One of my clients has a list of “Forbidden C-words.”
Coaching. Client. Cost.
They just won’t say them.
We joked about it, but it’s true. They’re afraid to ask for the sale or even use words that imply they might want someone to hire them.
Can you guess whether this might be impacting their sales?
(Spoiler alert: it is.)
I told them I used to have the same problem.
I had a similar “allergy” to phrases such as, “Would you like to hire me?” and “Would you like to work with me?”
I simply couldn’t get myself to say them.
So I came up with some beautifully vague euphemisms:
“Would you like to explore what we could create together?”
“Would you like to talk about how we could partner together?”
So elegant. So gorgeously…unclear. 😂
In all fairness to past Stephanie, at least I was asking for something.
Then one day I asked this of someone who said, “Yes! I’d love to.”
And then it got weird.
It became obvious very quickly that we were showing up for completely different conversations.
I thought we’d talk about whether or not he wanted to hire me as a coach. He thought we were exploring a collaborative partnership.
I felt like a total idiot because I had inadvertently misled him with all my beating about the bush.
I realized that my vagueness wasn’t kind – it was confusing.
I’d been trying so hard not to be “salesy” that I stopped being honest and clear.
Thankfully, it turned out okay. I apologized, he understood, and nobody died.
But I learned something important that day:
Being real and clear is generous.
I’m not helping anyone by holding back and being indirect, when I’m trying to hide from a simple fact that feels uncomfortable to me.
Not long afterward I found myself saying the words, “Would you like to hire me?” to someone for the first time.
It felt bold. It was clear. It was true.
The answer I got was a clear yes. And I’m happy to report that neither of us spontaneously combusted.
A lot of people think they’re struggling with marketing or sales, but what’s they’re really struggling with the discomfort of being seen clearly in their desire.
Because when you say:
“I’d love to work with you.”
You risk getting a real answer.
So if you find yourself shying away from inviting someone to work with you, even when you really want to…
Just be real.
You’ll both survive, and you may end up with a client.
And if you’d like support untangling the thinking that’s been keeping you small, hidden, hesitant, or perpetually circling the thing you actually want…that’s exactly what the DragonHeart Portal conversations are for.
https://portal.stephdragonheart.com/dragonheartconversations
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️
P.S. I’ll be limiting my time for conversations starting in June, so this is the perfect time to book a chat with me.
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