By Kristin Laffrey, business coach for women leading impact in fertility, birth, postpartum, motherhood, parenting and matrescence.
Here is one of the greatest shifts I see with my doula clients when it comes to offering and selling their doula packages 👇🏼
Shifting what selling actually looks like within their business.
Because selling your services as a doula isn't just giving tips, advice and knowledge and then hoping your ideal clients will see they need support and therefore book your services, it's about creating demand and desire for your offers and therefore how you are positioning your offer has a significant impact on that.
If you can't understand why people aren't booking to work with you even though you are sharing sooo much valuable content or why people aren’t moving from your workshop or webinar into your offers, this is a gap that will be impacting your sales. These selling strategies are what is required to drive your doula business success.
But the reason so many people feel uncomfortable or awkward with selling is because they avoid speaking about their services or how they support clients for the whole podcast, webinar, workshop or video and then don't know how to lead into selling their offers ❌
This is why working with clients we refine their social media and website messaging, and restructure the content of their free workshops, webinars and free resources to completely change how they create demand and desire for their offers.
Why is selling essential within your business?
Selling is the pathway to which you attract clients into your doula services and that’s why selling as a doula is essential. It is how you not only create an income within your business but also how you are able to book clients so that you are working with clients and are therefore able to serve women within their pregnancy, birth or postpartum journey.
Because you started this business to serve people and create an impact and that comes with booking clients into your doula packages so that you are creating a profitable and sustainable business that allows you to serve women in their pregnancy, birth or postpartum journey for years and years to come.
Misconceptions and stigma around selling
Here is what makes selling feel really hard. For so many women, they hold beliefs around selling and sales that hold them back from being able to confidently sell within their business.
These are the greatest misconceptions I see around selling that either hold women in their doula businesses back from selling at all within their business or makes the process of selling feel really difficult.
1. You can grow your business without having to sell
It's so easy to think that you can avoid selling within your business. To think that there is a way to book clients without having to specifically talk about your services or follow up with potential clients. But selling is essential for your business. And right now if you are trying to grow your business without having to sell, this is a mindset shift you will need to make to position your business to create an income and attract doula clients.
2. Selling has to be sleazy
This is a belief I held for so long in my business and what I came to realise was that I had so many personal experiences of being sold to that didn’t feel aligned which then created the belief that all sales had to feel sleazy and awkward. What I hope to outline below, is how you can sell within your business in a way that doesn't feel sleazy or uncomfortable because you truly get to sell in a way that serves you in your business.
3. You need to follow a sales script
The most uncomfortable way to sell in your business is to follow someone else's script that doesn't feel natural to you. If right now you are following a script that was given to you as part of your doula qualifications/training that doesn't feel natural, finding your own sales process that feels comfortable and aligned is going to change your business. Once you have clear knowledge of how to sell and a sales process that supports you in being able to sell, you are going to experience selling in a whole different way.
4. Selling comes naturally
You do not have to be a natural-born salesperson to feel comfortable selling - this is your reminder that selling is a skill you develop. So even if it doesn't feel natural right now, it doesn’t mean it always has to feel like that.
How do you increase sales AND feel comfortable doing so?
Here are three steps that are going to support you in not only increasing sales within your business but also support you to feel comfortable and at ease with selling.
These are the 3 steps within the Mothermind Business Academy that I support clients with. Once we have simplified their marketing strategy so that they are effectively posting on social media with clear and concise messaging that connects with their ideal client we focus on their sales techniques to support them in selling to move people into their offers.
If right now you don't feel comfortable selling, whether you avoid speaking about your doula packages or your prices with potential clients, you feel awkward directing a potential client to a sales call or your offers, or you feel uncomfortable talking to clients about package extensions, testimonials or referrals, these three steps will change your business.
Step 1: Establish a clear sales process
Most people overlook the importance of having a sales process in their business, so they focus all of their energy on marketing but dismiss the actual sales process even though this is essential for you to be able to book clients.
There are two essential components to your sales process: Your Client Journey and your messaging. Both of these are essential to build out. If you don't have a client journey or you aren't sure if your messaging is effective, then this is where I would suggest focusing in your business.
Step 2: Align your mindset to support you in selling
Right now if you hold beliefs that selling is sleazy or that you are worried you will appear desperate if you follow up with potential leads, this is your reminder that the beliefs you hold around selling are going to impact the way selling feels within your business and also how you will appear to your ideal clients when you are selling.
I truly believe that feeling empowered in selling allows your potential clients to feel empowered in the sales process so focus on shifting the beliefs that are currently holding you back from selling to see that a sale is an even exchange between you and your ideal client and to also recognise that selling allows you to serve clients. And right now if you know you can support someone then it is a service to them to offer them your support so that you can serve them.
Step 3: Build confidence in yourself and the work that you do
To show others the value you have to offer in your doula services, you firstly need to believe in that value yourself.
Get clear and confident on how you serve clients and the value of your services and this will transform the way you communicate that value in your messaging and to your potential doula clients.
Shift what selling looks like in your doula business to shift your results and how you feel in your business.
Right now if selling feels really challenging, if you are posting on social media and not seeing clients, shift the way you sell in your business and your business will feel very different.
Connect to these three steps and determine what needs to shift within your business right now to start attracting clients and growing your business.
Not sure where to start? Download this free weekly action plan that breaks down what action to take within your business each week to attract clients and grow your business.
It's time to start taking intentional action to grow your doula business!
