Charlie Day - Going For No, A Refreshing Approach to Sales

[00:00:00] Scott: Hi, I'm Scott Fulton, the host of the Rebel Diaries podcast. This show will help you learn how to make work better for you, your colleagues and the organization you work for. I believe the modern workplace is broken for too many people with leaders and their teams, drowning in corporate complexity, information overload, and unnecessary levels of stress. 

[00:00:18] Scott: Having spent over 20 years leading disruptive high-performing teams who have won international awards for their impact. I've now dedicated my career to helping coach and train leaders and teams to deliver more value and impact at work whilst reducing the risk of burnout, overload, and wasted effort. 

[00:00:34] Scott: This podcast is dedicated to you and thousands like you who know work can and should be better.

[00:00:39] Scott: You'll get tips and insights from me as well as the amazing guests I invite to be the show, many of them have disrupted their industries and are thought leaders, speakers, and authors who have fascinating stories and advice to share. 

[00:00:50] Scott: Thank you for listening. I'm Scott Fulton and welcome to the Rebel Diaries show. 

[00:00:54] Scott: Over the last 10 years, Charlie has grown and scaled numerous businesses successfully franchising, two of her brands with multiple franchises across the UK and Australia. Her success has been achieved through mastering the art of how and when to sell and perfecting the customer connection. 

[00:01:11] Scott: Hi, Charlie. Welcome to the Rebel Diaries podcast. 

[00:01:15] Charlie: Hi. I'm so excited to be here. 

[00:01:17] Scott: Thanks for being here. So for, to help our audience, could you just give us a bit of a background of your career, how you got to do what you do now?

[00:01:24] Scott: What

[00:01:24] Scott: made you kind of passionate about helping people?

[00:01:28] Charlie: Yeah, sure. Um, I don't know if I'll be a little bit different from the guests that you usually have on this show, because I've actually never had a real job. It's a bit of a running joke in our family, um, that I've never had a real job, but I've gotta be honest. It's true, it's true. Um, so I've, I went to, Drama school.

[00:01:47] Charlie: I convinced my parents age 16 that it was a good idea for me to leave the sleepy village in the middle of the peak district that I was brought up in to move to London by myself and go to drama school. And I was the youngest out of four, which I think is why they got on board with it and was like, do you know what?

[00:02:05] Charlie: Let's just get hair out and then like we can move on with our lives. And so they agreed to it. I couldn't believe it, honestly couldn't believe it. So I went to drama school from 16 to 21. Um, in London. Half the time of my life I wanted to be an actress. Like that was the plan. And on leaving theater school, I.

[00:02:24] Charlie: I was an actress for five whole months, and I realized really quickly that it wasn't for me. You know, I was in and out of auditions, queuing up to get my face in, having to like, um, you know, scrap around and like I was a waitress for a bit and I was just like, this is not me. This is not me. So I said to my mom and dad, look, I've tried it, I'm not doing it.

[00:02:46] Charlie: And they were like, luckily they've always been quite supportive, but they were like, okay, what are you gonna do? And I. Speeding. Good question. What am I going to do? Um, because I, I just, I didn't wanna be skin, it wasn't me. No, I, I set up my own, um, business running, um, parties for kids. And it was very weekend based.

[00:03:10] Charlie: I would dress up as a princess or a pirate or a fairy or whatever and um, yeah, entertained children at birthday parties. And you know what it's like, well, I dunno if you do know what it's like, but what it is like is you are doing a party and there's 30 other children in the room who all need parties that year.

[00:03:27] Charlie: And so very quickly it grew to, you know, I'm doing this whole class's birthday party, different weekend, different class, different theme, and um, And so it grew from there. And I actually grew it to like an agency model where I was doing all the bookings and I had various different, um, party entertainers across the UK who I would farm out.

[00:03:48] Charlie: It just gr grew like that. I didn't have a clue what I was doing at the time, but whilst I was doing that, obviously that was very weekend based. So after a while I was like, this is great and I'm learning good money and I can't believe that, you know, everything I get goes in my pocket like fantastic happy days.

[00:04:03] Charlie: Um, So I started thinking, what could I do in the week? So I opened up my own theater school, and so for a while I was doing the theater school during the week and the parties during the weekend, and obviously there was a crossover there. And then my theater school grew and I got other teachers on board, and we did it in various different locations.

