875: Carole Mahoney – Buyer First: The Power of Collaborative Selling

“Before we can have a customer, we must first have a buyer.” That is one of my favorite lines from the book we’re going to discuss today.  It is a notion that is intuitively simple, but not initially obvious. Today I speak with author Carole Mahoney about her upcoming book Buyer First: Grow Your Business with Collaborative Selling. Carole explains how a buyer-centric experience starts from the very first interaction, and why it's essential to challenge traditional notions of sales. She reiterates that "selling is not something we do to other people; it is something we do with them," and explores how collaboration is key to creating a positive buyer experience. Carole shares common mistakes businesses make when creating buyer experiences, including relying on the product to sell itself, and offers valuable insights on how to approach sales with a buyer-centric mindset. Whether you're an entrepreneur or a sales professional, this conversation offers practical advice and actionable steps to help you put the buyer first and grow your business.   Author of Buyer First: Grow Your Business with Collaborative Selling, Carole is changing the way the entire sales industry sees itself — and how buyers see it too. She has been called the “Sales Therapist” at Harvard Business School where she coaches on sales for their Entrepreneurial MBA program. She is also the President of the AA-ISP Boston Chapter, been named as a top sales influencer by LinkedIn and Sales Hacker, and voted a top sales coach by Ambition. With the heart of a teacher and the spirit of a coach, Carole is ready to share how you can unlock the success you’ve never thought possible.   And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode.   Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.   Carole Mahoney, thank you so much for being here! Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world. Guest Contact – CaroleMahoney.com Buyer First: Grow Your Business with Collaborative Selling by Carole Mahoney Carole Mahoney on LinkedIn (in/carolemahoney) Carole Mahoney on Facebook (@carole.mahoney) Carole Mahoney on Instagram (@carolemahoney) Carole Mahoney on Twitter (@icarolemahoney) Carole Mahoney on YouTube (@CaroleMahoneyE) Contact Jeffrey – SelfEmployedNewsletter.com Website Books Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share! Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute- You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO! Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.