If you’ve ever thought, ‘I’m terrible at sales,’ then you’re in the right place. I’m really glad you’re here because I completely understand that feeling. I’ve been there myself. Transitioning from another role into running your own sleep consulting business (or any business) can feel daunting, especially the sales part.
With over a decade of experience in running and scaling my business, and helping hundreds of sleep professionals and parenting specialists to build and market their businesses, I’ve learned something crucial—you don’t need to be a ‘salesy’ person to succeed.
Selling your expertise can feel as natural and genuine as giving advice to a friend.
This blog will explore how you can sell effectively without compromising your values. Selling doesn’t have to feel inauthentic or uncomfortable. I believe that if you need to rely on aggressive sales tactics, perhaps it’s not the right approach for you or your clients.
Today, we’re uncovering three key strategies to enhance your sales process and genuinely connect with families. We’ll delve into attracting the right clients, mastering the sales conversation, and building a steady flow of potential clients—all while emphasizing quality over quantity to reflect your passion for helping families sleep better.
If you’d prefer a video format, watch the video version below.
Let’s dive into these three strategies.
Strategy 1: Attracting the Right Sleep Clients
I always tell my clients that it’s not enough to just be seen; you need to be necessary. Your sleep consulting services must be easy to find and truly essential for the families who discover them.
More than appearing in a simple Google search, it’s about forging an immediate, deep connection with the parents who find you.
Do your services resonate with them?
Are you addressing their specific sleep struggles with solutions that feel tailor-made for their needs?
Every parent searching for a sleep consultant is looking for more than just tips; they’re seeking transformation. They want to know that you can relate to their specific challenges, whether it’s soothing a newborn throughout the night or managing multiple wake-ups with toddlers. They need to feel understood and hopeful.
Your unique approach should clearly communicate that you’re not just another sleep consultant. You are the specialist who can make a real difference because of your specialized understanding. For example, if you specialize in a holistic approach that aligns with gentle parenting philosophies (which our grads do), it’s important to make this clear and compelling everywhere you advertise your service.
Your goal is to make every parent who visits your website or social media account feel that they’ve finally found the help they’ve been searching for. It’s about creating that ‘aha’ moment for them—where they realize, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I need.’
The sleep consulting field is booming, indicating high demand—parents are having babies every day. However, merely advertising yourself as a ‘sleep consultant’ isn’t enough to stand out. You need to carve out your unique niche.
Kathryn Stagg, one of our grads, is a great example. She’s both an IBCLC and Sleep Coach, as well as a mom to multiples. Kathryn specializes in helping parents with multiples manage feeding and sleep challenges. Her deep personal experience in this area lets her truly understand and tackle the unique issues these parents encounter. This blend of personal insight and professional expertise makes her an invaluable guide and support for these families. They see her as the go-to expert in this area.
To truly make your mark, you must identify and leverage the unique angle or experience you bring to the table. Initially, you might focus on promoting your gentle approach—this still narrows your niche from the broader ‘sleep consultant’ category because it appeals specifically to families seeking a gentler approach. Over time, as you grow in your practice, you might discover a particular passion or area of expertise that can further define your services. Even more powerful, you could specialize in an area where you have personal experience.
Ultimately, the goal is for people to recognize your name and immediately understand what you do, who you serve, and how you stand out. This clarity will not only enhance your marketability but also ensure you attract the clients best suited to the sleep consulting services you offer.
In addition to identifying who you want to serve, it’s crucial to understand where your ideal clients are in their journey—when they are most likely to need your help. I call this the ‘tipping point.’
You also want to be clear on what their goals are. For instance, the parents you aim to serve may have typically struggled for at least six months. They are at their wit’s end and completely exhausted getting up 4-5 times a night. They’ve tried everything and are desperate for a solution that does not involve leaving their baby to cry.
This scenario is quite different from that of a parent who is up once or twice a night. This person might also be looking for a gentle approach similar to the first group, but their sense of urgency isn’t as acute as the first parent, who is likely to be in enough ‘pain’ that they really need the solution you offer.
“Think about it like this: most people don’t go to the doctor just to chat—they go because there’s an urgent problem, like a severe sore throat or a high fever. They need immediate relief. Similarly, your clients are looking for urgent solutions to their sleep problems. They’re desperate for someone who can step in and make a difference.”