[00:04:20] Charlie: And then in 2016, my note. It must have been, no, it must have been before that, more like 2014. Um, my sister had, um, had had a baby and she didn't want to be in the classroom anymore. She was a teacher. And so she used to say like, I wish I didn't have to teach. Like I, I just hate it. I'm leaving my child every day in daycare.

[00:04:43] Charlie: And, and what had become, her vocation had become something that she, she felt so stuck in, she couldn't get out. And so me with my background, I'm like, well, then just leave. Just leave teaching. Do something yourself. But she was like, I, I can't possibly, like, I've got this career. I've trained to be a teacher.

[00:05:01] Charlie: I've got this money coming in every month. Like I couldn't possibly. And I was like, but you have to, you have to leave. If you, if you hate it that much, you gotta leave. I'm, and so I, I made this whole plan with her to set up phonics classes for preschoolers, and I showed her how we were gonna grow and scale it.

[00:05:19] Charlie: And we are like, chalk and cheese. I'm like, yes, we're doing it tomorrow. And she's like, let's plan it for a year. And if we're still in on the idea at a year, we'll do it. Yeah, I'm not gonna work for it. So I convinced her that it was a good idea, but we were absolutely up against it because she needed a teacher's wage out of this company.

[00:05:37] Charlie: And so aft like it, it went really well. Have, so at the time I was doing the phonic during the day, during the theater class at the, um, evenings and then during the, the parties at the weekend. I was like a mad woman, honestly. But we, um, we decided to franchise the, the business after just a year. So we piloted it for a year and then we franchised.

[00:05:55] Charlie: And it's now got over 54 franchises, um, across the world, five in Australia and the rest in the uk. So yeah, it, it did phenomenally well. And, um, a and then in all of this, I got pregnant, had a little boy, um, he's six now. Uh, and obviously, like I said, at the time I was doing theater school, doing the parties, doing the, the phonics and um, and something had to give.

[00:06:18] Charlie: And actually I really, really struggled to have a baby and run a business because I'd always run a. 

[00:06:24] Scott: Hmm. 

[00:06:25] Charlie: I, I couldn't see the two, like coming alongside each other and, and it being okay. Um, and so, and so it took me a while to get my head around that. But during that journey people started asking me like, how have you done this, Charlie?

[00:06:36] Charlie: How have you grown and scaled a business? So I set up a Facebook group called The Entrepreneur's Growth Club, and it went absolutely mad. And basically, long story short is I started a fourth business. Long story, not short, very long. I started a fourth business called Charlie Day Sales, where I help other business owners make more sales.

[00:06:54] Charlie: So I now don't have anything to do with the running the day-to-day running of those businesses. Um, the theater school didn't exist, phonics with robot rage. My assistant now runs independently and I, um, help business owners to make more sales and to grow and. 

[00:07:09] Scott: Wow, what an exciting journey. Sounds like a bit 

[00:07:12] Charlie: That was quite a long story. You thought you were just gonna get a sentence and I've gone back to like move in 16.

[00:07:19] Scott: No. That's really interesting. So yeah, as you said, so you're not actually ha being in the the regular kind of corporate

[00:07:25] Scott: life 

[00:07:26] Charlie: no 

[00:07:27] Scott: regrets, I

[00:07:27] Scott: guess. 

[00:07:28] Charlie: me. Well, I dunno, he, so my husband's in

[00:07:31] Charlie: sales as well, so we have, well we had such fun conversations about sales, but he's in corporate and so corporate very much scares me. And I think it was the beginning of last year, I started to get approached by SMEs and things like that to go in and, and do some work with their sales teams.

[00:07:48] Charlie: And I. Oh, oh my God. Cannot do that. Am I husband sad? But you run your own business, like you have created this from the ground up. And I'm like, yeah, that's easy. But corporate and oh, just scares me.

[00:08:03] Scott: And what was it scaring you? Just the, the,

[00:08:05] Scott: did you think that the, the skills were different or was it imposter syndrome or a bit of 

[00:08:10] Charlie: Yeah. I, I, I thought I was under the illusion that a sales team in corporate knew would know exactly what they were. 

[00:08:18] Scott: Yeah, 

[00:08:20] Charlie: Hilariously. 

[00:08:22] Scott: I think that's the case for a lot of people in their jobs, isn't it?

[00:08:25] Scott: It's like surely everyone knows what they're doing. I think we're all just winging it.

