Sales Maven

In this episode of The Sales Maven Show, Nikki Rausch explores a powerful and often misunderstood concept that directly impacts sales call closing: cognitive closure. Building on a previous episode, Episode 307: Building Confidence in Business: Why Your Brain Lies After Sales Calls and What to Do Instead, which examined how the brain can work against you after sales conversations, Nikki flips the lens and shows how cognitive closure can actually become one of your greatest assets when used intentionally and ethically during the close. Cognitive closure is the brain's deep desire for clarity and resolution. When a sales conversation ends without a clear next step, both the buyer and the seller are left in a state of ambiguity. This discomfort often leads to hesitation, avoidance, or ghosting. Nikki explains that many stalled deals are not the result of rejection, but of unresolved tension caused by a lack of clear closing language. When clarity is missing, the brain fills in the gaps with assumptions and stories that rarely serve either party. This episode reframes sales call closing as an act of service rather than pressure. Nikki challenges the idea that asking for a decision is pushy or salesy, and instead positions closing as a way to calm the nervous system, create resolution, and help buyers feel safe making a choice. She emphasizes that closing does not mean forcing a yes. It means inviting a decision, whether that decision is yes, no, or not yet, so the conversation can feel complete. Using her Selling Staircase framework, Nikki highlights why closing is one of the most commonly skipped steps in sales conversations and how skipping it leads to emotional whiplash, wasted time, and inconsistent results. She shares practical examples of clean, respectful closing questions that provide clarity without pressure and help buyers understand exactly what happens next. These simple shifts improve sales outcomes while also strengthening trust, credibility, and confidence in the business. Listeners walk away with a new understanding of why ghosting often happens, how unresolved conversations drain mental energy, and why clarity is one of the kindest things you can offer in a sales interaction. Nikki also explains the difference between being nice and being kind in sales, showing how avoiding the close in the name of politeness often does more harm than good. When you want sales conversations that are lighter, cleaner, and more predictable, this episode is a must-listen. Mastering sales call closing is not about closing harder. It is about closing cleaner, creating clarity, and guiding buyers confidently toward a decision that feels right for them. Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity to work together with you and Nikki. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00! For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook. Find Nikki: Nikki Rausch [email protected] Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Sales Maven Society https://calendly.com/salesmaven/work-with-nikki-discussion

After a great sales call, silence can feel brutal. You were sure they were going to buy, maybe even that day, and then nothing. No reply. No decision. No payment. In this episode of The Sales Maven Show, Nikki Rausch breaks down what is actually happening in that moment and why it has everything to do with your brain's wiring and your confidence in business. Nikki explains how the brain hates open loops. When you do not get closure after a sales conversation, your mind tries to create certainty where none exists. That is when the spiral starts. You replay the call, assume you said the wrong thing, decide the offer was too expensive, or conclude they did not like you. Nikki names this pattern for what it is: a drive for cognitive closure, the psychological need for a clear answer and the discomfort we feel when things are unresolved. The problem is that the "answer" your brain invents is often a story, not reality. And once you believe the story, you freeze. You stop following up, stop gathering information, and miss opportunities that were still very much alive. This is where Nikki brings it back to strategy. The antidote to mental spiraling is curiosity. Instead of deciding what the silence means, ask better questions. Start with yourself: Is this story true? Is it useful? Then take action with the other person. Nikki shares a simple, effective follow up framework designed to reduce ambiguity and make it easy for the buyer to respond. She even gives you a ready to use subject line: "Did you see this?" The message is short and direct, and it removes the pressure while still keeping the conversation moving. This episode is a reminder that confidence in business is not about never feeling uncertain. It is about recognizing when your brain is trying to protect you with made up certainty and choosing to stay in action anyway. Follow up. Offer clarity. Make it easy. And do not let a temporary open loop cost you a great client. Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity to work together with you and Nikki. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00! For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook. Find Nikki: Nikki Rausch [email protected] Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Sales Maven Society https://calendly.com/salesmaven/work-with-nikki-discussion

How would your business change if you could consistently start real conversations with the right people instead of waiting for leads to find you? In this episode of The Sales Maven Show, Nikki Rausch continues the Mastering Excellence series by sitting down with LinkedIn strategist Sara Royf to unpack a smarter, more human way to use LinkedIn for lead generation. Rather than relying on spammy pitches, rigid scripts, or expensive paid tools, this conversation focuses on how relationship driven direct messaging can help you take control of your sales pipeline. Sara shares her journey from founding a nonprofit and scaling it to 115 chapters to raising nearly a million dollars organically using LinkedIn. That early success revealed something powerful. When you use LinkedIn intentionally, you do not have to wait passively for opportunities. You get to choose who you want to build relationships with and start conversations that actually lead somewhere. Throughout the episode, Nikki and Sara break down how smart sellers use LinkedIn in a way that feels natural, respectful, and effective. They explore why the goal of a first message is not to pitch or book a call but simply to get a genuine response. From there, the relationship builds over time through thoughtful engagement, relevant content, and personalized follow up. Sara explains her Inside Out Outreach Method, which starts with people already in your network before expanding outward. She also introduces the idea of "triggers," signals that help you identify who is more likely than average to want your services. This keeps your outreach focused and intentional rather than random or overwhelming. You will also hear why you do not need LinkedIn Premium to succeed, how content and direct messages work together to warm up leads, and how to avoid sounding scripted or transactional in the DMs. Nikki connects these ideas back to sales conversations, emphasizing that marketing books the call and sales closes it. If you have ever felt uncomfortable sliding into DMs or frustrated by cold outreach that goes nowhere, this episode offers a refreshing alternative. You will walk away with a clearer understanding of how to use LinkedIn as a relationship building tool, not a pitching platform, and how to show up as a real human while still driving real business results. This conversation is a must listen for consultants, coaches, and service based business owners who want to use LinkedIn confidently, authentically, and strategically. Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity to work together with you and Nikki. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00! For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook. Find Nikki: Nikki Rausch [email protected] Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Sales Maven Society https://calendly.com/salesmaven/work-with-nikki-discussion