Knowing who you want to serve, when that person is most likely to need your service, and what their goal is will help you gain clarity in your business and marketing. This clarity will help you attract the people that really need you, who are going to be the right clients, who will do the work, and who are aligned with your approach.
It will also help you create messaging that attracts those clients and generates leads. These leads, if nurtured correctly, will turn into sales, ensuring a steady flow of income into your sleep consulting business.
Strategy 2: Mastering the Sales Conversation to Attract Sleep Clients and Grow Your Business as a Sleep Consultant
One major challenge in sales is feeling like you’re floundering, often because you’re engaging with the wrong people. Understanding who your ideal client is—and knowing their needs, urgency levels, and goals—is crucial. These aren’t just preferences; they reflect their core values. A mismatch here can lead you to clients who aren’t fully committed, setting the stage for challenging interactions.
Here’s a common scenario: You might find yourself in conversations with potential clients who end up not purchasing, which can shake your confidence in your sales abilities. Or, they might sign up but then expect something different from what you provide. This leads to frustration on both sides and, worse, negative reviews.
Recognizing and connecting with the right clients from the start can transform these challenges into successful sales conversations.
This is why it’s crucial to reverse-engineer your client attraction process. It’s not just about getting anyone in your DMs or on your calendar; it’s about getting the right people. A simple yet powerful tactic is to qualify them before they even book a discovery call. By having them complete an application form or short survey, you can filter out those who aren’t a good fit right from the start.
You want to ensure that by the time someone schedules a call, you already know they’re looking for the gentle approach you excel at, you understand where they are in their journey, and they’re ready to embrace the support you provide.
As your calendar starts to fill up, it becomes even more crucial to reserve your time for those you can truly help right now. Optimizing every call is key to maintaining high conversions and satisfaction—both yours and your clients.
To attract sleep clients, you need traffic. Think strategically about where your potential clients (let’s call them leads) are coming from.
There are numerous ways to generate leads and clients, and building your client base from zero is achievable, in fact, I’ve covered this extensively here where I explain in depth how to secure your first five clients as a sleep consultant.
It is also important to remember that how you position and market your services is critical. If your messaging is too broad, aimed at ‘all parents everywhere,’ you’ll likely attract those who aren’t the right fit, which leads to poor conversion rates. This doesn’t mean you suck at sales—it means your approach needs tweaking.
By mastering the sales conversation, you can effectively attract sleep clients and grow your business as a sleep consultant.
Section 3: How to Gain Consistent Leads and Build a Steady Flow of Potential Clients
Knowing how to gain consistent leads and build a consistent flow of potential clients is crucial because even if someone doesn’t buy from you right away, it doesn’t mean they won’t ever. I often say,
“Not now doesn’t mean not ever.”
So remember, just because a conversation doesn’t convert immediately, doesn’t mean it’s a dead end.
Think about all those touchpoints you have. Maybe it’s a DM, a comment on a post, or a chat with someone who wasn’t quite ready to commit. Don’t forget about these people! They’re invaluable for the future growth of your business. Continue nurturing these relationships. It’s about focusing on quality, not just quantity. You’re building a community around your business, not just a customer base.
Here’s something important to remember: It’s unlikely you need an overwhelming number of inquiries to meet your financial goals. What truly matters is connecting with the right families—those who really need your expertise and guidance. Focus on understanding and addressing their specific challenges, and what they hope to achieve. By crafting your messages to resonate with their experiences, you’re not just reaching out broadly; you’re reaching out to the right people who will benefit most from your help.
When it comes to marketing, it’s more effective to go narrow and deep rather than casting a wide net. Position yourself where your ideal clients are most active. This might be Facebook groups, forums, or other online communities where sleep-related discussions are happening. Once there, actively engage by answering questions and offering valuable insights on sleep. This targeted approach will not only make you stand out but also ensure that your ideal clients begin to take notice.
Remember, having a cohesive marketing strategy that integrates both inbound and outbound efforts is crucial and always remember, relationships lead to revenue. Focus on building quality relationships with those you can impact the most significantly.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog, If you’re ready to make a real impact supporting families with sleep and you’re keen to build a business that feels joyful, make sure to fill out the application linked below to talk to someone from our team. We would love to see if we are a good fit for each other inside of our Holistic Sleep Coaching Program.