[00:08:29] Charlie: Yeah. Well, because I haven't actually had a sales job to, to go out there and call myself a sales expert. I haven't, I haven't had, I have had training, cuz I've invested a lot in myself, but I haven't, you know, I've 

[00:08:40] Charlie: not,

[00:08:41] Scott: But you've got the life, but it's the life experience, isn't it? That's the difference. You can sit in a classroom and learn about stuff, but the real

[00:08:48] Scott: skill is doing

[00:08:50] Scott: it, and that's, I think that's where the value is.

[00:08:53] Charlie: and it's interesting for me because when I talk to people who are in corporate, they're desperate to do what I do and I'm like, this is easy. Anyone can 

[00:09:00] Charlie: do this. 

[00:09:01] Scott: Well, they're desperate to set their own business.

[00:09:03] Charlie: Yeah.

[00:09:04] Scott: And do you, why do you, what holds them back? Is it a bit like your teacher friend where it's like, oh, I just can't stuff out my comfort zone,

[00:09:10] Scott: or the lack of regular guaranteed income is obviously on their mind, I'm sure.

[00:09:15] Charlie: Yeah. Yeah. And I think for, for a lot of people as well, you know, Becomes a part of who they are, doesn't it? So I was working with someone, a lovely lady recently, and she was a lawyer and she wanted to step away from it and she'd actually built like a side hustle type thing, which was doing incredibly well.

[00:09:32] Charlie: And we could see a path where if she stepped away from being a lawyer, this business, but being a lawyer was who she was. And which she said to her mom and dad, you know, I'm thinking about quitting my job to, um, do something on Instagram. They were like, ha, hilarious. I'm a bit. 

[00:09:49] Scott: Yeah. 

[00:09:49] Charlie: And I think that, that, that stops people.

[00:09:51] Charlie: I'm a, I'm a doctor, I'm a lawyer, I'm a teacher, I'm a police, whatever. That holds them back from making that commitment because for a lot of people, their job's part of who they 

[00:10:02] Charlie: are. 

[00:10:03] Scott: Yeah, you're right. You ask someone who, what you do is usually one of the first questions, isn't it? And it's not. I'm a parent, I'm a

[00:10:10] Scott: whatever. It's, I'm, I'm, a doctor, as you said. Or, you know, you 

[00:10:14] Charlie: yeah. And this

[00:10:15] Charlie: is, this is something that I struggled with a lot, like, um,

[00:10:19] Charlie: My, my husband had won like a holiday, um, because he was so great in his sales team, and so we were going on this holiday with, it's like your wife could go with you, but it was the whole sales team. And people got there. People were like, and what do you do?

[00:10:33] Charlie: And I'm like, uh, um, what have, well, um, that's, that's a question. What do I do? I, I, I look after my little boy a lot. So that's, and my husbands like, what's wrong with you? Just tell them what your job is. I'm like, I mess around internet. I glad it's a woman. So I struggled with that for a while as well. Uh, I've ever covered now.

[00:10:57] Scott: I'm gotta check your about page on your website in a minute. What'd you do? I mess about on the internet. I made loads of money.

[00:11:05] Scott: that's Stephanie going in

[00:11:06] Scott: the audiogram.

[00:11:09] Charlie: that's what my mom says to me as well. It just looks like you just swung around the world making money. I was like, of what goes on.

[00:11:19] Scott: So when you, when you're helping your clients on their journey, are they, do they tend to be at the right at the start or are they like struggling halfway through and need some guidance? Or is it a bit of a

[00:11:31] Scott: mixture?

[00:11:33] Charlie: There's a bit of a mixture, but I would say, um, the most popular thing that I see is people who've scaled a business quite easily. Um, they've got a really fantastic product or service and things have taken off for them. Um, and they get to maybe like the six figure mark. But they don't have a solid sales strategy at all, so they get a bit stuck there.

[00:11:56] Charlie: And so our fly in will create a solid sales strategy, will really think about their sales, and then they'll be able to scale a lot quicker.

[00:12:04] Scott: Okay. And are there any like standard bits of advice you give or does it just vary on the, the client and their market, or are there

[00:12:13] Scott: kinda like standard things that everybody in this industry should know without giving all your secrets away? Of course. 

[00:12:18] Charlie: I'm happy to give all my secrets away. Beautiful.