What if smart sellers stopped following rigid pricing rules and started making decisions that actually align with their values, their clients, and the kind of business they want to build. In this episode of the Sales Maven Show, Nikki Rausch challenges some of the loudest advice in the sales and entrepreneurial space, especially the idea that you should never make concessions or that "charging your worth" looks the same for everyone. Instead, Nikki invites you into a more thoughtful and empowered way of leading your business, one rooted in clarity, discernment, and long term relationships. Nikki shares her personal philosophy around concessions and why flexibility, when done intentionally, can strengthen trust rather than weaken your position. She explains that smart sellers understand the difference between discounting out of fear and making a strategic choice based on shared values and mutual respect. Drawing from her own experiences, Nikki walks through the criteria she uses when deciding whether to offer a concession, including a client's level of investment, participation, appreciation, and commitment to the work. These are not emotional decisions made in the moment. They are conscious choices grounded in leadership and self trust. Throughout the episode, Nikki breaks down why blanket advice from business gurus often falls short. What works for one entrepreneur may not work for another, and blindly following rules can leave you feeling boxed in or resentful. Nikki emphasizes the privilege and responsibility of being the CEO of your own business. You get to decide what feels right, what aligns with your values, and how you want to show up for your clients. That also means setting boundaries, communicating expectations clearly, and making sure concessions are never one sided. Listeners will also hear Nikki reflect on lessons learned from times when concessions did not work out as planned. She explains how these moments became opportunities to refine her criteria, strengthen her communication, and recommit to relationships that feel mutually beneficial. The focus is not on short term wins, but on lifetime client value and partnerships built on respect and transparency. This episode is a powerful reminder that smart sellers do not sell from fear or rigidity. They sell from confidence, intention, and clarity. If you have ever questioned whether you are doing sales the "right" way, this conversation will give you permission to trust yourself, lead with integrity, and create a business that works for you and your clients. Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity to work together with you and Nikki. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00! For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook. Find Nikki: Nikki Rausch [email protected] Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Sales Maven Society https://calendly.com/salesmaven/work-with-nikki-discussion

What if the biggest shift you could make in your sales conversations next year is not about learning something brand new, but about finally doing what you already know in a more intentional way. In this episode, Nikki Rausch explores three game changing adjustments entrepreneurs can implement in 2026 to create more confident, grounded, and ease filled sales conversations. If you've felt heavier pressure in your sales calls this past year or found yourself stumbling over your words, overthinking, or feeling shaky when the stakes are high, this episode gives you the practical reset you need. Nikki begins by tackling the first and most foundational shift: asking the right questions. Not just more questions, and not generic ones, but the strategic questions that build safety, credibility, and momentum. She explains how well crafted questions act as your consultation roadmap, keeping the conversation on track while showing your buyer they're in capable hands. Without this structure, you risk rambling, oversharing, coaching instead of selling, or losing the lead entirely. Nikki shares how a consultation map elevates your professionalism, shortens your consult time, and positions you as the guide your client is looking for. She even discusses her new AI assisted offer that helps entrepreneurs create their question map step by step. The second shift is one that many sellers think they've mastered but often haven't: leading with benefits rather than features. Nikki breaks down why features alone don't sell and why the "so what" behind your offer needs to be clearly stated, not left for the client to interpret. She walks through how benefits speak directly to the outcomes your clients want and how articulating them increases your confidence as well as the buyer's. By sharing common mistakes she sees entrepreneurs make, and how just rewriting a few sentences can transform an offer's appeal, Nikki encourages listeners to revisit their sales pages and pitches with fresh eyes. Finally, Nikki highlights the third shift: practice. Real, out loud, low stakes practice. She explains why confidence isn't innate; it's built through repetition and muscle memory. Sales conversations feel wobbly for the same reason walking a narrow beam feels wobbly: your body and brain haven't rehearsed the movement enough. Through stories from strategy sessions and her new monthly practice groups in the Sales Maven Society, Nikki shows how practicing language, pre framing, and key transitions can radically shift your presence on sales calls. When your voice steadies, your energy follows, and your buyer feels it too. Whether you're new to sales or seasoned but stuck in a rut, these three shifts can change everything. Ask better questions. Speak in benefits. And practice until confidence is your default setting. Here's to 2026 being your most grounded and successful sales year ever. Nikki invites you to join the Sales Maven Society. Take advantage of this opportunity to work together with you and Nikki. Bring your questions, concerns, and sales situations; she provides answers and guidance. Join the Sales Maven Society here, click Join Today, and then checkout and use coupon code 47trial to get your first month for $47.00! For more actionable sales tips, download the FREE Closing The Sale Ebook. Find Nikki: Nikki Rausch [email protected] Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram Sales Maven Society https://calendly.com/salesmaven/work-with-nikki-discussion