pin in this for a month. Let's come back in a month or whatever the case may be and have a good system for following up.

such as with Claire Vanute, that's exactly what we do. coming back to the black sheep sales method, you do something that I don't see a lot of people talking about actually none, which is modifying your sales approach to match your personality. Can you talk to me about that a little bit? Like what told you that was the way to go for some people and like what does make you different?

Aleasha Bahr (19:28)

Yeah, so I mean, I worked with so many people and so many different personalities that I, you know, really experience is what told me. And so many people, since the standard way of doing sales is really designed for an aggressive, pushy personality, a lot of people were pretending to be this aggressive, pushy personality and dying inside while they were doing it. Like your prospect can feel

that energy, like, and you dread it because you're having to do some kind of weird performance that's totally out of alignment for you. So you're not going to commit to it. You're not going to follow through on it. You're going to half ass it. And maybe some people will commit to it and they'll just hate it the entire time and find it incredibly draining. So there are strengths to every personality, sales strengths, and there are weaknesses. And the aggressive pushy personality

absolutely has its own weaknesses. And that person would really benefit from, you know, learning how to strengthen their weaknesses too and become an even better salesperson. Because when you're really, like when you've really mastered sales, you have access to the strengths of all the personalities when you're talking to somebody. However, at first, let's say somebody is really a relationship builder.

So a lot of times relationship builders are fantastic at talking about everything except business. And they have like a very delayed sales cycle because of that, because they feel pushy or salesy asking questions that are actually going to move the sale forward. Like, what's your timeline for making a decision on this or something like that. So when they have questions that don't feel salesy, that move that forward and they implement them.

It makes a huge difference for them. Or like, let's say someone who's more introverted. We call them like the inquisitive personality. They're naturally listening. They're naturally asking questions. They feel so uncomfortable pitching. All they want to do is ask questions and understand someone's situation and maybe like offer value, right? They end up educating. And the other person is just totally overwhelmed and is like, okay, I can tell you know what you're doing.

And you ask great questions, but I have no idea what you're offering and if it, if it's going to help me. So when they have a way of presenting their offer that doesn't feel salesy, all of a sudden they, they're like off to the races, right? So there's five personalities, the inquisitive educator, the relationship builder, the, chatty charmer, the classic extrovert, the really the, analytical perfectionist, the one who's like,

that's like your engineer person. And the enthusiastic persuader, which is the one that everybody thinks they need to be this like high energy, smiley, pushy, like dog with a bone on that sail, like persistent. And they miss a lot of cues that are important in the conversation and they aren't asking as many questions.

So yeah, whenever you know what somebody's weaknesses are, you can provide the structure that makes that weakness go away.

Amanda Kaufman (22:41)

That's really cool, that's really cool. And I love how you talk about that too as a high performance coach. It is of course so wise to know your strengths and to play into those strengths. And when you really wanna elevate to that next level of performance, it isn't just about always picking strength, strength, strength, strength. Sometimes we need to shore up to make sure that our weaknesses are not.

losing the sale or compromising our performance. I love, love, love that. Okay, so Alicia, if people wanted to know more about you and about black sheep sales, what's the best way they can track you down?

Aleasha Bahr (23:12)

Yeah, so I mean, I do, I have a podcast called Sales Is Not a Dirty Word that you can check out and I'm most active on LinkedIn and if you want my assessment, usually there is an investment associated with it. However, if you DM me on LinkedIn, assessment, I will give it to you for free.

Amanda Kaufman (23:31)

Woo, furry baby, I love it. As you were describing the different pieces, I'm like, ooh, I think I might be the introvert, but I might also be the perfectionistic engineer. I've got to check it out too. Alicia, thank you so much for being here.

Aleasha Bahr (23:41)

Ha ha.

Thank you so much for having me, Amanda. It's been a really fun conversation.

Amanda Kaufman (23:49)

Absolutely, absolutely. And dear listener, don't forget to follow Alicia. Her details are around wherever you're listening or watching this show. And hey, if you haven't subscribed, which many people don't, make sure you do.

You don't wanna miss another episode, hit that subscribe button wherever you happen to be listening. And if you've been listening to us for a while, you know what's super cool is when you take a moment to do the review, because an honest review helps people to decide whether they're gonna spend time with us or not, and we always want to be helping more people. So thank you so much for doing that. And by the way, if you've got any friends who have been maybe...

struggling with the sales or feeling the economy and just feeling very frustrated. Be sure to grab this episode and text it to them. know, send it to three of your friends. All right, my friend, we will see you on another episode and until then, keep doing what matters.