[00:12:22] Charlie: Um, yeah, I see the same repeating patterns time and time again. Um, I obviously work with entrepreneurs, um, more and more as we discussed before this podcast came on. You know, social media, the internet, it does not matter what. Business you are in, you need to have a really good presence on social media.

[00:12:44] Charlie: And so if you're a hairdressers or you know you're Tesco, or, um, like I work with a lot of franchisors because that was my past. Um, Life. I, I say to them, you need to have a really good social media. And they're like, oh, we've got franchisees over the uk. Like, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter that those people are going in and teaching people face to face.

[00:13:08] Charlie: We all need to have a strong social media presence. And so what, what I say is the first step to sales success is being able to get your message about what it is you are. Across really simply to your audience, in your social media bio, in your website, and when you talk to them and introduce them. And so, um, I speak to a lot of people, I don't know if you find this Zalo on your podcast and you're like, oh, so tell me about what you do.

[00:13:34] Charlie: And they're like, well, Um, I don't want, I don't wanna pick like a specific niche cuz there is a specific niche where this happens. I'm gonna call it out because I'll, I'll tell you why. I'm a holistic coach, life coach, but I also help people go through the menopause who, you know, maybe have hormonal problems but also can help people, infertility and children and old people.

[00:13:58] Charlie: What the heck do you do? Like, I have no idea what you do. You just said like a whole bunch of words and I've got no idea. And what happens then is that, you know, after this conversation, if me and you were to go away, I would hope that if you were having a conversation next week and someone said, do you know what?

[00:14:14] Charlie: I'm really struggling to make sales online. You'd be like, do you know who you need to talk to Charlie Day? That is literally what she does as. And that's what happens when your messaging is really clear. I'm Charlie Day and I help people make more sales in their businesses. It's as simple as that.

[00:14:29] Charlie: There's a lot of waffle out there, a lot waffle. And I think in some industries that like holistic wellness space, it's more difficult because they can do a range of different things. But it is so important that you make that messaging super clear and niche down, especially in the beginning, so that you are calling out your ideal client and you're making them go, oh my gosh, that's me.

[00:14:55] Charlie: She's literally talking about me. Um, I think people think that if, if they have a bigger field, they'll make more sales, but actually the opposite is true. The more niche you can make it, the more sales you'll 

[00:15:05] Charlie: make, 

[00:15:07] Charlie: and all the time. 

[00:15:08] Scott: yeah, I'd heard that before. Ning is so important around,

[00:15:12] Scott: smaller pool, but you then stand out rather

[00:15:15] Scott: than 

[00:15:16] Charlie: Yeah, 

[00:15:16] Scott: like a jack of all trades, master of none. 

[00:15:20] Charlie: go narrow to go deep. That's what I

[00:15:21] Charlie: say.

[00:15:22] Scott: I like that. Yeah, 

[00:15:24] Charlie: But yeah, so my little tip for anybody who's listening is if you can write down what you do in less than eight words, you'll know that your message is really clear. 

[00:15:33] Scott: that's useful. That's good. 

[00:15:35] Charlie: The other thing that I see all of the time is that people don't follow up. They don't have any sort of follow up process in their business.

[00:15:41] Charlie: Um, whether that be automated or by personal outreach or a team member or, or whatever. So important in 2023, I think our customers are more savvy than ever before, and that personal touch goes a long way. And so when I'm working with businesses all the time, Quite often, there is no personal outreach, um, no follow up, and that can be automated or otherwise, depending on the size of your business.

[00:16:07] Charlie: But it's so important. And literally, if you go out there today and follow up with 10 people who have been interested, are interested, whatever, you'll make sales. It's literally as simple as they.

[00:16:18] Scott: Hmm. Yeah. So I was gonna ask, so when you say follow up, it's after some initial contacts been made or attempted because I guess a lot of people in the entrepreneurial space, I'd know a few struggle with the, like the business development side and the, the cold calling or it just feels like dirty cuz you're on, you've been on the receiving end of that yourself and

[00:16:39] Scott: you can see it coming a mile off.

[00:16:43] Charlie: Try be a sales coach. When do you get on sales calls with people? They like, I, I know where this is going. Brilliant. Um, yes. So this is something that I'm super passionate about. Sales House got a dirty word and there's people out there who are doing a disservice to the space, um, which is why I'm really passionate about getting my message out there.

[00:17:08] Charlie: And what I actually believe is that we should sell by not selling. I hate that stuff. I hate cold messaging. I hate sleazy tactics, pushy. It. No, I, I think of like, um, Mr. Wormwood from Matilda, you know, like Wheeler dealer, sort of dodgy things going on. No, not for me whatsoever. And it's not for my audience either, which is why they follow me, because, um, nobody wants to do that.

[00:17:32] Charlie: And what I think is really important is that, You are really, really confident in your sales structure and your sales structure, your sales calls, all of that stuff needs to to sit really well with you. And so if there is something in that that makes you feel icky or uncomfortable, change it. Because if it feels icky and uncomfortable for you, it is certainly gonna feel likey uncomfortable for the customer.

[00:17:56] Charlie: And I've been on sales calls, why you think, oh my God, they don't wanna say the price, but they're gonna have to say the price. I'm scared for them. You know, and, and actually, here's the thing, right? I can help you, any of your listeners, whoever I'm speaking to explode the sales in their business. Like the results that I get for people are absolutely insane.

[00:18:21] Charlie: And if I don't tell people about that, if I don't get my message out there, I feel like I'm doing people a disservice. There might be someone this morning. In Scotland crying into their pillow because they need to literally close their business down because they're not making enough sales, and I could help them to create more sales in their business.

[00:18:41] Charlie: So actually, if I didn't get my message out there, if I didn't shout audaciously about it, I would be doing them a disservice. 

[00:18:49] Scott: Hmm. 

[00:18:49] Charlie: And I think it's a really good place to get into. You know, when, when I do sales calls or whatever, I'm like, I know that I will be able to impact the sales in, in your business. If now's not the right time for you to go for it, or I'm not the right person or whatever, that's absolutely fine.

[00:19:04] Charlie: It's nothing to do with me and it's nothing to do with my service. That's, that's great. I know. That's great. I know I'll get people results and so I'm like, bye. Don't buy. And when you are in that place, it's so. But the other players were like, I need you to make this right now. Is, you know, it's, it's such a turnoff.

[00:19:24] Scott: I did it. Training course a couple years ago for entrepreneurs, and one of the things that stuck out for me was this, this idea that you have responsibility. Get yourself in front of clients who need you because you can help them. And it's, it's like if you don't do that, you are doing them a disservice and things like you were just saying just now and, and that's, yeah, very different mindset of, oh my God, I need to just get loads of money or I'm gonna go outta business.

[00:19:53] Scott: And then you come across as needy and desperate and reluctant maybe to

[00:19:58] Scott: hear no, which probably puts you off making those calls. 

[00:20:03] Charlie: When I run the theater school, one of the things that I tried to, I, I mean, I literally started with seven students. So funny story. I hired this big, massive theater, cost me a load of money. I hired, um, 30 costumes and I was like, I'm gonna cap the numbers at 30 because it's my first workshop. Like, I wanna keep it.

[00:20:22] Charlie: Small and manageable. Um, but I, I had calculated how many children there were in the area and I was like, poor. That is crazy. Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so successful. And I worked my absolute arses off, you know, giving out flies to the local schools, getting church Fs, that sort of thing. Just getting myself out there.

[00:20:40] Charlie: I worked so hard and I got seven people booked into my theater school for the first hour workshop. I was absolutely, uh, like mortified, mortified. Everyone had told me that this wouldn't work and it was a bad idea. I told my mum and dad and they were like, you know, you're bringing your own business. You need to think about taxes.

[00:20:57] Charlie: You'll be terrible at that, Charlie, you need all 

[00:21:01] Charlie: like, 

[00:21:02] Scott: Have to face your confidence. 

[00:21:04] Charlie: yeah, I know. And now, and now that I'm like super successful, they deny this conversation. But look at the la um, and so I was, I was absolutely mortified and I was like, at the end of the week, I'm just gonna sweep it under the carpet. Cuz it was just like, in the smaller days I'm gonna sweep it under the carpet and just totally forget about it.

[00:21:20] Charlie: Um, and basically what happened, I threw myself all in cause that's all I know how to do. I gave away a couple of prizes, so there was 10 of them in the end and we put on this show and they were the sweetest kids, sweetest parents. And at the end of the week, all 10 of them were like, we want to do this every week.

[00:21:34] Charlie: Like, are you setting up regular classes? Um, spin absolutely amazing. It's boosted the children's confidence. And so in that moment I was like, right, I have worked this hard to get 10 children in front of me. I'm not gonna let them go now. And so in that moment I decided that I would. Set up this theater school on a weekly basis, but also that I would commit myself to being really, really great at sales because I recognized really, really early on that that was gonna be what pushed my business forward.

[00:22:04] Charlie: And so for 18 months, I wasn't paid at all out of this business. Like it was like how not to run a business. Terrible. I was 21, didn't know clue what I was doing. And so, um, After 18 months, things started to pick up and I was nominated in 2013 for Essex. I live in Essex, Essex, young entrepreneur of the year and I was absolutely thrilled make sent this guy out to interview me.

[00:22:27] Charlie: He is like turned up to my village hall in like a suit and tie and I was like, Darling. And anyway, whilst all of this excitement was going on, we were announcing a workshop and these girls who worked for me were doing that whilst I was in this interview. And when I came out of the interview, they said, oh my God, it is gone, man, mental, like everyone wanted to look in and that's never happened to us before.

[00:22:47] Charlie: And so I looked at the numbers and I'd gone up to 45. I've never ran a workshop at 45 before thinking, oh my god. Right? We need to tell everyone this is sold out. Like take it off the website, sold out, sold. And it was like I had turned a tap on. As soon as I mentioned that it was sold out, everybody wanted to come, like the whole of Chelmsford wanted to come to this workshop because it was sold out.

[00:23:07] Charlie: And so we ended up actually running a second one alongside it. But, but again, I realized nothing sells out like a sellout. Like we, you've only got seven students. It's a very different thing, like trying to get people to come to a theater school. We, we got a theater school. From that moment forward, I was like, I'm gonna act like I'm sold out.

[00:23:25] Charlie: Whenever I open a new business, I'm, I've got a sold out mentality, everything

[00:23:30] Scott: it's the scarcity thing that drives people and like, oh,

[00:23:35] Scott: if everyone else is 

[00:23:36] Charlie: ish. 

[00:23:37] Scott: doing it, then maybe I should be doing it. Yeah. 

[00:23:39] Charlie: That works on me every time.

[00:23:42] Charlie: But again, you know, there's people out there who do that as a tactic in the online space, being like, I've only got 10 spaces left for coaching clients this year. I'm like, you have, and that's a 

[00:23:51] Charlie: lie,

[00:23:51] Scott: Yeah. Oh yeah. 

[00:23:52] Charlie: and a lie. You will take as many people and will probably see that post in recycled again in a couple of months time and that really gets my go.

[00:24:00] Charlie: I can't deal with people lying.

[00:24:02] Scott: Hmm. Yeah, yeah, you're right. So, um, what's the alternative then to. I mean, you touched on it, but just to kind of clarify, so the alternative to like cold

[00:24:15] Scott: calling, what do you advise people in that?

[00:24:19] Charlie: But we're building relationships that's ultimately, um, where people are gonna buy. You know, I always encourage people to think about where, where do you like spending your money? Like, where feels good and why? Um, and where do you not like spending your money and why? And actually the more we can tune into what we like ourselves and what's working, um, and always it's something to do with the customer service or how well looked after you are, or how it made you feel.

[00:24:48] Charlie: Um, so focus on that. Focus on how you want people to feel. Focus on the results they're gonna see. Never, ever focus on the money. The money doesn't matter if you are just in this job, in this business to make. You need to change because actually money is out there for everyone. Everyone can go and get the money that's available, but the impact that you can make on people's lives, the impact that you can make in the world, that is a much bigger thing.

[00:25:18] Charlie: And if you go after that and you try and get that out there, the money will come anyway.

[00:25:23] Scott: Hmm. Yeah. It's all about fundamentally solving problems for people, isn't it?

[00:25:29] Scott: Helping them improve their lives or Yeah, just solve a problem. 

[00:25:33] Charlie: Yeah. Well, what, what, what does your ideal client worry about? Like, whats them up at night? Because I always use this example, but I got locked, and this is such a Charlie story. I got locked out of my, um, my house and befallen of here. It was like one of those Yale locks, and I walked out to go to the shops and it just locked behind me, and I immediately realized that I didn't have my keys.

[00:25:54] Charlie: I was like, oh. Rang my husband, no, he's not Greg Keys either actually pie in a pod. And so I, I suddenly wasn't going to the shop, so I was just trying to break into my own house and eventually I rang a locksmith and it was like 500 pounds or something. And I was like, well, I mean, you've got me over a barrel, haven't you?

[00:26:11] Charlie: It's not like I've got any other option. And it, so I paved the five, the 500 pounds and he literally whacked out like a little, um, bit of plastic and just went like that down the door and broke into my house. And I. Wowsers Gina know, like I needed to get into my house. He knew how the balls of the mount to charge me 500 pounds for a plastic laminate, but it was a Sunday.

[00:26:34] Charlie: So obviously, you know, for him to go out on a Sunday with his plastic laminate was a big thing. But it's how can you get that same urgency from your customers? Like, um, you know, when the locksmith was like, yeah, I can get in your house, but it's, it's gonna be 500 pounds. I. Well, let me think about it and I'll send you an email in a couple of days.

[00:26:52] Charlie: It's like, yes, I want that to happen right now. And how can you create that same emergency in, um, in your ideal customers? Because a lot of people, again, are very wishy-washy with closing people down. Like, why should people buy and why should people buy right now? If you know those two answers, then you can make sure that you close it, close it. 

[00:27:16] Scott: Hmm. 

[00:27:17] Charlie: Because so many people don't, so many people don't actually even ask for the sale. 

[00:27:22] Charlie: And I brought my eyes open to this all of the time, right? Because it's what I took every, I've run this Facebook group called, um, the Entrepreneur's Growth Club, and every Sunday from eight to eight 30, um, pm I go live.

[00:27:35] Charlie: Talking about these funny stories, like sales stories. And I answer anyone's question and I give loads of value as well, but I, I now have my eyes open to like all of these scenarios that happened to me all of the time. Like, I was at a facial, I had a facial in Birmingham. I went for a spa date, the other, the other week.

[00:27:50] Charlie: And, um, the girl was giving me a facial and she, she sort of did this skin allowness and she was like, you've got tired eyes, you're dehydrated here. And she had this like special light that showed you. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is hideous. Like how do I solve this immediately? 

[00:28:03] Charlie: Um, 

[00:28:04] Scott: I don't wanna walk out now.

[00:28:05] Charlie: Yeah, I didn't know.

[00:28:08] Scott: Have you got a bag? I compared my head. 

[00:28:11] Charlie: And so she said to me,

[00:28:13] Charlie: you know, and obviously I work in sales so I know where this is going. Um, there's this serum that you can get and you know, it's gonna really help me straight away. And so I'm thinking, brilliant. You know, I've got the most dehydrated, uh, face in the uk. I indeed this serum desperate. And, and in my head, half of me was thinking, right, I'm just gonna buy that serum cuz then I can work it on straight away. But the other half of me was like, well I should probably buy the serum that's from my own skincare, like the skincare company that I already used. Do you know what I mean? 

[00:28:42] Charlie: Um, 

[00:28:42] Scott: it may be 

[00:28:42] Scott: cheaper. 

[00:28:44] Charlie: well, yeah, exactly.

[00:28:45] Charlie: So that's where Rob was, that that's what I was thinking in my head, like, oh, where I might just buy that or I might not. But when we left she just sort of gestured over to a cabinet and she was up. So the sea room's. Do you want me to take you back to the waiting room? And I was like, yeah, yeah, sure. Take back to the waiting room.

[00:29:03] Charlie: I like, she didn't even ask, she didn't even just say, do you want to take one of them away with you? Do you wanna take the serum so you can apply it right now? She was obviously trying to sell it, but she felt so uncomfortable. And I mean, whereas actually it was a serum that was gonna help me with the exact problem that she'd identified.

[00:29:21] Charlie: It was a no-brainer. And that sort of, it just happens all the time. If you, if you start watching out 

[00:29:26] Charlie: for it, you'll see. 

[00:29:27] Scott: So what do you think made her

[00:29:28] Scott: uncomfortable? the

[00:29:30] Scott: fact that you might say

[00:29:30] Scott: no.

[00:29:31] Charlie: Yeah. Yeah, people hate the no's because, oh, that, and that's the story I was about to tell, because it isn't, no, I don't wanna buy from you. No, I don't wanna be on your podcast. No, I don't want to meet you for a coffee to discuss your business. It's not that for people, what no means for people is, I'm not good enough.

[00:29:50] Charlie: My product or service isn't good enough. Well, really, it's got nothing to do with that. There is no business out there where every single customer that. Then goes on to be a customer and buys and repeatedly buys, you know that that doesn't exist, so it's not gonna exist for you either. But yeah, when I was 21, after my seven people in a class story, I decided to get into schools and start doing workshops.

[00:30:14] Charlie: And so I would cold call the schools and I would wake up every morning and be like, right, today's the day I'm cold calling 10 schools. I'm doing it. I've got something good to offer. And then I'm. Probably a bit early now. School hasn't started yet, so I'll wait till after nine and I'll be like, well, now it's nine o'clock.

[00:30:29] Charlie: The kids will be coming in, so it's. Oh wait a bit. Oh, it's 10 o'clock now. It could be morning break. And I, this whole cycle went on and then it was the end of the school day, and I did it every single day. I was, yep, nope, gonna call them. And so I decided something had to change. The only way that I was gonna ever get my head around this was if something changed.

[00:30:47] Charlie: So I made myself a chart and it was called the Go for no chart, and it had 10 circles, and every single day I had to get 10 nos. So my aim was, The school to say, no, I'm not interested. And so I would ring up, no, I'm not interested. Brilliant. Well, no, no, I'm not interested. No, I'm not interested. Oh, yeah. Can I pass you onto that teacher?

[00:31:09] Charlie: I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Brilliant. Yeah. This, this person's interested and ongoing for the nos. Ultimately, there were some yeses along the way, but when you, I mean, cold calling isn't really relevant anymore unless you are, you know, selling intercoms like that. But even so, there's, there's other ways to do it.

[00:31:27] Charlie: If you have got a business to business type thing like that, you, you've gotta get loads of nos. I would arguably say if you're not getting nos, you're not working harder. It.

[00:31:36] Scott: Hmm. Yeah, I, I, I was thinking about the. You said at the start we were talking about how people are very intertwined with their job, so they feel it defines them. That must be linked then to if someone says no, that's like a chink out of

[00:31:59] Scott: their armor almost. It's Like that's no

[00:32:01] Scott: to me personally, 

[00:32:04] Charlie: Yeah. 

[00:32:04] Scott: see why that would hold people

[00:32:05] Scott: back.

[00:32:06] Charlie: Yeah. And, and, um, so I obviously make sales for myself, but I also go into other people's companies and make sales for other people, so I know this firsthand. So much easier to sell for someone else than it is for yourself. You know, if you told me what I needed to sell for you and I went out there and it's no skin off my nose, it. 

[00:32:23] Scott: attached. 

[00:32:24] Charlie: Yeah. And, and that's the difference. Whereas when it's you, when that, when that money is maybe, you know, your daughter's ballet class or your family holiday or your rent that month, the no becomes a lot bigger.

[00:32:38] Scott: Interesting. Great. So one of the questions I ask all my

[00:32:42] Scott: guests is, if we could take one book with you to a desert island,

[00:32:45] Scott: what would it be?

[00:32:47] Charlie: Oh, I like that. Can't say my own book. That would be cheesy, wouldn't it? I have written a book, it's called Sales is Easy if you Just Know How, um, available on Amazon. But my favorite book of all times would have to be, I, I love a read. I've got so many, but I'm gonna say The Big Leap. Have you heard that book?

[00:33:09] Charlie: A 

[00:33:09] Charlie: Big Leap? Gay Hendrix, he should breed it. It's really good out smashing through your glass ceiling and reaching the next level.

[00:33:16] Scott: Great. Okay. I'll get that

[00:33:18] Scott: linked in the show notes. So if anyone wants to work with you, what's the best way to

[00:33:21] Scott: get hold of you?

[00:33:23] Charlie: Uh, come and join the Entrepreneur's Growth Club. Um, it's on Facebook. That's my community where I hang out. Um, or you can find me on Instagram Charlie Day Sales TikTok Charlie Day sales, um, or visit www dot charlie Day sales dot code 

[00:33:38] Charlie: uk. 

[00:33:39] Scott: Brilliant. Thank you.

[00:33:41] Scott: Charlie. It's been great chatting to you on the show. Thanks for being on. 

[00:33:44] Charlie: You too. Thank you. 

[00:33:45] Scott: A big, thank you for listening to the Rebel Diaries show your time is precious, so it is appreciated. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to hit that subscribe button in your podcast app of choice so you don't miss the next one. There's a new episode every Monday morning, ideal for your commute to work or early morning walk. 

[00:34:03] Scott: Until next time, take care be a rebel and deliver work with impact.